How to control the HRW?

[Blunote]

^That's what's got me so puzzled when I hear HRWs variously described as "hi-fi", or now, "shrill"

 

They're bright. I plugged in to my Blackface Deluxe, toggled to the bridge pup, rolled the volume and tone knobs to 10, took the amp volume to 7, treble to 10, and bass to 3. The result....a very bright, perhaps some would say "shrill", tone. The difference between my experience and Martygrass' seems to be that when I back off the treble on the amp, and roll the tone back, it doesn't sound muddy, I can get it where I want it, or start to mix in the neck to get some extra depth.

 

Peerless may be on to something.

 

All I know for sure is: They'll have to pry that HRW laden Millie out of my cold dead hands. That's the only way anybody's going to mess with it.

[MartyGrass]

What strings are you using?

 

 

I've used quite a few types of strings- stainless steel, chrome, nickel and alloy 52s.

 

It's not just the individual guitar. I've had them on many- a Super Kenny Burrell, a Super Eagle, a H140, a H150, a Golden Eagle, two H555s, a Millie DC and a Little One. The bridge pup has just been a bit too much in each case.

 

I have made progress over the years. I like the neck pickup now. I will try again with the bridge, taking advantage of the advice provided.

[Steiner]

I planted a set of chrome flatwounds and undid a whole bunch of the brittleness. I only have 4 guitars with HRWs. I thought I'd found the (HRW) source of tinnitus when I read this thread. Confirmed it after borrowing Heritages with other pickups and played them next to HRWs. Until I picked up a Heritage with Phat Cats that had the exact same brittle highs. It has to be the strings.

[H]

I will try again with the bridge, taking advantage of the advice provided.

Are you planning on trying the bridge in the neck position, Mark? I'd be very interested in the result of that.

[MartyGrass]

Are you planning on trying the bridge in the neck position, Mark? I'd be very interested in the result of that.

 

 

I'm not sure about that. I'd have to put something in the bridge position. I like the neck pup in the neck position already.

 

If I have a bunch of time to kill it would be a great project.

[AP515]

I recently ended up with a spare set of 59's I was going to drop in my 150 Ultra with HRW's. I had played it enough lately to think maybe the 59's (which I love) would be a better choice for me. I was doing a lot of clean to crunchy gain type stuff. Before I heated up the soldering iron I decided to play it again and got on a hard rock kick. Sweet Child O mine, Enter Sandman, etc. Lots of gain and wide open on the bridge pup. WOW! That thick 150 body brought the power, and the HRW was dynamic and clear. I didn't hear "shrill". Not at all. Maybe it was my choice of amps. I was running 6L6's EQ'd about 12:00 on all 3. With an EL84 equipped amp I could see hearing a lot more "shrill" highs.

 

I still have the 59's sitting on the work bench. I don't think I'll pull the HRW's. That was some tasty hard rock.

[Gitfiddler]

I recently ended up with a spare set of 59's I was going to drop in my 150 Ultra with HRW's. I had played it enough lately to think maybe the 59's (which I love) would be a better choice for me. I was doing a lot of clean to crunchy gain type stuff. Before I heated up the soldering iron I decided to play it again and got on a hard rock kick. Sweet Child O mine, Enter Sandman, etc. Lots of gain and wide open on the bridge pup. WOW! That thick 150 body brought the power, and the HRW was dynamic and clear. I didn't hear "shrill". Not at all. Maybe it was my choice of amps. I was running 6L6's EQ'd about 12:00 on all 3. With an EL84 equipped amp I could see hearing a lot more "shrill" highs.

 

I still have the 59's sitting on the work bench. I don't think I'll pull the HRW's. That was some tasty hard rock.

 

 

 

Tone from pickups and various guitars depend so much on one's style of music as well as the instrument they are installed in.

 

This tone stuff is so personal...like art! What is fantastic to one person is total crap for another.

[JeffB]

I recently ended up with a spare set of 59's I was going to drop in my 150 Ultra with HRW's. I had played it enough lately to think maybe the 59's (which I love) would be a better choice for me. I was doing a lot of clean to crunchy gain type stuff. Before I heated up the soldering iron I decided to play it again and got on a hard rock kick. Sweet Child O mine, Enter Sandman, etc. Lots of gain and wide open on the bridge pup. WOW! That thick 150 body brought the power, and the HRW was dynamic and clear. I didn't hear "shrill". Not at all. Maybe it was my choice of amps. I was running 6L6's EQ'd about 12:00 on all 3. With an EL84 equipped amp I could see hearing a lot more "shrill" highs.

 

I still have the 59's sitting on the work bench. I don't think I'll pull the HRW's. That was some tasty hard rock.

Ive found a lot of hard rock players who try the HRWs really like them. The do work well with Mesa's and lots of gain. Initially it surprised me that they did work so well like that because I assumed they were designed with clean sounds and jazz sounds in mind.

But they are a great rock p/up. They stay quite tight and focused in drop tunings with a lot of gain.

[MartyGrass]

Ive found a lot of hard rock players who try the HRWs really like them. The do work well with Mesa's and lots of gain. Initially it surprised me that they did work so well like that because I assumed they were designed with clean sounds and jazz sounds in mind.

But they are a great rock p/up. They stay quite tight and focused in drop tunings with a lot of gain.

 

Maybe my problem is that I need a crappy pedal.

[JeffB]

 

Maybe my problem is that I need a crappy pedal.

Funny you mention that.....Ive got some real shockers Im trying to off load.

As much as I want them gone I would feel awful for the person who bought them.

Its a quite a ponderence for me. Conflicting.

 

Out of curiosity, what sort of music do you play? I see all you beautiful NGD's but Ive never read anything where you mention the music you like to play.

What amp do you use?

[MartyGrass]

Funny you mention that.....Ive got some real shockers Im trying to off load.

As much as I want them gone I would feel awful for the person who bought them.

Its a quite a ponderence for me. Conflicting.

 

Out of curiosity, what sort of music do you play? I see all you beautiful NGD's but Ive never read anything where you mention the music you like to play.

What amp do you use?

 

 

Well, my music stinks. I would never subject my worst enemy to the sounds I so incapably try to produce. It is supposed to be jazz, but my music would insult that term.

 

My amps are also the worst. One is hideously overweight, the Super Reverb. It's pretty old and obviously came from a bad batch. It's way too loud and has too many knobs. They apparently were experimenting with different channels and accidently left an extra one on there that doesn't even have reverb. Yet they call it the Super Reverb. I'd say it's a Sub Reverb at best.

 

Another one is a crappy solid state thing that someone dumped on me through eBay. It's an Evans. That company can't stay in business long. The way I look at it, Evans is Snave spelled backwards. Check out these definitions. Not good.

 

Snave 7 up, 6 down

adj. Anything cunning, sneaky or underhand.

 

n. A deceitful, slimey or unscrupulous person; a thief or a conman.

Todd "Where's my wallet?"

 

Keith "I dunno, but there was a greasy old guy walking very closeley behind you five minutes ago, and he looked like a snave to me."

 

Todd "I think I saw him - short-arse, string vest, hairy arms?"

 

Keith "That's the one. Look, he's over there by the grocery stall, go get him."

buy snave mugs & shirts

shady conning george graham unscrupulous sly

by galacticbeetroot Aug 29, 2010 share this add a video 2. snave 10 up, 11 down

People that are enormously cool, and deserve to be revered for ever and given free money when seen at the mall/in the streets/being cool.

Damn, Andrew and Shannon are the snavest people in the world!

buy snave mugs & shirts

evans cool aight tight sick

by snavE werdnA Mar 6, 2006 share this add a video 3. snave 3 up, 6 down

A slanderous term for a damaged vagina

She had received lots of hot beef injections, and her snave was beginning to fall apart

 

Somehow I got stuck with a Roland, too. Apparently tubes were scarce but Roland needed to sell something. So they came up with their XL line. There are knobs that let you pretend it's a good sounding amp, like a Marshall or Vox, but they're a joke. This notion of modeling will never catch on.

 

Then there's this Mesa Boogie that a so-called friend ripped me off with. It's sort of a real amp in that it does have a tube or two, But it's wired so badly that when I wiggle a certain switch the output jumps from 5 to 50 watts. Another switch makes the speakers sound distorted. Talk about poor design!

 

Lastly, I am often forced to plug into a Henriksen. You'd think they'd figure out how to make a single tone knob instead of a shoddy equalizer panel. Sheez.

 

Now you understand the hell I must endure. My salvation must be some pedal.

[H]

Hot beef injections???!!!!!!

[MartyGrass]

Hot beef injections???!!!!!!

 

 

I don't make this stuff up. I report, you decide.

[AP515]

 

....

 

Then there's this Mesa Boogie that a so-called friend ripped me off with. It's sort of a real amp in that it does have a tube or two, But it's wired so badly that when I wiggle a certain switch the output jumps from 5 to 50 watts. Another switch makes the speakers sound distorted. Talk about poor design!

.....

Sarcasm becomes you. I'm guessing that 5:50 switchable is an Express. I like them.

[MartyGrass]

Sarcasm becomes you. I'm guessing that 5:50 switchable is an Express. I like them.

 

Truthfully, it's a great amp that's very versatile without weighing a ton. It's an Express.

 

Each amp has its personality. For me, the learning curve has always been steep with them. It's taken over a month before I got fairly comfortable with the MB.

 

We are really spoiled with all the great equipment out there.

[JeffB]

 

 

Well, my music stinks. I would never subject my worst enemy to the sounds I so incapably try to produce. It is supposed to be jazz, but my music would insult that term.

 

My amps are also the worst. One is hideously overweight, the Super Reverb. It's pretty old and obviously came from a bad batch. It's way too loud and has too many knobs. They apparently were experimenting with different channels and accidently left an extra one on there that doesn't even have reverb. Yet they call it the Super Reverb. I'd say it's a Sub Reverb at best.

 

Another one is a crappy solid state thing that someone dumped on me through eBay. It's an Evans. That company can't stay in business long. The way I look at it, Evans is Snave spelled backwards. Check out these definitions. Not good.

 

Snave 7 up, 6 down

adj. Anything cunning, sneaky or underhand.

 

n. A deceitful, slimey or unscrupulous person; a thief or a conman.

Todd "Where's my wallet?"

 

Keith "I dunno, but there was a greasy old guy walking very closeley behind you five minutes ago, and he looked like a snave to me."

 

Todd "I think I saw him - short-arse, string vest, hairy arms?"

 

Keith "That's the one. Look, he's over there by the grocery stall, go get him."

buy snave mugs & shirts

shady conning george graham unscrupulous sly

by galacticbeetroot Aug 29, 2010 share this add a video 2. snave 10 up, 11 down

People that are enormously cool, and deserve to be revered for ever and given free money when seen at the mall/in the streets/being cool.

Damn, Andrew and Shannon are the snavest people in the world!

buy snave mugs & shirts

evans cool aight tight sick

by snavE werdnA Mar 6, 2006 share this add a video 3. snave 3 up, 6 down

A slanderous term for a damaged vagina

She had received lots of hot beef injections, and her snave was beginning to fall apart

 

Somehow I got stuck with a Roland, too. Apparently tubes were scarce but Roland needed to sell something. So they came up with their XL line. There are knobs that let you pretend it's a good sounding amp, like a Marshall or Vox, but they're a joke. This notion of modeling will never catch on.

 

Then there's this Mesa Boogie that a so-called friend ripped me off with. It's sort of a real amp in that it does have a tube or two, But it's wired so badly that when I wiggle a certain switch the output jumps from 5 to 50 watts. Another switch makes the speakers sound distorted. Talk about poor design!

 

Lastly, I am often forced to plug into a Henriksen. You'd think they'd figure out how to make a single tone knob instead of a shoddy equalizer panel. Sheez.

 

Now you understand the hell I must endure. My salvation must be some pedal.

Great reply!! Thanks

[SouthpawGuy]

Have to agree that HRWs make fine pickups for rock or metal. When I got my Millie with HRWs I was expecting a mellow, jazzy sounding guitar ..... wrong ! It sounds great with lots of gain, a lot different than I had expected.

[CJTopes]

The HRWs I have sound a lot better in my 73 S-G than they did in my Millie DC.