Dick Seacup Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 Have a pair in the Milly DC, which I was just unwinding this afternoon. The neck is nice and warm, the bridge can get some drive going...hot, but not, ummm, raspy. Hard to explain. I like 'em. I still need to get the soldering iron warmed up to put the pair in my 137D.
Gitfiddler Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 We've discussed this topic before and the consensus is that HRW's are incredible pickups. I just wish they were available as an aftermarket product. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...opic,124.0.html
davesultra Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I have a pair in my Ultra, I like em'. To me they sound like a slightly darker, hotter variant of PAF style pickups. They do look suspiciously similar to Schaller humbuckers. :-
VJonathan Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 ..................because they are Shaller humbuckers rewired at Heritage!
Thundersteel Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 ..................because they are Shaller humbuckers rewired at Heritage! Where did you get this information? Just curious...
JohnCovach Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 I have always thought they were Schallers with a coil tap added, but I'm just guessing. It seems unlikely that they are actually manufactured in the K'zoo shop, so either they are modified pickups or manufactured for Heritage by somebody else (maybe Schaller?).
GuitArtMan Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 I have always thought they were Schallers with a coil tap added, but I'm just guessing. It seems unlikely that they are actually manufactured in the K'zoo shop, so either they are modified pickups or manufactured for Heritage by somebody else (maybe Schaller?). Why is it so hard to believe that they are wound in house? It aint rocket science. Do you think the G word farms out their pickup manufacturing? (well these days to save money they probably do! ;D) Take a look at what Redall has invented through the years while both at the G word and at Heritage: http://www.heritageguitar.com/Custom%20Fea.../HRW-pickup.htm He's the RW of the Heritage Redall Wall pickups. They are a great pickup. A little hotter than I like, but that's a personal thing. The tone was smooth and clear and full.
Robbie G Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 I also have a pair installed in my 150. I like them a lot. They are not as hot as a Gibson 498T for example but bring in a more refined and well defined tone. I mainly play rock music but they suit me well. People say that he HRW's are a bit dark sounding and more suitable for jazz. I don't agree. I think they are very versatile pups! I think the people at Heritage do wind the pups thermselves. The name HRW is manually scratched in the brass backplate of the pups. Why bother doing that if the Heritage people do purchase them elsewhere? Unfortunately the Dutch dealer doesn't order the solidbody guitars equipped with the HRW's anymore. He now let them install Seymour Duncan's '59's instead. HRW's are an (expensive!) upgrade but worth the effort! ;D
jazzbo Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 I have a pair in my Millenium SAE they are very hot pckups and needed to be carefully adjusted so that the I could still get some of the chambered tone out of the guitar. They sound great with flatwounds
davesultra Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 FWIW: There's a pair up on Fleabay right now. I thought of jumping on them, but cash is in short supply right now. :'(
Dick Seacup Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 Based on what I paid for mine, that's a good price. Considering the only other way to get a pair is to buy a Heritage with them in it, or ship your Heritage back to the factory, I think it's a bargain.
VJonathan Posted October 29, 2007 Posted October 29, 2007 GuitarArtMan is indeed correct. The HRW is the brain child of Rendal Wall. The adjustment me makes to the pickup (I believe) is a guarded secret. Cheers!
JohnCovach Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Why is it so hard to believe that they are wound in house? It aint rocket science. Do you think the G word farms out their pickup manufacturing? (well these days to save money they probably do! ;D) Take a look at what Redall has invented through the years while both at the G word and at Heritage:http://www.heritageguitar.com/Custom%20Fea.../HRW-pickup.htm He's the RW of the Heritage Redall Wall pickups. They are a great pickup. A little hotter than I like, but that's a personal thing. The tone was smooth and clear and full. Or rewound in house, right? Ren tweaks them in some way, but they don't manufacture the bobbins and frames, etc. Maybe they buy that stuff from Schaller? I'm sure they're great.
Thundersteel Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Jay told me that Ren discovered a way to change the pickups internally to make them sound better. What was actually changed is being kept a secret.
wingnut1 Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 FWIW: There's a pair up on Fleabay right now. I thought of jumping on them, but cash is in short supply right now. :'( I'm interested in purchasing these, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...4.cWAT.m240.lVI, but I don't want to get into a bidding war against someone on the site. Is anyone else planning on bidding on them? The guy did have a buy it now for $140 when you looked at it in the list of items view, but it didn't show up when you opened the item. I wrote him saying I would buy them now for the $140, but I never heard back from him. Instead he removed the buy it now from the list view.
CrustHunter Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Yes I am very interested they would make me a nice Christmas present for my H535
CrustHunter Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Oh well missed those HRW pups on fleabay by $2.50 to a guy in Germany they sold for $202.50 thats fleabay. I emailed Heitage and they were willing to supply me with the dot toggle switch tip! and said that it is still their policy not to sell HRWs "at this time" fingers crossed they may take pity on me being in the UK and returning my guitar to Kalamazoo would of course be cost prohibitive,fingers crossed!
tulk1 Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Jay told me that Ren discovered a way to change the pickups internally to make them sound better. What was actually changed is being kept a secret. Don't suppose maybe he's doing that new concept of reverse winds within the pup, do you? They go halfway in one direction, then back out in the opposite direction. I've only heard local gossip that you can even do that.
GuitArtMan Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Don't suppose maybe he's doing that new concept of reverse winds within the pup, do you? They go halfway in one direction, then back out in the opposite direction. I've only heard local gossip that you can even do that. Well a humbucker is really two single coils side by side, wired in series, that are reverse wound reverse polarity with respect to each other. If you talking about winding 1/2 of a single coil one way then reveresing it and winding 1/2 the other way it won't work - the coil would be out-of-phase with itself!
Dick Seacup Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 What about this...one humbucker is two single coils (front and back, for this discussion). The front single coil is wound clockwise on the bottom half, then the top half is wound counterclockwise (a stacked humbucker?). The back single coil has the bottom wound counterclockwise and the top wound clockwise. No idea how you'd insulate the top and bottom from each other, or what would be gained by having the coils wound this way, other than a lot more work. But, hey, it could happen! (Note: I know nothing about pickup design and wiring)
davesultra Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 I wonder if perhaps the mod is to switch the magnet, as it's fairly easy to do. Perhaps he replaces the stock one with a different style of Alnico magnet, or one with a higher charge ???? Hmmmmm..
Thundersteel Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 ...maybe he's installed a Flux Capacitor!!!
tulk1 Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Well a humbucker is really two single coils side by side, wired in series, that are reverse wound reverse polarity with respect to each other.If you talking about winding 1/2 of a single coil one way then reveresing it and winding 1/2 the other way it won't work - the coil would be out-of-phase with itself! Hmmm, was mostly going on what a friend had said he'd read. Guess that idea is out the door. So now, I'm going with Thundersteel's idea about the Flux Capacitor. Altho' I'm fairly certain that means you'd have to play at 88 mph to achieve optimal performance.
Gitfiddler Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Guys, I am confused (often!). Are you questioning if the HRW p'ups are an original design or simply a modified Schaller knock-off?? Rendall Wahl has been a prolific designer of all things guitar, as well as being awarded patents over the years. Maybe he has done what the likes of Seymour Duncan, Kent Armstrong and many others...come up with a great sounding pickup...by improving on good old Seth Lover's original idea. Whatever he has done, why not give him his due?
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