My impression of HRW's

[Guest HRB853370]

I dug out my 555 with HRW's today to give it a spanking. It had been a while and I forgot how these pickups sounded. HRW's have a very dark sound to them, even the bridge pickup. Lots of midrange too. I think the best sound is with the switch in the middle. Anybody else with HRW's agree with this assessment?

[DetroitBlues]

No. I adjust the tone controls on my amp...

[Blunote]

I agree. The bridge and neck complement each other. There's a huge range of tones in the middle position.

[tulk1]

I've had two sets and did not find either one of them to be dark. More on the bright side in my 555 and Millie DC.

[tsp17]

I've had two sets and did not find either one of them to be dark. More on the bright side in my 555 and Millie DC.

Same here. Had one set in a 535 and another in a 150LW.

[SofaPlayer]

My Golden Eagle with HRWs can sound as bright or dark as I want it to. Regardless which pickup is selected, every tone has a special brilliance to it if I don't dampen the strings with my right hand or turn down the tone knob.

 

I wonder what's the 'problem' with Slammers 555. Pickups too low? Old strings?

[Kuz]

I found them to be much hotter than I like and very metallic and too stereophonic. Just my opinion, but the tones I heard were from the pickup and very little of the wood of the guitar itself. I don't like them, YMMV

[Blunote]

If you standard for evaluating is the sound of a vintage PAF humbucker, you probably won't like HRWs.

 

I have Seths in one guitar, Mira Pickups in my PRS, have had Burstbuckers pros, and Schallers. In the case of HRWs, there's a more dramatic difference between the sound of the neck and bridge with the bridge being a lot more brighter than the neck by comparison to other pickups I've owned. I think that difference provides a greater range of tones that can be dialed in.

 

They are hot. So I tend to set the height low.

[H]

Kuz, I don't understand what you mean by 'stereophonic' in this context. Could you elaborate?

 

I had a 170 with HRWs and, like others here, loved the neck pickup and played mostly through that. I'd describe it as a cross between a humbucker and a P90. Great clarity and definition with a strong mid-range. The bridge was shrill, overly bright and with no real character.

 

I've often wondered how an HRW bridge pickup would sound in the neck position.

[Guest HRB853370]

I found them to be much hotter than I like and very metallic and too stereophonic. Just my opinion, but the tones I heard were from the pickup and very little of the wood of the guitar itself. I don't like them, YMMV

 

 

Kuz, I don't understand what you mean by 'stereophonic' in this context. Could you elaborate?

 

I had a 170 with HRWs and, like others here, loved the neck pickup and played mostly through that. I'd describe it as a cross between a humbucker and a P90. Great clarity and definition with a strong mid-range. The bridge was shrill, overly bright and with no real character.

 

I've often wondered how an HRW bridge pickup would sound in the neck position.

Hmm, this is interesting. I don't find the bridge shrill at all, unlike most HB bridge pickups. I was thinking the same as you Howard, what does Kuz mean by stereophonic? Two channels? Separation?

 

I am going to retest these again, hopefully AB against perhaps the regular Schallers in my 150 and maybe the 59's in a different 150. There is no question that they are very HOT.

 

And Detroit Blues, you defeated my question by answering that you adjust your amp settings. Of course, you can overcome ANY pickups shortcomings to an extent by adjusting amp settings. Set your amp settings all neutral then reply to my question (if you do not mind).

[Kuz]

Maybe the wrong adjective.... I mean they are too metallic, too up front, there is no wood or individuality from the wood coming through. They don't allow the individual character of different guitars come through, thus they make different guitars all sound very similar (aka Stereophonic).

 

A good pickup should be a microphone that mic's the guitar's individual character. With HRWs, IMHO, they color the tone so you hear the pickup and not the acoustic properties of the guitar itself.

[Guest HRB853370]

Maybe the wrong adjective.... I mean they are too metallic, too up front, there is no wood or individuality from the wood coming through. They don't allow the individual character of different guitars come through, thus they make different guitars all sound very similar (aka Stereophonic).

 

A good pickup should be a microphone that mic's the guitar's individual character. With HRWs, IMHO, they color the tone so you hear the pickup and not the acoustic properties of the guitar itself.

Interesting perspective, although that would not be my definition of stereophonic. Wonder why they are so highly coveted John?

[Number8]

I had a similar experience when i put them in a 155. shrill. metallic. could not set them low enough to mitigate the problem. not a positive experience.

[Gitfiddler]

Hey Will~ I like HRW's, but they require more tweaking than some other p'ups. I raise the bridge, lower the neck p'ups, adjust individual screws for string balance, etc. until I get them just right.

 

Since they have a midrange bump, HRW's can sound really sweet overdriven, especially in the middle/both p'ups position. And for jazz, their clarity works, especially with the tone pot rolled back. That manages the so called 'hi fi' personality that is sometimes associated with HRWs.

 

Oh, and another tweaking trick is to roll off the volume pot (on the guitar) just a bit.

 

Like most pickups, they require individual 'seasoning to taste' of the player. YMMV.

[yoslate]

And for jazz, their clarity works, especially with the tone pot rolled back. That manages the so called 'hi fi' personality that is sometimes associated with HRWs.

 

 

 

I think Tim has nailed what John is referencing, in his "hi-fi" characterization. Most of us here can remember listening to many of our first records on decidedly "lo-fi" record players. A GE "Mustang" stereo, with detachable speakers, for example. Kind of like listening with cloth ears. Then, at some point, we were introduced to "high fidelity" component systems. I remember my father, who is the most a-musical human on earth, coming home with a Garrard turntable, a Harmon-Kardon amp, and a pair of Frazier bookshelf speakers for my Mom. A "hi-fi" system. The clarity, presence, and punch were stunning. I think that's what John and Tim were alluding to, that balance, clarity, and punch across the audio spectrum. HRW's are sort of the xenon headlights of the pickup world.

[tulk1]

I knew what John meant. ..........

[Genericmusic]

HRW's are sort of the xenon headlights of the pickup world.

[H]

Has anyone ever tried a bridge HRW in the neck position?

[Guest HRB853370]

 

I think Tim has nailed what John is referencing, in his "hi-fi" characterization. Most of us here can remember listening to many of our first records on decidedly "lo-fi" record players. A GE "Mustang" stereo, with detachable speakers, for example. Kind of like listening with cloth ears. Then, at some point, we were introduced to "high fidelity" component systems. I remember my father, who is the most a-musical human on earth, coming home with a Garrard turntable, a Harmon-Kardon amp, and a pair of Frazier bookshelf speakers for my Mom. A "hi-fi" system. The clarity, presence, and punch were stunning. I think that's what John and Tim were alluding to, that balance, clarity, and punch across the audio spectrum. HRW's are sort of the xenon headlights of the pickup world.

Right on, but the term stereophonic would not apply to this analogy. Hi-Fi, yes I can relate.

[Guest HRB853370]

I knew what John meant. ..........

Sure you did, sure you did.............

[MartyGrass]

Has anyone ever tried a bridge HRW in the neck position?

 

Heresy! Insanity!

 

I'm thinking about it though.

[MartyGrass]

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the HRWs worked with my Super Kenny Burrell.

 

It is a brighter pup with a full midrange. It has a high end sparkle that in other guitars cross the line into shrillness on the bridge pup.

 

One of the tricks to try on the bridge pup is inspired by Jeff Beck's adjustment of the SD 59s. Switch the pup so the pole pieces are toward the neck (up). Lower the pup and raise the screws quite a bit. Caveat: I'm waiting to try this and have not done it. But I found that slanting the pup so the north side is high helps drop the shrill.

 

Jeff Beck dropped the 59 neck pup and raised the screws to clean up the mud.

[GuitArtMan]

I've had two sets and did not find either one of them to be dark. More on the bright side in my 555 and Millie DC.

This. Biright, almost HiFi like. A little hotter than your normal PAF as well.

[H]

 

Heresy! Insanity!

 

I'm thinking about it though.

I'd be interested in the results.

 

I'd love to have an HRW in the neck position of a couple of my guitars. I wouldn't put an HRW in the bridge of any guitar I own but I'd put a bridge HRW into the neck position even if it made only 90% of the noise the neck HRW makes there.

 

It would make buying a neck/bridge pair of HRWs viable for me.

[Guest HRB853370]

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the HRWs worked with my Super Kenny Burrell.

 

It is a brighter pup with a full midrange. It has a high end sparkle that in other guitars cross the line into shrillness on the bridge pup.

 

One of the tricks to try on the bridge pup is inspired by Jeff Beck's adjustment of the SD 59s. Switch the pup so the pole pieces are toward the neck (up). Lower the pup and raise the screws quite a bit. Caveat: I'm waiting to try this and have not done it. But I found that slanting the pup so the north side is high helps drop the shrill.

 

Jeff Beck dropped the 59 neck pup and raised the screws to clean up the mud.

But Jeff Beck doesn't play humbuckers, he plays single coils and noiseless ones too, if I am not mistaken! You must be going way back to the Blow by Blow and Wired era.