VIP System

[tulk1]

Can some one that has the VIP system on their Heritage describe just what that does? Here's the thing, I've been playing the Strats because I need to get a bit of twang for the country. But I'd really like to play the Heritages. But I need that Strat/Tele thwap/twang thang on too many songs. Can the VIP get me in that territory? Clips would be wonderful!!, if possible.

[brentrocks]

i had the single VIP on the 127 and what it did was took the bridge hummbucker out of phase.  this in turn gave it a super twangy tone like a tele...but it also had coil taps. 

 

now the double VIP, i assume will do the same for both pups

 

i think it is a really cool system....but the 127 had the sustain robbing Kahler so it had to go....to China, that will teach it... ;D

[High Flying Bird]

....but the 127 had the sustain robbing Kahler so it had to go....to China, that will teach it... ;D

 

Shanghaied! 

[cod65]

maybe waht you should try is Prails

[jacques]

I have the VIP system on one guitar and I owned another one (the 127). There are two VIP systems, the old and the new one. I only know the old type and I can tell you it does everything you want, but it is kind of complicated. What I mean is that you practically have to have the manual with you at all times...

 

A much better deal for you would be the H 162. It has a screwed on maple neck, two most excellent Schaller single coils and a Schaller humbucker that can be split. This guitar gives you most of the stratlike sounds and quite a bit better so than any strat. In my band I love the 162 because it allows me to switch from sweet Knopfler in between settings to dirty humbucking all on one guitar. But where will you find one??? Dick Seacup had his beautiful 160 (glued in mahogany neck and more sophisticated tremolo) for sale, but I don't know if he sold it or not.

 

Maybe even better would be a STAT, but I don't have one and wouldn't know how they actually sound, but I have a feeling that the STAT was the culmination of all kinds of experimental strat varieties like the 160, the 162, the 127, the VIP1 and VIP2 (usually all different: different pickups, some of 'em hard tails,some came with tremolo systems, some had vip systems, some only coil splitters...but ALL interesting because Heritage always used quality materials: good neck & body woods, excellent Kahler tremolo's, good Schaller pickups, good tuners and bridges etc). Neither of these guitars were ever a success, imho mainly because they didn't have 'fender' on their head-stock.

 

The only audio sample I have at hand is here: http://boomp3.com/listen/c2b0z9u2w_s/crazy-kate-2008

Not that much twang there, but you can hear some fat humbucker and some of the Knopfler feel all from the 162.

[fxdx99]

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny... now you KNOW that Strats are for blues, not country.  If you wanna twang, you need a TELE, man!  Don't compromise now, you're just gonna have to go w/2 guitars. Grab the 535 and a Tele (my most frequent choice) as a pair to cover lotsa tonal territory.  But with winter fast approaching, the dark/fullness of a good 150 may just fit the bill, too.  Hmmm... might just need to start packin' 3 guits...

 

Now, jump on the bandwagon (got that petition around here somewhere) to get the K'zoo boys to offer up a nice light weight Tele twanger as their next model (winter NAMM is right around the corner...).

[SouthpawGuy]

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny... now you KNOW that Strats are for blues, not country.  If you wanna twang, you need a TELE, man!  Don't compromise now, you're just gonna have to go w/2 guitars. Grab the 535 and a Tele (my most frequent choice) as a pair to cover lotsa tonal territory.  But with winter fast approaching, the dark/fullness of a good 150 may just fit the bill, too.  Hmmm... might just need to start packin' 3 guits...

 

Now, jump on the bandwagon (got that petition around here somewhere) to get the K'zoo boys to offer up a nice light weight Tele twanger as their next model (winter NAMM is right around the corner...).

 

I have had a very large attack of G&L love in the last few months. If you want one guitar that will do both then you need one of these .... Just plug it in and put the pickup switch in the middle position and be prepared to wet yourself.

 

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh98/SouthpawGuy/GandL%20Bluesboy/bluesboy2.jpg[/img]

 

[fxdx99]

Love that GL of yours, SPG!  Well, except for the fact that it's built upside down... but other than that, it's just a killer looking axe and if it sounds as good as it looks...

 

I've a version kinda like that (below) - not as neat and clean, but it's a great tone machine (70s franken-tele).  With the middle pickup, push/pull tone, and tap'd bucker it has 11 pickup combinations.  Bridge/neck is one of my favs for sure.  And while I rarely use my strat bridge pickup, I most often use the tele's.

 

Sorry, Kenny, didn't mean to hi-jack the VIP question of this thread.  That does probably make a lot of sense to get a single coil type sound from a Heritage.  For years I kept going smaller, lighter, fewer of everything and of late, I'm reversing that trend somewhat as I'm usually going 2 guits and 2 amps. And seriously, the 535 (or Mille or...) and Tele is a great 1-2 punch for tone. Figure if I'm gonna go play, I'll get as close as I can to the tones I want without as much compromise.  It's made a little easier as more and more clubs have house PAs now.

 

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh237/fxdx99/tele2.jpg[/img]

[tulk1]

Randy, Randy, Randy ... I don't mind the highjack. ;D  It's all in the spirit of the thread.

 

I have had a 60th Anniv MIA Tele. Sold it. Also have a Tribute Tele that I remember liking quite a bit. But I loaned it to a nephew and haven't seen it in a year or so. I could just never get my groove around a Tele. But then, I remember telling Kuz to just play the danged thing!! (Strat, that is). So maybe ... Oh wait ... he sold it anyway!! But I wouldn't mind a G&L Tele to try for a while.

[Kuz]

Randy, Randy, Randy ... I don't mind the highjack. ;D  It's all in the spirit of the thread.

 

I have had a 60th Anniv MIA Tele. Sold it. Also have a Tribute Tele that I remember liking quite a bit. But I loaned it to a nephew and haven't seen it in a year or so. I could just never get my groove around a Tele. But then, I remember telling Kuz to just play the danged thing!! (Strat, that is). So maybe ... Oh wait ... he sold it anyway!! But I wouldn't mind a G&L Tele to try for a while.

 

Never liked a Tele for 20years. Now I have seen the light, I just needed a rosewood board. Teles rule and are my favorite single coil guitar.

 

Only have 1 Tele, and only need 1. When you find the right one hold on to it.

 

Good luck with the Milli. I don't know anything about the VIP but it make sense to me. In church I'm playing more & more of my PRS just because of the convenience of the coil tap.