HRW in my 535

[Droogs]

I just got a 2011 Almond Sunburst 535 with HRW pickups.   Wow.  This is a great guitar and these pickups?  Fantastic.  
my last Heritage was a cool Prospect but I didn’t bond with that one.  Any other fans of the HRWs?

[ESchmidt]

I like the HRWs. I find them to be way better than the current SD 59s they seem to outfit everything with these days. I recently picked up a 2022 H535 with the 59s and swapped them out immediately. Ended up putting a set of alnico III Custombuckers in it and it’s like a blanket has been lifted off. Such a better tone now. 

[Droogs]

Totally agree.  My prospect had ThoBaks.  They were very nice also.  

[bobmeyrick]

I bought my H535 back in 2009 - the then UK distributor was about 15 miles from Nottingham. The first 535 I tried had SD59s and while it was good it didn't really say "take me, I'm yours". I then tried one with HRWs (also and Almond Sunburst) and I was smitten. A fine instrument!

[helmi]

On 5/26/2023 at 2:50 PM, bobmeyrick said:

I bought my H535 back in 2009 - the then UK distributor was about 15 miles from Nottingham. The first 535 I tried had SD59s and while it was good it didn't really say "take me, I'm yours". I then tried one with HRWs (also and Almond Sunburst) and I was smitten. A fine instrument!

Thats a fine looking 535.

[MartyGrass]

I had quite a few sets over the years and was frustrated with them, especially in solid bodies.  They can be shrill.

It's a different story now.  The pickup heights and screw heights can be dialed in well.  They particularly sound good in an archtop.  The treble sometimes has to be rolled back.

Once you invest the time to figure our your set up, you are good to go.

[Rickco123]

"I had quite a few sets over the years and was frustrated with them, especially in solid bodies.  They can be shrill."  Which ones do you refer to Marty?  the SD or HRW . very curious about comparing. I have HRW in my 575, and have had '57s, KA 12 , Schallers, TWDoyle and some single coils in various archtops but never SDs. In the gits these were in. I never experienced "shrill" . I find the HRWs to be warm with lots of gain in the 575, warmer than Heritage Schallers in my almost identical 575. So my question is were the SDs shrill or bright in the solid bodies or the HRWs. Im asking cause Im thinking about p.u.s in an '70s 175 and leaning towards '57 classics or KA 12. Great thread and timely.

Rick

 

[gpuma]

I have HRW in my H150. Great sounding pick-ups. Never experienced any shrill at all but I heard that complaint from other players few times.

[chico]

big fan    don't mod it

[MartyGrass]

Yes, the HRW bridge pickup in several guitars sounded a bit shrill compared to Schallers, Seths and 59s.  However, I found rolling back the tone control a little and picking a little further toward the neck worked.

I have HRWs on a 555 now and have loved them on full bodied archtops.  They are good pickups.

I have mellowed my opinions on a lot of things over the years.

To my knowledge HRWs are Schallers with the innards frozen in liquid nitrogen.  The process has been a secret, but that's the most consistent story I've heard in Kalamazoo and it makes sense.  This is not a new idea in general but it may be unique to alter Schallers this way.

Here is an old posting on the topic.  https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/is_it_cool_or_not_cryogenically_frozen_gear_explained-108422  

[TalismanRich]

It's a shame that I'm not working in the lab anymore.   We had an instrument that required liquid nitrogen to operate.   Had I thought about it,  I could very easily have taken one of the old Schallers that were in my 535 and dipped it in the Dewar flask after we have finished running the test.  There was always some nitrogen left afterwards.

 

 

[MartyGrass]

I'm not sure why Schallers are looked down on by so many.  I've grown to like them a lot.

[Heritage1970]

2 hours ago, MartyGrass said:

I'm not sure why Schallers are looked down on by so many.  I've grown to like them a lot.

Totally agree. I love SD 59s and many of the other PUPS used through the years in Heritage models, but you're right: I always read about the "old" Heritage parts that were used and references made to Schaller's not being very liked. I've always liked them too. Even their roller bridge and quick change tailpieces were great, although Ren should have gotten credit for those- especially the tailpiece, which is basically a TP6. Speaking of Ren, as far as HRW's go, they're my favorite humbucker. Not sure what Ren's magic was or what he did making them, but the clarity on HRW's is just perfect to my ear. You can use them for Jazz, and when you crank them up and add distortion for Rock the notes still ring clear without breaking up. Just fantastic pickups! 

[Gitfiddler]

One of the things I like about HRW's is their transparency or maybe its clarity.  That is why they sound great in archtops.  Maybe that is why Kenny Burrell prefers HRW's.  He could have any PAF but wanted HRW's in his signature Heritage archtops. 

HRW's are their own thing.  Some folks don't care for them, but to me all they need is a bit of knob twisting and height adjustment to bring out their best tone. 

They sound great in my H575, as well as in my H555.  Any tone shaping can be done with the guitar's volume/tone knob or the amp EQ controls. 

Hey Mr. Burrell, how do those HRW's make you feel, sir?

[TalismanRich]

4 hours ago, Gitfiddler said:

One of the things I like about HRW's is their transparency or maybe its clarity.  That is why they sound great in archtops.  Maybe that is why Kenny Burrell prefers HRW's.  He could have any PAF but wanted HRW's in his signature Heritage archtops.

I think that is one of the reasons people look down on them.  If you are hitting a high gain amp hard, you probably don't want clear crisp high frequencies and strong low frequencies.   It makes things sound harsh and bright on the top and muddy on the bottom.    If you play clean,  they give a nice full range sound.   

[Steiner]

21 minutes ago, TalismanRich said:

I think that is one of the reasons people look down on them.  If you are hitting a high gain amp hard, you probably don't want clear crisp high frequencies and strong low frequencies.   It makes things sound harsh and bright on the top and muddy on the bottom.    If you play clean,  they give a nice full range sound.   

Sounds more like an indictment of the amp rather than PUs.  A good amp should resemble the signal it receives.

You should make a minor detour on your northern trek, I'll introduce you to a Golden Eagle with HRWs that, when paired with a '68 Super Lead clone, becomes a fire breathing dragon.

[TalismanRich]

That might be true,  amp settings can really customize the sound.   But it seems to me that most really high gain players go for a more pronounced midrange.   Once you start throwing distortion into the mix,  you're not really trying to resemble the signal it receives.  

That's one reason I don't give much credence to most pickup example videos (and 50% of all guitar examples) because they crank up the gain to the point that you really don't heard the sound of the guitar.   I've cranked up my DSL401 with enough distortion that it was hard to distinguish my 535 from my Tele.   On the other hand,  plugged into the Patriot at sensible volume,  I can tell the difference between my Seth Lovers and my Schallers.  Not that one is "better" than the other,  they're just different.

And yeah,  this year might be the year to make a side trip to the Steiner ranch!   We'll have to see how the schedule works.

[big bob]

The Kramer/ Van Halen crowd loves the schaller golden 50’s. If my memory is correct that was what Eddie used. 

[Heritage1970]

https://youtu.be/JO8XpCyjpLM 

Here's a 2005 H-150 with HRW's that sound incredible! LOVE HRWs!!