I liked them ok in my ‘89 CE-24, but something seemed to always bug me a little bit anyway. So I recently swapped them out for a pair of Suhr Thornbuckers with push-pulls and replaced the 5-way rotary with a 3-way toggle for, IMO, an overall improvement in both tone and function.
Do you like the HFS/VB? (US Made ONLY)
- Thread starter MichaelS
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- hfs pickups vintagebass
way back when I started playing guitar, I had the very affordable Mexican Fender Stratocaster, I actually didn't know that you could switch pickups out, 1999,
the Stratocaster was nice to learn on, then I started wanting more guns and roses type of sound, I decided to spring for a nice guitar. I bought the 20th anniversary PRS custom 24, seemed very nice, but I struggled for over a year trying to get the tones I wanted, I didn't understand it. I just didn't like the sounds that were coming out of the guitar.
I now reflect back and really understood that I did not like the HFS humbucker. my amplifier was junk as well, but SG sounded much better
I ended up selling it and buying an SG, which was much closer to what I was looking for, then I started understanding and learning you can actually swap the pickups out.
my next good guitar was a PRS Mark Tremonti. that bridge pickup was too hot I switched that out for slash alinico 2 pro
the Stratocaster was nice to learn on, then I started wanting more guns and roses type of sound, I decided to spring for a nice guitar. I bought the 20th anniversary PRS custom 24, seemed very nice, but I struggled for over a year trying to get the tones I wanted, I didn't understand it. I just didn't like the sounds that were coming out of the guitar.
I now reflect back and really understood that I did not like the HFS humbucker. my amplifier was junk as well, but SG sounded much better
I ended up selling it and buying an SG, which was much closer to what I was looking for, then I started understanding and learning you can actually swap the pickups out.
my next good guitar was a PRS Mark Tremonti. that bridge pickup was too hot I switched that out for slash alinico 2 pro
They are in my '92 Custom since its birth and they will stay there!!!
I love the HFS for heavier sounds, but rolling back the volume creates very usable tones. The VB is a great all-round pickup and the rotary 5 way creates very useful sound combinations.
The HFS and the Dimarzio Tone Zone, are the pickups I grew up with, so it might just be that I am really used to them.
I also like lower output pickups, I have a guitar with Dimarzio 36th Anniv PAFs that I love, I have single coil guitars and a BRW 513 (which gets the most of my playtime nowadays) but when I take out the Custom24 with the HFS or my old Ibanez RG550 with the ToneZone, they just feel like home!!!
I love the HFS for heavier sounds, but rolling back the volume creates very usable tones. The VB is a great all-round pickup and the rotary 5 way creates very useful sound combinations.
The HFS and the Dimarzio Tone Zone, are the pickups I grew up with, so it might just be that I am really used to them.
I also like lower output pickups, I have a guitar with Dimarzio 36th Anniv PAFs that I love, I have single coil guitars and a BRW 513 (which gets the most of my playtime nowadays) but when I take out the Custom24 with the HFS or my old Ibanez RG550 with the ToneZone, they just feel like home!!!
