HFS

[GavQuinn]

Got my 245 back from being refretted, so many pickups in and out of that guitar over the years, so much playing, expensive PAFs, Duncans, Custom winds, you name it.

I’m coming home from work the other day, this comes on.

And it all came back to me. This tone man, this is the tone that hooked me. So I bit the bullet, I went on to Thomann and I got a HFS humbucker. I gotta have that sound man, it sounds awesome.

It’s literally the sound that made me say; ‘I want to try a PRS, that sounds perfect to me’. I don't care what some vintage PAF cork sniffer says, I LOVE the upper midrange of this tone. This song, all guitar parts are PRS. Custom 24 for rhythm and Tremonti for leads.

There’s a lot to be said for it and I’m someone whose been down the rabbit hole of PAF replicas, capacitors, pots, you name it. And here I am, back where I started 12 years ago – go figure.

I hope it’s how I remember it, I reckon I'm going to notice a serious jump in volume and bottom end from the get-go.

 

[AP515]

Welcome back to the HFS brotherhood.

 

[GavQuinn]

Welcome back to the HFS brotherhood.

It's a great sound for metal, its smooth but sounds aggressive and fat. I reckon I'll really notice, my 245 has 'hot PAF' in it the last few years.

 

[AP515]

It's a great sound for metal, its smooth but sounds aggressive and fat.

I like it and I don't play metal. I do most of my work on the neck pickup. I like a warm tone. But with two clicks of the 5 way I can bring in the top end from the HFS and get a warm tone that cuts through the mix. If I'm playing on the HFS alone I usually pull a little of the highs off with the tone pot and get a sweet spot at about 7 or 8.

 

[GavQuinn]

I like it and I don't play metal. I do most of my work on the neck pickup. I like a warm tone. But with two clicks of the 5 way I can bring in the top end from the HFS and get a warm tone that cuts through the mix. If I'm playing on the HFS alone I usually pull a little of the highs off with the tone pot and get a sweet spot at about 7 or 8.

Never used it with a rotary, always preferred the toggle, used to love it for pedal steel licks cos it was fat. It never sounded thin, always a lot of bass, which is often lacking in a bridge pickup.

the midrange ‘AWW’ in that tone in the video; that’s the PRS sound to me.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Can’t help it, I know they’re Hot Fat Screams, but I keep calling them Holy F€cking Sh!t!

in a good way, like your reaction when you see/hear something that blows you away.

 

[GavQuinn]

It's all about the crunch man, that crunch is fuckin' sweet. It's clear across all notes too.

My Custom that I sold with the HFS into the Blackstar got this exact lead tone. It didn't hurt that Frederik Akesson used the Blackstar 200watt on this album.

If you haven't heard this song, check it, it's heavy but it's awesome.

 

[AaeCee]

I love the HFS in my Cu24 as well. Like many here, I'm mainly a blues/jazz guy, and agree that it can be a thick but clear and smooth sounding pickup when set right. Love the way it interacts with the VB as well, especially with a 5-way rotary.

I've always felt that once you get used to the nuances of the HFS, it can prove far more versatile than many believe.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I got hung up on the PAF thing for a little over a decade.

Once I realized that PAFs kind of suck and started using higher output pickups again I found I spent a lot less time fighting with my amplifier’s EQ.

 

[Herr Squid]

That is a monstrous cut. I caught it live before Watershed came out, IIRC. It wasn't a tone touchstone for me, but "Hex Omega" was. Funny how different things strike different people.

 

[gush]

I'm not in the HFS camp. I can't get the pickup to soften up like I want BUT lots of people a hell of a lot better than me can make em sing.

Funny how you chase your tail on some of these issues. I'm dizzy from doing it for so long.

 

[Guithartic]

Got my 245 back from being refretted, so many pickups in and out of that guitar over the years, so much playing, expensive PAFs, Duncans, Custom winds, you name it.

I’m coming home from work the other day, this comes on.

And it all came back to me. This tone man, this is the tone that hooked me. So I bit the bullet, I went on to Thomann and I got a HFS humbucker. I gotta have that sound man, it sounds awesome.

It’s literally the sound that made me say; ‘I want to try a PRS, that sounds perfect to me’. I don't care what some vintage PAF cork sniffer says, I LOVE the upper midrange of this tone. This song, all guitar parts are PRS. Custom 24 for rhythm and Tremonti for leads.

There’s a lot to be said for it and I’m someone whose been down the rabbit hole of PAF replicas, capacitors, pots, you name it. And here I am, back where I started 12 years ago – go figure.

I hope it’s how I remember it, I reckon I'm going to notice a serious jump in volume and bottom end from the get-go.

Are you still loving the HFS? I happened upon this thread researching HFS pups. I just got a Vernon Reid signature Vela with two HFSs. I haven’t seen one other guitar with an HFS in the neck. I assume it’s the same exact pickup as the HFS Treble, although, it actually has a sticker on the back that says "HFS Bass." Does anyone know of another guitar with two HFSs?

 

[Bogner]

I Like Opeth A Lot And When I Hear Them Or Any Band For That Matter I Am Thinking Amps, Cabinets, Speakers, Etc Before Pickups To Get A Certain Sound. You Can Have The Right Pickups But If Everything Else Is Off In The Chain The Pickup Won't Save The Sound. YMMV