HFS

[gush]

I'm not a big fan of the HFS p'up and I have said that on this forum a few times. There are a lot of people that do like it and are able to get great tones out of it I'm just not one of them.

Sergio had asked me what it was about the HFS I didn't like but I wasn't really sure what it was that turned me off until now.

I purchased a CE22 w/drag 1s and a CE24 w/ HFS/VB in december. I love the drag 1 p'ups and only recently discovered how hot these things are. I usually don't go for high output p'ups. We gigged a couple of weeks ago and I used the CE24. While setting my amp I decided to add more low end to thicken it up and my bass player said hey that sounds good, kinda like your black one (CE22 w/ drag 1s). I thought WTH???? That can't be.

I spent that night trying to figure this out and have come to this conclusion. It's not really the sound of the HFS that I don't like it's the feel of the HFS I don't like. I feel like the HFS has a harder edge to its attack if this makes any sense. I was able to gig with it but when I switched to CU 24 W/5909s I got that warm fuzzy feeling kind of like OOOOOh Yeah.

Can anybody relate to that?

I have been thinking about sending it to PRS to get a few frets changed and maybe a set of 5708s. Anybody have a CE w/5708s?

 

[JRod4928]

I don't have a CE with 57/08, but I did have a CE24 w/ dragon 1's like yours and I now have a CU24 with 57/08's.

All I can say is that the "oh yeah" feeling is there when I switched to the 57/08 from the dragon 1's.

At one point I thought I wanted tremonti's in the CU24 instead of the 57/08 due to tremonti's hotter output. I decided against it after some A/B comparisons.

The 57/08's are great

 

[garrett]

I can relate. After years of using the HFS/VB combo, I think the HFS is too hot of a pickup for me. It blew away any other pickup volume-wise and always drove the amp harder than my other guitars. This was great when I wanted it, and thus my CU24 was THE guitar for hard rock stuff. Ultimately though, I think it's overwound too much, so the mids are too prominent and the dymanics I want just aren't there.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I could see it..

I think of the HFS as a passive EMG 81but with a "roundness" that makes it seem more "alive". It's a great Metal pup (perhaps even the greatest IMO) but might not be all that subtle or versatile for all players, especially if you're a Classic Rock guy. I dig 'em but I am glad I have more than one PRS with different pups to choose from.

 

[Herr Squid]

I think the HFS and VB are totally freakin' great with a Mark Series Boogie, but they can be hard and bright sounding with a lot of other amps.

These days I really like amp sounds with actual, y'know, dynamics, which the 57/08s and 59/09s are great at.

 

[jimistephen]

Anyone know what magnet the HFS has in it?

 

[hoofarted]

I think the HFS and VB are totally freakin' great with a Mark Series Boogie

Or ANY Boogie!

CU24 + HFS + DualRec = Awesomeness

The Tremonti pickup was made to be rocked through a Rec, but I find the HFS to pair just as nicely.

The amp/pickup/guitar combination has to be just right, and it can take some experimenting to find what works well with what. Through my Rec, I love maple topped PRSs with HFS and Tremonti pickups. HATE maple topped with Dragon IIs. But, my all 'Hog Standard 22 with Dragon IIs sounds great through the Rec.

 

[vchizzle]

I like the HFS in solid mahogany PRSi a lot, I remember finding them a little bright in customs but it's been a long time. They do work well with amps that have that low mid thickness like Mesa...in particular for those doing the fairly high gain thing(me).

 

[László]

I had a lot of PRS' with different pickups, but I gotta say that the 5x/xx series pickups just feel right, and sound right to me.

Herr Squid makes a really good point about the dynamics that I hadn't thought much about.

Love this pickup series!

 

[slang05]

I have an HFS in my Standard 24 and I don't really like it. Kinda muddy to me, not a lot of clarity like my DGT or Paul's guitar has. Gonna need to change it out.

 

[Herr Squid]

The amp does make a huge difference in the equation. I think PRS used Mesas as the house amp for testing for many, many years, up until '07 or '08.

Skimming back through this thread reminds me that I recently swapped Dragon II's out for 59/09's in a Cu22. That transformed the sound of the guitar from hard, stiff, and bright to moderately hot, balanced, and dynamic. Highly recommended!

 

[CantankerousCarl]

My older PRSes all have HFS/VB and my newer ones all have 5x/xx variants (assume we're including 408s here under that?)

I definitely hear and agree with what y'all are saying, although I certainly don't Hate the Friggin Sound of 'em...I rather enjoy them.

What I am curious about is if the new HFS/VB coming on the newer models are the same spec as the old ones? These have been around a long time, and I have to figure that that might suggest some time for Paul to tinker.

Maybe a little CR demo is in order?