Johnny Hiland - pics and review

markd21

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
2,456
Location
St. Petersburg
The JH arrived last week. I didn't get to do much with it initially because I was fighting Type-A flu...still am, but I am close to being better. Anyway, I have spent a little time with it and I have a report for you!!

First, a pic...



One of the first things I noticed is that is HEAVY. This guitar is easily among - if not - the heaviest I have ever owned. When picking it up off the stand I actually need to use muscles, lol. When in playing position, on the strap, you definitely feel the heft in the body. It's not a bad thing, it's just a shocker.

The guitar is a 10-top, and it is one of the prettiest tops I have seen.



Normally, I am not a fan of black guitars. With this particular instrument, the "wetness" of the finish makes it something I can overlook. Photographing it was difficult because the shine reflected everything in the room. If you look at the first picture, all of the of bluish looking flecks are reflections of the processors in my studio rack!! I had a few pictures where you could actually see the full cover of a book I had on a music stand. I mean, this isn't the only PRS I have with a killer finish, I just think I notice it more on this guitar because it's a color I normally wouldn't buy.

Now, I was always interested in the JH because it has some unique features for PRS. Of course, it has the cool wiring...3-way blade, push-pull tone that makes the neck pickup a humbucker...but, I was also intrigued by the recessed TRC. Supposedly, this helps facilitate behind-the-nut bending like Tele players are apt to do. Well, let me tell you....it is a COOL feature!!! Not only does it work, but check out the craftsmanship of the recess:



And speaking of the electronics....holy moly do they rip. I LOVE the JH pickups. In truth, they have a "harder" sound than the 57/08 or the 58/15LT. Honestly, they kind of remind me of a sort of variant of the 85/15 that my CE24 Semi Hollow has. There is more grind on the bridge pickup than the 85/15, which to my ears feels slightly creamier in comparison. Played through the EF86 Channel on my Bad Cat Cub, slightly driven, I was gifted with a tone that was very firm and clear while playing open chords. Playing single note lead lines, you can hear a little twang, but it's just that....a little. Now, backing off the gain and adding spring reverb, I was able to get a Tele-ish sound. I think it comes more from the harder attack of the pickup than anything that purposely resembles "twang" or purposeful "Tele" tone.

But....flip that switch to the middle position and you are greeted by a tone the NO PRS (at least any I own) has. The sound of the neck pickup - remember, it's split unless you PULL the tone pot - added to that glorious bridge humbucker, softens the tone, adds some twang and when the amp is clean, provides the country tone I was hoping to get from the Brent Mason. Plucking notes or hybrid picking is where this really shines. It is cool with gain, but looses a little of the special something IMHO.



The neck pickup. DANG!!!!!! I could live on the neck pickup in its split mode. It has a great single coil sound. Better than my 408N loaded guitars (Paul's Guitar and Brent Mason). It has the perfect amount of thinness - like a REAL single coil. In comparison, I find the humbucker sound of the neck position to be a bit on the muddy side. No big deal because this guitar is about the unique JH wiring.

Oh, and @sergiodeblanc - the blade is a little weird. It took me an hour or so to get used to it. It LOOKS like it is in the same spot as PRS blades, but doesn't feel like it when I am going for a pup change. Once I got used to it, it was no big deal.

Overall, I have found this guitar to be incredibly versatile. The bridge pickup kicks HARD with some gain. Using the Bad Cat Cub, slight drive, and a capo the open chords sounds thick and clear. Using the Hot Cat and playing power chords, the guitar will easily rock hard. Push the gain a little further, it was easy to pull of some cool tapping exercises.

Flip to that middle position, using the Cub, the capo - everything cleans up quickly without needing to do a lot on the volume control. In fact, moving through the switch, the guitar will go from scream to clean just from moving the blade. Anyway, back to the middle position....well, it's just a great sound, lol. Same with the neck.



Oh...I almost forgot to talk to review the neck!!! It has its own profile, the Hiland profile and it feels pretty thick. I am a Wide-Fat guy and I have a couple guitars with Pattern necks that are comfy. This neck feels good like a Wide-Fat, and the one-piece maple construction is nice. The frets are comfortable, and the nitro finish is nice. In fact, the feel of the neck makes me think of how the old 80's Ibanez maple necks felt - finish-wise, not thickness, lol. The Ibanez Wizard neck is a popsicle stick compared to this one.



Notice the "weird" thing about the neck?? Another piece of trivia, this guitar carries a CE plate/serial - makes sense since it's essentially a "customized" CE24, but....I was kind of expecting it to have a JH S/N.

Wrapping it up, I am just blown away by this guitar. It is everything I was hoping it would be. Get one. You won't be sorry!!!

 
Nice detailed review and beautiful photos as always - glad you dig it! That bridge pickup sounds like a nice fit for those specs.
 
Nice one Mark.

I’m sure you know the photography tricks, but a large black board/sheet opposite the subject will help suck light from the offending articles that are reflecting in your lovely top!

I had to wrap a black sheet round my manfrotto tripod when I was taking some “sexy” shots of a luthier friend’s acoustic guitars for his website. I kept seeing what looked like a crack in the tops of the guitars, until I realised it was a reflection!

First world problems eh?!

Congratulations, she’s a beauty. Glad the tones are doing it for you.
 
Killer score, Mark! That is a great looking top! How's the neck finished? Something on it, or is it the "Satin In Maple" finish, or whatever it's called?
 
If you remember when Brent had the Guitar Shop in Canada, then you probably also remember their web site photos. These are from my visit to the shop and you can see the photo booth here in the back room behind us.

74797_3763543572082_1677126595_n.jpg


550683_3764014863864_181303569_n.jpg


p.s. The guitar is 245 McTrem, PS#3833, obeche body, rosewood neck. MA Pete bought it while I was flying home :( and Howard Leese now owns it.
 
Last edited:
Nice one Mark.

I’m sure you know the photography tricks, but a large black board/sheet opposite the subject will help suck light from the offending articles that are reflecting in your lovely top!

I had to wrap a black sheet round my manfrotto tripod when I was taking some “sexy” shots of a luthier friend’s acoustic guitars for his website. I kept seeing what looked like a crack in the tops of the guitars, until I realised it was a reflection!

First world problems eh?!

Congratulations, she’s a beauty. Glad the tones are doing it for you.

Actually, I am new to "quality" photography. I know zero tricks, lol, so this is a great one to know. Thanks!!

Killer score, Mark! That is a great looking top! How's the neck finished? Something on it, or is it the "Satin In Maple" finish, or whatever it's called?

The back of the neck is satin, but when I had the strings off and was looking at the fretboard there was some gloss. This being a used guitar, I am not sure if somebody sprayed the fretboard with a light clear gloss or if it came that way. My money would be on a previous owner sprayed a light clear to protect the fretboard since it's worn off in places.
 
Hold on, I need to wipe the drool off my screen first.
That thing is freaking awesome and I really love the contrast between the maple neck and black body! I'm not a black guitar fan either, but this combination would cause me to rethink that opinion. Congrats!
 
Actually, I am new to "quality" photography. I know zero tricks, lol, so this is a great one to know. Thanks!.

Another trick I learnt from a wedding photographer was to vignette the lense, he used the slide from 4.5x4.5 inch film box attached to the camera. It was a thin metal slide that was used to cap the film box when it wasn’t attached to the camera (“what’s film? Google it:D). You could see the effect through the view finder.

From memory, there was something distracting on the ground where the bride was sat, so he vignetted it out with the slide by holding it against the lense hood and adjusting it to taste.

Also with your studio set up, you could try a back light behind the Bad Cats, with different colours onto the background.

Have fun.
 
Back
Top