New Pickup Model: RH-100/90

[KRamone27]

whatcha got planned for the old ones?

[MWaldorf]

Nothing at the moment, so they might be in search of another home. They're perfectly good sounding pickups, and hot!

[woodchuck30]

Hay, now thats what I needed to hear, can't hear words printed on the computer screan, those sound great.

[raygun85]

Thanks. We're planning to make the coil-taps and hot tones available in the RH-100's as well. We'll probably start a whole separate line of the dual-tone pickups. We've been kicking the idea of coil-tapped pickups for a long time. Personally, I don't understand why more manufacturers don't offer it as a standard feature. It seems like a simple and effective way to get more out of your guitar. Granted, it takes a little more labor and material but it seems like if more people knew they could get more tone for the money they would be willing to spend a little extra. I think thats partly what contributed to Schecter's success years ago. It will more-than-likely become a standard feature of the 63 American once we finally unveil it.

[MWaldorf]

OK, I posted this in the topic about the guitar, but here are the RH-100 split coils in action:

[Veenture]

OK, I posted this in the topic about the guitar, but here are the RH-100 split coils in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmczsP4 ... r_embedded

Hey Mel, thanks again for sharing. The differences with the Hallmark pickups on your very same Gruggett-made 60 Custom Meshugga seem to be very slight to my ears but perhaps a real live demo would make all the differences -including all the various combinations- come through in a much more transparent way.

Nice to have all those tonal options but for nervous ol' me it wouldn’t work well during live performances so I need to have a simplistic set-up. Too many options would only be confusing and frustrating, so it wouldn't be spent wisely on me
That's also the main reason why I left the 5-way Fender '57 Strat RI toggle-switch -that came as an extra- stay put in the HSC. The factory-mounted 3-way switch is just fine.
And the 'Mosrite configuration' on my H60C is ideal; those stock puppies are very versatile and I can get a whole range of tones by simply rolling off the volume and tone knobs in combination with the tone switch settings and picking at different positions from the bridge.
But you deserve to have all those options; you clearly operate them with ease -like a duck taking to water!

[MWaldorf]

Veenture,

The stock Hallmark pickups, factory and handwound, sound good, no question. The RH-100 split coils give me options and adjustment that the Hallmarks didn't have. I know I go over the top on the gizmo-tronic guitars; clearly Nokie didn't need anything but the factory Mosrite to sound amazing. Really, all my meddling with my guitars comes down to this - I want a classic Mosrite sound and a class Fender sound, both Jazzmaster and Strat, in one guitar. With these new pickups I think I'm game - the full output middle-bridge sound is just too thick to get the "quack", but it comes through on the split setting. Same with the Jazzmaster neck/bridge sound (as opposed to the standard Mosrite neck/bridge sound). Necessary? Nope. Fun for me? Yup!

Mel

[Veenture]

I read you Mel you're very much at home with the split coils! I'm glad you like 'em and are satisfied. All those tonal options should be an ideal thing to have for when recording in a studio, I should think. But you're happy, and that's the only thing that counts

[raygun85]

I wanted the same thing in my guitars...I wanted to be able to switch from an early-Ventures Jazzmaster tone to the hot mid-60s tone in the blink of an eye. Its great for gigs...I can go from Bob Bogle to Nokie Edwards in a split second. I do have to agree with Veenture though when I'm looking at your guitar Mel...I'm only using two pickups and a single switch to put both pickups on the full or tapped settings. Whether on the full or the tapped setting, the output is still controlled by the volume, tone, and 3-way switch. For the most part, I like the tapped setting as my "standard" tone (as you can see, that was how I wired my Wilson Bros guitar in the video) and I only really use the full output when I'm playing the bridge pickup.

One thing I really liked about your guitar in the demo was the bridge+middle combo on the tapped setting. I agree, that particular combination sounded a little muddy when using full output. My dad got a little grin when we were watching your video this morning when he heard the tap+bridge+middle setting, he was like "It sounds like a Strat!"
You may have inspired me to build a 3-pickup guitar for myself some day...

[MWaldorf]

One thing I really liked about your guitar in the demo was the bridge+middle combo on the tapped setting. I agree, that particular combination sounded a little muddy when using full output. My dad got a little grin when we were watching your video this morning when he heard the tap+bridge+middle setting, he was like "It sounds like a Strat!"

That's exactly why I've got these wacky guitar setups - I find those Strat 2+4 positions to be useful sounds, but I've never been able to get comfortable with the Strat bridge or volume knob placement. That's why I put a middle pickup in my Jazzmaster. That of course was lacking in the Mosrite tones I was after, and now, with these RH-100 split coils, I've got it all in one guitar!