Pardon my English, Haeussel pickups anyone?

[Rufus582]

Hello fellow guitar enthusiasts!

Sorry for imposing on you guys in English, but since i don'ty speak German it's the only way to talk to you.
The thing is i would like some info in haeussel pickups, now i have experience with them. I already have the broad t in a tele and the hot klinge in a strat.
Now i'm looking to upgrade my les paul bridge humbucker.
It now has a burstbucker2 which isn't a bad picup, but there are better things for heavy rock.
Music i play? Covers from muse, foo fighters, alice in chains, pearl jam, sepultura. Mostly nineties rock/heavy rock.
I play through a marshall jcm 800 boosted with a tubescreamer.

What would you guys recommend? The tozz or the vin+A or ceramic. Or the hot b?
I've checked the acys lounge, and youtube but there isn't that much to find.

Thanks in advance to anyone that wants to help me out!

 

[Stratz]

Hello and welcome!

I have a Häussel Vin+ in my Les Paul. At first it was equipped with an Alnico V magnet, but i changed it to an Alnico VIII. Alnico VIII is comparable ceramic (punch, output, power), but the highs are a bit rounder and the sound is generally a bit warmer. In my honest opinion i think that the Vin+ is a very good "allrounder". It can cover lots of musicstyles. I would recommend you the Vin+ with ceramic magnet because it handles the heavier styles better than the Alnico V-version. The Vin+ A5 is a bit softer and has a bit more of a vintage flavour. Good for classic rock, hard rock and maybe classic heavy metal. For heavier styles (Sepultura etc.) the A5 might be a bit too tame. The ceramic and A8 models have more edge and bite.
Häussels Pickups are well known for their complex highend spectrum. They have lots of highs, but they aren't like an icepick at all.

I haven't played the Hot B, but it should be the Häussel-version of the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB. The Tozz is an high output-model. Lots of people prefer the Tozz XL over the Tozz.

There is an so called "User-Thread" in this forum where you can discuss about Häussel Pickups:
User-Thread: Häussel Pickups

You could also give the Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom a try. It will also cover all the band you mentioned. A great "allrounder", too. But to be honest, i think the Häussel is a bit finer and has more details. The SH-5 instead has bit more growl and with an A8 it really "roars" in the low mids. Very good for the so called "wall of sound" .

 

[Rufus582]

Thank you very much tot the detailed info. I guess the ceramic vin+ will be the weapon of choice. I think the tozz will be too hot.

 

[rawuza]

I totally agree with that.
My Super Swede is equipped with a Vin+ Ceramic and the sound is the perfect mixture of articulateness and punch.
I also recognized that the Pup seems to be pretty loud - possibly caused by that unique highend spectrum.
Surely you won't regret the purchase!

 

[explorer76]

The Ceramic Vin+ is a really great pickup - don't remember why I sold it some years ago. Really articulate and versatile - works even for down-tuned metal core stuff. Currently I'm also thinking about getting one again ;-).

 

[Rufus582]

Vin+ seems to be an overwound PAF with a ceramic magnet. What the burstbucker 2 lacks is a tight bass, and it has too much highs when overdriven.
Hope the vin+ makes up for this.
The hot B, it's supposed to be the JB of Haeussel?

 

[Don Joe]

Hi there,
You said your current pickup has a lack of bass. Once I had a DiMarzio Mega Drive, and this thing has a really nice bass response - and it's also not too trebly - maybe you wanna look into that too.
If you'd like to have something more special wich is really top notch I'd maybe also try bare knuckle pickups - if you're from the UK shipping isn't too expensive as well. Bare knuckle has some awesome pickups, not only but also for the music you want to make - I'd check it out

 

[Stratz]

The Vin+ with ceramic magnet should be quite a bit tighter in the bass than the Gibson Burstbucker 2. The highs are very present, but not annoying. You don't feel the so called icepick. The Burstbucker uses an Alnico 2 which is not known for full and tight bass response. The Vin+ Ceramic is much more suited for heavier styles, but handles music with lower gain also very good.

I haven't played the Hot B, but it is known as the Häussel-version of the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB. I don't expect it to sound similiar. It should be in the same ballpark and the voicing should be comparable (very middy sounding).
I tried a Bareknuckle Holy Diver once in my Les Paul and wasn't satisfied. It enhances the frequencies the guitar already has and lacks the others. The guitar sounded warmer and had more mids, but it lacked bite and edge. JB-like Pickups are not my first choice in Les Pauls or similar guitars. It's a hit or miss.

In my eyes an overwound or hot rodded PAF is always a good choice in a Les Paul.

 

[Rufus582]

Wednesday i'm getting the vin a2/vin+ a5 set. Got a great deal on those pickups, i hope the alnico 5 version of the vin + will be tight enough and not trebly.

 

[Stratz]

I would try it. You can do a magnet swap later if you want to. Replacement magnets are quite cheap and the swap is not very difficult. There are not many used Häussels on the aftermarket, so a magnet swap will be the easier option.

 

[Rufus582]

I'm gonna buy them, the guy got them out of a fgn relic master guitar. So i guess they will have a slight relic. The spacing should be the same i guess? From a fgn les paul to an epi les paul? There is a 49,5 mm burstbucker in and the strings are 51mm if i measure it.
He immediately replaced them with bareknuckle, and i get warranty.
He's a bkp dealer so it's pretty normal he plays bkp.

 

[Don Joe]

Yeah, i think it should be the same
bkp is awesome, too - i gotta say that i've never played häussel before, i'm some kind of a bkp-fanboy - maybe you can write how you like the Pu's after yo've got em?

 

[Rufus582]

I wil certainly do, bkp's are great i know.
But these came along, since i'm buying them from a shop it gives me confidence even thogh they are second hand.
I had the cold sweat set a few years ago, they were nice.

 

[Don Joe]

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with second hand Pickups, pickups don't break so it's fine - even tho i've bought all my BKP's (VHII; Missisippi Queen, Irish Tour) new, because used they're hard to get

 

[Stratz]

Häussel and Bareknuckle are both great, but every brand has their own flavour and character. The quality is the same, both are handmade boutique pickups, but your ears decide which one is "better".

The pickups will have a reliced look. The FGN Relic Master is reliced by Siggi Braun and he is a professional, so the look will be quite authentic.
The Vin+ A5/ Vin A2 pairing is very suitable for Les Pauls. Quite classic sounding, but with a bit more beef in the bridge (the Vin+ measure about 12K DC). The spacing will be no problem. In modern Les Pauls a F-spaced humbucker will fit better because the spacing is wider than on traditional ones, but you will have no disadvanteges with the Häussel.

 

[Rufus582]

Does fujigen guitars look real cool, i've played one in Aachen in may. Superb guitar.
I'm paying 120 for the set, so even if i don't like it i can flip them or change the magnet.
12k, the bb2 i have measures 8 i think, so i think it will push the amp quite some more. I listened to the clips and they sound awesome in those relic les pauls.

 

[Stratz]

That's a good price. Usually you to pay this for one humbucker, unused of course. I like my Vin+ much more than the Burstbucker 3 that was built in stock. The Burstbuckers can be quite harsh and fizzy even though they have Alnico 2 magnets.

 

[Rufus582]

Well they are installed, just played them 15 minutes.
The bridge measured 13.5 and the neck 7.5.
These are indeed allrounders, definitely the right choice for what i wanted.
I've got the jcm with all the knobs at 7 and it really sounds huge. Without getting nasty in the high frequency's.
With the burstbuckers i dialed the mid and treble at 3 to keep it from getting nasty.
The sound has enough attack, bass is tight but not "emg" tight.
The ceramic might have been overkill for me, i've played some sepultura and it's really easy to pull it f with the a5 vin+.
Picking softer is just like a volume knob on it's own with these pickups, you can really put dynamics in your playing.
I already have a tele and strat rail from haussel
Anyway, i'm really glad i found the right match for this guitar.
By the way the reliced look that haussel gives these pickups is reallly awesome, not over the top like other manufacturers.

So thanks everyone who adviced me, rock on!