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Post by tidustides on Jul 15, 2019 11:15:45 GMT
Hi y'all!
I was looking to dip my toes into 8 string territory for the first time and so I was looking at the cheaper Harley Benton models - in this case, the R458 (normal and fanfret models).
I must admit, after reading some reviews, I am leaning towards the normal model (the fanfret pickups seems to be too muddy.)
BUT... I remember last year, HB came out with some pretty nice fanfret guitars with different finishes (the "DLX") models, and I remember there were 8 string models too. What happened to them? They don't appear on the website anymore. Do you guys know if they're going to launch new models like those this year? If so, when?
Cheers!
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 15, 2019 13:32:30 GMT
I don't know what's coming. Models that are no longer on the web site were discontinued. I don't think there were cases of models coming back, but maybe someone else has seen it happen. I suppose the FanFret DLX models failed to sell well enough, as they never got the best reviews. If you decide to get one used, you should look for the 2018 model, which can be recognised at its visible pole pieces. I see the black FanFret R-458 is "on demand" and the white one available in 2-3 weeks. Maybe the new ones will have better pick-ups than those reviewed by Cory Mura. The difference in scale length is only 1/2"/13mm on the low string and I wonder if it matters all that much. That difference is larger on the high string: 1"/25.4mm. I find the straight fret 26.5" scale nicely playable on those, bends are not a problem. I have a R-458, which is briefly discussed here. I like the pick-ups but they were wired in parallel, which is rather unexpected for humbuckers and led to a flawed functioning of the volume and tone control. Things go back to normal when they are wired in series, bringing higher output and also the typically rounded/muffled humbucker tone. This unconventional wiring was not a mistake. Older reviews sound just that way too.
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Post by tidustides on Jul 15, 2019 14:27:56 GMT
Thanks for the quick reply!
Well, maybe I'll wait until August to see if new models are coming out (supposedly the headless model is coming around that timeframe). Yeah, I wouldn't have a problem with 26.5 scale (my 7 is the same). In this case, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.
Now, as for the pickups: that is precisely my main worry. I have read your post concerning modding the wiring so has to put it in serial. My question is: is the parallel sound that much weaker/quieter than the series? Like, if the humbuckers themselves are hi-gain (I suppose 17 DCR or higher), then the parallel sound shouldn't be too weak (my guess)... do you think the parallel switching would work for metal with enough gain from pedals/amp?
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3,457 posts
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Post by LeoThunder on Jul 15, 2019 16:40:11 GMT
The parallel sound is weaker than in series but still louder than the humbuckers of my Ibanez S. I don't know what "works for metal" or why input level should even be a problem in the first place. Modern amplifiers and their gain control are made to deal with this, aren't they? I guess a distortion pedal will also work with anything.
What will not be present, however, is the crisp high end of the Ibanez and that should be an issue if a hard edge is desired. These pick-ups are not dull but they remain on the softer side, with lots of low end. I think that is the whole reason why they are wired in parallel, by the way. The regular wiring in series is really lacking in clarity.
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Post by tidustides on Jul 15, 2019 17:15:46 GMT
The parallel sound is weaker than in series but still louder than the humbuckers of my Ibanez S. I don't know what "works for metal" or why input level should even be a problem in the first place. Modern amplifiers and their gain control are made to deal with this, aren't they? I guess a distortion pedal will also work with anything. What will not be present, however, is the crisp high end of the Ibanez and that should be an issue if a hard edge is desired. These pick-ups are not dull but they remain on the softer side, with lots of low end. I think that is the whole reason why they are wired in parallel, by the way. The regular wiring in series is really lacking in clarity. That leads me to believe that the humbucker itself has very high DCR - when wired in parallel it still has enough volume. Yes, that makes sense. In series, if the DCR is really that high, it should be too much. If the high-end really isn't that crisp, it shouldn't pose much of a problem - after all, that can be added later with EQ. You might be on to something with your reasoning for the parallel wiring... it could just be that the normal serial wiring has too much mud/too little clarity, and so they opted for the lesser evil. But hey - if it sounds good, it sounds good
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