What is the Purpose of HSH?

[AGWAN]

In general I mean, I've seen the Switching used on many HSH set ups and I cant help but wonder why its set that way. the 3 in off switches make sense to me. but thats rare.

whats the point? isn't it kinda redundant? with a 5 way switch?

 

[AutoBat]

are you referring to the Ibanez HSH layout like so?

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

whats the point? isn't it kinda redundant? with a 5 way switch?

Is it the pickup config of H-S-H or the 5-way switch?  What aspect is redundant?

 

[AGWAN]

its the ibanez set up, which I am painfully familiar with. so mostly the switch.

it seems Manufacturers use that set up most often. which just seems kinda wasteful. the triple makes sense to me. but when I do it I will have 3 tonally different pickups. a Treble-y Neck, a bright Middle and a crunchy Bridge.

for what I want from it. for what most people would seemingly desire. I just dont get. you can't even play both humbuckers.

 

[Alfang]

you could easily add a push/push volume switch to turn on the neck pup, so that you can play both or even all pups on at the same time, I add this feature to all my guitars and I love it.

 

[dNA]

I dunno. I never feel like using both humbuckers together - I've always found it to be completely useless in all my years of playing H-H guitars. And now that i've gone through a few setups, the H-S-H makes sense to me. I can get that warm PAF neck sound, middle single or middle+neck split cleans, and the crunch from a bridge humbucker.  Though I haven't yet actively used an H-S-H guitar, I don't imagine I'd actually want any more. I can get each pickup alone, plus the particular combinations that I might want.

And really, anybody who's playing an ibanez with the H-S-H setup is playing an S or an RG of some kind, which are models marketed towards metal. And GENERALLY SPEAKING, metal players aren't the kind of guys looking to get more than 5 pickup combinations. Usually they just want the single coil for the kind of cleans that you can't get with high output humbuckers.

my biggest qualm with H-S-H is that i never liked how it looked. just too busy for me. haha

 

[AGWAN]

See, Metal greatly influences my tastes. I love metal. but My understanding of metal seems a great deal more than Chugs and screeches.

I want bright sounds, I want something that can sound insanely overdriven. but I want a guitar capable of playing melodic, melancholic leads to. (Despite my current inability to play melodic melancholic leads...)

I also just want to play with my options endlessly.

that push/push volume sounds interesting... I'm trying to visualize it. but I cant tell if that will work like a 3 toggles set up or not...

 

[JaySwear]

I want bright sounds, I want something that can sound insanely overdriven. but I want a guitar capable of playing melodic, melancholic leads to. (Despite my current inability to play melodic melancholic leads...)

sounds like HSH is perfect for you, then! seriously, the HSH configuration is the master of versatility. especially if you wire it up for all the crazy phases, coil splits, and so on. my old ibanez RG570 was easily one of the most versatile guitars i've ever laid my hands on. the pickups were changed in it long before it was mine. but the neck humbucker sounded great for leads. the bridge was cutting and clear. and the 2, 3, and 4 positions gave me pretty convincing strat tones. i really kind of regret selling it when i think about it, but that thin wizard neck was hell on my hand.

 

[dNA]

i really kind of regret selling it when i think about it, but that thin wizard neck was hell on my hand.

I sold an RGA that would have been awesome if not for that god-aweful neck.

 

[JaySwear]

i really kind of regret selling it when i think about it, but that thin wizard neck was hell on my hand.

I sold an RGA that would have been awesome if not for that god-aweful neck.

funny you say that, i had an RGA121 in the violin finish i sold too. i loved ibanez when i started (and still do, really) but didn't realize that their necks were practically built for the sole purpose of cramping the hell out of my hand haha when i bought my gibson les paul back when i realized what kind of a guitar neck i really needed.

 

[kboman]

I want bright sounds, I want something that can sound insanely overdriven. but I want a guitar capable of playing melodic, melancholic leads to. (Despite my current inability to play melodic melancholic leads...)

sounds like HSH is perfect for you, then! seriously, the HSH configuration is the master of versatility. especially if you wire it up for all the crazy phases, coil splits, and so on. my old ibanez RG570 was easily one of the most versatile guitars i've ever laid my hands on. the pickups were changed in it long before it was mine. but the neck humbucker sounded great for leads. the bridge was cutting and clear. and the 2, 3, and 4 positions gave me pretty convincing strat tones. i really kind of regret selling it when i think about it, but that thin wizard neck was hell on my hand.

I smell a sudden case of Warmoth ordering coming on...

I've been considering an HSH guitar on and off for a few years now, the middle position on my HH guitar isn't all that useful to me. I'd like it to be "outer coils as a streched out humbucker" rather, but it's a bitch to rewire a Swede if you're a noob. But the sense of the "S" in HSH is growing on me...

 

[dNA]

funny you say that, i had an RGA121 in the violin finish i sold too. i loved ibanez when i started (and still do, really) but didn't realize that their necks were practically built for the sole purpose of cramping the hell out of my hand haha when i bought my gibson les paul back when i realized what kind of a guitar neck i really needed.

duuude. having been an ibanez fanboy for many years now, I have to tell you to pick up an Artist or an Artcore - they share the same neck profile. So do the new Darkstones and a number of their other more "classic" style guitars. It's definitely fatter than a Wizard, but slimmer than what i usually find on LP's and honestly I've never played a Gibson that plays as nice as any of my Ibby's.
It's really a shame they don't have the same profile on some of their bolt-neck 25.5" guitars. I'd probably still have myself an SA or that RGA if the neck profile's were decent.

 

[AGWAN]

^ thats how I know that regardless of whether I can become right handed or not... I won't be buying an Ibanez Iceman.

 

[Cagey]

^ thats how I know that regardless of whether I can become right handed or not... I won't be buying an Ibanez Iceman.

I thought that was your dream guitar. Or am I thinking of somebody else?

Ibanez makes some fine instruments. I had an "Artist" about 100 years ago that I just loved.

Like that, but with a quilted top and a forest green burst. The only complaint I had was it was finished in lacquer, so it chipped if you even looked at it wrong. That, and it was heavy as sin. But, it played and sounded excellent. Can't remember why I sold it - must've been something shiny caught my eye when I was cash-poor. Might've been the midnight blue burst Levinson Blade. Now that was a guitar. Wish I still had that one. But, it was lost to misadventure. All's well, though. I've never had anything as nice as the Warmoths I have now.

 

[AGWAN]

it is. that body shape is absolutely my favorite. I adore it

the ibanez neck shape on the other hand... gets old fast.

thank god for Warmoth and Custom builders.

 

[Jusatele]

I went by Wild West Guitar yesterday,, they had a special showing of Custom Shop Fender stuff there and a few of the master builders there... Anyway the entire place was open to browse and I saw a very tasty Ibenez like that. Loved the look although I did not play it.
Beautiful Axe

 

[AutoBat]

My current plans for my next build includes HSH, with the neck housing a sustainer. So I'll have a single coil & a humbucker to do the grunt work instead of just 1 hum.

 

[dNA]

I thought that was your dream guitar. Or am I thinking of somebody else?

Ibanez makes some fine instruments. I had an "Artist" about 100 years ago that I just loved.

Like that, but with a quilted top and a forest green burst. The only complaint I had was it was finished in lacquer, so it chipped if you even looked at it wrong. That, and it was heavy as sin. But, it played and sounded excellent. Can't remember why I sold it - must've been something shiny caught my eye when I was cash-poor. Might've been the midnight blue burst Levinson Blade. Now that was a guitar. Wish I still had that one. But, it was lost to misadventure. All's well, though. I've never had anything as nice as the Warmoths I have now.

that's one of my dream guitars, though I don't think i ever mentioned it on the boards. I'd love to get that thing in antique brown finish.
I dream of being an ibanez endorsee one day and custom ordering different configuration Artists and Artcore. Like a jazz-box made of figured walnut with a satin finish. *drool*

but, I am now guilty of hijacking and must flee from the law! *runs*

 

[Strat Avenger]

Ibanez has made several different neck profiles. The "Wizard", found on some RG models (and perhaps others) is not only way too thin for my preference (17mm to 20mm, and 18mm to 20mm), but the back contour is also too flat. I like a neck that is rounded in back. My Ibanez began life as a lower-cost, Korean-made model , yet 19 years later, I still have it because the neck is awesome and  I have heavily modified the guitar (better pickups, refret, etc.). This neck is measures 19mm to 21 mm in thickness, and the back  is "C-shaped".

My Warmoth (with a USACG neck) has a neck that measures 19.3mm to 21mm, which translates to .760" to .830".  Warmoth's Standard Thin comes closest
at .800" to .850". While I can't stand chunky thick necks, I also can't stand super-thin, and especially flat-back necks.

 

[AGWAN]

I really like the RG and Jem looks. the crispness of them. artists and artcores don't really jive with me

though I'm told that if you buy an old ibanez iceman, the necks are amazing.