Harmonic Design Tele PU's

Hi Pickup Pals..
Any of you folks have any fresh opinions on the Harmonic Design Pickups for Tele.
I just installed a set and think they're good, but I'm curious if there are any users out here and what their take might be. What the long haul user thinks kind of thing.
Searched the topic didn't come up with much recent activity on the brand.
Just dropping the topic in for a look see.
Thanks and etc.

Oh, you're a little late for the party...those were all the rage and pup du jour here about 10 years ago! :lol: Great pickups, with a nice variety of models: '54 Special for vintage tones, Vintage Plus for more grunt, yet still vintage tones, and Super 90 if tyou want a hot P90 style tele bridge pup. They are 1st class, and I'd still have a set if I had a bunch of teles, but am down to 1, with the newfangled pups shown.

Oh, you're a little late for the party...those were all the rage and pup du jour here about 10 years ago! :lol: Great pickups, with a nice variety of models: '54 Special for vintage tones, Vintage Plus for more grunt, yet still vintage tones, and Super 90 if tyou want a hot P90 style tele bridge pup. They are 1st class, and I'd still have a set if I had a bunch of teles, but am down to 1, with the newfangled pups shown.

Yup, they're not the latest thing at this point.
Just wondering what the verdict was on the long haul.
Wonder who's still a user on the board.
I've installed them for folks and had them flip the guitars , so as I said no one seems to still be using them.
Curious mainly. As they seem to be a very very good sounding product.
Your into the Bardens then ?
I've mainly stayed with humbuckers myself , less noise problems and no ground hum when using distortion devices.
The HD's being true single coils require a bit more care in use. It will take a while to get used to hearing the growl again after 5 years of noiseless operation.

I have had a Vintage Plus bridge pup in my tele for a decade.
If I didn't think it was the greatest, I would have taken it out 9 years and 364 days ago.
While they are not hte flavor of the month, they are a great product and well worth the dinero.

I tried the Vintage Plus and Z90 back in the day. Both are long gone, replaced by pickups that were clearly better for my tastes (and cheaper). Main thing I remember about the company is how quirky the owner was to deal with.

Every pickup is not for everyone.
Scott at HD has been easy to deal with in my several buying experiences.

Every pickup is not for everyone.
Scott at HD has been easy to deal with in my several buying experiences.

I have had 0% problem with HD.
I would say the reply's to email are prompt but terse. Thats AOK w/me.
Digging the pickups, I installed a set of the V+ in a Maple/Alder Tele
I've toured the guitar with B.Lawrence "wilde"
The HD's are different in a good way. Very wide range in frequency and dynamics. I was always impressed by them, glad to have finally bought a set for myself.
Using 500k pots and a .22 cap. the set passes plenty of highs and are loud.
Perhaps a bit too wooly I could have gone with a Vintage set I think , but this is good.
Going to do about 20 shows in Europe in a few weeks, festival season is upon us. Have a couple of shows locally , should be able to decide to keep em' in or not.
A lot of its about the noise floor, I'm very used to silence.
I know these will be totally dynamic in the studio , for live ?
Dope sound though over all. Very nice.
Want to pick up a set of his Humbuckers see what there about.
Any you folks check the HB's ?

I installed a V+ set in a thinline a few years ago and they are still in. The white perloid neck pup works great with the Thinline look, but I'm sure many players didn't choose the HD brand because of the non traditional aspect (The chromotone is a new addition to their catalog).

Sonically they're just the perfect balance for a bright guitar like an ash body thinline. They add a lot of mid punch to the guitar while their clarity help retaining a vintage tone but with a broader range palette. It's still my favourite guitar for my 7 piece funk band.

Very quiet pups too. Usually I shield the pup cavities but I had no need with them.

Their mini-strat for tele neck spot pup was very stratty
Still getting used round here

Very quiet pups too. Usually I shield the pup cavities but I had no need with them.

Not too bad for a high gain "true" single coil thats for sure.
I notice the noise floor when using stomp boxes if I'm going for metal sounds, which I need to do , for like 30 seconds of most shows.:neutral:
I shielded the guitar mainly to cut down on string ground "ticking" , control and PU cavity's fully shielded , it did lower the noise floor and made the guitar quieter. Its now less necessary to position myself correctly in relation to the transformers. Just a little quieter.
Dig this though, the wife likes these ? I was playing some lines on the neck pickup an she said,"oh , "that" sounds nice". She's not a big tele fan. Lady's more into the Jazz box full humbucker vibe. HD should endorse her. The add copy would be a hoot.
I'm OK with the plastic cover on the neck PU. It was the only option for something from stock at the time of the order.

I have a set of HD Super Chrome and Super 90 in my go-to part-o-tele and they are amazing for rock & blues. The bridge doesn't sound at all like traditional tele but both pickups have wonderful tone, huge amp-front-end-pushing output and great dynamics. Very lively pickups. Full of character. The neck pickup is one of the best I've ever used for blues. Punchy & warm. I used this guitar last year to try out amps at the NY Amp show and many were impressed with them. They kill through my 5E3 clone.

Yes, Scott Petersen is quirky and terse. Just be patient and you shall receive wonderful service and product. He also wired a control circuit for the set (500k pots, .022uf cap & treble bleed) and he did a wonderful job using top notch parts. Highly recommended.

I too am on the anti-60 cycle hum quest and wish these pickups were hum-canceling. Then they would be absolutely perfect.

im still on board. they are the only pickups i use anymore.

[QUOTE=Stylemaster;3282752] (wrote as edited by A.W.)
Yes,you shall receive wonderful service and product. He (Scott at HD) also wired a control circuit for the set (500k pots, .022uf cap & treble bleed) and did a wonderful job using top notch parts. Highly recommended.


The bleed circuit also uses a 150k resistor in parallel with the cap according to Scott at HD. (anything between 125k-175k will work)
I installed that this evening and it really opened the pickups up.
The resistor maintains the Mids as the volume goes down. Very nice.
A good match for these pickups !
Not the latest news perhaps, but I'm pleased.

Did a little nightclub hit in town last Thursday.
These pickups kill.
No noise floor worries.
Smokin'
HD's are stayin' in the little red guitar.

Although the V+ sound great clean, they're also killer when played with more gain. They deliver a smooth sound not far from a Barden (in fact smoother than a Barden !) and close enough to play the Robben Ford fusion style.

Al,

I have V+s in an ash/ redwood partscaster with a huge neck and they are what I call Hi Fi. They are very clear and balanced but know how to get down when the fuzz box is around. Very highly recommended and can be found used as I did on Flea Bay if you are diligent. They are popular here in NORCAL.

Barncaster

In the last year or so, I've basically rediscovered Harmonic Design. About ten years ago, I bought a Super 90 Tele bridge pickup and it freaked me out because I thought it sounded too "hi-fi." I went back to pickups with denser midranges.

Well, about a year back, I got a wild hair to try the same pickup again, and I guess a decade of playing and improving gave me a whole new ear, because that Super 90 sounded amazing to me.

Then, around the same time, I wasn't digging the Lollar P-90s in my Koll Superior. They were too saggy sounding; the attack was slow and the bass response kind of "soft." Still beautiful, sweet, and articulate, but just didn't have the right feel for me.

So I bought some HD VP-90s and haven't looked back. They've got the clarity and articulation but mostly the fast attack that I like.

I'd really like to try the STP bridge pickup, as well as the Tele V+ bridge pup.

In other words, HDs may no longer be the hot thing, but I've rediscovered them, and I think they're where it's at.

I've got some Fralin Vintage Hots in a Strat copy, and I've got his Vintage Hot Tele bridge that I haven't installed yet, but would like to try, but I'm very satisfied with the HDs.

I'm sticking with the HD Super 90 in bridge with a gotoh brass bridge plate. hard wired a 120k resistor with a cap to convert tone pot to permanent bridge volume 250k
Pulled out the HD Mini-strat in neck and put oem mim back...Mini-strat sounds awesome...for a Strat sound. Just missed the original Tele neck pup sound.

I've dealt personally with Scott at Harmonic Design a few times, he bought a 72 Gibson 335 from me some years ago.
I never had any problems and he was very easy to deal with. Maybe those of ya'll that thought he was terse just caught him on a bad day, I know some days I've not the easiest person to deal with , though I'm trying to work on it:smile:

I've used the Super 90 Tele bridge pickup several times and I really like it for both clean and OD tones.

I think one of the best sounding non traditional Tele pickup combinations I ever had was a Fralin P92 neck pickup with a Harmonic Design Super 90. All 3 positions sounded great.

I'd rate Harmonic Design pickups up there with anyone out there, Scott make some great sounding pickups.

I too am on the anti-60 cycle hum quest and wish these pickups were hum-canceling. Then they would be absolutely perfect.


When I put the Super 90/V-Plus/V-Plus set in my Strat I figured they were so good that they were worth installing a Suhr BPSSC to keep the hum down. Haven't regretted that move for a second. This is probably my favorite Strat now (out of a dozen) and the tone just speakes for itself IMO.

Here's a short video with it, and I'm plugged directly into my amp. These pups need nothing more...

stLMHcdhU9E

Really great pickups, but for whatever reason the buzz on them has really faded. I've had the Vintage Plus and Super 90 in Tele's in the past and they sounded great.

Id like to try these ever since I heard Redd Volkaert use(d)(s) them.

Problem is I dont go through PUP phases, Ive got Fralin and Fred Stuarts in my teles and they aint going anywhere.

Im building a partsOcaster now maybe Ill get a bridge PUP from them, I have a PAF-style bucker going in the neck already...just need to find a match.

I've been using a Super 90 for several years. I'm guessing +/- 10?

Fantastic pickup, hi-fi like others have mentioned.

I've gone with cheaper stuff in most of my recent builds and mods, but when I eventually break down and decide to build a top shelf Strat and Tele, I'll probably go with HD stuff again.

When I put the Super 90/V-Plus/V-Plus set in my Strat I figured they were so good that they were worth installing a Suhr BPSSC to keep the hum down. Haven't regretted that move for a second. This is probably my favorite Strat now (out of a dozen) and the tone just speakes for itself IMO.

Here's a short video with it, and I'm plugged directly into my amp. These pups need nothing more...

stLMHcdhU9E

That sounds good, sorta chewing the scenery at the reception though huh.
May I suggest the Satriani version of " Daddy's Little Girl" ?

I happen to really like HD Tele pickups. I have at various times had the Vintage Plus and the 54 Special sets. Both sound great to me, with the 54 being closer to a traditional Tele sound. I think they make great pickups except for their p-90, which I hated.

I happen to really like HD Tele pickups. I have at various times had the Vintage Plus and the 54 Special sets. Both sound great to me, with the 54 being closer to a traditional Tele sound. I think they make great pickups except for their p-90, which I hated.

I just put a set of HD humbuckers in an archtop.
They replaced a set of covered hand wound pickups that were essentially PAF clones, which sounded good. I played many a gig of one sort or another using them. Almost 20 years I would guess.
The HD's blow them out of the water.
Very musical sounding. Dead silent. Balanced. Great note separation on chords. No pickup distortion. Plenty of highs and lows. No annoying midrange peak. Dandy in every way.
I have not heard anything better for my own personal use.
I wish Scott wound mini humbuckers, I would have him do a couple of floaters for my archtops which have neck mounted J-Smith type mini's on them.