Harmoic Design S90 ?

I am looking for a good match pickup for me. I am looking at the HD S90. I am wondering how well this does clean tone as well? What is the hum like comnpared to any other regular output tele pickup? Which neck pickup is a good match?

Basically what I am looking for is a set of pickups that will go from nice clean with a rich glassy and jazzy neck pickup then to The Who young man blues crunch. Is there such a pickup I can do that with?

Should I just get a set of Texas Specials and be done with it? Any noiseless varieties that can hit this?

I have a set of BL twin blades and they are nice pickups but not what I am looking for when it comes to out put. They are just a little to high in treble area for me.

I am looking for something with a little more punch when I need it but that I can roll back and tame and get some sweet clean tone and a nice warm jazzy neck tone with.

While there are many options available in various price ranges, an S-90 paired with a DiMarzio Twang king would do the trick. Another consideration would be Zhangliqun's 'Paul Bunyon' winds or his 'Twang Smoker's'. Excellent pickups that respond very well to ones picking dynamics and nuances. http://www.zhangbucker.com/tele-singles.html check em out.

Good luck and have fun!

I'll second the Zhangbucker recommendation. Killer pickups!!

I have two S90s in tele type parts casters, and a strat version in my CS strat. I obviously love them! Not noisy at all, HD pickups tend to be on th quiet side. Other than that they are P90 like, but, again like most HD pickups, they have they're own thing going on.

I also have HD neck pickups in the two parts guitars, a Z90 in one which is for a humbucker route, and a Superchrome in the other, which is a drop in replacement for a standard tele neck route.

S90 is a great pickup for rock, pair with a Vintage Plus neck pup. To get alot of twang back, install a TBX tone pot, standard S90 tones below the detent, LOTS more clean twang and high end above the detent.

I've got an S90 in my bridge, and a P90 in the neck, and I love them, though it took some tweaking to get there.

First, the sound: The s90 can do beautiful clean. It's not going to be as twangy as a regular tele bridge, but I DO think it gets twangier as you roll off the volume (with some clarifications, see below). Full up, it is an intense pickup. Wonderful clarity. Lots of midrange grunt, but still sounds mean and nasally, like a tele pickup.

The tweaking I had to do: with 250k pots, it sounded just kinda stifled. So I put in 500ks, which opened it up, and gave it more clarity. I did the 50s wiring mod, but even so, rolling back the tone turned it muddier. So, I just installed a treble bleed circuit (130k resistor and .0012uf cap wired in series), and oh my lord! The volume pot just became soooooo usable. Now when I roll down the volume on the bridge, the mids drop out a bit, but the highs stay, and it kinda sounds like my broadcaster bridge. It's a sweeter, kinda softer sound, with killer clarity and top end. Max the volume control, and you've got a really mean lead tone.

So I'd say go for it, but it may take a little work to get you there.

I've got an S90 in my bridge, and a P90 in the neck, and I love them, though it took some tweaking to get there.

First, the sound: The s90 can do beautiful clean. It's not going to be as twangy as a regular tele bridge, but I DO think it gets twangier as you roll off the volume (with some clarifications, see below). Full up, it is an intense pickup. Wonderful clarity. Lots of midrange grunt, but still sounds mean and nasally, like a tele pickup.

The tweaking I had to do: with 250k pots, it sounded just kinda stifled. So I put in 500ks, which opened it up, and gave it more clarity. I did the 50s wiring mod, but even so, rolling back the tone turned it muddier. So, I just installed a treble bleed circuit (130k resistor and .0012uf cap wired in series), and oh my lord! The volume pot just became soooooo usable. Now when I roll down the volume on the bridge, the mids drop out a bit, but the highs stay, and it kinda sounds like my broadcaster bridge. It's a sweeter, kinda softer sound, with killer clarity and top end. Max the volume control, and you've got a really mean lead tone.

So I'd say go for it, but it may take a little work to get you there.

Thanks for this but at this point I am not going to get into all the resistors to tweak the tone. I want something right now I can drop in with appropriate tone cap and roll. I have already been doign that with the BL L-48TL and not willing to keep spending time adjusting, readjusting and putting different resistor values on the bridge.

Thanks for this but at this point I am not going to get into all the resistors to tweak the tone. I want something right now I can drop in with appropriate tone cap and roll. I have already been doign that with the BL L-48TL and not willing to keep spending time adjusting, readjusting and putting different resistor values on the bridge.

Then I might look elsewhere than the s90. The HD guys themselves STRONGLY recommend 500k pots.

Maybe the Rio grande tallboy or dirty harry?

Do a search of my posts and threads. I've written a lot about the HD Super 90 paired with the Super Chrome neck pup. They are amazing for rock and Blues. They take a Tele into P90 Gibson Territory and the neck is one of the best blues neck pickups I've ever played. Both have immense output and will drive a Tweed Deluxe into Nirvana. They don't do the Tele twang thing at all.

I also play in lots of venues with terrible electrical wiring and the 60 cycle hum from these high output picks were driving me nuts. I have with limited funds tried the best noiseless pups I could afford: The DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Hot Tele Bridge (that they replaced with the Area Hot which I did not like at all) and the Duncan SM-1 minibucker neck pup that's in Fender's '52 Hot Rod Tele. I love the DiMarzio VV bridge but trough various amps the SM-1 gets muddy on the lower strings. I wish HD could make noiseless versions of the Super 90's. Then it'd be a no-brainer.