Norrin Radd
Well-known member
I just got done with a practice session. A while ago (18 months or so) I had replaced the pickups in my HH AL with an SSS set. A couple of Area '67's and an Injector in the bridge. Very nice set! The guitar sounded great with SSS config. But lately, I have been giving most of my attention to the MM90 AL - what an awesome guitar THAT is! 
Anyways, yesterday I was going to change the strings on the, now, SSS AL, and while I had the strings off and was getting ready to put on the new ones, I looked at at it and thought, "What the hell - let's put the humbuggies back in there for kicks!" And so I did. Then I put on the Cobalts (10-52), tuned it up 1/2 step and let it sit a day with no string stretching of any kind (my usual method per Bill Lawrence - it works amazingly for string life and for tuning stability - TRY IT! Please!). This morning I pulled it down and tuned to pitch.
Now, the reason I put the SSS in there in the first place was I was playing more clean and cleanish tones and figured the SSS would work better. This morning I learned - that was silly! I can't believe some of the beautiful chiming tones I was getting out of the HH AL. Those Axis pickups really are something special - and the tone they deliver with the woods in the HH AL - just fantastic.
Oh, of course, I chugged with some super heavy distorsludge too! I had forgotten how much I missed that Bridge position slamming into a really dirty amp. Ahhhhhh.......... So nice to rediscover an old friend.
In any event, the point of all this - the HH AL is really a superb instrument - well thought out design and flawless execution (unlike my practice session!). Please don't think this guitar is only good for dirty tones - it shines playing clean stuff as well. ALSO - Cobalts rule! A lot.
Oh yeah - and tanks to Tim O'Sullivan for reminding me how cool the AL HH is with his recent posts. Gracias!
Anyways, yesterday I was going to change the strings on the, now, SSS AL, and while I had the strings off and was getting ready to put on the new ones, I looked at at it and thought, "What the hell - let's put the humbuggies back in there for kicks!" And so I did. Then I put on the Cobalts (10-52), tuned it up 1/2 step and let it sit a day with no string stretching of any kind (my usual method per Bill Lawrence - it works amazingly for string life and for tuning stability - TRY IT! Please!). This morning I pulled it down and tuned to pitch.
Now, the reason I put the SSS in there in the first place was I was playing more clean and cleanish tones and figured the SSS would work better. This morning I learned - that was silly! I can't believe some of the beautiful chiming tones I was getting out of the HH AL. Those Axis pickups really are something special - and the tone they deliver with the woods in the HH AL - just fantastic.
Oh, of course, I chugged with some super heavy distorsludge too! I had forgotten how much I missed that Bridge position slamming into a really dirty amp. Ahhhhhh..........
So nice to rediscover an old friend.In any event, the point of all this - the HH AL is really a superb instrument - well thought out design and flawless execution (unlike my practice session!
). Please don't think this guitar is only good for dirty tones - it shines playing clean stuff as well. ALSO - Cobalts rule! A lot.Oh yeah - and tanks to Tim O'Sullivan for reminding me how cool the AL HH is with his recent posts. Gracias!
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