Question Silhouette Special - HSS vs. HHAL

[MM90TB]

Was going to wait to locate an HHAL after just getting my new MM90 AL, but then I came across this Silhouette Special HSS locally that has a great feel and tone. I can see why so many Silo Special owners praise theirs. It's a wonderful player's guitar! Anyone ever find a reason to want the HHAL model over the Silo Special HSS model? I Didn't want to take a chance on it not being there when I went back, so I put a deposit on it to hold it until I can get back there this weekend. Still haven't played a HHAL which makes my own comparison not possible yet. So all I can go on is other owners opinions and videos/sound samples of the HHAL. I was also planning on eventually trading out one of my Strats for a AL S/S/S model, but the idea of getting a little of each territory with one via the Silo Special seems worth the consideration...

 

[Jack FFR1846]

They are very different. I would trade my Silo spec and money for an Al HH. Maybe if I finally stop buying guitars, finish all the project guitars and sell a dozen guitars I'll just go and buy an Al HH.

If you have not played one, you need to.

 

[paranoid70]

Silo Spec is a great guitar, you'll love it.

 

[MM90TB]

They are very different. I would trade my Silo spec and money for an Al HH. Maybe if I finally stop buying guitars, finish all the project guitars and sell a dozen guitars I'll just go and buy an Al HH.

If you have not played one, you need to.

Interesting. What in particular do you find the advantage (or desired change) from the Silo spec to the HHAL? Yes, I am at a disadvantage having not yet played the HH version to hear them them in-person, but need to and will when one comes around.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Don't get me wrong....the silo spec is a great guitar. Silent circuit, perfect balance. I just found the Al HH to be about the greatest guitar I've played. I was actually surprised I liked it so much. When I first played one, I was a die hard all-maple neck guy so had no real expectations to like an all rosewood neck. I sure did.

 

[peterd79]

my number 1 guitar is a silo special...

i've played an HH AL and it really is a completely different guitar... even a AL SSS is very very different from a Silo Special.

My first guitar was a 20th Anniversary Silhouette and i immediately bought a standard silhouette within a week of buying my first... loved it...

But ultimately sold it and purchased a silo special and it's my go to for everything... it's a players guitar for sure and a work horse... you won't be sad to have this horse in your stable... it's no one trick pony...

 

[Stratty316]

I currently own a HHAL and love it. It has put me in a place where I realize I'm a humbucker guy... Especially when the HHAL can go from "les Paul" to a fat glassy "strat" with ease... Not to mention its also a beautiful sounding guitar unplugged that sustains for days. That being said, the Silo Spec is still on my list of wants. They are really very different guitars and while they can cover similar ground each has its own unique voice. When I do finally pick up a silo spec I think it will be a PDN version because I'm addicted to the all rosewood neck... But I digress. Long story short you won't regret owning both at some point.

 

[MM90TB]

Silo Spec is a great guitar, you'll love it.

Yes, I found nothing to not to like about the Silo Spec. I just wish I could have A:B'd at the time with the HHAL just for my own edification. What makes the decision easier in either choice is that the neck specs are the same as the MM90 I have already and love. And I again find myself saying it's a more comfortable neck than either of my two Custom Shop Strats, which of course is a big deal in scope of the decisions.

So my thought process here is to complete the purchase of the Silo Spec, and if the chance arises down the road I at least have the option then sell -or- trade my 1962 CS Relic Strat and use the that to purchase a HHAL. The assessment though of each model from you and the others who replied certainly is very helpful.

 

[MM90TB]

Don't get me wrong....the silo spec is a great guitar. Silent circuit, perfect balance. I just found the Al HH to be about the greatest guitar I've played. I was actually surprised I liked it so much. When I first played one, I was a die hard all-maple neck guy so had no real expectations to like an all rosewood neck. I sure did.

Thanks. Yeah I agree with you and think at times there is too much made over Rosewood vs. Maple. It's mostly personal preference of look and feel with a hint of tonal measurement weighing in. Most, if not all of my guitars were Maple FB's from 1983 to about 2006. I've gone back and forth over the years since from Maple to Rosewood (no good reason really for the variation), and only the last few years have I owned more guitars outfitted with rosewood boards than maple. I think when push comes to shove, I lean towards choosing Maple over Rosewood, if given the choice. I will say I love the Select Maple neck on the MM90 I have now, as well as the identical one on the Silo Spec I have a deposit on which is also Maple (as the pic shows). As I mentioned above, if I can swing both down the road by unleashing one of my Strats, I will do that.

 

[MM90TB]

my number 1 guitar is a silo special...

i've played an HH AL and it really is a completely different guitar... even a AL SSS is very very different from a Silo Special.

My first guitar was a 20th Anniversary Silhouette and i immediately bought a standard silhouette within a week of buying my first... loved it...

But ultimately sold it and purchased a silo special and it's my go to for everything... it's a players guitar for sure and a work horse... you won't be sad to have this horse in your stable... it's no one trick pony...

Thanks for that. This helps alot in putting into perspective the idea that the Silo Spec will compliment, not duplicate, any of the AL's.

 

[MM90TB]

But I digress. Long story short you won't regret owning both at some point.

I suppose from these last several posts, that's where I have seemed to have arrived at this juncture. That being the decision to bring the Silo Spec home when I return to the shop this weekend simply based on how great a player's guitar it as and the input here that underscores it's a worthy model to have in addition to others. Thanks!

 

[streck]

Great looking Silo. And of course it is blue. SS is another guitar which is on my list.

 

[MM90TB]

Thanks Streck. Yes, the Blue Pearl w/ the Black Pearloid pickguard and back plate is among my favorite looking color combinations that MM offers. Having a preference for maple necks anyway, I thought it looked the best with the lighter maple too. So this turned out to be an easy decision to buy once I played it and fell in love with the feel and tone in this configuration.

 

[peterd79]

Thanks Streck. Yes, the Blue Pearl w/ the Black Pearloid pickguard and back plate is among my favorite looking color combinations that MM offers. Having a preference for maple necks anyway, I thought it looked the best with the lighter maple too. So this turned out to be an easy decision to buy once I played it and fell in love with the feel and tone in this configuration.

that's a beautiful combo... and great choice... silo specials are my absolute favorite... i want to pick up a HSS too...

 

[skerwo]

While I´m more into the "normal" Silhouette I always loved and also owned a Silo Spec. That´s a great looking colour combination and real fine guitar.

Rainer

 

[GoKart Mozart]

Like Stratty316 said, you really can cover a lot of tonal ground with the AL HH. I really dig the positions 2 & 4 for cleans, especially position 4 (inner coils)...it sounds just like the middle position of a Tele!

Check out some of the smokin' vids that Billy Imperial from Music Man recently did for Sweetwater. Here's the one for the AL HH; check out the difference in cleans starting at about 2:48:

Music Man Albert Lee HH Electric Guitar Demo - Sweetwater Sound - YouTube

 

[headcrash]

I own both types of guitars. The Silo is definetely more Stratish, because of its traditional sounding pickups.
I've had my Albert Lee for a few years and when I got my Silo spec early this year, I was (have ever been) attracted by the in between sounds such a guitar is capable of. The in between sounds of the HHAL are also very good, I use them extensively for clean and crunchy stuff, but they're of their own kind. The Silo's sounds more like a real strat, which is very cool as well.
So the Silo got most of my love for the last months. But recently I dug out the ALHH, and exchanged its Dimarzio Norton/Air Norton pups for a pair of EBMM Dimarzio Axis Sport pups I had laying around (I got them off ebay cheap a few years ago). And wow, what a rock machine it is now!!! I'd almost forgotten how excellent these EBMM Dimarzios were. So I again fell in love with those thick humbucking sounds, which is why I exchanged pickups on my Silo to get kind of a best of both worlds.

Back to topic: Both guitars look, play and feel excellent (they're EBMMs, so why wouldn't they...). I tend to say the Silo is a more tradional, Stratish sound, which makes it maybe a bit more versatile. The ALHH sounds fatter ad hotter.
You might consider tayloring your sound by experimenting with different pups.