Schatten HFN

[Marshall]

I don't see any discussion on the Schatten HFN. I love it. It's my favorite pickup. I have it installed in 4 guitars. I bought mine before there was an internal preamp option, so I use the Schatten belt clip preamp. Not my favorite way to go for logistics. But it works great. The new HFN Artist models have an internal preamp with volume & tone control. If I were starting over, I'd go that way. But I LOVE the sound I get out of the regular HFNs. I've used them for 3 years now.

It's a soundboard transducer. Similar I suppose to the K&K, except the install is much easier. You don't super glue it to the soundboard. I use the putty install options and it's easy and accurate.

I think it sounds better than the K&K, though they are comparable. The K&K has a hotter output, though. Even with the preamp, the soundguy always has to bump up my volume in the house mix. But so far they can always find it and dial it in. And I've played in many open mic type settings with big sound systems and floor monitors and never had a feedback problem. Everyone always tells me after a performance how good my guitars sound. Much better than your typical quacky pickup.

I love them

http://www.schattendesign.com/HFN-Artist.htm

[Petty1818]

I have never tried the Schatten HFN but the sound clips do tend to sound better than the K&K pure mini. I really would like to give one a try, I just wish there were more reviews / sound clips out there. I remember when I purchased a pickup for my bouzouki from Schatten, I was told that for whatever reason their pickups are much more popular in Europe and never fully took off in North America. It's odd as well that I never see them in any music stores, especially since they are a Canadian company and most stores I go at in and around Toronto which they located close to.

[simply rod]

Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like something I might like.

[philjs]

I have had HFNs in a total of 11 instruments including all 6 of my current guitars and one in my bouzar (a bouzouki in a tenor guitar body). All of the current crop are passives (Player) except for the newest install: a retrofit of my '90 Larrivee J-09 to replace the original Fishman AGP-2 UST. Les at Schatten wired me up an Artist to 2-500k pots (instead of the usual soundhole wheels) to replace the upper bout controls of the Fishman.

Personally, I prefer the passives (I hate having batteries in my instruments) and I have no gain problems at all through a Pitchblack+ to a Baggs Venue. In fact, I've had sound guys ask me to lower the gain on the Venue. I agree that it is a MUCH easier install than a K&K and they sound as good (or better)...I encourage use of Schatten Design pickups whenever I can.

Phil

[Doug Young]

I was kind of turned off of the HFN because of the putty. Makes a big mess if you're not careful. But they now say you can use double-sticky tape, and apparently provide some with the pickup. I haven't seen what tape they use, but I just tried some normal hardware-store tape, and it worked great. I have a passive HFN in one guitar, and it sounds very good. Very airy and lively, and in fact, I don't think it would benefit from a mic as a dual source, it seems very "mic-like" by itself. I have yet to try this tape install in a live situation, hope to soon, but it sounds very good at home.

[Petty1818]

I am definitely thinking about trying out the HFN, especially since it's so easy to install and remove. I definitely notice the mic-like quality from the sound clips that I have listened to, especially the ones on Doug's website. The one thing I really like is how it sounds when strummed. I find the K&k to be a little too warm but the HFN has a bit of bite to it.

One question though, how does the bass response of the K&K compare to the HFN? I always liked how the K&K added some bass to the signal to make it a little more full.

[newmartin]

Have one installed in my Eastman E10SS, I have the active and love it. sounds every bit as good as baggs and K&K and for me, made in Canada!

[dogdog49]

I know how much better the K&K's perform with super-glue rather than tape. Has anyone ever glued a Schatten in? I realize you'd have to be pretty confident that this was the pickup you wanted, but if the improvement was similar to the K&K with glue it could be quite spectacular.

[guitaniac]

Thanks for the heads-up on this pickup. I know of one luthier in our area who is a fan, but hadn't seen any testimonials beyond that. I thought it was probably similar to the Pure Mini, but Doug's comments (that its "airy" and "mic-like") make it sound somewhat different. The comment about the HFN having "a bit of bite" also adds to the impression that its somewhat different.

[Marshall]

The second, third, and 4th songs on my reverbnation site (see below) are tunes recorded live in different rooms (with an iphone and a Tascam iM2 mic) of 2 guitars with the HFN through the house. The 2nd & 3rd are my 1934 Kalamazoo. The 4th tune is my 1959 Country Western.

I LOVE the putty installation. I put a nurdle of the stuff on each of the 3 feet of the pickup. I insert the thing as best i can by feeling around and only lightly put it in place. Then I take out my hand and stick in a mirror and a light and check the placement. If I don't like the placement, I reach back in and slide it over a little. I repeat that until I get it visually right where it should be. Then I reach in and squeeze it tight to the bridge plate. The putty oozes out the edges of the feet. And it forms a very good suction and seal.

The putty has held perfectly strong for years.

I used to use teh sticky tape with the old PUTW #27 pickups I used. They worked great. But I found the sticky tape would work loose. That probably had to do with the flexibility of the PUTW element. Plus the wire coming out of the end of the PUTW would have to immediately make a turn to get around a brace, so I think the bend in the wire would work to pry the PUTW loose. Anyrate, every 6 months to a year I'd get all this weird distortion out of a pickup. I finally figured out it was the sticky tape working loose.

Of course the HFN is more rigid than the PUTW pickup, so the tape would not be under the same prying stress as the with the PUTW. But the tape will not allow for slidinging the pickup around like the putty does. So, I go with the putty, and it works great.

[philjs]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I was kind of turned off of the HFN because of the putty. Makes a big mess if you're not careful. But they now say you can use double-sticky tape, and apparently provide some with the pickup. I haven't seen what tape they use, but I just tried some normal hardware-store tape, and it worked great. I have a passive HFN in one guitar, and it sounds very good. Very airy and lively, and in fact, I don't think it would benefit from a mic as a dual source, it seems very "mic-like" by itself. I have yet to try this tape install in a live situation, hope to soon, but it sounds very good at home.

Doug,

Each HFN comes with 4 strips of 3M VHB tape (plus a generous amount of putty, which I've not found particularly messy. In fact, I think it's easier to remove than the tape). In either case, there's enough for LOTS of trial and error installs and moves -- but you don't need it because they're dirt simple to install on any instrument with pins. The hardest install for me was into a Lowden which, of course, doesn't have the pins that provide easy reference to the saddle location.

Phil

[Doubleneck]

I almost bought their banjo pickup it's supposed to be very good as well, but like the guitar you don't hear a lot about it.

[BDiamond]

The other really cool thing about the Schatten is the ability to run the preamp off phantom power. I'm a very happy Lyric user now, but that is a very cool idea.

[Doug Young]

I must be the only one here who had the entire insides of my guitar gummed up by that putty :-). Well, the entire bridge plate anyway. Maybe I'm just messy. I gave them lots of negative feedback on it, so I was really happy to see that they now support tape ( I suspect more than one person had issues with the putty to get them to add the tape option), and from my brief experiments, I think I like the sound of the tape better anyway, tho I'm not touching the putty again to do a direct comparison.

Their active pickup does have lots of nice features, including the ability to power switch another active pickup!

[guitaniac]

Marshall,

I just put a PUTW #27 in my Taylor. What are your observations on how the HFN compares to the #27 (when its taped in properly)?