TO ALL: I NEED LOTS OF INFO ON THE HF2S

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

Please, all of you that have this guitar, share here info on its synth capability, tracking, how the electric and acoustic pups sound, is it a good choice over the other synth guitars available around, please, I really need your help. It seems that the HF2S is one of the most versatile guitars and I truly intend to buy it, but I need information. I really don't need a heavy monster such as the SH575, and, aside from the fact that Allan Holdsworth is a wonderful guy and AMAZING guitarist, I think that I will really enjoy the HF2S. All help will be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you in advance!!!

Barnacle Bob

Check out Gatormike's rich out-of-box experience in the "HF1S has arrived" thread below. I have an HF2 with a clear quilt top, and an SH575. I think I would prefer an HF2S to the SH575.

You haven't said what you play and where you play it. It might not serve you well as a loud stage guitar. I spoke glowingly of it to someone, he bought it, and he wound up fighting feedback on stage. It's not clear that a different wood choice, stage arrangement, pickups, EQ or amp wouldn't solve the problem, but I note that on mine, the bass tends to "bloom" past a certain level, and I wind up with low-frequency feedback. It's no more sensitive than an ES335 in this regard, probably less so, and you could certainly scare the old ladies in church with it. The problem pretty much disappears when you use it as a MIDI controller. The HF2 sounds quite a bit different from those other semi-hollow bodies, but I think it's a functional replacement for an ES335, which is a very versatile beast in its own right. Adding piezo, you have a guitar with an incredible range of tones and applications.

I've got a piezo DC400 and an AE185 too, and through the mags, the HF2 has the most acoustic sound, and it's as loud as the AE185 unplugged. With my woods, I'd describe the tone as bright and warm, and the pickups as transparent to bright PAF depending on height. Those who have a single-coil switch rave about the single-coil tone. I don't have one, but it's standard on the HF2S and optional on the HF2. You could go all the way to uber mellow with a rosewood fingerboard, mahogany or koa neck or top, etc.

I think a piezo bridge would be a great addition to the HF2. The mag tone would mix very well with piezos, and the HF2S has three-band active tone controls with sweepable mid for the piezos. This works out great for me on the SH575, and I think the tone would be even sweeter on an HF2S.

I recommend the tung oil neck and slippery stainless steel frets.

If you're looking for "fool 'em" acoustic tone, you won't get all the way there, though a bit of post-processing will help.

I find the guitar comfortable, kind of like an inflated Tele, and I like the thick neck. I moved the strap button to the upper horn for better balance.

If you're guilty of playing pretty music, the HFS2 is a great choice. Great for jazz and blues too. Synth access is a total trip.

If you have a guitar you like, you can add Roland's Borg-looking GK-3 adapter, or the less-obtrusive GK kit, or a Graphtec Ghost system, so if you buy a MIDI-ready guitar, make sure it's a guitar you like. It's hard to try an HFS2, but Carvin will happily take it back if you don't love it.

Tracking on MIDI is good. I can hammer, pull off, sound harmonics, bend, and do all that good stuff on my similarly equipped SH575. Proper adjustment of the MIDI converter is required. Roland now has setups for piezo Ghost systems available for download, and just about all the MIDI converters have piezo support. The output from the Carvins SHs is hot, so you need to turn down the trigger sensitivity for each stirng, and whatever they call the adjustment for how soft is "off".

With any MIDI compatible guitar, if you set the sensitivity too high, you can get ghost nodes from fretting or releasing notes to fast, particularly on the bass strings. Set the sensitivity too low, and you'll feel like you need to pick too hard and lose picking dynamics. Depending on your technique, you may find that you need to make adjustments to your style (better damping, slower fret release, etc.) to get acceptable tracking. Latency is significant, but you can compensate automatically if you keep the latency short, using the internal synth in you MIDI converter, or directly connecting to an external synth. Latency get somewhere between a bit worse and lots worse if you run the MIDI through your computer.

I think the consensus is that the Ghost system in the HF2S tracks at least as well as the GK-3.

Don't miss the MIDI output level switch located at the 13-pin output. It's tiny and recessed.

Check RHCole's posts about his VG-99 experience. No tracking problems, and a wide pallette of tones.

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

I thought that the HF2S already got piezo in it? The standard setup doesn't include piezo and only magnetic? I must have misunderstood. Thank you for all the info!

Feromon · Newbie Joined: 01 Dec 2009 Posts: 21

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

So, is there anybody out there to confirm if the standard setup of HF2S comes with a piezo or it has to be ordered additionally? Thanks!

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

One more thing: Barnacle Bob wrote

truedog

The HF2S has the piezo and synth capabilities built in.

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

I thought the same, truedog, but got confused by Barnacle Bob's message. Do you own an HF2S? I need someone that owns it because I got a lot of questions regarding the different options. It seems that this forum is not that much user-friendly... I hope I'll be proved wrong.

truedog

No, I don't have an HF2S, so I really can't help you on specifics for the synth models.

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

That's why I titled this thread "TO ALL: I NEED LOTS OF INFO ON THE HF2S"--please, I am a member of many other guitar forums and all the other guys provide a lot of advice and expertise. The information you provide on the topic will be of crucial importance regarding my decision on choosing my next guitar. I own an American Made Fender Stratocaster Highway One HSS and a Jazz Bass + acoustic guitars.

truedog

The HF2S was a relatively new addition to the lineup, so I am not sure how many owners we have here.

As far as the questions in your first post, owners of the the other synth guitar models should be able to help you.

spudmunkey · Last edited by spudmunkey on Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:18 am; edited 1 time in total

Hi Peregrin,

Slow down, take a deap breath. Laughing

I understand your frustration, but please know that we're a helpful bunch...when there's information to be had. The HF2S is one of Carvin's Newest models, so there aren't many out there. In fact, as far as I know, there is only ONE forum member who's received one: "Gatormike."

However:
Barnaacle Bob's post was not saying that the Piezo is some seperate option. What he was saying is that the HF2S, among other features, is like a HF2 with a piezo, and that it the piezo (of the HF2S) added to the HF2's basic sound would be a great combination...which is what the HF2S includes.

Read it again:

Barnacle Bob

Didn't mean to confuse you, Peregrin. I have the non-MIDI HF2, and the SH575 that has the same electronics as the HF2S. It's not hard to extrapolate an HF2S from there.

Peregrin · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2010 Posts: 9

spudmunkey and Barnacle Bob, thank you for the info! Is there any way for Gatormike to be engaged under this thread? I am very happy that the piezo is part of the standard setup of the HF2S, now my questions will be more directed towards the guitar body options. My main question is: if I order the guitar just with the standard setup and nothing added, will it be playable and well sounding? Will the neck be smooth or not? What will be the surface of the body: smooth or not? Stuff like that: I haven't ordered anything from Carvin so far and I want to know these details. Thank you so much for your involvement!!!

86general

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