HILS Headless on the cheap. Seems too good to be true

Warmart said:
You could definitely get a battery in there, can always find batteries like those used in the 24v Mod - if you had to. But I'd bet 95% of guitars have room for it.

I was on a semi "active kick" over the past year or so, but I just can't stand 'em anymore.

Have two left, PRS 594 and the Legator headless. Both are on the list (along with the HILS) for pickup upgrades!
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That tells me all I need to know. I have a single sh6 on a Xmas list ....so I'm gonna go with that and deal until then. Maybe I'll get the flashy ones another time....😔

It's better this way. Thanks for the knowledge though!!🤘
 
Slightly off topic but how are you guys comparing pickups? Do you some recording with each or just have really good "tone memory"?
 
dbagchee said:
Slightly off topic but how are you guys comparing pickups? Do you some recording with each or just have really good "tone memory"?
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At this point, I think @Warmart and myself understand what each are looking for ...and believe it or not, I believe we have very similar tastes. I trust his opinion and experience.

I like the sh6 because it is pretty much all I have played when I have upgraded pickups....and most understand what those are....and you can build from there...hope this answers your question.
 
So Hils has these on preorder for $549 with an estimated delivery in January.
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“The all new NEXT HN5 features a custom Alchemy® Tremolo system and our proprietary active pickup system. It is built on the hugely popular HN3 platform that has disrupted the headless guitar space for its quality and playability. The Alchemy® tremolo system offers rock-solid tuning stability and excellent player control. The active humbuckers can be split to single coils for a ton of tonal options to fit different styles.”

I’m so tempted to order one given that it has both a tremolo and active pickups. As long as the tremolo is decent, I can always swap in some Fishmans if I don’t like the sounds. I really don’t need another guitar, but this could be pretty sweet!
 
I was all over this until the AC went down in my shop last week. That, plus running away from the storms has put a dent in my savings so I am on hold for a while. Thankfully I have plenty of guitars so I will watch how this plays out and maybe grab one next year.
 
State of Epicicity said:
I'd love to try that trem and to see how these aspects of it are:

Sustain
Stability
Range
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Headless trems are potentially problematic. The chances of a budget version working long term are pretty low. Lower costs production methods means low melting point or sintered metal . I would want to know exactly what it is made from.
 
I guess it depends on what you expect. If you want the higher end stuff then you probably are in a different price range. I am optimistic that these guys can hit the appropriate quality vs value target for this line. That said, I will wait on the trem version until people have them in hand.
 
Eagle said:
I can’t think of a quality trem that they could use at this price and that is before you factor in headless.
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Can you justify what you mean about headless being a factor? Functionally, headless vs traditional would seem to work in similar fashion. Is it that the weight of the extra hardware on headless trems can cause friction points to wear faster?
 
Jkist7 said:
Can you justify what you mean about headless being a factor? Functionally, headless vs traditional would seem to work in similar fashion. Is it that the weight of the extra hardware on headless trems can cause friction points to wear faster?
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The addition of a practical durable full range tuning system. By very far the best headless trem is the Aristides .
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Very far from a budget item though.
 
Eagle said:
The chances of a budget version working long term are pretty low. Lower costs production methods means low melting point or sintered metal . I would want to know exactly what it is made from.
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This 100%. I’ve had enough Floyd Rose ‘licensed’ copies to know that a crappy made tremelo is a non starter for me. That’s what held me back from preordering one of these Hils. No slam on the company, I hope it’s a great product but not willing to drop coin on one without knowing for sure.
 
My only remaining reservations are the hardware. Unique design, relatively complex and no money in the pot to make it and then deciding to make a trem with the tuners in it is asking for trouble. The Steinbeger spirit has huge issues with trem failure due only to the metal being used is not strong enough for the design of the spigot the spring sits on. Fortunately for owners this unit is common and has been around since the late 80s. I remember getting the first failed ones in when I started out.
 
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