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TheRiverDragon « This is the second guitar I bought from Patrick Hufschmid. »
Published on 05/27/13 at 01:00This is the second guitar I bought from Patrick Hufschmid. The specifications on it are a little bit different compared to the first one. Patrick built this guitar as a prototype to try a nut made of Techtron HPV© and his new headstock design which is I think is one of the best I have ever seen on a guitar. The guitar is based on his economy model H6E. As such it does not have a fancy top but still all the great specifications that make Patrick's guitars world-class.
A guitar is more than just the sum of its parts. The way everything is put together and the knowledge of the luthier make the difference. Patrick really surprised me with this guitar because although the specifications of it are rather different to my first one you can find a lot of similar core characteristics between both instruments. That alone speaks for his level of quality and attention.
Features:
-Handmade by Patrick Hufschmid from switzerland
-6 strings
-One piece very old premium Sapelli Mahogany body
-One piece very old premium Sapelli Mahogany neck
-Pauo Ferro fingerboard, 12" radius, 24 frets
-West African Ebony control knobs
-25.5'' scale
-Hipshot bridge
-Sperzel locking tuning machines
-Handmade Kent Armstrong pickups
-Tru-Oil finish on the neck and body
-No inlays
-1 volume pot, 1 tone pot, 3 way pickup switch
-Techtron HPV© nut
UTILIZATION
The body is very thin and light which helps for good balance and ergonomics. Its shape is Patrick’s
own superstrat style body. It matches the headstock perfectly and makes for a coherent look of the
guitar no matter from which perspective you look at it.
Due to an oversized cutaway it is very easy to access the higher frets. Although there are no
fretboard inlays I have no trouble to navigate due to the side dots.
The neck is shaped with just the right thickness for my hands and playing style. It is neither an ultrathin
Ibanez neck nor a Gibson baseball bat neck. The oil finish gives it a very fluid feel unlike some
sticky lacquer finished necks.
I tune the guitar one whole step down to D standard and use thick strings on it that match the guitar
very well in terms of string tension and overall playing feel. The Sperzel locking tuners and the
Hipshot bridge make it very easy to change strings. I prefer the action to be at medium height, not
super low which helps for clarity and gives a better feel to the notes in my opinion.
Adjusting the action, intonation as well as the truss rod is also very straight forward and intuitive.
The fixed hipshot bridge feels comfortable and solid under my right hand and yields a perfect picking
position with no disturbing parts like on a Floyd rose bridge.
The guitar comes with very simple electronics: one volume pot, one tone pot and a 3 way toggle
switch to select pickups. The sound won't get dark or muddy when you roll down the volume knob.
You can use it to get a variety of different tones.
The overall quality of the woods is just stunning. The grain on the mahogany is even more impressive
than one my first Hufschmid guitar.
The body and the neck is oil finished which gives the guitar an elegant look and high playing comfort.
SOUNDS
There are some things that I am looking for in a guitar: character, definition, vibrancy, dynamics and
midrange body. This guitar has all of this in spades. It perfectly sits in the context of a metal band
setting. You can clearly hear every note and it preserves the dynamics even under high gain. Further
there are no dead spots over the entire tonal range and it always stays defined even with lower
tuning and thick strings. Even unplugged you can hear the guitar ringing loud and clear with a good
focus on the midrange.
The guitar reacts very quickly and does not overemphasize the low end. Sometime you can get the
feeling that the guitar plays a note even before you thought about it. It is a very hones guitar.
Everything you put into it is perfectly reproduced.
Patrick created a guitar that has its own unique voicing that is nothing like I have heard before.
I play the guitar through a Diezel Hagen tube amplifier and BR Custom 3x12 cabinets which themselves have a very clear, defined and broad sound. This combination of equipment delivers the perfect sound for my bands.
OVERALL OPINION
I have my first Hufschmid guitar for almost a year now and did not experience any problems. The finish is very durable, the guitar stays in tune very well and the neck is still perfect. The overall construction and craftsmanship is on such a high level that I don’t fear to have any problems with it in the future. I always keep the guitar in a humidity controlled environment when it's not played.
Once again it was a very special to meet Patrick in person and pick up the guitar in the beautiful landscape of Aigle, Switzerland. Although the guitar was not build specifically for me there is nothing I would want to change about it. It is a work of art in its purest form.
The communication was fast and reliable as always. You get what you pay for in a reasonable time frame. There is no 2-3 years waiting list or anything like that that you can witness on some of the newly hyped luthiers out there.
I can definitely recommend considering Hufschmid guitars if you want to get a unique instrument with top-notch quality and sound.
A guitar is more than just the sum of its parts. The way everything is put together and the knowledge of the luthier make the difference. Patrick really surprised me with this guitar because although the specifications of it are rather different to my first one you can find a lot of similar core characteristics between both instruments. That alone speaks for his level of quality and attention.
Features:
-Handmade by Patrick Hufschmid from switzerland
-6 strings
-One piece very old premium Sapelli Mahogany body
-One piece very old premium Sapelli Mahogany neck
-Pauo Ferro fingerboard, 12" radius, 24 frets
-West African Ebony control knobs
-25.5'' scale
-Hipshot bridge
-Sperzel locking tuning machines
-Handmade Kent Armstrong pickups
-Tru-Oil finish on the neck and body
-No inlays
-1 volume pot, 1 tone pot, 3 way pickup switch
-Techtron HPV© nut
UTILIZATION
The body is very thin and light which helps for good balance and ergonomics. Its shape is Patrick’s
own superstrat style body. It matches the headstock perfectly and makes for a coherent look of the
guitar no matter from which perspective you look at it.
Due to an oversized cutaway it is very easy to access the higher frets. Although there are no
fretboard inlays I have no trouble to navigate due to the side dots.
The neck is shaped with just the right thickness for my hands and playing style. It is neither an ultrathin
Ibanez neck nor a Gibson baseball bat neck. The oil finish gives it a very fluid feel unlike some
sticky lacquer finished necks.
I tune the guitar one whole step down to D standard and use thick strings on it that match the guitar
very well in terms of string tension and overall playing feel. The Sperzel locking tuners and the
Hipshot bridge make it very easy to change strings. I prefer the action to be at medium height, not
super low which helps for clarity and gives a better feel to the notes in my opinion.
Adjusting the action, intonation as well as the truss rod is also very straight forward and intuitive.
The fixed hipshot bridge feels comfortable and solid under my right hand and yields a perfect picking
position with no disturbing parts like on a Floyd rose bridge.
The guitar comes with very simple electronics: one volume pot, one tone pot and a 3 way toggle
switch to select pickups. The sound won't get dark or muddy when you roll down the volume knob.
You can use it to get a variety of different tones.
The overall quality of the woods is just stunning. The grain on the mahogany is even more impressive
than one my first Hufschmid guitar.
The body and the neck is oil finished which gives the guitar an elegant look and high playing comfort.
SOUNDS
There are some things that I am looking for in a guitar: character, definition, vibrancy, dynamics and
midrange body. This guitar has all of this in spades. It perfectly sits in the context of a metal band
setting. You can clearly hear every note and it preserves the dynamics even under high gain. Further
there are no dead spots over the entire tonal range and it always stays defined even with lower
tuning and thick strings. Even unplugged you can hear the guitar ringing loud and clear with a good
focus on the midrange.
The guitar reacts very quickly and does not overemphasize the low end. Sometime you can get the
feeling that the guitar plays a note even before you thought about it. It is a very hones guitar.
Everything you put into it is perfectly reproduced.
Patrick created a guitar that has its own unique voicing that is nothing like I have heard before.
I play the guitar through a Diezel Hagen tube amplifier and BR Custom 3x12 cabinets which themselves have a very clear, defined and broad sound. This combination of equipment delivers the perfect sound for my bands.
OVERALL OPINION
I have my first Hufschmid guitar for almost a year now and did not experience any problems. The finish is very durable, the guitar stays in tune very well and the neck is still perfect. The overall construction and craftsmanship is on such a high level that I don’t fear to have any problems with it in the future. I always keep the guitar in a humidity controlled environment when it's not played.
Once again it was a very special to meet Patrick in person and pick up the guitar in the beautiful landscape of Aigle, Switzerland. Although the guitar was not build specifically for me there is nothing I would want to change about it. It is a work of art in its purest form.
The communication was fast and reliable as always. You get what you pay for in a reasonable time frame. There is no 2-3 years waiting list or anything like that that you can witness on some of the newly hyped luthiers out there.
I can definitely recommend considering Hufschmid guitars if you want to get a unique instrument with top-notch quality and sound.
