More and more often, on the electric guitars we build, you will find electric guitar pickups made by Harry Häussel (which you will also often see written as Haussel, without the umlaut, or Haeussel). To many, this might seem like an unusual choice: although Harry Häussel has been handcrafting his guitar and bass pickups in Burladingen, Germany, since 1980, the reputation of this brand—at least in Italy—is not yet as widespread as that of other boutique builders.
While names like Lindy Fralin, Lollar, and Joe Barden have exploded over the last ten to fifteen years (to name just a few of the most famous), matching and sometimes surpassing the prestige (and price) of the most renowned brands from the 80s—DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan above all—the Häussel brand has remained mostly unknown in Italy, the preserve of a select circle of connoisseurs who have begun to explore its products and have often been seduced by them.
The fact is that Häussel has actually grown significantly in the German and Northern European markets, producing pickups for various brands, but also continuing to produce under his own name and, above all, maintaining extremely high quality and a unique relationship with his customers. It is no coincidence that many other high-quality Northern European luthiers turn to him for their projects: suffice it to mention the name of Teuffel above all, but also Nick Huber, Ruokongas, Frank Hartung Guitars, and others.
Häussel pickups and Jacaranda: a happy encounter
We at Jacaranda came across Häussel pickups recently, about four years ago. And after testing them once, twice, three times… we decided they would be the ones mounted “as standard” on our guitars (except, of course, in the case of specific requests from clients). The reasons for this choice are simple: the quality of Häussel pickups is extremely high in every respect and met our need to give a specific personality to our instruments. It is always very difficult to describe a sound character in words, but the Häussel pickups we have repeatedly tested—especially the AlNiCo 2 and 5 humbuckers (models Vin N A2 and Vin B A5) and the overwound sets for Stratocaster (ST Blues), in addition to the classic humbuckers that faithfully reproduce the characteristics of the legendary PAFs (1959 N and B), and the Classics, which are also exceptional for semi-acoustic guitars—have exactly those characteristics we were looking for to complete our instruments: first and foremost, exceptional response across all frequencies, “crisp” and fresh transparency, deep and clean lows, and sparkling harmonics. All this combined with a character that we wouldn't hesitate to call “modern boutique”: not just an attempt to philologically reproduce legendary sounds (as in the case of the PAFs) but the ability to interpret classic standards—tonal and constructional—by adding a personality of its own and specific solutions.
Häussel pickups: German precision
Naturally, for those of us with a professional relationship with pickup installation, there are also other aspects to consider beyond the more specifically musical and tonal ones. In fact, from a construction standpoint as well, Häussel pickups are absolutely exceptional: from the choice of materials to the precision of every detail, right down to the aesthetics (not to be underestimated) and the care taken in the packaging, with perfectly calibrated matched sets that never have an error, to the precision and punctuality of shipping…
Think, even the Stratocaster pickups are supplied with three different pole spacings (as well as, naturally, a myriad of possible cover colors). Working with someone who best interprets the German mentality is a real pleasure: one more reason to appreciate Harry Häussel, with whom we have now established a friendly and cordial relationship.
Also worth noting is the fact that Häussel is also specialized in creating custom work on request: wooden covers, special colors, ad hoc projects. Anything that can be done with magnets and a coil is imaginable, and the Häussel laboratory is available to put its twenty-plus years of experience at the service of the most particular requests, as can also be seen from some of the images in this gallery.
Häussel pickups for replacements
For those of you who wish to customize your guitar by equipping it with Häussel pickups, Jacaranda is happy to make the pickup catalog available, to advise you on your choice, and, of course, to assist you and install them professionally on your guitars.
You can find the catalog with the complete production and a presentation (in English) by Harry Häussel here.
Häussel pickup catalog in English (7 Mb)
Link to the Häussel site (in English)