"The sound of this new guitar pickup is as close to that of a good quality mic as you've ever heard from a guitar pickup..."
The HFN-S2 models give you a sound that is much more realistic and acoustic than any pickup on a Selmer that you have ever heard before. More realism in attack, more realism in overall response, these pickups actually allow your instrument to sound just as good plugged in as it does unplugged.
The only thing missing from the HFN-S2 in a Selmer is the 'quack' that everyone has come to expect and accept in acoustic pickups. Along with being simple to install, the HFN-S2's have excellent feedback rejection and good string to string balance. As well, there is nothing artificial about the sound of the HFN-S2's and the usual sound from the typical Selmer bridge pickup is replaced with the actual acoustic sound of the instrument.
The HFN-S2 series of pickups utilizes an elegant combination of wonderful materials: rosewood for its main structure and arching with a light weight brass shell for its noise shielded piezo unit. Total weight of the pickup is a very light 0.3 ounces (9 grams). It will not affect the acoustic sound of the instrument when not in use.
Installation is easy and quite straight forward. No bridges need be replaced and there are no changes to the playability of the instrument. All HFN-S2 models come prewired and ready to install. Each pickup is hand built and tested in our workshop to ensure good sound. As well, each pickup is warranted for a period of two years from date of purchase.
Schatten has redesigned their 'S' series of Selmer pickups to make them compatible with virtually all Selmer style instruments. While they were at it, they made the installation of the pickup easier and quicker (even in the petite bouche). They've utilized this cutaway of a Selmer soundboard to show the placement of the new HFN-S2 pickup. The pickup mounts on the two large transverse braces that form the main structure of the bridge box.
The pickup is held securely in place with our special mounting putty. This mounting is quick and very secure. The pickup may be removed easily however, at any time should you want to move it to a different instrument.
The HFN-S2 series of pickups was designed to use a preamp; this is the Artist model, which includes the matching Artist II+1 endpin preamp. The new Artist II+1 preamp is a dual channel preamp - the second channel can be used to connect another pickup, such as a magnetic pickup, to the endpin jack. The Artist II preamp can be remotely powered by the CAB-1 Phantom Power cable (not included). In the absence of phantom power, the RP-1 Remote Power Module (not included) can be used to supply 18 volts of power to the preamp. Both of these options allow an installation that does not require a battery inside the guitar.
This version of the Artist II+1 preamp includes a soundhole mounted volume control wired to the preamp for the S2 pickup. The second channel does not have a volume control, but the gain adjustments on the preamp allow setting the relative levels for each channel independently. If you need a volume control for the second channel, consider the HFN-S2-Artist II+2 pickup, which has dual volume controls.
Installation is quick and simple and takes about 15 minutes for all instruments. A 2 piece tool kit (not included) is now available at a negligible cost for installing the pickup into instruments having the smaller sound holes (petite bouche). Larger sound hole and D shaped sound hole instruments do not need the tool kit as the opening in these instruments is easily large enough to get one's hand in.
The tool kit consists of one tool that is angled and articulated to allow you to install the pickup through the sound hole and a second tool that enables you to pull the endpin jack or endpin jack preamp into place through the end block. The tool kit is priced at about .00 and is reusable for multiple installations.
The HFN-S2 pickup will fit virtually all Selmer style instruments with 'normal' Selmer style bracing. The standard Selmer bracing has the 2 main transverse braces set at 1.9" apart, center to center and the bracing thickness averaging between 0.300" to 0.350". The new HFN-S2 models were designed to fit this set of standard design parameters. The HFN-S2 is not designed to fit Favino style instruments when those instruments use a Favino brace spacing that puts the 2 main transverse braces 2.9" apart, center to center. The HFN-S2 also will not fit the new MM series from Aria. The 2 main transverse braces on these instruments is approximately 2.56" apart.