What Electronics Go Inside a Halo?

It’s a proven scientific fact that guitars have, and always will be, cool. We obsess over them, dream about them and play them until our fingers are sore. But one of the coolest things about guitars is how downright modular they can be! Getting a crummy sound from your ax? Try a new pickup! Having tuning issues? Throw some locking tuners on and get back out there! It’s a veritable sandbox of possibility and opportunity for exciting new sounds and sonic stability once you equip yourself with the knowledge to fully unlock the true potential of your instrument.

Now, we’ve known for years that high-quality components make a huge difference and can go a long way in inspiring you to do what you do best: to simply make music. That’s why we offer to hot-rod every single guitar that leaves our shop with the best capacitors, output jacks, and pickup selector switches possible before you even open up the case for the first time! With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at what actually goes inside of a Halo custom guitar and how it can make all the difference in the world when it comes to tone shaping and sonic fidelity. In this issue we’ll focus on three of our favorite difference-makers in components and touch on why it makes a huge difference in your overall sound and inspires confidence in your gear.

Emerson Capacitors (Paper in Oil)

Capacitors are basically little devices that filter the high frequencies out at the tone pot. A good cap will allow the tone control to roll off the treble response, which warms up your sound as you adjust the knob. The higher the value of capacitor, the more warmth and bass response you’ll get from the tone control. We choose Emerson Paper in Oil Capacitors for their great tone, reputation and attention to detail. They are made to some of the tightest tolerances in the industry and they can be found in some of the most famous guitars of all time including being the secret sauce behind Eric Clapton’s famous Woman Tone. Halo Custom Shop guitars are equipped with Emerson caps. Emerson caps make an ordinary guitar sound extraordinary and a great guitar become legendary.

Oak Grigsby Switches

Oak Grigsby (acquired by Electroswitch) is another excellent company that’s been in the business of creating mil-spec switches, toggles and buttons for over 30 years. Made in the good old USA, these heavy duty switches offer a multitude of switching and wiring options and are virtually indestructible; they'll work for years without issue. Of all of the switches we’ve tried over the years, this one is absolutely are first choice. If you’ve ever experienced signal degradation or scratchy switch noises, you’ll know why a high-quality switch like an Oak Grigsby can make all the difference in the world. 

Locking Output Jacks

Built to last through years of touring and designed for the most physically demanding of performances, these top-shelf output jacks are the glue that keeps the cable in place so you can move the crowd like a boss and focus on the show. Whether you use a standard cable or a wireless system, these jacks don’t color your tone or require maintenance of any kind. Just plug up, lock in and rock out! Forged with heavy-duty terminals and held in place with a unique tongue-and-groove method of cable tip retention, these locking output jacks are the last thing you’ll worry about as you storm the stages of the world like an outlaw that’s (literally) locked and loaded for the show. Let’s face it, cheap output jacks bum everyone out and you shouldn’t have to deal with it! These locking output jacks solve this issue once and for all!

The Halo Custom Shop has dozens of the finest parts and components found on Earth and if there’s something special you’d like to see and hear added to your guitar, let us know and we’ll help you get to where you need to be with the best support team in the industry and the finest build quality this side of the Mississippi.

Email us today at sales@haloguitars.com for more information on parts, custom requests and more!