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Like I said, Schaller pickups were very very common in the late 70's through 1990's and into the early 2000's. Just about every guitar maker in that era used Schaller humbuckers. Schaller made a whole lot of different models of humbuckers as well. Even Gibson used Schaller to manufacture components and probably entire pickups. The materials and methods Schaller used to make pickups were top quality. Most Heritage Guitars of those years also featured Schaller bridges and other hardware. It was the era right as "boutique" pickups were just starting to gain in popularity. Prior to then, no one really changed pickups unless they broke. A few experimenters did things like split coils and add switches, but it wasn't common. Since the Schaller's were "stock" pickups that came with everything from inexpensive guitars on up, people tended to equate them with not being very good. Schaller was also not a player in the aftermarket, preferring to do B2B with guitar OEM's. Outfits like Duncan and Dimarzio gained a lot of notoriety, as they got associated with a lot of the new players in the 1980's when hot-rodding guitars really took off after EVH and his penchant for playing parts-guitars he crafted together himself. Schaller eventually left the pickup market, partly due to some changes in the ownership and family, and they probably saw the writing on the wall. I recently ordered a set of humbucker pickups, shipped direct from China, including shipping and tariffs, that were only $14 for the pair. Only took a week to arrive. Thing is, there's nothing wrong with them, work just fine. I don't know how anyone can compete with that pricing. Heck, I can't even buy the magnets for that much. Pickups are easy to change, and widely available, so people change them.

Actually, covers are an interesting topic, and I touched on that. Covers can and do influence the sound of a humbucker pickup, measurably. There is in fact, a physical explanation and it depends on what the cover is made of. The reason is something called eddy current. Here's a demonstration of eddy current in this video: So it turns out that metal covers over a pickup can alter the response of the pickup, in audible and measurable ways. Humbuckers and Telecaster neck pickups are particularly vulnerable to this. It turns out that brass is not a great material for pickup covers vs. nickel-silver due the magnetic and electrical properties of the metal. Sometimes a good nickel-silver cover is plated with copper to better accept the final shiny nickel or chrome plating. The copper plating will also audibly change the response of the pickup. Also, the design of the cover can be accomplished in such a way that interrupts the eddy current. Here's a link to an interesting paper on pickup covers, materials and designs. https://kenwillmott.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Pickup_Cover_Geometry.pdf

My hearing was in fact recently tested, and is just fine. Despite my age and life experience, I've managed to preserve 95-percentile hearing acuity. It isn't what it was when I was 20, but it passes and exceeds US government requirements. Humans are notoriously poor at making objective absolute judgements about sound or really much of anything. For instance, very few people have absolute pitch, and those that do, often lose it with age. Most of us though, have the ability to judge relative pitch or learn to do so. What's cold and hot, same deal. Those who are married probably understand the constant battle some of our spouses have with the thermostat, despite the electronic sensors reliably indicating the same temperature, yet, they feel too hot or too cold. (I don't recommend pressing the argument with one's spouse). Color is another area where human perception is both amazing and terrible. We perceive very slight differences comparing colors amazingly well and reliably. However, human sight is terrible at recognizing an absolute color when it is presented alone. Hence, I use test equipment when repeatable and measurable results are required. So, I can absolutely measure what any particular pickup actually does. A guitar pickup is an electromagnetic device that converts the motion of a magnetized guitar string into an electrical signal. What is presented in its magnetic field is converted into a current at the wire terminals. No human perception is involved with that, since we cannot perceive magnetic nor electrical currents, it isn't a human perception problem. If two pickups measure identically in their electrical and magnetic properties, they will function identically in their interactions with cables and amplifiers and so on and produce the same sound when processed and amplified through the same apparatus.

I've put some study into Schaller pickups, putting on my engineer hat and measuring things electronically, making Bode plots of their frequency response and other characteristics and studying how they were made. I've got a collection of them from various sources. The first point is Schaller made a LOT of pickups, especially from the late 1970's through the 1990's. They made them for just about everyone too. Hence, there are a lot variations of Schaller humbuckers, from really sweet sounding early PAF types, to slammin' hot ceramic magnet metal-monsters and some very unique ones, such as those used on the rare Fender Master Series of guitars 83-85. While they appear similar to Gibson humbuckers, Schaller's were their own thing. They're metric and none of the parts are interchangeable with imperial dimension parts, the neck and bridge units had different pole spacing. Schaller had very good winding machines, as their coils are very consistent and neatly wound. They usually have low parasitic capacitance, which generally makes them brighter and cleaner sounding. Most will have Alnico-V magnets and brass base plates. Covers are usually nickel-silver with low eddy current (desirable). So they're not "cheapy" pickups, although back in the day, people bashed them a bit since that's what often came with the instrument. If it was not Gibson and it came wtih humbuckers in it during that era, there was a really good chance they were made by Schaller. You'll see all kinds, from very typical covered to open types with hex-head or double-slug poles. Hot wound or pretty wound, ceramic or alnico, they made whatever the guitar manufacturer asked for.

That (SD 59/JB pair) is exactly what is in my Fender Robben Ford model. Curiously, the basis guitar that Robben was playing, the Fender Esprit, (have on of those too from 1984) had a very unique set of pickups that Schaller made specifically for the Fender "Master Series". While the pickups have a unique appearance and some very cool features, the LCR (inductance, capacitance, resistance) values are right in line with the '59/JB pairing. These were used on the three D'Aquisto designed Fender models made in Japan during the CBS-to-private ownership transition in the early/mid 1980s: The Esprit, The Flame and the D'Aquisto jazz guitars. They're quite nice, largely unknown and pretty rare. The Esprit was slightly changed and became the Robben Ford model. Pickups are one of those weird things. What was hailed a few years ago, is dogged on today on the internet. My H535 (2001) has the HRW pickups in it. I absolutely love them. They're similar electronically to the SD "Jazz" SH-2 set. When the HRW was a new girl in town, the online crowd praised them and now the internet talks them down. LOL. It is flavor of the month on the internet.

If anyone wants to actually measure, a set of under-string radius gauges is pretty cheap, under $10 from the usual online sources. Or for $0, get a string, a pencil, an exacto blade, a ruler and some poster board, index card or some other sturdy bit of paper. Tie the pencil to the string and a fixed point like a thumbtack at 12 inches, draw an arc on the index card. Repeat for 10, 11, 13. Trim the arc off with the exacto just wider than the width of your fingerboard. Then measure what you got. (how we did it before pre-made guitar tools became commonplace).

On the subject of fretboard radius: Both Gibson and Heritage guitars are usually specified as "12" radius". However, it is not at all unusual to find upon measuring the actual instrument in your hand to be anywhere from 9.5" to 14" radius!!! My 2001 H535, with all the factory nibs in place (meaning it absolutely left the factory this way) had a 10.5" fretboard radius. I've seen plenty of Gibson guitars, going all the way back to the 1950's, which had fretboard radius well smaller than the spec-sheet number of 12". Usually, radius doesn't matter that much, but if does matter as in the OP's situation trying to fit a 12-string capo, it would be important to actually measure it than to go by the spec sheet. On the 12-string capo, I really like the G7th Capo with the 12-string option. It works really well on acoustic 12-strings and electrics with the normal order of octave strings. (octave above the root string). Many electrics, and some acoustics (like the Taylor 652CE 12-string) have the octave courses reversed. One of the reasons I quickly decided the Taylor was not for me.

You'll need to measure it. The Heritage "specification" is very frequently not what is actually there. I know this from experience... However, a radius gauge is cheap and easy to get from Amazon or other online vendor of stuff, or you can just make one. Less than $10 for a whole set of them from Amazon.

They would appear to be humbuckers, as there are two sets of retaining screws on the back for holding the two coil bobbins. Can't tell without measurement of the electrical properties, or opening them up, but I would presume unless they're not "bucking hum". Depending on the metal used in the "foil", they may have good clarity, same as regular humbucker covers. The wrong metal, even plating, can produce eddy currents, which reduce the highs a great deal. That's often the case with import humbuckers, where brass is used, or even when an otherwise good nickel-silver cover is plated with copper under the finish plating. The Gretsch Filtertron is a great design, as the open area over the covers and the "notch" in the middle, break up eddy currents in the cover.

I have a box full of Schaller pickups, from many different brands of guitars. Schaller manufactured a *wide* variety of humbuckers, everything from low-output PAF style, to high-gain ceramic-magnet meatgrinders. Their PAF clones were really pretty good. Schaller had very good winding equipment in the 80's and 90's, as characteristically, most of their coils exhibit low capacitance, meaning they tend to cut bit less high frequency than comparably wound humbuckers from other makers. I have a Fender Esprit Elite with Schaller's most high-end pickup, also used on the Fender D'Aquisto jazz boxes from the early 80's MIJ "master series" (very nice instruments). Those are dark and highly overwound, but they are quite comparable to the SD '59 neck and JB Bridge combo, though constructed somewhat differently and with coil splitting. Can't really pin Schaller pickups to any one particular sound. They made an enormous variety of pickups, usually to whatever the OEM guitar manufacturer ordered. Schaller wasn't really available in the retail market for the most part. They'd probably still be around had they gotten into that racket. I mostly play blues and rock on the 535 with the HRW's. I find they work really well for that, and I can dial in very good tones with same tube amps I've been playing for decades now. Playing A/B side by side with a Collings I35LC and the Throbak SLE-101 Plus, they really were very similar in the H535 vs the Collings. On the other hand, I find the SD59's that came stock in my H150 to be higher output and darker, with a frequency response peak that sits a little lower in sort of a strident range. to each his own I guess. Changing pickups has become like changing socks these days. In the 1980's, it was kind of an exception to the rule, as pickups weren't quite as readily available on the retail market to players. Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan were kind of the early players in that market.

It's funny, because I have all the electronic test equipment to measure pickup performance, from the magnetic field and strength, to the inductance, capacitance and resistance (LCR). I can even make Bode plots of the full frequency response with a signal generator and an exciter coil with my digital oscilloscope. Truth is, humbuckers in the Gibson "PAF" style are far more similar than they are different. What is different, is generally, quite easily measured. Pickup changing has become a thing, as it is pretty easy, and buying stuff is a lot faster gratification than practicing guitar. LOL 🤔

On the older H535, you also get the wooden pickguard, which I just love. Yeah, the "internet wisdom" is what it is. Mostly, it is whichever way the strongest voices carry, not perhaps the most astute. Kind of like the HRW pickups. Back when they came out and were in production, they were hailed as the best things since sliced bread. In more current era internet lore, they get pooped on. In reality, they're quite good, I wouldn't change the ones in my H535. Also, the Schaller pickups used by everybody in the late-70's through early-90's, also were very well made and good quality. Even the Schaller hardware is pretty decent, though I'm just honestly, more accustomed to the conventional stop tail and bridge. You'll just have to go play some Heritage guitars. Honestly, I was lusting a Heritage back when I got my hands on the early H140. There was a shop that carried them where I grew up, and man, I wanted that guitar so bad. It was great. I just couldn't afford it. Over the years, I've never failed to try them out any time I saw one hanging on the wall in a shop somewhere. I encourage the OP to just go shop for a while and play any H535's he comes across. Most of them will be at least pretty good, some will be fantastic, and a few will have issues.

The older Heritage guitars can be stunningly great instruments. You just got to play them and see, and do a thorough checkout, like any used instrument. Heritage were a lot like Gibson Kalamazoo. Sometimes they were insanely great - and every now and then, just insane. I was quoted earlier in the thread. I have owned two Heritage guitars, both bought used. A 1998 H150, that I bought just over 20 years ago. The second is a 2001 H535 that I bought about a year ago. The necks on both are very similar, and nearly identical to my Gibson Custom Shop 60th anniversary 1960-v2 Les Paul 'burst. The "v2 neck" was a real thing, transitional between the fairly chunky '59 neck, and the razor-thin neck of the 1960-v3 and later vintage Gibsons. It is a very comfortable neck. The H535 is natural blonde and I happened to see it hanging at a shop. It was *pristine* with all the original Schaller hardware and the HRW pickup option. I played it and it instantly had "the sound" of a great ES335/H535, acoustically and through the pickups. The story diverges a bit here. My 1998 H150 has been an incredibly great playing guitar. The 2001 H535, had a not very well done fretboard/fretwork. It was all original, with the nibs in place. The fretboard itself was simply not properly leveled, which would be a factory issue. That kinda explains it being so pristine after 20+ years, it just wasn't playing that great. Some heroic work went into leveling the frets, it was OK-ish when I got it. But eventually, I yanked all the frets off, properly leveled the rosewood, and refretted with slightly larger Dunlop 6100 wire. I also put on a CNC machined nylon nut, just like Gibson used back in the 50's and 60's. (it's better than bone, trust me!) It now plays absolutely incredibly well. I put Faber locking bridge and tail, and the Faber bushings in it. The bushings made a surprising tone improvement. It was good before, it just had even more of that great semi-hollow sound. I capped it off with the lightweight Gotoh tuners that are perfect fit for the Grover Rotomatics. The Rotos were in great cosmetic shape, still quite shiny, but the lubricant inside had gotten stiff. The Gotohs are both light, smooth and just wonderful. I've played it A/B with a Collings I35LC with ThroBak pickups (a very, very nice $8000 semi-hollow). The I35LC is *amazing*. But the now properly fretted H535 gives up nothing to it. No regrets. My H535 is a lifetime keeper.

Funny how the authentic wear & tear isn't as artistic as the factory-produced simulated wear & tear. Just none of the marks that say, "well, that was truly unadvisable". Like the flat dent and cracked paint when the strat fell off the strap and the floor on stage one night...

Interesting comparison and great review. I know exactly where you're coming from. I've got a 1998 Heritage H150 and a 2020 Gibson Custom Shop 60th Anniversary 1960 v2 Tomato Soup Burst. (can you possibly make the name of that any longer?) The 1960 v2 neck is slightly thinner than the '59 profile, but not razor thin as the v3 1960 and later necks. Turns out, Gibson made 3 versions of the real burst in 1960, v1 which is exactly the same as the '59, the v2 which had improved color stability, only-slightly thinner neck profile and double-ring Kluson tuners. The custom 60th is lightly aged, one-piece mahogany body. Mine is a stunningly light 8.1lbs. Pickups are unpotted Custombucker-3 with alnico 3 magnets. I got a deal on the 1960v2 re-issue (brand new) and it is truly, great. I picked it up and it had that "beefy telecaster sound" instantly. The slight aging (not Murphy Lab, just Custom Shop) gives it a played in look without being "relic'd". My 1998 H150 was a special dealer run (I bought used from the dealer who originally sold it), originally made with SD59 p'ups and standard tune-o-matic tail (heavy zinc) and Nashville bridge, and jumbo fretwire (Dunlop 6100 profile). This one originally weighed in a little over 9lbs. The neck is maybe a hair thinner than the 1960v2, but I liked the R0-v2 because the neck was so familiar since I was playing the H150 since about 2001. The "aging" on my H150 is 100% authentic played-the-heck-out-it-lab. (LOL). The H150, I put on a diet, with Gotoh locking SG301 tuners with plastic keystone knobs, replacing the very heavy Grover Rotomatics, and it is now wearing Faber locking bridge, aluminum tail and the Faber bridge post inserts and tail bushings. It's about 8.8lbs now. Much nicer to live with as I get older. I'm just not gonna mess with the Les Paul at all. Just perfect the way it is. Thought I was going to sell the H150 when I got the Gibson. But after putting the lighter hardware on, it seems a lot more comfortable and practical to take out to play. So much for catch-and-release guitar collecting.