No more tease...it's here (1996 H535)

[LK155]

Finally.

My little package from Des Moins arrived yesterday, 12 days after my eBay purchase.

(Wouldn't have gone after this one if the seller had not offered return privileges.)

It came via USPS. Seems that once it crossed the border, Canada Post took over.

Which turned out to be a good thing, because I did not have to pay any brokerage fee.

The H137 shipped to me from California earlier this year by UPS cost me an extra $90 for brokerage.

 

The box was extremely well packed. Bubble-wrapped (twice) case inside a large carton filled with many many styrofoam peanuts.

 

Sorry about the large pix...they turned out quite a bit bigger than I had intended.

Here's what I saw when the case was first opened:

 

 

The seller had actually done what I asked, and packed some extra support under the neck and headstock.

But when I took it out of the case and had a good look, I thought, oh crap, what have I done? The binding's all yellowed, and the guitar was generally grungy and dirty. Even smelled like an OLD guitar. The seller had described it as 'excellent condition', but now I was wondering. Wasn't feeling too good at this point.

 

But down to the workshop for a cleanup.

Cut off the old corroded strings, and took off the bridge, and tailpiece. Absolutely no marks or corrosion on either the bridge or tailpiece, so I'm thinking they might be replacements. Removed the pickup rings and flipped out the pickups to see what I had....

 

Nice surprise...SD Seth Lovers.

 

 

I won't bore you with the grimy details, but 4 hours later everything was as clean as it was going to get.

The fretboard started out very dirty, but cleaned up nicely. Frets look fine, with no notching:

 

 

 

The top is 99.5% perfect, with just a couple of minor marks:

 

 

 

And the binding? Still a mystery to me. I don't think it's white that has yellowed. It's all exactly the same colour, and there's no white to be found anywhere. So maybe it started out with cream binding? Dunno.

 

The pickup covers were extremely grungy and discolored. They did clean up somewhat but they're far from perfect. Same thing for the tuners. Don't know exactly what to use to get them looking clean and shiny again. Ideas? Virtuoso polish didn't help much.

Oh yeah, it came with Straplock buttons already in place.

 

After the clean-up, Marg asked me how it was looking. I told her that, just like myself, it's in remarkably good condition for its age.

Not sure why, but this answer apparently contained some humor value for her. A lot, actually.

 

 

 

So a day later, with fresh strings, here's what it looks like.

(Natural light only, no flash or floods)......

 

 

 

 

 

Both front and back have some very nice flame, but it's almost impossible to photograph. Weird.

The back finish is just about perfect. It's hard to believe this instrument is 14 years old.

14 years and 4 days, to be precise.

I now no longer doubt the 'excellent condition' description. It truly is. Whoever owned this either didn't play it very much, or took very good care of it, or both.

 

 

I figured it would sound about the same as my H155, which also has Seth's.

WRONG!

Holy crow, does this 535 ever sustain!!! Much better than the H155.

And the sound! Similar to the Mille, but deeper, fuller, richer. More bottom end, more top end, more clarity, more sustain, just beautiful.

 

As promised, here's a clip. Before you listen to it, there are some disclaimers you must be aware of:

> This was a very rushed effort to record something.

> The rest of the band never showed up, so this is me solo.

> The H535 had just been restrung, and was being difficult about staying completely in tune.

> I do not have the bridge height or the pickup height set satisfactorily yet, so you will hear some strange sounds that really shouldn't be there.

> These are either snippets of songs I haven't fleshed out yet, or old Pink Floyd phrases from Dark Side of the Moon.

 

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9891844

 

I'm impressed. This 14 year old Kalamazoo jem looks, plays, and sounds fantastic.

Any and all comments are always welcome.

Cheers,

Lyle

[Patrick]

Finally.

My little package from Des Moins arrived yesterday, 12 days after my eBay purchase.

(Wouldn't have gone after this one if the seller had not offered return privileges.)

It came via USPS. Seems that once it crossed the border, Canada Post took over.

Which turned out to be a good thing, because I did not have to pay any brokerage fee.

The H137 shipped to me from California earlier this year by UPS cost me an extra $90 for brokerage.

 

The box was extremely well packed. Bubble-wrapped (twice) case inside a large carton filled with many many styrofoam peanuts.

 

Sorry about the large pix...they turned out quite a bit bigger than I had intended.

Here's what I saw when the case was first opened:

 

 

The seller had actually done what I asked, and packed some extra support under the neck and headstock.

But when I took it out of the case and had a good look, I thought, oh crap, what have I done? The binding's all yellowed, and the guitar was generally grungy and dirty. Even smelled like an OLD guitar. The seller had described it as 'excellent condition', but now I was wondering. Wasn't feeling too good at this point.

 

But down to the workshop for a cleanup.

Cut off the old corroded strings, and took off the bridge, and tailpiece. Absolutely no marks or corrosion on either the bridge or tailpiece, so I'm thinking they might be replacements. Removed the pickup rings and flipped out the pickups to see what I had....

 

Nice surprise...SD Seth Lovers.

 

 

I won't bore you with the grimy details, but 4 hours later everything was as clean as it was going to get.

The fretboard started out very dirty, but cleaned up nicely. Frets look fine, with no notching:

 

 

 

The top is 99.5% perfect, with just a couple of minor marks:

 

 

 

And the binding? Still a mystery to me. I don't think it's white that has yellowed. It's all exactly the same colour, and there's no white to be found anywhere. So maybe it started out with cream binding? Dunno.

 

The pickup covers were extremely grungy and discolored. They did clean up somewhat but they're far from perfect. Same thing for the tuners. Don't know exactly what to use to get them looking clean and shiny again. Ideas? Virtuoso polish didn't help much.

Oh yeah, it came with Straplock buttons already in place.

 

After the clean-up, Marg asked me how it was looking. I told her that, just like myself, it's in remarkably good condition for its age.

Not sure why, but this answer apparently contained some humor value for her. A lot, actually.

 

 

 

So a day later, with fresh strings, here's what it looks like.

(Natural light only, no flash or floods)......

 

 

 

 

 

Both front and back have some very nice flame, but it's almost impossible to photograph. Weird.

The back finish is just about perfect. It's hard to believe this instrument is 14 years old.

14 years and 4 days, to be precise.

I now no longer doubt the 'excellent condition' description. It truly is. Whoever owned this either didn't play it very much, or took very good care of it, or both.

 

 

I figured it would sound about the same as my H155, which also has Seth's.

WRONG!

Holy crow, does this 535 ever sustain!!! Much better than the H155.

And the sound! Similar to the Mille, but deeper, fuller, richer. More bottom end, more top end, more clarity, more sustain, just beautiful.

 

As promised, here's a clip. Before you listen to it, there are some disclaimers you must be aware of:

> This was a very rushed effort to record something.

> The rest of the band never showed up, so this is me solo.

> The H535 had just been restrung, and was being difficult about staying completely in tune.

> I do not have the bridge height or the pickup height set satisfactorily yet, so you will hear some strange sounds that really shouldn't be there.

> These are either snippets of songs I haven't fleshed out yet, or old Pink Floyd phrases from Dark Side of the Moon.

 

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9891844

 

I'm impressed. This 14 year old Kalamazoo jem looks, plays, and sounds fantastic.

Any and all comments are always welcome.

Cheers,

Lyle

 

Beautiful guitar man!! The cream binding puts it in a different place. I love it. I'm trying to picture it with a black pick guard and vintage knobs.. Also, noticed that it appears to be a re fret?? The rose wood board is also beautiful. Great character in that rosewood. Congrats and enjoy.

[H]

One word: sweet! Actually that was three words but..... I'll get my coat

[JeffB]

Looks great. Sounds great. Thanks for an awesome post.

Nice, easy to listen to playing style you have.

[jmc7581]

Wonderful post. Great narrative, and the photo documentation is terrific. Happy story, and congratulations!

[Kuz]

Lyle,

 

She looks perfect to me. Get some good metal polish (Mother's Metal polish) and the tuning pegs will be perfect again.

 

ONLY ONE THING needs changed..... a black toggle switch instead of the white one.

 

AND I think cream binding is much classier looking than white (just my .02)

 

Congrats!!!

[tulk1]

Lyle, beautiful guitar. Told ya the flame would be there! Creme` / Off-white binding is the stuff!!! As for the patina on the tuners - forget about it. They've earned the right to have dulled slightly. And that just adds mojo! So, can we assume you won't be taking advantange of the liberal return policy?

[FredZepp]

It sounds and looks great. The Seths are very articulate and fit the guitar well.

The red with cream is a great vintage look.. my 140 in trans cherry is hard to get a good pic of the flame also.

 

No nibs on the frets.. so maybe a re-fret is why they are so good. That is not a negative, a good re-fret on an older guitar is a plus. It has a great looking board.

 

That guitar is awesome. It's the one that would make a 335 owner appreciate how excellent a Heritage is.

 

Really nice pics...BTW.

[Halowords]

Ugh. This is making it hard for me to wait and get a Prospect built and not just buy an H-535.

 

Oh, your guitar . . . Sounds great! Hence my desire to buy an H-535 RIGHT NOW! And boy, it sure cleaned up nice too.

[zookroo1]

That is nice man! I think the binding looks great. I think you did good on this one. I'd agree with the black switch as well. Enjoy it!

[smurph1]

Lyle..Conrats on the NGD..that's a beaut!! Lot's of Mojo..remind me to play my 535 this weekend, would ya? Rock On, Scott

[DetroitBlues]

That is a beautiful guitar. Many Heritage owners love their natural burst type finishes, but I think that red is absolutely stunning! Anyway, an idea to clean up the chrome... This is weird, but it works...

 

KETCHUP!

 

Yes, take a dime size amount of ketchup and dip a tip of a rag in it. rub the tuners until they shine, then wipe off the excess. I recently used it on a vintage kay banjo (loads of grimy, cruddy chrome). The owner was amazed how shiny I got her banjo. She was even more shocked when I told her how I cleaned it up.

[Guest HRB853370]

Nice photos, I like that color and the flaming is nice! I think I saw that one on Ebay. It makes me want to get out my 555 and play it. Not sure about the ketchup cleaning technique though, unless I happened to be eating some french fries at the time. I would sure hate to get that inside of the tuners itself. Yuck. Enjoy!

[big bob]

WOW, look out Sammy Hagar there's a new red rocker in town!

[schundog]

Congratulations, Lyle, she's a BEAUT!! This IS getting a little creepy, however; NOW we both have Trans-Red 535s, Chestnut H155s, and you KNOW what else I'm jonesing for!!! Enjoy the 535; I agree about the flame not showing, but I get many complements on mine, especially in the sunlight. The cream binding is my preference, actually, and I have grown to dig how "worn the tuners, bridge, and pickup covers on mine look.

 

 

Do THESE look familiar?! I hope to complete the family shot soon.

 

 

 

[Patrick]

Congratulations, Lyle, she's a BEAUT!! This IS getting a little creepy, however; NOW we both have Trans-Red 535s, Chestnut H155s, and you KNOW what else I'm jonesing for!!! Enjoy the 535; I agree about the flame not showing, but I get many complements on mine, especially in the sunlight. The cream binding is my preference, actually, and I have grown to dig how "worn the tuners, bridge, and pickup covers on mine look.

 

 

Do THESE look familiar?! I hope to complete the family shot soon.

 

 

 

 

Yeah man . . .the cream binding and the patina on the hardware. Now, just get yourselves a black Johnny Smith style pick guard from Heritage and some retro knobs . . . . ouch!!! Ya know what really sucks? I sold 3 very nice ES 335s in red with block inlays . . . 2 '67s and a '69 . . . and I can't even remember why I sold them! I gotta get me one of those! I'm thinking a nice H535 in trans red all set up to look like a 40 year old guitar.

[LK155]

Do THESE look familiar?! I hope to complete the family shot soon.

 

 

 

 

Uh, Schundog......I don't have a pool, and your tip's black. And where's your pickguard? And you don't have all the owners' signatures on your label. And why isn't your millie ASB? Details, details.

 

I'll post my own H-family portrait in the fullness of time, I assure you.

Lyle

[koula901]

"I figured it would sound about the same as my H155, which also has Seth's.

WRONG!

Holy crow, does this 535 ever sustain!!! Much better than the H155.

And the sound! Similar to the Mille, but deeper, fuller, richer. More bottom end, more top end, more clarity, more sustain, just beautiful"

 

 

Lyle,

 

That guitar is a real BEAUT!! : ) Congrats!! I'm glad the seller packed it well for you (phew!).

And I just listened to your sound clip - I was surprised at how it sounded very much like an accoustic guitar; and you got those nice jazz tones. Nice playing, man! And as someone else said, the seths sound very articulate.

 

And regarding your comment above, that's exactly the same reaction I had when I heard my 535 - sustain for days, and I thought it was sustaining more than my 150, too. These are quite resonant guitars. Enjoy your new baby! Happy for ya!

[schundog]

Uh, Schundog......I don't have a pool, and your tip's black. And where's your pickguard? And you don't have all the owners' signatures on your label. And why isn't your millie ASB? Details, details.

 

I'll post my own H-family portrait in the fullness of time, I assure you.

Lyle

 

 

No Pool: Understandable, you live where there are like 5 days above 70 degrees Farenheit.

 

"Your tip is black." What have you heard?!

 

Pickguard?! We don't need no STINKING pickguards!!!

 

"Why isn't your millie ASB?" Because Chestnut is prettier.... Just razzin' you.. Enjoy the 535.

[chico]

I like it a lot Lyle. I will listen to the clip later. Congrats on the new one, I must have a H535 someday..and with Seth Lovers

 

I think the ketchup thing must work because of the vinegar in it. takes the tarnish off, I suspect, but I've never tried it!

[chico]

clip sounds great Lyle. I admire your playing even more. And the tone is killer.

[schundog]

clip sounds great Lyle. I admire your playing even more. And the tone is killer.

 

I agree totally. Nice playing, great clean tone; no distortion to hide behind, like I have to use! haha.

[LK155]

 

No nibs on the frets.. so maybe a re-fret is why they are so good. That is not a negative, a good re-fret on an older guitar is a plus. It has a great looking board.

 

 

Fred,

Both you and Patrick picked up on the re-fret.

Having never seen one before, it had never occured to me.

But now that you've mentioned it, I took some pix of my three Heritage fretboards, just to see the differences.

 

First up is my 2001 Millie H155 with an ebony board. You can see the neck binding is formed to exactly meet the fret ends.

 

 

 

And here's the H535. Looking very closely (and probably not visible in the pix), you can see where the very top edge of the neck binding has been either cut or filed flat. It's slightly lighter in color than the lower part of the binding. If this binding originally had been shaped to meet the fret ends, it's not now.

 

 

 

And just for something completely different, here's my H137, unbound rosewood board:

 

 

 

 

I tend to agree with your comment about the re-fret not being a bad thing. It likely saved me the trouble and expense of having it done.

 

After 14 years, and evidently having been played enough to need a re-fret, that would tend to explain the discoloration and tarnishing on the pickup covers, and the very-new-looking bridge and tailpiece. But it makes the H535 more of a mystery than ever, because the overall condition is so good.

The headstock's front, back, and all edges, are completely pristine. This thing has never bumped against anything. The top has a couple of extremely minor marks, same for the back and sides, but the condition of the finish is remarkably good.

 

Makes me wonder how this guitar could have possibly been played so much as to require a re-fret but still remain in such excellent condition.

I'll never know. Sent an email to the seller asking if he know anything about its history (he runs an antique store and I have no idea how he happened to find this guitar), but did not get a reply. His eBay pix were not anywhere near good enough to spot the re-fret, and it wasn't mentioned in the description. Not exactly full disclosure, but I'm not going to let it bother me.

 

Interesting stuff. Thanks, guys, for pointing this out to me. Good to learn new things.

 

By the way, nobody has asked me how much I paid for this H535, but it's on the eBay completed auctions and therefore available to anyone who cares to look. I paid $1101. Not a screaming bargain-of-the-century price, but considering what I got, I'm happy.

Lyle

[Kuz]

I'll just add that it might be a re-fret, BUT if that guitar was made while they were still using the Plek machine, a Plek will often shave the binding off the ends of the frets.

 

I stated before that I had many of my guitars Plek'd to my specs and it shaved the binding off the frets.

[yoslate]

Lyle, she's a beaut! Classic look, that red, and the creme binding is the way to go. Nice fret job; crowns look great! Get a trans-black pick guard from the boys, one with good figure. That stick sounds exactly as it looks. Seths are fine pickups, but they are just perfect in some guitars. That would be yours. Well done! I'd love to spank that one at PSPIV! Enjoy, and best to you and Marg.