Whats in your Prospect or 535?

[Bandade]

Hi folks, I recently acquired a 1998 Heritage Prospect in Cherry Red. The guitar is plays and feels very nice the only thing i'm not crazy about is the stock Schaller pickups and hardware. The pickups sound decent but they are a bit hotter than i would like. What kind of vintage pickups are Prospect or 535 players using? Did anyone change the stock pots? I think they are linear pots rather than audio taper.

 

Thanks,

[pushover]

My 535 came with 59's in them, and I've always thought this was a good fit. I find this instrument and pickup combination very versatile. My 157 came with the stock schallers and I wasn't sure I liked them, so I ended up putting 59's in the 157 as well though it sounds quite different than the 535.

 

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on this topic, so it really is a matter of you finding something that you like. I drove myself almost nuts auditioning pickups listening carefully to every little nuance to what I was hearing, and there's lots of variables involved ranging from the guitar itself, to the strings, to the tone caps you have, to your amp, to the speakers you play through.

 

One thing I'll suggest is to talk to your educated friends about what it is that you don't like about the current sound you're getting and also try and describe what kind of sound you think you're looking for. Lots of educated folks are on here, and I think they'll help you narrow down to a couple choices that might fit the sound you want to hear. Then find a way to audition them in a similar type of guitar to what you have, and then make a final selection, knowing that it will likely sound a little different in your own guitar.

[tbonesullivan]

Have you tried lowering the pickups and messing with your amp EQ? A lot of pickups will get a different tone if you change their distance from the pickups. Also, have you put new strings on? I've found that some strings are definitely more bright than others.

[bolero]

I can't stand schaller pickups, they invariably get yanked out of any gtr I own

 

 

I even left some in one for a while...but no, I definitely don't like them

 

for cheap you could buy some used duncan's, the pearly gates bridge & seth lover neck are a nice combo

 

I have throbak SLE-101 LTD's in my 535 & they are the bees knees

 

also a H150 with lollar imperials, and another with wolfetone legends

 

 

I would recommend any of the above, over schallers, which sound very sterile & are too high output for my tastes as well

[koula901]

Hi Bandade,

I bought my 535 used from a guy who swappped out the Seth Lovers for High Order A-2 pickups (humbuckers). These pups are wound like vintage pups. I can tell you, they're blues monsters, but can also do jazz and rock tones too. I'm real happy with these pickups, for humbuckers, there's real clarity (never muddy), yet a beefy sound, and the sustain is incredible. I don't know if the sustain is a property of the pups or the 535 (that's a complex subject). Here's the web page of the guy who makes them: My link

 

Here's a description of all of his pups, from the web page:

 

•7.3k - 8.0k AlNiCo 2/3/4/5 - Good range for neck pickups. Lower output equals cleaner and brighter tone so players leaning toward really clean tones should "think low". Provides good "chime" in the bridge position. AlNiCo 2 provides the warmest tone, and AlNiCo 4 provides a nice crisp top and tight semi-big bottom that's good for jazz runs. AlNiCo 3 is in between A2 and A4 in terms of tone - bright like A4 but not as punchy - sizzling like A2 but not as warm. Properly treated, AlNiCo 5 can be sweet and balanced across the board in the neck position.

•7.3k - 7.5k AlNiCo 5 Even Wind - Classic '70s "T-Top" tone. The lower output doesn't drive your rig as hard as typical "PAF" winds but these can work well for vintage rock tones with a cleaner character.

•7.7k - 7.8k AlNiCo 5 Asymmetric Wind - Late '60s "Patent Sticker T-Top" tone. Nice open character that stays open with volume rollback and has good chime. Goes from sweet cleans to the edge of "brown". A versatile wind that covers a ton of ground with a good boost/EQ pedal. Not technically my "PAF-type" wind, but if you've ever played an original patent sticker you know these were just as good.

•8.1k - 8.9k Even Wind - Nice and smooth. More of a balanced "stereo" character than an asymmetric wind. With AlNiCo 2, provides a warm vintage tone with a hint of natural compression. Good response to pick attack, pinch harmonics, etc. With AlNiCo 5, sweet vintage tone and the rounder punch of A5 on the wound strings and brighter top end as compared to A2. Good response to pick attack, pinch harmonics, etc.

•8.1k - 8.9k Asymmetric Wind - Similar to the even wind, but with a bit more edge/cut on top, a bit of low-mid emphasis, and good harmonic "swirl". Midrange emphasis generally increases with increasing resistance. Excellent "PAF" type tone. A good compromise between mids and top end is found in the 8.4-8.6k range. These are really nice/sweet with AlNiCo 2, but don't overlook a semi-degaussed A5 magnet for great vintage/classic rock tone. To add even more push/drive, consider A6 or A8.

•8.1k - 8.9k AlNiCo 3 Even Wind - Open/balanced tone with more highend feel and a tighter bottom than AlNiCo 2 though with a bit less power. Good response to pick attack, pinch harmonics, etc. Has a little more "air in the tone."

•8.1k - 8.9k AlNiCo 3 Asymmetric Wind - Similar to even wind, but with a bit more edge/cut on top, a bit of low-mid emphasis, and good harmonic "swirl". Not as warm as AlNiCo 2 but better for really dark guitars or when you like more highend feel and overall open character.

•9.4-9.7k "Maximus" Wind - Provides enough drive for a slightly more "gainy" sound, but retains a lot of the articulation and definition of a lower output pickup. Allows pairing with higher output at the neck. As with any HighOrder pickup, the actual DC resistance varies with the magnet wire lot on hand. Bigger builders have more control over this. I wind to turns though so the tone of the pickup remains intact while the dc resistance varies within a certain range. These are built with AlNiCo 5 only!

•Brown Sound - I get many requests for that certain "brown" tone. A lot of folks have been satisfied with my 8.7k asymmtric wind with AlNiCo 2 for that purpose. That said, there are many avenues to achieving the tone and most of my PAF types will get you there. Don't overlook AlNiCo 5 as a possibility nor a lower output wind. The man had tons of stuff going on (Echo, EQ/boost, re-amping, etc.) and with a proper setup an 8k-ish PAF type can do amazing things.

•Page Tone - Probably the most common request, the generally accepted combination here is Jimmy's "#1" LP with the replaced bridge pickup. The pair for this would be my Late '60s Patent Sticker T-Top for the bridge and an 8.1-8.2k PAF type for the neck. Experts tell me AlNiCo 3 for the neck, but semi-degaussed A5 will probably work too.

•Replacement Fingers - Sorry, but I can't help you here. Each of us has to make do with what we have ;-)

[jjkrause84]

I have SDs in mine, but I forget which (I didn't put'em in).

 

How do they sound?

 

I have no idea. Haven't played it yet.

 

T-5 days!!!!!

[SouthpawGuy]

Seth Lovers in my Prospect, SD '59s in the 2007 535 and SD P-Rails in the '96 535.

[smurph1]

I had Schallers in my H-140 and liked em a lot, you might give em some time, they might grow on you..I have Seths in my 535 and LOVE EM..But as always Your Mileage May Vary..

[GuitArtMan]

Hi Bandade,

I bought my 535 used from a guy who swappped out the Seth Lovers for High Order A-2 pickups (humbuckers). These pups are wound like vintage pups. I can tell you, they're blues monsters, but can also do jazz and rock tones too. I'm real happy with these pickups, for humbuckers, there's real clarity (never muddy), yet a beefy sound, and the sustain is incredible. I don't know if the sustain is a property of the pups or the 535 (that's a complex subject). Here's the web page of the guy who makes them: My link

...

 

Not to dis the High Order pickups in any way, I'm sure they are great, but this one makes me chuckle. The Seth Lovers are an Alnico 2 pickup, designed by Seymour Duncan and Seth Lover (the inventor of the humbucking pickup) to be as close as possible to Seth's original humbuckers. Seymour Duncan has been a tech/winding pickups since the late '60s. How can these new guys suddenly know more about vintage pickups than he (or Larry Dimarzio) do? Again, not trying to dis you or High Order, but it just makes me wonder. Are the new guys improving on vintage tone and we like that better? I've seen some shoot outs with original Gibson PAFs and several modern takes on the PAF design, and often times the original PAFs end up in the middle of the list. Makes me wonder if we aren't in the golden age of pickup design.

[iim7v7im7]

H-535

 

Pick-ups: (Lollar Imperial Humbuckers (Alnico 5 magnets, 7.6k Neck, 8.4k Bridge)

Bridge: Tonepros Nashville

Tailpiece: Tonepros T1ZS Locking Tailpiece

Pots: 2-RS Guitarworks 500k short shaft SuperPots‚ 2-CTS custom audio taper short shaft tone pots

Wiring: cloth braided wiring

Capacitors: Luxe Grey Tiger .022/400v paper and oil caps

Jack: Switchcraft

Toggle Switch: 3-way Switchcraft

 

There is no right answer here. It really depends on what you are looking for. I like my set-up for blues. The taper on the RS pots is great and the Imperials are great HBs.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

Hi folks, I recently acquired a 1998 Heritage Prospect in Cherry Red. The guitar is plays and feels very nice the only thing i'm not crazy about is the stock Schaller pickups and hardware. The pickups sound decent but they are a bit hotter than i would like. What kind of vintage pickups are Prospect or 535 players using? Did anyone change the stock pots? I think they are linear pots rather than audio taper.

 

Thanks,

[zydecosoultrain]

My H535 has a Seymour-Duncan Jazz at the neck and an SD Jeff beck in the bridge. Sounds great to me. I love the warm but detailed tone from the SD Jazz.

[tulk1]

The '05 H157 had SD 59's - never cared for them in that guitar.

The Millie SAE had Schallers - very bright, yet cut thru great in a band mix.

The '99 Prospect had stock Schallers - perfect for that guitar.

The '07 535 has stock Schallers - sound very warm and toasty.

The '08 Millie NFH had HRWs - too bright and raw for that guitar. Put in Tom Shorts, but not happy with the bridge pup.

The '10 Custom Prospect has SD PhatCats - just perfect for everything. Warm, toasty, bright, ballsy.

The '10 555 Custom has HRWs that my band mates just love! For me, they're a bit "hi-fi" in full HB, but sound mighty dandy split.

[NoNameBand]

My 23rd Anniversary 535 came with Seth Lovers, great pup for this guitar. I have had a professional install a bone nut, TonePros Nasville style locking bridge, a TonePros Aluminum locking Stop Bar (all Nickel hardware) and a professional fret dress. She is dressed and ready for the ball. She IS... Bad To The Bone.

[Bandade]

Alright folks. I've.decided on Seth lovers. I have one in another guitar and it.is now in the prospect. I have the neck pu being delivered Friday. I figured the Duncan are the best bang for the buck if not at any price. Thanks for the input!

[NoNameBand]

Alright folks. I've.decided on Seth lovers. I have one in another guitar and it.is now in the prospect. I have the neck pu being delivered Friday. I figured the Duncan are the best bang for the buck if not at any price. Thanks for the input!

 

Whew, its about time. I was running out of hints. You'll thank me later (actually, all of us).

[Guest HRB853370]

I can't stand schaller pickups, they invariably get yanked out of any gtr I own

 

 

I even left some in one for a while...but no, I definitely don't like them

 

for cheap you could buy some used duncan's, the pearly gates bridge & seth lover neck are a nice combo

 

I have throbak SLE-101 LTD's in my 535 & they are the bees knees

 

also a H150 with lollar imperials, and another with wolfetone legends

 

 

I would recommend any of the above, over schallers, which sound very sterile & are too high output for my tastes as well

 

Sterile? My behind!! I can get that thick, Warren Haynes tone out my Schaller equipped 150! It's anything but sterile!!!

 

Bees knees? Must be a Canook saying.

[bolero]

HA!!

 

horses for courses...

[Bandade]

Don't worry about the shallers they found a nice new home in a les Paul I bought as a kid. I don't dislike them, they just weren't my cup of tea in the prospect.

 

 

Cheers!

[tulk1]

How boring would it be if we all like exactly the same thing? Or pickups? It's like going to a blues jam where everyone brought their white Strats that day (happened!) Or lordy forgive me, but a country jam with nothing but Teles!!! All playing the same tired old 3 chord blues or country songs you just heard last week. Gots to mix it up!!

[H]

horses for courses...

Exactly - and chacun a son gout also.

 

I have the stock Schallers in my 535 and I like them. I had to play about with the heights of them a little (as TBoneSullivan suggested above) to the extent that there's a bit of an imbalance in the output between neck and bridge now. The bridge pickup sits way down in the mount and the neck sits just proud of it. This just requires a little correction at the volume pot to raise the bridge output a little.

 

I tend to give pickups a month or so with minor tweaks before I decide once and for all whether they appeal.

[NoNameBand]

Exactly - and chacun a son gout also.

 

I have the stock Schallers in my 535 and I like them. I had to play about with the heights of them a little (as TBoneSullivan suggested above) to the extent that there's a bit of an imbalance in the output between neck and bridge now. The bridge pickup sits way down in the mount and the neck sits just proud of it. This just requires a little correction at the volume pot to raise the bridge output a little.

 

I tend to give pickups a month or so with minor tweaks before I decide once and for all whether they appeal.

 

"I tend to give pickups a month or so with minor tweaks before I decide once and for all whether they appeal." Wise words from a patient Man.

[bolero]

one man's yogourt is another man's rotten milk!!