Peter Cl Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 I've read quite a lot of commentary on here questioning the sonic quality/qualities of Schaller pups, so in the same spirit that a thread about a new acquisition is no good without pics, here is an mp3 of some noodling done over a backing track some time ago (ie, before I became a daddy) on a standard '91 H-150 fitted with said pickups (Golden 50's), strung with light gauge flatwounds (12-52), into a Yamaha DG stomp, into whatever sound card was on the family desktop PC at the time. Neck position, tone fully open. I obviously get a more organic sound through an amp with the speaker pushing air, etc, but the clarity and articulation I personally go for are definitely there. You'll have to d/l the file as I have no streaming set up for the time being. Oh yeah, and any feedback about the actual playing would be welcome, too. http://www.mediafire.com/?l1ujdxgfmxu
doggy1972 Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 +1 for the MP3. Really love your playing fella. I still think that the Schallers are good pickups. They sound good on your clip. Sorry that sounded sichophantic. Rubbish hehe ;D
jacques Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 Great, Paul! I love to hear Heritage clips. Apart from some great playing one can easily notice there's nothing wrong with them Schallers. On top of it all there was a banner flashing on the site where I was downloading your noodle telling me I could go and claim probably a large sum of money or some other fantastic prize! I'm so excited and give you karma for that!
Peter Cl Posted March 29, 2008 Author Posted March 29, 2008 On top of it all there was a banner flashing on the site where I was downloading your noodle telling me I could go and claim probably a large sum of money or some other fantastic prize! I'm so excited and give you karma for that! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Great Paul ? This is a Heritage, I tell ya So, the Schaller sounds good, nicht? Thanks for the nice words, too.
wingnut1 Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 Great playing Paul and the Schallers' have a really nice PAF sound to them. Pickups are not rocket science, I don't know why people would assume that Schaller couldn't build a great sounding pickup. I think people are more familiar with SD and so they assume they are better, but if you look at SD prices they are generally less expensive than a lot of other manufacturers as well. This doesn't mean they aren't great pickups. I'm thinking of doing the Peter Green mod on the ones in my H150. I'll throw in a picture of it just so people have some eye candy to look at in the thread. http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/wingnut318/Heritage%20H-150/IMG_0963.jpg[/img]
brentrocks Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 Great playing Paul and the Schallers' have a really nice PAF sound to them. Pickups are not rocket science, I don't know why people would assume that Schaller couldn't build a great sounding pickup. I think people are more familiar with SD and so they assume they are better, but if you look at SD prices they are generally less expensive than a lot of other manufacturers as well. This doesn't mean they aren't great pickups. I'm thinking of doing the Peter Green mod on the ones in my H150. I'll throw in a picture of it just so people have some eye candy to look at in the thread. http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/wingnut318/Heritage%20H-150/IMG_0963.jpg[/img] OH MY!!! that is awesome!! that is borderline quilt!! love the red wings blanket too!!!
wingnut1 Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 Thanks Brentrock, I've got Schallers in my H555 as well. http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/wingnut318/Heritage%20H-555/IMG_1000.jpg[/img] http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/wingnut318/Heritage%20H-555/IMG_1001.jpg[/img]
wingnut1 Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Well Peter, your clip seems to have silenced the discussions on the sound and quality of the Schaller pickups.
cosmikdebriis Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Well Peter, your clip seems to have silenced the discussions on the sound and quality of the Schaller pickups. To refer back to the thread on "Should H fit Schaller Pups" The question there was on the percieved impact on quality that Schaller had rather than the actual quality. Having said that, the list of HOC members swapping them out is still growing. It's all a matter of personal preference though, so each to their own... No doubt it won't be the last we hear of it
wingnut1 Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 If people are changing out pickups in hopes of increasing the value of their guitars, that goes against what usually happens in the marketplace. Generally a guitar will hold its value the best when everything is left original. The only reason I can see to change them is if they don't provide the tone you want.
cosmikdebriis Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 If people are changing out pickups in hopes of increasing the value of their guitars, that goes against what usually happens in the marketplace. Generally a guitar will hold its value the best when everything is left original. The only reason I can see to change them is if they don't provide the tone you want. Possibly I didn't explain myself very well. I see two distinct arguments for or against Schaller. One is if, as a "new" fit, they de value the H brand. As opposed to, say, fitting SD's. The other is whether they are a good pickup from a sonic point of view. It is for the latter that some people are swapping them out. Like I say. It's all a matter of personal taste and I have no particular axe to grind. (pardon the pun) ;D
Kazwell Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 I've read quite a lot of commentary on here questioning the sonic quality/qualities of Schaller pups, so in the same spirit that a thread about a new acquisition is no good without pics, here is an mp3 of some noodling done over a backing track some time ago (ie, before I became a daddy) on a standard '91 H-150 fitted with said pickups (Golden 50's), strung with light gauge flatwounds (12-52), into a Yamaha DG stomp, into whatever sound card was on the family desktop PC at the time. Neck position, tone fully open. I obviously get a more organic sound through an amp with the speaker pushing air, etc, but the clarity and articulation I personally go for are definitely there. You'll have to d/l the file as I have no streaming set up for the time being. Oh yeah, and any feedback about the actual playing would be welcome, too. Great playing-nice tone, making me consider trying flatwounds on my H150 just to see what happens-never used them before. If you don't mind me asking, what type of recording system are you using?That sounds pretty damn good for a standard sound card. I'm very impressed with this track despite the fact that it was just a "noodle" session. Thanks for sharing!
High Flying Bird Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Tonight, as soon as I took the gold 535 out of the case the nut came off of the bigsby handle. I had been wanting to change strings to see what the pickups were as they sound hotter than the Schallers in my ASB 535. I'll be damned but they were Schallers too. A good blues "touch" will outshine any pickup or guitar. You got it! Schallers are not Shatt.
cosmikdebriis Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Well here's my hapeth worth... I've just been setting up and playing my new 150-P with the Schallers... Sounded great (nice 'n' lightweight too). Put it down, picked up the 150 with HRW's and the whole thing came alive... :o Maybe it's something to do with the Poplar body or the reduced thickness/mass of the P but somehow I doubt it. I was so shocked I had to stop to write this... Ok so that's only at "living room" volume levels and I was playing "The Stealer" (by Free) opening chords which are pretty basic but the difference was astonishing. Just my humble opinion of course... The debate will doubtless rage on. Golfer must have had a 150 with just about every available pickup in it. Would be good to get his opinion.
Thundersteel Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Superb playing, Peter! I wish I was half as good as you! I've got Schallers in my H575; they sound good clean, but I usually use distortion and want a more "heavy" sound. John put the Seth Lovers in his 575, and he liked it a lot better. I'm still on the fence with this one.
Peter Cl Posted March 30, 2008 Author Posted March 30, 2008 I think they do have a good, simple PAF quality about them, though I understand the desire to swap them out for something more adept at heavier sounds, if that's what you're seeking. I certainly would not call the Schallers crunch kings, but that isn't an issue for me. Maybe some SD Jazz SH-2's would sound even better for my purposes, I don't know, but as the saying goes, if it ain't broke... Kazwell, I used roundwounds for years, and the swap to flats can be great if you're from a Rock background and maybe looking to explore new avenues. With flats, you tend to keep it clean and if they're of a heavier gauge than you'd normally use, you will be seeking alternatives to whole step bends, for ex. Works for me, anyway. The recording system was as mentioned above (CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device, I just looked), using an old version of nTrack recording software. That and the DG Stomp, nothing else. I really appreciate the comments about the noodling fellas and am glad to have contributed something useful to the forum.
brentrocks Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 peter...your track is awesome!!! i like it a lot!!!
wingnut1 Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Took my H150 out last night for the first time and there is no problem with the Schaller pickups. I had my 2 6V6 Blackface 115 amp that I built and Tube Screamer clone. The pickups were nice and articulate and had a nice edge to them without being over the top. After I was done the next guy asked if he could use my rig and he did a cover of Dreams I'll Never See (Molly Hatchet Version). Wow the sound was spot on, these are great pickups for blues and classic rock.
golferwave Posted April 12, 2008 Posted April 12, 2008 Well here's my hapeth worth... I've just been setting up and playing my new 150-P with the Schallers... Sounded great (nice 'n' lightweight too). Put it down, picked up the 150 with HRW's and the whole thing came alive... :o Maybe it's something to do with the Poplar body or the reduced thickness/mass of the P but somehow I doubt it. I was so shocked I had to stop to write this... Ok so that's only at "living room" volume levels and I was playing "The Stealer" (by Free) opening chords which are pretty basic but the difference was astonishing. Just my humble opinion of course... The debate will doubtless rage on. Golfer must have had a 150 with just about every available pickup in it. Would be good to get his opinion. OK, Here's my two pennies worth. I've always said that I love the Schaller Golden 50's, They definitely have their place in the mix. GREAT mid range but the highs drop off quickly. It all depends on what you're recording and the sound you're looking for. Everyones ears are different and the sound that pleases you might not be someone Else's cup of tea. My favorite all time pickups? Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays. They really do it for me - send me that feeling. Great playing by the way Peter and another +1 for you!
Peter Cl Posted April 14, 2008 Author Posted April 14, 2008 Years (I mean years) ago, I may have changed them for something more aggressive sounding, but then, I probably wouldn't have looked at a Heritage then anyway As previously said, they are probably not the best choice for high gain Rock, but they are quality pickups, especially for clean, there's no question about that as far as I'm concerned. As wingnut1 put it, "articulate and had a nice edge to them without being over the top". Sounds good to me. I'll post another noodle just to prove it once more, if ya like
doggy1972 Posted April 14, 2008 Posted April 14, 2008 They are gibbo 57s in disguise. No worse. I like em
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