schundog Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 After much deliberation and hand-wringing, I finally decided to replace the Schaller pickups in my 535 with Seymour Duncan antiquities. My hesitation was based on the fact that Schallers aren't horrible, SDs aren't terribly cheap, and it's going to be somewhat costly to have them swapped, as it's labor intensive. Well, got off my wallet and ordered the PUs over Columbus Day from Musicians Friend and got 15% off, as my entire order was over $300. I delivered the guitar to my tech today, and told him to take his time, as I'm on vacation all next week. He didnt quote me a price, buy he's always more than fair. I'm excited, but I hope I haven't set my hopes too high. I'll report back in after I get her back.
H Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 Hope you find the new pickups to your taste. I can confirm that a pickup swap in a semi is a major PITA I loaded Phat Cats in my 535 a few weeks ago. Whatever you pay to have it done is worth it
fxdx99 Posted October 14, 2011 Posted October 14, 2011 I made that swap a few years ago, Brian, and haven't looked back since (well, seth lovers for schallers, but close enough for geetar picking). Myself, I really liked the swap as it turned that guitar from a pristine hi-fi tickler to a down and dirty blues machine. Don't think you can set your expectations too high... Have fun on vacation.
kidsmoke Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 nice. Definitely looking forward to this report. I have the same intentions for my 535. Although I'm swapping other SD's for Antiquities. Haven't done it yet for the same reasons....what's there aren't terrible, and the new p'ups aren't cheap. Looking forward to it!
smurph1 Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 i'm really happy with the Seth's in mine..but the best of luck in your quest..I agree with the down and dirty blues tone they give..Since I'm primarily a blues player, they're perfect!!
High Flying Bird Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 I ordered Phat Cats today for my 535.
Hfan Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 I ordered Phat Cats today for my 535. Bird, What will they replace?
H Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 I ordered Phat Cats today for my 535. You're gonna love them
FredZepp Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 A 535 with Antiquities is going to be quite awesome , I predict. And a different enough pickup to be more than just a subtle change and be worth the effort if you desire change. The same is true of the Phat Cats.... it's hard to imagine someone not liking them in a 535 also...
Surfdog Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 HI everybody I just joined the Heritage club with a 535 I bought a couple years ago by mail SIGHT UNSEEN but I had the chance to order it from the states and have it deliverd via us post to a miltary base here in germany.... had to do it and I got an excellent guitar. I took the Schallers out and installed Bareknuckles Manhattan single coils and have never looked back. This guitar replaces my first e-guitar, an ES-335 from Lackey's guitar store in Hampton Va. I am quite satisfied with this guitar, the action and sound are great.
FredZepp Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 HI everybody I just joined the Heritage club with a 535 I bought a couple years ago by mail SIGHT UNSEEN but I had the chance to order it from the states and have it deliverd via us post to a miltary base here in germany.... had to do it and I got an excellent guitar. I took the Schallers out and installed Bareknuckles Manhattan single coils and have never looked back. This guitar replaces my first e-guitar, an ES-335 from Lackey's guitar store in Hampton Va. I am quite satisfied with this guitar, the action and sound are great. The 535 was a good choice and it paid off.. post a pic sometime if you've got one of your Heritage. The Bare Knuckles Manhattan is interesting.. a P-90 flavor in humbucker size... nice.
schundog Posted October 22, 2011 Author Posted October 22, 2011 Welcome, Surfdog! I think you'll find this to be a great place to hang out and discuss Heritage Guitars, other musical stuff, and life in general with some like-minded people. I certainly do! Just got back in from our vacation cruise with 3 other couple-friends last night, and haven't gotten a message from my tech yet. I might call him this morning to see if I could stop by and maybe watch him do the "operation" if he hasn't already done it. Plus, while I really DO trust the guy, I almost want to make SURE that the $200 or so clams I expect to go into the guitar actually DO go into the guitar, if you know what I mean. My warped sense of reasoning had me considering saving up for ANOTHER 535 already loaded with either Seth Lovers or Antiquities and just leaving my current trans-red one AS-IS, but that seemed a bit excessive, as I already have my ES-335 and my recently acquired Epi Dot, that, somewhat surprisingly ,really is a stunner both visually and sonically. I can't wait to see what the new pickups add to the sonic landscape. More than I need or deserve, I'm sure. To quote our friend and HOC brother Yoslate, it's "an embarassment of riches, really." On a side note, if any of you haven't been on a cruise, and you want a great, relatively inexpensive vacation, check them out. Flights and a 4 day/night cruise for 2 of us was around $1500, with all the great food and fun we could handle! (Booze added about $150 to the trip: more for excursions onshore at ports of call.)
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 Welcome, Surfdog! I think you'll find this to be a great place to hang out and discuss Heritage Guitars, other musical stuff, and life in general with some like-minded people. I certainly do! Just got back in from our vacation cruise with 3 other couple-friends last night, and haven't gotten a message from my tech yet. I might call him this morning to see if I could stop by and maybe watch him do the "operation" if he hasn't already done it. Plus, while I really DO trust the guy, I almost want to make SURE that the $200 or so clams I expect to go into the guitar actually DO go into the guitar, if you know what I mean. My warped sense of reasoning had me considering saving up for ANOTHER 535 already loaded with either Seth Lovers or Antiquities and just leaving my current trans-red one AS-IS, but that seemed a bit excessive, as I already have my ES-335 and my recently acquired Epi Dot, that, somewhat surprisingly ,really is a stunner both visually and sonically. I can't wait to see what the new pickups add to the sonic landscape. More than I need or deserve, I'm sure. To quote our friend and HOC brother Yoslate, it's "an embarassment of riches, really." On a side note, if any of you haven't been on a cruise, and you want a great, relatively inexpensive vacation, check them out. Flights and a 4 day/night cruise for 2 of us was around $1500, with all the great food and fun we could handle! (Booze added about $150 to the trip: more for excursions onshore at ports of call.) We're gonna do the Hedonism nude cruze one day. One day. One day. One day. I keep saying one day, I just hope one day finally comes. BTW, what is the sonic differences between 59's and antiquities and Fat Catz?
schundog Posted October 22, 2011 Author Posted October 22, 2011 We're gonna do the Hedonism nude cruze one day. One day. One day. One day. I keep saying one day, I just hope one day finally comes. BTW, what is the sonic differences between 59's and antiquities and Fat Catz? That's all well and good, Will, I suggest you do it sooner than later. Life is what happens while we're making plans, you know. Don't miss the opportunity. Having said that, I feel a certain obligation to inform you, however, that PSP events are "NOT" clothing-optional!! I mean, I love you brother, and all, but....
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 That's all well and good, Will, I suggest you do it sooner than later. Life is what happens while we're making plans, you know. Don't miss the opportunity. Having said that, I feel a certain obligation to inform you, however, that PSP events are "NOT" clothing-optional!! I mean, I love you brother, and all, but.... Yes, understood, now if we can just do something about the hotel room flashing....
t0aj15 Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 I took my 535 to my local tech/repair wizard Mike Koontz a few years ago and had him switch the Schaller p/ups for a set of SD 59's. It made a huge difference in the tone (for the better). It was like lifting a heavy blanket off the speaker cab. I'm not sure what it would cost now, but back then (approx 5 years ago) it cost $55.00 to switch the p/ups & replace a bad output jack, a great bargain if you've ever had to work on a semi-hollow body guitar, they can be a real PITA for anyone who's not knowledgeable. I'm now considering taking it back in to have the 59's replaced with a set of P-rails & Triple Shot rings.
bolero Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 yeah not a bad decision to get them swapped by a tech, it can be a pain in the ass although I'm getting better at it: last time it took less than an hour in my 535 to just swap pups took longer when I had to yank the whole harness out & rewire it '50's style though
schundog Posted October 26, 2011 Author Posted October 26, 2011 Well, I got a call from my tech this morning, asking me what gauge strings I wanted on the 535. I had forgotten to give him a fresh set when I dropped it off, as I usually do when I have work done. Oh well, he'll probably just add those to the bill, I thought. He was "working from home" today, obviously not too terribly hard for his employer, as he had my job done by early afternoon, and called me to come pick it up. Man, I don't know WHAT he did to this thing, but now the pickup covers are all scrungy and dull looking.... oh, wait, that's what SD Antiquities are SUPPOSED to look like, haha. http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz327/schundog/pedalboard008.jpg[/img]"]http:// I got home and plugged it into my Deluxe Reverb RI and the difference was apparent to me immediately. I'm not good with sonic adjectives, but I'll just leave it at "MUCH better!" Same results with my Blues Junior, both amps with and without pedals. I really didn't want to stop playing, it sounded so much better. If any of you are on the fence about doing this or having it done, I can't recommend it enough. Oh, I forgot to mention how much he charged me. $30, including the strings! The other local guy wanted $70 to swap the pickups, and ONLY if I bought the pickups from him. I'm going to start another thread about my tech, AKA the Mad Scientist.
brentrocks Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 New pickups are almost as good as getting a new guitar sometimes! I'm glad you like them!
FredZepp Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Yes... Antiquities in that guitar were a pretty safe bet.. and you got a good deal on it also... congrats, enjoy.
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