Questions from a new Heritage H535 owner

[Balladeer]

I just got my first Heritage - 1999 H535. It seems to be completely stock. The finish is almond sunburst - pretty! The fretboard is fast and smooth. Upper fret access is excellent. The guitar has good sound unplugged and vibrates nicely in the hands. I find that my amp must be turned up much higher with the H535 than with either of my hollow partscasters with Fralin P92s or Antiquities humbuckers.

The guitar is very light weight. Is that normal?
The neck is extremely thin. Is that normal?
What were the standard pots and caps in 1999?

The pickups are Schaller. The Schaller website lists both the neck and bridge models at 8.2 DC resistance. I typically adjust my pickup pole pieces and pickup heights to perfectly balance the individual string volumes and the pickup volumes. Even raising the bridge pickup closer to the strings than I would prefer, the neck pickup over-powers the bridge pickup. I have lowered the neck pickup pole pieces below the pickup cover, and the neck pickup still over-powers the bridge pickup. Was it standard to use a pair of equal Schaller pickups in the H535 in 1999?

I'm going to change pickups. I'm favoring Seth Lovers. I am looking for a very woody, organic sound. I play at low to medium levels. I am not concerned with feedback. I play blues, jazz, and soul through an Alessandro Working Dog (1x12" Eminence Cannabis Rex, 2x5881 power tubes, 5751 preamp tube). My favorite artists are Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Chris Cain, Norman Brown, Chuck D'Aloia, and Gregor Hilden. Should I go with the Seth Lovers?

[chico]

welcome to HOC I am not the guy to answer your question but you are among like-minded artists here. I look forward to the responses. Oh, and PICs are mandatory.

[SouthpawGuy]

Hi and welcome to the HOC !

 

Can't go wrong with Seths, don't have them in a 535 but in a Prospect, excellent for jazzy blues. My '96 535 has a thinner neck, par for the course for that era.

 

btw my stock 157 which I'm 99% certain has Schallers is nicely balanced between neck and bridge, and both have more than adequate output, possibly you have a cold solder joint or a pickup gone bad.

 

edit to add as far as I remember my 535 weighs approximately 8lbs

[eljay]

i have seth lovers in 3 guitars and think the world of them. were i to order a 535, i'd specify seths. good luck with you quest!

[DetroitBlues]

I have Seth's in my semi-hollow body. I absolutely love them. Schallers are really hit or miss depending on the guitar...

[kidsmoke]

I own a '02 535, does not have Schallers, however. I'm wondering if it's an issue with wiring, may have led the previous owner to simply pass it on when someone told him it'd be a few hours labor to get at everything through the f-hole. Purely speculative on my part. Many have reported that stock harnesses weren't always all they could be, and replacing brought an improvement anyway. It'll add to the cost for you, but it may be the way to go. I've got a pair of Sheptones going in mine soon, they're a PAF clone like the Seths. Can't go wrong with the Seth Lovers as many here will attest.

 

Haven't weighed mine, but it's lighter than my fenders or the Washburn Semi I had. As DB said, "default" neck geometry has varied over the years, and people spec different things as well. It seems that 50's necks are more common now, but that wasn't always the case. I'd Call mine a mid C. Love it. I like a thicker neck, but this guitar has it's own personality, and the neck is part of it.

 

That's a great intro, Balladeer. Welcome to the forum. Lots of very knowledgeable folks here, happy to share knowledge, or lack thereof, willingly.

 

Pictures are an unofficial requirement of membership! Lets see this thing!

[GuitArtMan]

First - welcome to the club.

Second Seth Lovers are an excellent choice for a semi-hollow body like the 535.

Third - it's not uncommomn for the neck pickup to overpower the bridge pickup because the string vibrates more under the neck pickup than under the bridge pickup.

Fourth - I wouldn't use the pole piece screws to try and raise or lower the output of the pickup - that's the job of the pickup mounting screws. I would use the pole piece screws to balance the output of the individual strings.

Fifth - Many 535s are very light and super resonant and make the current Gibson 335s seem like a boat anchor by comparison.

Sixth - Neck shapes can be all over the map with Heritages. I've owned 4 535s through the years (love the tone, but the body shape is just too big for my small frame) and each one had a different neck shape: Almond Burst - medium D shape. Antique Natural - slim D shape. Dark Almond Burst - medium C shape. Antique Natural - slim C shape. The nice thing is, you can order one with just about any carve you want at no up charge!

[Balladeer]

GuitArtMan: I could not dictate the neck carve on this as it is a used guitar.

 

Here's a pic of my H535.

[brentrocks]

Welcome....nice 535!!!

[tbonesullivan]

how close is the bridge pickup to the strings? usually for humbuckers they should he quite close.

 

Also, for "Vintage" style pickups, it is normal for the neck to be louder and more full than the bridge. This is true for the seth lovers and '59s from seymour duncan, and the 57 classics from Gibson. There is a lot more string movement at the neck, so you get more energy and more signal. It is a different tonal profile though.

[Hfan]

Hi and welcome to the HOC !

 

Can't go wrong with Seths, don't have them in a 535 but in a Prospect, excellent for jazzy blues. My '96 535 has a thinner neck, par for the course for that era.

 

btw my stock 157 which I'm 99% certain has Schallers is nicely balanced between neck and bridge, and both have more than adequate output, possibly you have a cold solder joint or a pickup gone bad.

 

edit to add as far as I remember my 535 weighs approximately 8lbs

Congrats Balladeer, 535's are excellent. I was considering changing out the Schallers in my 157 but just last night through a Blues Jr, I again decided I love their tone I find it closer to a "Fendery" high clarity tone then my other humbuckers if that makes sense. I also have no balance issues with them. That said, the Seths are great in my 535 especially for the genres you play.

[SouthpawGuy]

Congrats Balladeer, 535's are excellent. I was considering changing out the Schallers in my 157 but just last night through a Blues Jr, I again decided I love their tone I find it closer to a "Fendery" high clarity tone then my other humbuckers if that makes sense. I also have no balance issues with them. That said, the Seths are great in my 535 especially for the genres you play.

 

Not to go off topic but I have the 157 a year now and have had a set of Seths ready for it since it arrived. The stock pickups are still in there and I probably won't be changing them any time soon.

[DetroitBlues]

 

Not to go off topic but I have the 157 a year now and have had a set of Seths ready for it since it arrived. The stock pickups are still in there and I probably won't be changing them any time soon.

 

What's in it now? You never know what you're missing....

[tbonesullivan]

 

What's in it now? You never know what you're missing....

But, if it ain't broke, why fix it? If you can get the sound you want out of something there is no reason to change it. That just leads to the long and expensive pickup swapping search, which is a great example of the law of diminishing returns.

[SouthpawGuy]

 

What's in it now? You never know what you're missing....

 

Like I mentioned already, Mr Speed Reader , I'm 99% certain they're Schallers. Didn't have them replaced before I received it as I already had a set of Seths to go into it. It does all I want and more without a pickup change so they will most likely stay put. Nice warm fat jazzy blues on the neck pickup with the tone rolled off a litte, and plenty of power in the bridge for rocking out, not piercing or over trebly as with HRWs, and still sounds full.