PunkKitty Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 This is the '85 H-170 that I bought from Brent. It's quickly becoming my #1. It has a nice thick body like they did in '85. But it's a well balanced 7.5 pounds. I just swapped the pickups and installed a set of black hand wound Rose A4 pickups. The bridge pickup is over wound. The neck pickup is under wound. They balance well. This thing just sings. It needs a new nut and a fret level. But I'm thinking of upgrading the hardware on it before I do that. Since I am unfamiliar with the stock Schaller hardware I'm wondering how hard it would be to upgrade to a Tonepros or other good quality bridge and tailpiece. Would any drilling be required? Are the thingies (a technical term) that hold the posts in easy to remove? I know how to do it with a standard TOM. Is this any different? Most importantly, what would I gain by upgrading? The Schaller stuff seems to work well. So why should I change it other to satisfy my desire to mod guitars? What bridge/tailpiece combinations would you recommend if I decide to upgrade? The frets are well worn but have a few more years of life in them. But should I just spend the money on a refret instead? I intend to keep this one.
mars_hall Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 No drilling required. Just understand the Schaller uses metric studs/screws and if you want to leave everything tight, get the equivalents for the new tailpiece and bridge. The drawings are on the Schaller site. Refret would be my choice if the frets are near gone as you will always second guess yourself on whether you should fix them. You're already thinking about them. You need a Nashville bridge and a Gibson TP6 tailpiece which means getting a wider spaced stud or you can use the std one, put it in a drill and use a file to increase the vertical spacing that holds the tailpiece. Sustain
H Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 Mars_hall is, for once, slightly off here - the bridge is Imperial, the tailpiece is metric. A Tonepros LPNM04 set (T3BP bridge, T1ZS tailpiece) will drop straight in - no drilling. There's the additional benefit that these items have grub screws to allow locking to the studs. The LPNM04 code is a nickel plated set but they're available in chrome, gold, black, distressed nickel and others. I've fitted these to all my Heritages. I'd do the re-fret though.
rockabilly69 Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 Mars_hall is, for once, slightly off here - the bridge is Imperial, the tailpiece is metric. A Tonepros LPNM04 set (T3BP bridge, T1ZS tailpiece) will drop straight in - no drilling. There's the additional benefit that these items have grub screws to allow locking to the studs. The LPNM04 code is a nickel plated set but they're available in chrome, gold, black, distressed nickel and others. I've fitted these to all my Heritages. I'd do the re-fret though. I agree with everything here!
bolero Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 Wow I love the top & finish on that 170!! Before you go ahead with a refret take it to the tech you'd be surprised how much meat can be on them when they look worn...may just need a dress
bobmeyrick Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 I don't think the tailpiece IS metric - I recently acquired a couple of Nashville type bridge/tailpiece sets (one of which was made by Schaller) off eBay for under £30 each, both of which had come from Gibson USA Les Pauls. It was a case of direct replacement - I fitted both bridge and tailpiece to my 150 Special, and just the tailpiece to the 150 VSB. Perhaps in the past Heritage used a mixture of Imperial and metric? Here's the 150 Special - Here's the 150 VSB - I think the tailpiece has more effect than the bridge, both sonically and cosmetically - while both guitars have improved sustain (it was pretty good anyway!), the improvement seems to be about the same.
y2kc Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 I have no problems with stock German hardware. I am keeping all my older Heritage guitars stock. I personally think the schaller stuff looks nice and don't think at my playing level that I will gain anything by changing stuff around. Seriously has anyone heard me play? It's not funny and stop laughing at me! y2kc
bobmeyrick Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 Just compared the Schaller tailpiece studs to an M8 nut and bolt - they're similar but not the same. The Schaller stud doesn't fit the M8 nut.
DetroitBlues Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 I did a straight up swap with Tonepros on my '85... Nothing required. I would say looking back, I think the bridge could be left alone and only replace the tailpeice. That way, you're all set if you want a bigsby or not.
Genericmusic Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 I personally would have the frets dressed before a complete fret replacement.
y2kc Posted April 3, 2013 Posted April 3, 2013 This is the '85 H-170 that I bought from Brent. It's quickly becoming my #1. It has a nice thick body like they did in '85. But it's a well balanced 7.5 pounds. I just swapped the pickups and installed a set of black hand wound Rose A4 pickups. The bridge pickup is over wound. The neck pickup is under wound. They balance well. This thing just sings. It needs a new nut and a fret level. But I'm thinking of upgrading the hardware on it before I do that. Since I am unfamiliar with the stock Schaller hardware I'm wondering how hard it would be to upgrade to a Tonepros or other good quality bridge and tailpiece. Would any drilling be required? Are the thingies (a technical term) that hold the posts in easy to remove? I know how to do it with a standard TOM. Is this any different? Most importantly, what would I gain by upgrading? The Schaller stuff seems to work well. So why should I change it other to satisfy my desire to mod guitars? What bridge/tailpiece combinations would you recommend if I decide to upgrade? The frets are well worn but have a few more years of life in them. But should I just spend the money on a refret instead? I intend to keep this one. Punk Kitty, Who does your fret work in Chicago? I can recommend a good guy. The 170 is a keeper and if you get the neck playing the way you want, you might forget about the hardware. just saying, y2kc
PunkKitty Posted April 3, 2013 Author Posted April 3, 2013 I think I'm going to forget about a hardware upgrade. There is nothing wrong with the Schaller stuff. It's just me wanting to tinker with something. Lately Tom Cassling at The Shake Shop on Fullerton in Chicago has been doing my repair work. He did a refret on the 140 that I had and he did a great job. I've had him dress the frets and set up several of my guitars. And he's a really nice guy to work with and is reasonably priced. A refret with a new bone nut and full setup would run about $232 there. I can't beat that price or quality.
PunkKitty Posted April 3, 2013 Author Posted April 3, 2013 I decided to go ahead with a refret and a new nut. I'm keeping the hardware as is. I should see it again in 3-4 weeks.
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