Very cool.....but

[gopeteygo]

So my 535 arrived today,  purchased on consignment from Elderly.  I'm the receiving guy at work, so it came right to me via UPS.  On opening the box, the first thing I noticed was that it wasn't nearly as red as the picture on their website and it was more brown than expected.  In fact there doesn't seem to be any red.  But that's cool.....it's a beauty.  So I took it to my tech, he looked it over, scoped down the neck and was sufficiently impressed overall.  Got several compliments on how nice it looked while at the store.  So far, so good.  So I get home, change the strings and clean her up.  Next I tune her up and start playing and she sounds awesome on the neck pickup, which is where I hang out most of the time anyway.  Then I switch to the bridge and........nothing.  ???  So I tried to call Elderly, but they're closed.  And I bought it on consignment, so I don't know how they'll handle that.  So, I"m pretty excited, but a little bummed.  But I am impressed with the neck pickup and it's a Schaller.  I've read the stories on how difficult it is to work on the electronics on these.  Thoughts, anyone?

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[mars_hall]

Shouldn't be too bad of a problem.  It could be if the pickup opened up, but I would say this is rare.  Does it have covers on the pickups and have they been removed and replaced?

 

Does the volume control crackle on the pickup that is not working?

[big bob]

Wow, that looks great, I have purchased many things from elderly and they have allways been a#1 stand up, bought a guild acoustic from them (used) and when I got it home there was a body buzz (loose brace) they took it back no questions asked and sold me my millie in its place..

[gopeteygo]

There are covers, and to my knowledge they are stock pickups.  I don't know if they've been removed or not.  There is nothing.  No crackle. Nothing on the bridge p/u.  I gotta run over to this tech's house and pick up a twin that he never got around to fixing.....be back shortly!

[Dick Seacup]

That's a drag that the bridge pup is bagged. Could be something as simple as a cold solder joint. If you're going to drop the electronics out of it, make sure you wrap and tie some dental floss around the shafts of the pots and switch before you remove the nuts. Then when you fish them out of the f-hole, you'll have an easier go of getting them back in. Before I went to all that trouble, though, I might throw the multi-meter on the output jack and see if I could get a reading with just the bridge pup selected and spinning the knobs.

 

By the way, I love the color. Is that VSB? Looking at everyone's 535s and 555s, I'm thinking I need to get the Milly DC a roommate. :wink:

[Gitfiddler]

The exact same thing happened to one of my gits that had been minding its own business in its case.  Cranked it up and one day the bridge p'up was silent!  Crap!  It turned out to be a simple tiny broken solder joint that connected to the toggle switch.  That can happen with movement, bumping, shipping from a store...etc.

 

Give Elderly a call.  They'll work with you.  But you might have the same tech guy take a quick look at it.

 

By the way, you got a beauty of a 535!!  Congrats.

[gopeteygo]

That's a drag that the bridge pup is bagged. Could be something as simple as a cold solder joint. If you're going to drop the electronics out of it, make sure you wrap and tie some dental floss around the shafts of the pots and switch before you remove the nuts. Then when you fish them out of the f-hole, you'll have an easier go of getting them back in. Before I went to all that trouble, though, I might throw the multi-meter on the output jack and see if I could get a reading with just the bridge pup selected and spinning the knobs.

 

By the way, I love the color. Is that VSB? Looking at everyone's 535s and 555s, I'm thinking I need to get the Milly DC a roommate. :wink:

 

Thanks for all the love for the new guit.  It's actually ASB.  I won't personally mess with the electronics myself, but will probably have the same guy look at it.  He put a pair of '57 classics in my old Ibanez AF75 through the F holes, so the guy's pretty good.  I have to admit, I was pretty tempted a couple times to go w/ a 555. 

[jerrysleftyguitars]

I've had a few guitars arrive with broken solder joints in the wiring. The exact thing you describe has happened to new guitars shipped to me. The last month has been particularly bad for shipping guitar damage. Elderly will probably suggest a local fix and they will pick up the tab.

[High Flying Bird]

There is a large hole under the bridge pickup to pull the guts out of these things as opposed to the f-holes.  That still doesn't make it easy by a long shot. 

 

Pretty guitar. 

[slider313]

Get a chop stick and gently move the wires around through the "f" hole. Sometimes one wire touching a pot will ground out the pickup.

[JohnCovach]

This is an easy fix for any qualified tech.  But before going much farther, I'd really work the pickup switch back and forth a dozen times.  My Heritage switches can get a bit funky from time to time, and with all the humidity in the midwest lately, I wouldn't be surprised if the contacts are a little dirty.  Usually all it takes is a little back and forth and things return to normal.

 

After that, I'd let the tech figure it out.  It's very unlikely the problem is the pickup.  But if it's got Schallers, why not just put some Seths in it?  Then that baby would be ultra shweet.

[gopeteygo]

This is an easy fix for any qualified tech.  But before going much farther, I'd really work the pickup switch back and forth a dozen times.  My Heritage switches can get a bit funky from time to time, and with all the humidity in the midwest lately, I wouldn't be surprised if the contacts are a little dirty.  Usually all it takes is a little back and forth and things return to normal.

 

After that, I'd let the tech figure it out.  It's very unlikely the problem is the pickup.  But if it's got Schallers, why not just put some Seths in it?  Then that baby would be ultra shweet.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.  Elderly wants me to send it back for repair and I'm not really willing to do that.  SO!.....Looking around for new pickups, which I thought I'd do anyway, being Schallers appear to be the least desirable.  I'm not willing to send it to Heritage for HRWs....what's the consensus on the best pickups?  I play blues and rock, and love a good clean sound too.  I use Fender amps (see my sig).  What other good choices are there besides Seths and Duncan '59s?

[slider313]

Seth Lovers or Antiquities are great choices. Wolftone Dr.V's are another.