Schaller Pickups

[korky1958]

I'm pretty new here, and this may have been posted before, but can anyone tell me anything about the Schaller pickups in my 96 H-150CM.

[wingnut1]

Welcome to the board Korky they are schaller golden 50s and are a lower powered PAF style pickup.  There has been a rather long discussion on this that you should be able to to find if you do a search.

[brentrocks]

they are a form of a PAF clone...not to shabby of a pickup.  lots of folks dont like them...i think they vary set to set.  i have had some that perform very well.  they probably measure around 8.8-7.5 in the bridge  and 7.7-6.5 in the neck

[cosmikdebriis]

Hi... and Welcome...

 

As Wingnut says... They have been the subject on very many discussions on this site...

 

IMHO they are a bit a bit bright for an LP style guitar.

 

On the other hand it's all down to individual taste so see if you can, I'd recommend a comparison with a Heritage fitted with SD's (59s) or HRW's

 

HRW's are Heritage designed pups but built by Schaller.

[big bob]

welcome, I love the schaller sound in a solid body guitar.. but find them muddy in a hollow body...

remember that they were the stock pup for the early kramer guitars.. overdriven through distortion they sound great.. clean through a cranked amp muddy.

[backline]

I think the Schallers over the years were decent middle-of-the-road humbuckers, and fairly hum free (which I like).

 

To my ears the HRW Schallers (they are mounted with little brass washers under each corner of the pu ring/bezel mount) are a nice Bluesy PAF type on a guitar like my last H-575. Nice a woody jazz tone (especially with a woody bridge). 8)

 

The non-adjustable polepiece floating Schallers, like on the Eagles I've had, are a bit different: they don't have a big magnet under the polepieces. Those have magnetic polepieces instead (sort of like the Fender pickups, including those big ol' Seth Lover designed buckers on say, Tele Customs and Deluxes).

 

Not as much output on the floaters, and I always wanted some tone control on the guitar with those, but OK. I'd prefer adjustable polepieces, but sometimes manufacturers assume everybodie's gonna change pu's anyway, thinking they're upgrading (not sure it always works out that way).

 

All that to say I like HRW's best of the Schallers I've heard, but have stopped replacing pickups that haven't failed anyways (though I used to do a lot of that).

 

With my ears, and my (now) cheap -more early tweed primitive sounding amps lately- it doesn't seem to matter as much any more. :undecided:

[backline]

welcome, I love the schaller sound in a solid body guitar...

 

 

I agree!

My '88 H-140 has the old stock Schallers, and sounds better than my "real" Les Paul.

Much warmer and lively too, especially with distortion.

[korky1958]

Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

 

I actually like the pickups pretty much, they sound so much different than the Gibson Humbuckers on my Les Paul, (a 75 Custom cherry burst). They do not sound good through a clean amp though, good when overdriven.

 

It's funny, even though I do like them, I keep thinking I can do better for this guitar. This guitar has replaced the LP as my main axe, and I'd like a little more versatility. I'm thinking of replacing them with either the SD Seth Lovers, or the Fralin Zebra PAF's, or if I really want to break the bank, some Throwbaks. What do you guys think?

[backline]

The two humbucker replacement pickups I have come to like a lot are the Gibson Burstbuckers, and the Heritage HRW's.

 

But I should probably mention that after I put Burstbuckers in my Les Paul, I DID go back to the original 490R/498T set. The stock ones seem versatile enough for me.

The others do some things better, but also some things worse. It's always a compromise.

 

I'm not sure one guitar can do it all even with pickup choices, especially if your styles vary a lot.

[cosmikdebriis]

It's funny, even though I do like them, I keep thinking I can do better for this guitar.

 

I think you've just about summed up what some/(most)? of us see as the "problem" with Heritages use of Schaller pickups. They just don't quite seem to "cut the mustard" on a premium guitar. I've always argued they de value the instruments and that SD's as stock with an option would significantly increase the perceived quality of the brand.

 

IMHO of course...

 

Ultimately though, if it became viable, I'd like to see them make their own 8)

[korky1958]

They should work with Throbak, as they are both in Michigan.

[OldCrow]

Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

 

I actually like the pickups pretty much, they sound so much different than the Gibson Humbuckers on my Les Paul, (a 75 Custom cherry burst). They do not sound good through a clean amp though, good when overdriven.

 

It's funny, even though I do like them, I keep thinking I can do better for this guitar. This guitar has replaced the LP as my main axe, and I'd like a little more versatility. I'm thinking of replacing them with either the SD Seth Lovers, or the Fralin Zebra PAF's, or if I really want to break the bank, some Throwbaks. What do you guys think?

 

There are options that are between those two price points. Bare Knuckle Pickups are less than the Throbaks but more expensive than the SD options, and better IMO though I will say I don't have any first hand experience with the Seth Lovers yet.

 

I have a Black Dog which is a hot PAF based pick up in my 150 and it's an awesome pick up, comes in right around 9k with an A5 magnet and it's got this girth that I haven't gotten out of any other pick ups before.

[yoslate]

They should work with Throbak, as they are both in Michigan.

 

They are!  It's my understanding that Jon is providing his Throbacks to The Boys on Parsons Street as a (proprietary?) pick up.  Kind of payback for their cooperation in hooking Jon up with the old winding machine.

[Mikenov]

I agree with Cosmik's opinion that they somewhat devalue a premium guitar. Whenever I look at a used heritage I have to automatickly add on the cost of replacing the schaller hardware and pickups ( if they have them). That puts all but the best bargains pretty close to out of price range.

The hardware, well, I just don't know how to mess with that roller bridge. The pickups I had in my Gold H150 were just weak and bad sounding.

[les paulverizer]

I stand by the SD Antiquity's I've fitted in on my H150.

During a recording session this past weekend, as I was layin' tracks down with that particular guitar, twice the drummer burst into the room; once as I layed down some Super Raunchy Rhythm's and he started yellin' "Ronno, Ronno, Ronno's back!" (he has played with, among a lot of name Rock acts, Michael "Picasso" Ronson) and the second time as I was playin' some delicate clean parts, and he felt compelled to come in and say "nice sound, sweeeeeeet...!"

Apart from him kissin' me on the cheek the first time (I mean, he was good friends with Ronson but wtf...? ???) I was really pleased with the Tones I came up with and frankly, considering the knowledgeable company I kept this past weekend (all Heavyweight Rock People) I'm NOT gonna change neither the guitar nor those pup's! 8)

[cosmikdebriis]

I stand by the SD Antiquity's I've fitted in on my H150.

 

Tones I came up with and frankly, considering the knowledgeable company I kept this past weekend (all Heavyweight Rock People) I'm NOT gonna change neither the guitar nor those pup's! 8)

 

I'm really interested to know, would you say those pups give you the closest to a "genuine" LP sound that you can get? (IYHO) of course :wink:

[les paulverizer]

I'm really interested to know, would you say those pups give you the closest to a "genuine" LP sound that you can get? (IYHO) of course :wink:

 

Yes, I think they are.

All I can say is that these are the pup's that more than any other I've tried bring me in that ballpark, whether extremely clean, raunchy or overdriven...or really overdriven! >

I've tried other pup's but found 'em to be either too weak or just a little too hot, albeit great nevertheless.

The Antiquity's are "just right" and give me "that perfect sound" if you know what I mean...

What I've found is that at first they seem a little subdued, specially if, like me, you come from usin' hot or very hot pup's, but then as soon as you start playin' everything falls into place and they just give you access to all those wonderful Tones we've all heard time and time again.

Simply put I can go from a perfect "Beano" Tone (and I mean 100% there!) all the way to even John Sykes/Ted Nugent, goin' through Koss, Green and Page (and countless others...!)

I've never personally played a guitar fitted with original PAF's but I know people that have or own an original 50's Gibson fitted with those pup's, and what they tell me is veeeeeery similar.

Also, the comments I get, and we're talkin' about people that k-n-o-w what they're talkin' about, when I play my H150 with those pup's I only ever got when I used to play a '54 Les Paul with SD's done just like Jeff's famous "oxblood" Les Paul; that, my friend, tells me something...!

 

BTW, what does IYHO mean...? ???

[SouthpawGuy]

BTW, what does IYHO mean...? ???

 

In your honest opinion ?

[cosmikdebriis]

IMHO... In MY humble opinion...

IYHO... In YOUR humble opinion... :wink:

 

Not that I'm expecting you to be humble of course... ;D

 

The reason I asked was something to do with the 150/7 mimicking the LP.

 

Sometimes, as Heritage owners we try and distance ourselves from our... erm... Heritage with Gibson.

 

However the more I write threads about possible ways of changing and improving the 150/157 the more I've come to realise that trying to be like a Gibson is what it's really all about ???

 

Just to qualify, before I get lynched, I mean the original Gibson (well not the absolute original) design, rather than the modern Gibbon versions. 

 

So... I say... Dump the Schaller pups and hardware and go "All American" (I can't believe as an Englishman I just said that) :angel:

[korky1958]

Well, I took the plunge on Sunday, when one of the pickups I was really looking for came up with a buy it now on e-bay. I eagerly await my Seymore Duncan, Seth Lover 50th Anniversary Pickups, one of only 300 sets made with the Alnico 2 magnets, handwound by someone named Maricella Juarez, (I'm assuming that's good), on the old Gibson Leesona winder. The have 50th Anniversay engraved on the covers, and are signed by Seymore and Seth. I can't wait. I will try and post a picture when I recieve them.

 

;D ;D ;D