Random questions (related to learning about my 1984 H-140)

[VickyFl]

For those that aren't already well aware, from my first post "Value of my guitar?", I need to tell you I'm a newbie. Both here and in ALL things guitar. In my quest to learn more about what makes my guitar tick so to speak, and in my attempt to gain more guitar knowledge in general, I already have a question. 

(For the record... before I ask questions here I have likely already Googled extensively. Obviously I struck out because here I am. Heh) 

I wanted to learn more about the Schaller humbucker bridge. I Googled that and then clicked on the video. One of the first things outta the guys mouth is "this Schaller Hannes bridge..... " So, next thing I know I've spent almost 40 minutes Googling as I try to find out the difference. Lol I can see from the images they look different, but beyond that I found nothing that tells me if there is a difference and what that may be. I assume there is because otherwise why aren't they still calling it a humbucker. Are they different in how they work, or what they do? I really don't desire specific info on the Hannes if they are different, (unless you think it's important to my general knowledge) but if they are different what makes a humbucker a humbucker? 

[DetroitBlues]

If you already know the anatomy of guitar parts, please excuse my simple answers...

there are multiple parts on your guitar made by Schaller.

First you have the pickups.  These are magnets surrounded by copper wire and pole pieces.  In Heritage guitars, there are usually 2 larger pickups called Humbuckers.

The one closest to the fretboard is referred at the neck pickup or neck humbucker.

The metal part the strings rest across is the bridge.

The closest pickup to the is called the bridge pickup or bridge humbucker.

On your guitar, you have Humbuckers made by Schaller and a bridge by Schaller.  Often known as a Schaller rolling bridge.

Finally, you have a Schaller Tailpiece on some models the holds the end of the strings on solid or semi-hollow guitars.

https://schaller.info/en/bridges/328/stm?c=52
 

 

 

[bobmeyrick]

I think you may be confusing a couple of things here.

As DetroitBlues says, the term "humbucker" refers to a type of pickup. A simple electric guitar pickup is a single coil of wire wrapped around a magnet. The vibrating steel strings cause a change in the magnetic field which causes a small electric current to flow in the coil. This tiny current is fed to the amplifier which makes it large enough to drive the loudspeaker.

Single coil pickups can be found on Fender guitars like the Stratocaster and Telecaster. While they work well, there is a problem. Electrical equipment often as stray magnetic fields associated with it, and the coil of wire in the pickup will be affected by these magnetic fields, causing a hum with a frequency of 60Hz (50Hz in the UK). "Hz" is the symbol for "hertz", the unit for vibrations per second. The bottom "E" string on a guitar has a frequency of about 80Hz.

A humbucker pickup has two coils, wired in such a way that the hum picked up by one coil is (mostly) cancelled out by the hum from the other coil. On your guitar the pickups don't have a metal cover, so you can see the two black coils side by side. The position of the pickup affects the tone - the one by the neck will be more mellow with more bass, while the one by the bridge will be brighter with more treble.

As for the "Hannes" bridge, this is a new design from Schaller, different from the ones usually found on Heritage guitars. It isn't a pickup - as DetroitBlues says, it's a support for the strings on the body of the guitar. I think the confusion arose with the term "bridge humbucker", which just means the humbucker next to the bridge. You can see the full range of Schaller bridges here - https://schaller.info/en/bridges/?o=1&p=1

The picture in DetroitBlues' post is the STM bridge fitted to older Heritages (though not yours), while the GTM is the "Nashville" style found on newer guitars (and on yours). Hope that helps.

This is the Hannes bridge...

[VickyFl]

Bobmeyrick - Bingo! There was definitely confusion going on. "Schaller Humbucker Bridge"... I'm sure thats probably exactly where things went wrong for me. I know the pickups and the bridge, but then I got the humbucker part in the mix and it went south! Quickly. Ha

Thank you for explaining the two coil part of it. This would explain why when I Googled "guitars with 4 pickups" a few days ago (because visually that's what I thought I was seeing, as embarrassing as that is to admit now lol) that it didn't yield the results I expected. You can probably imagine! It was also helpful to know the pic that DetroitBlues showed me has the same double coil as mine, just with a cover. I'm sure it's second nature to all of you here, but it's kind of like opening the hood of 2 totally different cars from 30 years apart and expecting an Amish person, who's never driven a car in their life, to recognize its really all the same stuff. You know what I mean? 

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to explain all of this in such detail. It helped immensely! 

I will also be adding "GTM bridge Nashville style" to the list of things I've learned about my guitar. I will now be going to Google that as well. Lol

Thank you again! 

[bobmeyrick]

VickyFl, you're welcome. I seem to remember reading an interview with Jeff Beck where he said that when he first got an electric guitar he didn't realise you needed to plug it into an amplifier, he thought you might just plug it into the mains supply. Luckily for us (and rock music!) he didn't...

The great thing about this forum is that the folks here will try to answer questions, no matter how silly they may seem,  as we've all been there to some extent.

We look forward to hearing about your adventures with your Heritage H140!

[VickyFl]

Bobmeyrick - Thank you. I can assure you I will remind myself of what you just told me about Jeff Beck when I'm feeling embarrassed about my lack of knowledge. (Tho I did know that one. Lol)

I can also assure you there will most definitely be adventures involving me and this guitar. I feel like it's already been a huge adventure just learning about it, along with its history. It's been a wonderful ride so far and I fully expect it to get even better!