Do all H-530's need a shim for the Lollar P90's?

[cbpickinTGP]

I am considering a blonde H530 with curly maple top very seriously right now, but I am not sure if the pickups are high enough.  I can't see it in person, but the salesman did send me some photos.  A good friend of mine recently bought one and had to get the shims from Lollar because the pickups were too far away from the strings.  I also read something similar here from another owner.  Is this standard practice with these, and, if so, why doesn't Heritage just install them at the factory rather than sell a $3k guitar with the pickups so far from the strings?

Any feedback is appreciated.  I am very close to pulling the trigger on this one before it sells to someone else.

 

 

[MartyGrass]

Shims are how you adjust the pickup height.  I will bet most people don't add shims.  If the 530 always came with shims, most wouldn't take them out.  Shims are for fussy people.  Most people adjust the screw heights, which fine tunes things but doesn't raise the magnet and coil.

I use shims to alter the tone and reduce hum.  Some people prefer a lower pickup though.

[Gitfiddler]

I did not realize how fussy I was until I noticed the bridge P90 shims on one of my guitars purchased from MartyGrass. 

Now I don't know how I lived without shims.  ?

[Spectrum13]

When Seth Lover "invented" the humbucker he also invented the height adjustable rings.

 P90 dogears needed the shims as the variations in neck angle and adjustable bridge height/playing action required them.  Better to have shims you can remove or raise than a P90 decked to the body that prevents lowering the action due to strings hitting the plastic.  I believe my custom Prospect P90 was their first and I needed to remove the shims to get the action to taste and clear the pickup. 

[High Flying Bird]

If you get the guitar and feel that you need shims I am sure there are people here that may have some that they could send you free of charge.  I may even have a set.

[cbpickinTGP]

Well, I ordered a beautiful, used blonde H530 from CME today.  I can't wait for it to arrive.  The pics they sent look like it may not need shim after all - definitely not the bridge pickup.

[cbpickinTGP]

[Vanschoyck]

Holy frijole that's nice!

[DetroitBlues]

Shims or pole height adjustments.  

I'd say play it first, see how it sounds then adjust to taste.

[cbpickinTGP]

It ended up needing some pretty significant raising, but not it is all good and sounds right now.  Where the Lollars were left them lacking their full frequency response.  They sounded a little anemic in the midrange, but now they are as they should be.

Of course, the nut slots needed a little work also.  The D and G needed a slight fanning out rather than being completely completely straight.  The D was sticking and going sharp.  It always amazes me when I buy a guitar that is a few years old, and the nut slot issues arse not resolved.  Did the prior owner not play it, or did they just incessantly tune it and get frustrated that it was constantly going out of tune. It is a quick an easy fix for any decent tech. 

[rockabilly69]

On 8/14/2021 at 4:31 PM, cbpickinTGP said:

It ended up needing some pretty significant raising, but not it is all good and sounds right now.  Where the Lollars were left them lacking their full frequency response.  They sounded a little anemic in the midrange, but now they are as they should be.

Of course, the nut slots needed a little work also.  The D and G needed a slight fanning out rather than being completely completely straight.  The D was sticking and going sharp.  It always amazes me when I buy a guitar that is a few years old, and the nut slot issues arse not resolved.  Did the prior owner not play it, or did they just incessantly tune it and get frustrated that it was constantly going out of tune. It is a quick an easy fix for any decent tech. 

Nut got needing fanning out, why don't they cut the nut slots deep enough so the notes don't go sharp at the first fret!