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Showing content with the highest reputation since 02/19/24 in all areas

  1. I attended the Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival on March 2. I wandered into a performance room and was surprised to see and an acoustic Heritage 12 string guitar. I couldn't get a closer picture of it during the performance. I did see the owner as he was leaving the festival and told me it was custom made in 1986.
    7 points
  2. Venerable and Stalwart Heritage Owners, Am straggling in with my contribution: a "C", 1986 Golden Eagle, the 38th they made. Bought it about a year ago from Dan Keller, of Kansas. It's not in mint condition, having a few minor dings and I'm thinking there's a slight twist to the neck that needs a luthier's TLC, but overall in wonderful condition given it's age. X-braced. It has a handwound Kent Armstrong floating humbucker. The neck is a bit thick for my hand, and am struggling with whether to sell, as it's the nicest guitar I'll ever own. I found where this guitar had been posted on Reverb five years ago, but have no other knowledge of it's provenance. Dan said that he owns the first Kalamazoo Award, and that the Golden Eagle was meant to be Heritage's take on that. I'm 70, and have been playing since 10. Got as far as a garage band playing an SG Special through a Marshall stack in the early 70s. But got off drugs, and sold that gear before college and raising a family. For many years just banged on a Seagull acoustic and howled at the moon to folk and the cowboy songs that Dad used to sing us to sleep by. Around 2016 decided to take guitar playing more seriously. Took jazz lessons and purchased a 575. Wanted something with better acoustical sound, and meandered a bit before lucking into this Golden. Have since bought a 1999 Eagle Custom, my fave with a neck that makes my fretting hand smile more than the Golden's. Even with my geezer's hearing, the Golden sounds better, though. You might see this Golden posted for sale here sometime this year, after my luthier works whatever magic it needs. Well, thank you for all your contributions to this site. Your collective wisdom has educated and guided me. I believe this is my first time posting to the HoC, though I joined 6-7 years ago prior to purchasing the 575. Best, Latham
    6 points
  3. My entry for Throwback Thursday (Friday) is my very first Heritage. It was love at first sight and still takes my breath away when I open her case. This 31 year old 1993 Golden Eagle has aged nicely and sounds better each year.
    5 points
  4. I got this quite a while ago and sold it to a fellow HOC'r and friend years ago, and now I bought it back. This was built for Vince Lewis. Looks good, sounds good, plays good.
    5 points
  5. My experience is Market. Usually not making a lot on them. Most don't appreciate or know what goes into these.
    5 points
  6. G serial number. My first Heritage, bought new in 1990.
    4 points
  7. The guitar arrived yesterday. Shipping went from California to Michigan, but timing was right to avoid great temperature changes. The packing was excellent. It came in a large Reverb box. I owned this guitar once upon a time. I forgot how 3D the figuring is and how it really pops out. I also like how the maple back and neck are the same color. The mahogany color shift on a natural maple body is fine on other guitars. But the white (now yellowing) continuity from top to bottom is appealing. The action is ridiculously low without buzzing. Let's shift to shipping. This was $190 UPS ground. The UPS man told me how costs are going up. I'm sure part of it, probably a large part, is due to personnel. Another component is the cost of diesel. One barrel of crude oil only produces about 11-12 gallons of diesel, compared to 19-20 gallons of gasoline. Insurance costs may also be higher. I have a similar vintage H-555 that shows what Floyd Newton could do to create a tri-burst. The transitions in coloring and the symmetry are an artist's work. My observations over the years are that the old Heritage was very flexible in custom makes. Sometimes the quality was uneven, but usually they were great. Today there is more consistency in good quality but less flexibility in design. Yes, you can get custom builds but not so whimsically anymore. And guitars are expensive.
    4 points
  8. The one I wish I never sold.
    4 points
  9. This is my oldest one. D….serial no. Share your oldest Heritage.
    3 points
  10. I play George Benson's "Affirmation" with Heritage guitar. If you have time,please listen to it. Thank you.
    3 points
  11. I bought a Zinky Blue velvet at the Orlando guitar show! had it about a month, really like it! Both channels are easy to use and really rich, great reverb, oh.. and for 25 watts is incredibly loud! good thing it has a master volume!
    3 points
  12. 1996 ('M' serial#) H535. It ain't going nowhere!
    3 points
  13. It depends on how you define "oldest". This is my first (2003), the longest by possession. This is my "oldest" (1987) by manufacturing date.
    3 points
  14. Hi,I play On green dolphin street with Heritage Sweet16 If you have time, please listen to it. Thanks.
    3 points
  15. That is the result of not wax potting a pickup, they are sensitive to being tapped with a pick or when the switch is flipped or can make a signal from being talked loudly into and the vibrations associated with that. I don’t have potted pickups in any guitar and they all do this. The pickups vary from Wolfetone Legends in an Eastman, original P90s in a ‘57 ES225 to Tyson Tonelab P90s in an H150, and Throbak P90s in a Tokai Special. The best part of the times we live in are the guitars and accessories that go with them. We are living in an era with some of the best guitars ever built, some of the best hardware, best pickups and on and on. I’ve had the good fortune to play quite a few vintage guitars in my life. Some were worth peanuts at the time and I didn’t buy them, if only I could see the future. I never bought a double cut JR but played so many in stores when they were a cheap guitar. I just played an Eastman SB55dc and it was every bit as good as any 58-60 I’ve ever had my hands on. The magic in all these guitars is a good piece of wood, hardware, pickup and good craftsmanship. All of that is plentiful currently. I was just in Rudy’s Music in NYC and they had a ‘59 Jr. for a mere $27k. What?! For me the vintage market is no longer about superior tone, it is only about coolness and history. If I was rich I would buy as many as possible but I’m not and it isn’t an issue because I can literally buy a new or used newer guitar at does it just as well.
    3 points
  16. Seriously: sometimes I'm embarrassed to tell people I play gtr, with all of this ridiculous bullshit going on.
    3 points
  17. As I recall the pups are Schallers, not HRWs. They sounded good enough to leave them alone.
    3 points
  18. 3 points
  19. I guess the secret's out a little bit more now: entertaining vid. And a glorious sounding amp. Wish they'd shown the back though: a stunning array of tubes in there. RIP Gar Gillies. A true genius who designed his own unique & cool circuits. He called me on the phone once. "Hi, this is Gar". It blew my mind!
    2 points
  20. When I got my H150 it came with Duncan 59s, love them in that and I generally prefer lollar imperials. They are not as vintage correct as imperials but god do they match well with the 150. I’m privileged enough to work in a higher end guitar shop so have tried many Lollar, throback and other such pickups as well as original PAF’s. All the modern boutique repros have their own character and capture one or a couple of aspects of the original. But I’ve found it is highly dependent on the guitar. I’ve heard the same set of throbacks sound great in one guitar and awful in another. Guess you just need to find the right pairing.
    2 points
  21. https://www.flickr.com/photos/143867696@N04/53584514234/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/143867696@N04/53583325507/in/dateposted-public/ my estimated 89/90 H535, puts some vintage 335’s I’ve played to shame.
    2 points
  22. I agree with the Lollar Imperial Low Winds. This may be a shocker, but I also do like the Schallers. I'd happily swap them out if I didn't. I also think it was clever to be able to tilt the pickup for subtle tone changes.
    2 points
  23. "W" 2006. SN ends in "01". First one completed that day. Cover says "H150 Classic dark alm sb up charge"
    2 points
  24. Guitar→TS-9(as preamp)→headphone amp(as mixing console)→Tube audio amp→Speaker Very cheap system,,,
    2 points
  25. My “E” serial H-140. (Needs a fret dressing).
    2 points
  26. I asked the gentleman the same question. He told me absolutely not. He saw every stage of the build. The body and neck were built on Parsons street.
    2 points
  27. Yours are beautiful custom gits. My Y2k Millie doesn't have a rear access panel either, but does have F-holes for limited access to electronics.
    2 points
  28. Is Heritage making the 225 Parson Street Pickups in house or are they being imported ?
    2 points
  29. They are A3 magnets so LOW output, brighter, clear, very tight low end, not a lot of harmonics, almost brittle until overdriven to get the harmonic distortion. I think if Heritage would have used A2s in the bridge, it would have been a very nice combo of clarity A3s neck pup and the push & mids of an A2 bridge pup. Since they both have A3 (just like the Gibson Custom Shop CustomBuckers), I found myself wanting just a "little more of everything" so I put a pair of Throbak SLE-101s (A2s in Neck & Bridge) in my Custom Core and BOOM... I got the tone I wanted. I also have a set of the A3 CustomBuckers in '62 335 Custom Shop Reissue and they sound just like the Parson Street pups. So, the A3 CustomBuckers and Parson St pups are popular, they just aren't my cup of tea. I need to get some Throbaks for the 335 and sell both the CB pups and the Parson St pups. YMMV
    2 points
  30. Here's the process. You first find the ideal guitar. Next, you search for the optimal pickups. Once successful, you focus on the right strings. Then it's onward to the amp. Finally you can concentrate on the pedals. Then you're dead. The whole time the technology keeps changing and guitar pundits tell you why you're wrong about every opinion you have. And in those last breaths you remember why you picked up that first guitar and smile.
    2 points
  31. For about $750 less you can skip the fancy case and get a padded envelope with a set of Wolfetone pickups in it and start ripping it up. Also if you don’t like the A4 sound you can re-authenticate them with a set of rough cast A5, 2, 3 or 8 magnets from Philadelphia Luthier for $7.95. I assure you these magnets were scientifically analyzed. Most people would benefit more from the Wolfetones and spend the $750 on guitar lessons.
    2 points
  32. I've had a Line 6 PODxt for years, and have used it for recording bass, but I never really liked it for recording guitar. I've also got an RP355 but I found it way too complex to set up, and didn't like the sounds. For the past several months, I've been getting together with two guys from our band back in '75. The drummer has a nice setup with his drum miked but direct in for guitar, bass and vocals. He records things on his Zoom H6. The Line6 was "ok" but a pain to make changes on the fly, and was noisy as all hell when I plugged my pedalboard into it. So it's been just plain guitar through a Fender Deluxe model on the Line6. There's a guy out in Salt Lake City that has been using his Iridium for several album releases on Soundcloud. He's done some amazing work with his. That started me looking at options, like the Dream 65, the ToneX and the Iridium. Last weekend, a local fellow on Facebook Marketplace had listed an Iridium for a good price, so we met up the other morning at the golf course and did the deal. I'm impressed. The only thing it really doesn't have is a true reverb, but adding the "room" sound seems to add just enough ambience to make it not sound flat. I spent about an hour with the Millennium and the 525 today. I think I'll be revamping my pedal board to include the Strymon. Then if I need to play through an amp, I can just bypass the pedal. Now, I just need to figure out settings that work best for me, but I'm liking it so far.
    2 points
  33. Pete Marino (RIP) told me the factory filled up the back of his pickup truck with them and asked him to deliver them to the dump. From what I understand less them 1/2 made it to the dump.
    2 points
  34. Dave, I heard that was very true in the early days. They used 2, 3, 4 and 5, but by 58, I think they had pretty much settled on #2 or #5, but as you said, whichever was available. That's how the white vs black bobbin deal came into being. But that is what I (and apparently others) find so strange of how they are being touted. "Using a combination of 3D scanning, scientific analysis, reverse engineering of original examples from the late 1950s, and specifications from the Gibson archives, the Gibson Pickup Shop has developed the most accurate recreations of these acclaimed pickups ever made, right down to the tool marks on the baseplates. " How much analysis and reverse engineering does it take to wind some wire on a bobbin (which, by the way, didn't have a counter on it) until it's almost full, and to stamp out some nickel silver baseplates and screw the things together. They certainly weren't "boutique" builds, hand wound and assembled by magical elves in the dark recesses of Parsons Street. It would be different if they were made like some of the slot car motors we had years ago. They might be hand wound with 38 turns of #27 gauge wire, precisely laid side by side on each pole for one class, then carefully polished and balanced. But nobody is going to precisely win 5000 turns of #42 wire on a bobbin by hand.
    2 points
  35. What do you mean not for profit? The run of 1000 sold out immediately, I bet that was a pretty profit! That said, for the big money (still less than a $1000) I would rather go with Throbak.
    2 points
  36. I also like some DiMarzio pickups (biased though as I'm endorsed by them for acoustic pickups). I recently put a set of Twang Kings in one of new Tele builds... and I also put a PAF-59 and a Super Distortion in the bridge of my Telecaster Deluxe. As for Duncans I have a set of custom Shop Peter Green pickups in my Tobacco Burst H150... and a Billy Gibbons BG1400 in another one of my Tele builds...
    2 points
  37. I would like to have the neck shaved on my 1954 Les Paul reissue. And while they're at it, they can strip off the heavy Gibson finish, and replace it with thin non-plasticized nitro. In this one case, if they did that, I would even like a little relic, because I love when Goldtops check and go green, and it would take years for mine to do that, as I only record with it. If I want two P90s live though, I play my USA LP Special or my Historic SG Special. Both of them have great sized necks with the SG being my favorite neck of the three, it's the smallest, but the LP Special and the R4 have bigger tone than the SG. and the USA Special has the biggest neck of any USA Gibson I've played. Not as big as the R4, but still pretty big. The beast... [img]https://i.imgur.com/SkdvUAu.jpg[/img]
    2 points
  38. If you can find a used set of JS Moore PAF's I highly recommend them. To my ears, they are on par with Throbaks at a fraction of the price. I don't know if he is still winding or not, but it's worth in. I'm also very partial to Wolfetone pickups. I have a used set of Bare Knuckle Mules in my 150. I was thinking of swapping them out, so I'll be putting them up for sale. Let me know if you’re interested. If you want really clear pickups and you don't mind something unorthodox, look into Lace Alumitones. I have a set in my other 150 and I absolutely love them. I put a set of flat nickel covers on them with double stick tape to match the rest of the hardware.
    2 points
  39. In my experience the stout C that's over .90 at the first fret is not on a large % of 50's Gibson guitars. Some '58's have it, and other years you see it pop up too but it's definitely not the majority or anything like that. My last Gribbons had the "Carmelita" profile and that neck was nice, close to my '64 335. I think it's just this "boutique=huge" thing that people are looking for, sadly. Good news is you can take wood away quite easily....adding it on is another story!
    2 points
  40. That makes perfect sense since when Ed Wilson set the specs on the Custom Core, he was obviously targeting the much coveted "59 LP". Of course, the 59s were all hand rolled, so they would have varied, just as the old Heritage guitars did. Roll it, put the template on it, and if it's close, move on to smoothing and finishing. You probably had at least a half dozen different people carving necks over the course of a year or 2. I'll also bet Gibson rarely threw out a neck in the 50s because it was a bit too thin. It was a business and throwing away necks costs $$$. They weren't making "boutique" high dollar guitars.
    2 points
  41. I haven’t posted anything here in some time, but have been a member for years. Over the last three decades I’ve owned nine or ten Heritage guitars, and they’ve all been stellar. I gigged a dark burst 535 for years, but it was a tad over 8lbs, and I’m now in my early 60’s, with a back that isn’t what it used to be. I sold that 3 or 4 years ago, and immediately started looking for a replacement. I found a gorgeous blonde 535 that is just over 7lbs. I gig frequently in the Daytona Beach area with both a Blues and a cover band, so the 535 gets plenty of stage time. My last 535 had HRW pickups, which I loved and hated to give up. However, the Seth Lovers in my blonde one are equally excellent.
    2 points
  42. Owning two Heritage custom builds for Vince Lewis is awesome! What a great musician and early fan of old school Heritage. Vince Margol took a chance on saving Heritage by investing in and helping breathe new life into the business end of the then, struggling company. He and I spoke a couple of times by phone about his plans for Heritage, as well as a finish issue I had with my H535 goldtop. He agreed to have it refinished...at no cost to me! I greatly respected his risk taking with Heritage during their 'golden age'.
    2 points
  43. My first Heritage. Sent back to Heritage for a self-inflicted wound. Had them install HRWs and DVIP. Repair was flawless. Jack did it.
    2 points
  44. or frustration LOL
    1 point
  45. Heritage had a great way of stopping the static buildup.... wooden pickguards. My 157 never had any issue.
    1 point
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