Rock4Rob Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hey Heritage Friends, For those of you who shared kind words and comments on my recent 85' H140 acquisition I wanted to share an update and share some pictures for your review. It was a bit of a saga I had to go through with the original seller. I bought the guitar on eBay (I swear to the guitar God's I'll never buy through eBay again--if anyone of you hears me thinking about buying a guitar from eBay please straighten me out). When the H140 came I posted a few thumbnails on the "I've joined the club!" post. Dropped off the guitar and got the bad news. Luthier "hey man, I got some good news and some bad news, tell me what you want to hear first." Me: "ah, well, of course the good news" Luthier: "man, this guitar rocks--the electronics are amazing--it's all original--all high end. They even have a capacitor so you can roll off volume without loosing high end. Shesh they were doing that in 85'. Gibson started doing that a few years ago. It's a two piece mahogany body that makes this baby sound great with lots of sustain. Well built and looking pretty good for an 85'. Me: That's great. Ok, so what about the bad news?" Luthier: "well, the truss rod is severely bowed -- about +.034 @ the 7th fret. You've got multiple uneven frets. The nut is worn down. So to get it back to playability we need to level the frets, crown and polish them. Plus replace the nut. So that's gonna set you back about $220" Me: "bleep" You get the picture. I won't tell you all the stuff I had to go through with the seller to get him to a partial refund to help cover the repair. I felt he was hiding the problems to pawn them off to me. In the end, he paid half, and I went ahead and did the work. Glad I did cause this guitar plays like a dream and the sound. Well, you Heritage guys and gals already know what great instruments theses are. So it's back in my possession and I'm relieved and happy. Here's some pictures. Hope they upload and you all can see. Feel free to share comments like -- dude never buy a guitar from eBay again to, next guitar you want to buy check with us first! Cheers, and happy playing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millennium Maestro Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 You have a very special guitar there. I dont question what techs say but most guitars will require a little tweaking of the truss and a leveling of the frets to get the most out of the guitars playability. There are some good sellers on ebay and of course some sellers that think they know guitars and are obviously incapable of accurate descriptions. Enjoy your rare hottie, play the crap out of her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock4Rob Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Thanks Millennium Maestro I will and I guess you're right. I don't questions the techs. They know what they're doing. And Bobbie is amazing. The best money I spent in a long time. I just wish the seller was a gentleman rather than -- well, I won't say anything. The axe is amazing. And what's crazy is Heritage were doing things in 85' that Gibson is now doing. I'm a proud Heritage owner and this baby just lock and load and screams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 While it's difficult to tell, it appears to be all mahogany, even the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock4Rob Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Thanks Detroit Blues. I think you're right because the wood grain on the top matches what I'm seeing on the bottom--or pretty close. It doesn't look like it has a maple top. But you guys are the experts. I'm a newbie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conneazoo Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I'll echo that not all eBay sellers are bad. I've purchased a few guitars from eBay (including my H150) and have been satisfied with them. Of course I did my due diligence, even asking for specific pictures on one of them. Your 140 is cool as hell. I hope you play it in good health for years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock4Rob Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Conneazoo while all eBayers are not bad (agreed) some need a course on transparent disclosure. But I've learned I need to do a better job of do due diligence before I buy next time. It's all experience. Thanks for the kind words about the H140. It is a great axe. I'm now itching to add a Prospect in my collection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockabilly69 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Glad you got it sorted, enjoy your Heritage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitfiddler Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 140M = 140 Mahogany. That is a rare bird! I bet it sings. Play it in good health, and welcome to the HOC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredZepp Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 A good investment into a quality instrument. It probably could have been made to play ok for less money, but it's worth it to really get them set up correctly so that they play at their best... I've done a set up on most every guitar I've bought, to get them to play like I like. The H-140 is the first model made by Heritage and the early ones have a distinct look... due to the mahogany top. We've seen some early prototypes made in 1984 ( before the company was even incorporated ) and they share this look. Here is one at the Parsons Street plant on display as their earliest prototype... and your 1985 H-140M.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitfiddler Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Great archive photo, Fred. Even the prototype serial number 'P' appears to be something new to the inscriber. It looks like they made a few ill-attempts to scratch it onto the headstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock4Rob Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks FredZepp for the amazing archival photo you posted and the background on the H140M. I wasn't aware they were making prototypes of them in 84' Weird--but my tuners look exactly like the prototype you posted--even the aged look. I'm beginning to understand I've stumbled upon a rare find as Gitfiddler said. Who'd thunk coming from a newbie! Glad to be part of a great community too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock4Rob Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Glad you got it sorted, enjoy your Heritage! Thanks--I'm glad it's all sorted too. A great learning experience to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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