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Hypothetical Heritage Museum


DetroitBlues

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If you were the Curator, what pieces of Heritage History would put in the museum?

I would think to start, would be examples of what Marv, Jim, and Bill produced when Gibson was there.

Then move onto their very first models, such as a H140 all mahogany.

There are so many crazy models from the 80's through the 90's that just don't exist any more.  STAT, Parson Street, Terminator, Exterminator, etc.

Some pieces though, such as my old 1985 H140 and Fred's Centurion would be pieces that should be showcased.

It would be fun to see the old acoustic instruments.... Flattops, banjo's, mandolins.

Plus some of the amps.

I couldn't imagine where we'd find all these models, but there is so much history that is sadly being forgotten.

If you had a Heritage or Kalamazoo made guitar in your collection that should be in the museum, post a picture of it.

Or comment on what you'd like to see. 

    

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In my opinion any decent "Heritage" museum would need to contain the following:

 

- At least one example of every Heritage production model that's ever been made.

- A rotating "custom order" exhibit featuring a large collection of unique custom builds and or employee builds. Perhaps they could entice folks to lend their guitars by offering a lender model of anything in the current production line for the duration of the loan.

- An amps and oddities collection showcasing any non-build related Heritage related things, items such as  Heritage- Amps, Posters, Catalogs, T-shirts, HRW pick ups, Pickguards,  Folk art made of guitar parts, Ect. 

- A photo museum of pictures taken at 225 during the "Heritage years", it'd be cool if they could find pics of every long term employee that's worked there as well.

 

 

an exclusive Marvbird (Birds built between 2008-2015) exhibit would be cool!

weeTJyc.jpg

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The Leon Rhodes that I now own and love dearly......

 

DSC_0002.thumb.jpg.910933eefb2527c05da709156bc63393.jpg

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Old Thread

H150 vs H140

By Ridgeback,  October 17, 2010 in Heritage Guitars 

 

Ridgeback     0

I am no where near a Heritage dealer. Can someone give me the basic skinny on the differences between the 140 and the 150?

 

FredZepp     289

FredZepp

The H-140 is 1 5/8" thick , where the H-150 is 2' thick at the rim and is 1/2" wider. 

 

And the 140 usually has dots on the fretboard, where the 150 will have traps.

 

The older (1st edition) 140 is a different shape... but the current 140's are very similar to the 150 shape. 

 

The 140 gives you a slightly lighter and easier to handle version of the 150 , with similar tone.

 

cod65     0

the basic skinny is the 140 is skinny.

 

pcovers     0

I've had both. Eyes closed, I think the only difference in tone was primarily due to the difference of pickups. I prefer the 140 for the minimally smaller width and depth. It is just an easier guitar to hold. It is lighter, but not significantly. Still a very solid feeling mahogany/maple LP'ish guitar. I really like soft cutaway version of the H140, which does look almost identical to an H150 from the front.

 

My H140

 

IMAG0079.jpg

 

Bottom line is that you can't go wrong with either.

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Thinline is an old Gibson term typically referring to a hollow or semi-hollow body guitar that is 'thinner' than the typical (roughly) 3" body width.  Gibson was one of the first to use the term, but Fender later used it to describe one of their Tele models.  But ya'll get the point. 

The term thinline had little or nothing to do with the width of Heritage H-140's.  Now if you want to start discussing my favorite Heritage 'thinline' H525's, I might jump in. :rolleyes:

 

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5 hours ago, High Flying Bird said:

225 Parsons was a museum until it was sold to the current owners. 

A bit of a museum, bit of a time-capsule, and a whole lot of messy tinderbox.

More like an Egyptian tomb buried in sand.  You'll have to dig out decades of dust and debris to find historical pieces in the factory.

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49 minutes ago, DetroitBlues said:

A bit of a museum, bit of a time-capsule, and a whole lot of messy tinderbox.

More like an Egyptian tomb buried in sand.  You'll have to dig out decades of dust and debris to find historical pieces in the factory.

That tinderbox was a thousand times cooler than the dentist office that it is now!

Looking back I can recall taking about a half a dozen friends or so to the factory for the tour during the golden years. All of them inevitably ended up buying or ordering themselves a Heritage guitar shortly after.

Like I posted recently, I haven't been there in over 2 years, nor do I regularly speak with anybody who still works there.  I haven't bought myself a new or used Heritage guitar in just as many years, nor do I notice very many other people around here buying them either.

Coincidence?

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19 minutes ago, Polo said:

Like I posted recently, I haven't been there in over 2 years, nor do I regularly speak with anybody who still works there.  I haven't bought myself a new or used Heritage guitar in just as many years, nor do I notice very many other people around here buying them either.

Coincidence?

Not at all.

A classic example of cause and effect.

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37 minutes ago, Polo said:

That tinderbox was a thousand times cooler than the dentist office that it is now!

Looking back I can recall taking about a half a dozen friends or so to the factory for the tour during the golden years. All of them inevitably ended up buying or ordering themselves a Heritage guitar shortly after.

Like I posted recently, I haven't been there in over 2 years, nor do I regularly speak with anybody who still works there.  I haven't bought myself a new or used Heritage guitar in just as many years, nor do I notice very many other people around here buying them either.

Coincidence?

You're right.  Its not the same.  Average quality and build methods have improved.  

Opinions may have changed of the factory and owners, but I suspect not because they cleaned up the shop.

I think it has more to do with the once inspiring mass hiring that later turned into the subsequent mass layoff heartbreak. 

I believe fewer of us buying new Heritages because of company policy changes rather than a clean and healthy work environment. (Anyone in manufacturing can tell you, nearly all the changes were absolutely necessary for the safety and well-being of the employees).

Myself, I'd love to buy a new Heritage, but with a H150 and H535 in my stable, there really isn't a model they make now I just gotta have.

I really like the Harmony's they make now, but I'll just wait a few years for used ones to hit the market as I really don't need anymore guitars right now (No, I'm not sick.  I just have too many other obligations my money is being redirected to from the guitar slush-fund).

 

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1 hour ago, DetroitBlues said:

(Anyone in manufacturing can tell you, nearly all the changes were absolutely necessary for the safety and well-being of the employees).

 

You can install industrial grade air filtration & dust control systems in old buildings, happens every day in cities across the country. 

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3 hours ago, DetroitBlues said:

You're right.  Its not the same.  Average quality and build methods have improved.  

Opinions may have changed of the factory and owners, but I suspect not because they cleaned up the shop.

I think it has more to do with the once inspiring mass hiring that later turned into the subsequent mass layoff heartbreak. 

I believe fewer of us buying new Heritages because of company policy changes rather than a clean and healthy work environment. (Anyone in manufacturing can tell you, nearly all the changes were absolutely necessary for the safety and well-being of the employees).

Myself, I'd love to buy a new Heritage, but with a H150 and H535 in my stable, there really isn't a model they make now I just gotta have.

I really like the Harmony's they make now, but I'll just wait a few years for used ones to hit the market as I really don't need anymore guitars right now (No, I'm not sick.  I just have too many other obligations my money is being redirected to from the guitar slush-fund).

 

 

As always, you've done a wonderful job providing a well thought out and rational response to an admittedly romanticized view of the "golden era".

The brass at Heritage should truly consider hiring you as a kind of "Mark Agnesi" of brand ambassador. They need one, desperately!

I'm totally serious.

 

 

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16 hours ago, DetroitBlues said:

They are thinner, I’m just saying there isn’t a special 140 called a thinline.  They are all thin instead of weight relieved.

Yes indeed. The H-140 body wasn't as wide at the H-150 also. 12.5 inches. 

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Back to the topic. For a true Heritage Museum there should be one of each model they made. IMHO

Probably impossible but it would be nice.

Marv told me one time that when they first started Heritage they tried everything to see if it would stick.

Obviously Corporate Heritage took the top selling models and made them the Standard series. Makes business sense.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/19981201071755/http://www.heritageguitar.com/company/model_history.htm

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1 hour ago, Polo said:

 

As always, you've done a wonderful job providing a well thought out and rational response to an admittedly romanticized view of the "golden era".

The brass at Heritage should truly consider hiring you as a kind of "Mark Agnesi" of brand ambassador. They need one, desperately!

I'm totally serious.

 

 

As much as I'd love to entertain that idea, they couldn't afford me.

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8 hours ago, Polo said:

That tinderbox was a thousand times cooler than the dentist office that it is now!

Like I posted recently, I haven't been there in over 2 years, nor do I regularly speak with anybody who still works there.  I haven't bought myself a new or used Heritage guitar in just as many years, nor do I notice very many other people around here buying them either.

 

That's a shame. A plain shame (as Frampton would say). And I'd get my teeth cleaned at that dentist office any day of the week. It's very impressive what they have done there. But of course you wouldn't know, since you've chosen to stay away!

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