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Back around 2010 Joe and I went to Nashville to visit the Gibson Store. As Heritage owners are want to do, we took photos of us outside of the store with our Heritages. Good times.

Got it back from my amp guy today. Sounds really good. He replaced the reverb tank with a smaller one and relocated it to avoid the hum/buzz. Runs super quiet and well now. Also had him connect the bias adjustment pot to the back panel so i don't have to pull the chassis when re-biasing.

I believe these two korina 137’s were the first two Heritage custom shop guitars!

Wolfetone Legends

Yes, most definitely. The source and the type of Magnet (A2, A3, A4, A5) is 90-95% of the pickup's tone.... BUT.... All A2 magnets are NOT the same. A cheap over sea's magnet is NOT the same as a US sourced, US made to exact specs magnet. Chinese magnets are harsh & brittle sounding and can be all over the place in terms of output. I have paid $80 for a set of USA specific spec'd magnets. I am sure many here will scoff at that, but you get what you pay for...

Stoptail and ABR looks plain wrong on a Jr/Special style guitar, and frankly, I think that pickguard looks goofy! They should follow the contours of the body better. I think the pickguard that forum member Cryoman made for these guitars is the shape that Heritage should go with. Using this kind of pickguard would give Heritage their own identidy/uniqueness. I also think the color is too banana yellow instead of the cooler wheat colored yellow of the vintage Specials. Right now this is a competitive market for Jr/Special style guitars as Gibson USA is making great versions of these for a low price. I think this is a fail.

The ultra-rare Heritage DB-140 double bass!! You can tell by the ever-so-slightly asymmetric headstock scroll and the slightly flattened upper bout to c-bout transition. There were only a couple built, and both (possibly three, depending on who you believe) were handmade by the heretofore silent partner in Heritage, Hymie Manischewitz. A gifted accountant and master luthier, he hand-scraped and tap tuned the front/backs of each of the stand up basses to perfection, carved the necks himself (including headstocks, and even the bridges and, some say, the endpins, but I have never been able to verify this) and did the finishes and buffing himself. Nobody, as far as I know, has ever mentioned if there was a case included, which I have always found odd. Hymie grew up in the Parkview Hills area of K'zoo, graduating from K'zoo Central High in 1952. While he attended Western Mich U, studying Accounting, he worked part time at the (then) Gibson plant, initially as a shop hand (sweeping, emptying trash/waste, etc), before moving in to the office as a junior bookkeeper, and eventually being promoted as a supervisor in the accounting department. What most didn't know, however, was that our man longed to--as he explained it to a mutual friend one time--"actually create something with my hands, not just perform miracles for the front office with my mind." Thus, he started hanging out in the shop after hours. This being the heyday of Gibson guitars, he had plenty of opportunity to get hands-on experience in the actual craft of building an instrument. Over the course of three or four years, he worked on acoustics, he worked on solid bodies, he worked on guitars, basses, banjos. Learning the ins-and-outs of each manufacturing step, he once said, informed his decisions on how to handle various accounting 'tricks.' Whether that's true or not, nobody really knows, other than he allegedly said it. What we do know, though, is that he worked for Gibson in both Accounting and, at least unofficially, in Production for many decades, and he excelled in both arenas. When ol' Gibson decided to abandon Michigan for the warmer climes of the South, Hymie just couldn't stomach the idea of going along. He'd managed to sock away enough money to "retire comfortably" as he mentioned to a fellow patron at Rum Runners one night (if you never caught the dueling pianos at Rum Runners...you really missed out! Did you know that American Idol contestant Matt Giraud used to play there?!), but he really wasn't ready to 'hang it all up' (as he supposedly termed it). Enter the "Fabulous Five" who launched Heritage. Except, they knew they needed someone to cook manage the books. One thing led to another and an offer was extended to Herr Manischewitz. He was totally on board, but his only requirement was, "You have to let me build a few instruments of my own choosing." Agreements were drawn up, signatures were scrawled, and the rest is history. Or, well, history if you know it...is it really history if nobody knows it? Regardless, now you know. In the early 80s, he toiled away by day, balancing the books, doing what he could to make the enterprise profitable. By night? Well, by night, he'd drift down to the workshop and lose himself in his only true passion, sanding on a giant slab of flamed maple. Slowly carving a neck. Turning an end pin out of ebony. I don't know when the HM-built DB-140s were completed, but I do know, for a fact, they were completed. The logs don't record them, nobody knows where they went (until now, because that one in the video is definitely one of them. Ask me how I know...hint: it's not just the headstock and c-bout to upper bout transition). Such a shame he passed away in the early 90s and virtually nobody even knew his story. Have you seen the (one and only) DB-147 with the over-the-top accoutrements? It's incredible! As I understand it, he had some help on the inlays and hand-rubbed French finish (spoiler alert: not going to tell you from whom, but you'll never guess). Anyway, now I'm curious how that dude in the back ended up with one of the rarest stand-up basses ever built and how you even found this video. Also: The fact this video is auf Deutsch amuses me to no end. Love it!

I picked this baby up in Kalamazoo yesterday!! 2013 Heritage H137 KORINA!!! One piece Korina body and neck Rosewood fretboard Lollar p90s Grover Tuners Locking Tonepros hardware Heritage case and case candy CTS pots/mylar caps It has a fat 50s neck. It’s only 7 lbs 3 ozs.

Hello, I'm new to the forum and been enjoying reading the content. I'm gtrjoe1901 on YouTube and I currently have an '08 H137 single P-90 - TV yellow & a '21 Custom Core H150 finished in beautiful dark cherry burst. I am curious how members feel about changing some hardware on the fiddles to make them more like Gibson's? I added a pick guard on the H137 & the person I got the H150 from changed (from original ad) "swapped out the tuners for locking tuners (no drilling) originals included. I also swapped out the truss rod cover and pick guard for a Gibson style (originals included). Thanks for your thoughts & time. My Best ~ Joe

Thin and properly applied poly doesn't sound much different than a properly applied nitrocellulose finish. The difference in finish is far, far more apparent on acoustic guitars where the body and especially the top play an enormous role in the sound of the guitar. The idea that "poly is bad" came the era when it was applied so thickly to guitars you could chip it off with a chisel and get 1/8" flakes of it coming off. Poly has a lot of advantages, the biggest is it doesn't take much time in the factory. Once it is cured, it is stable. Not to mention the solvents and worker exposure. Rickenbacker is using a UV-cured finish currently, very little solvent is used, and it cures in minutes upon exposure to UV light. For the owner, poly doesn't shink, doesn't react with stuff, isn't easily damaged by common chemicals, like alcohol or acetone, and it is quite easy to make minor finish repairs, as it sands and polishes easily. Harder to make deeper repairs, since it is insoluble once cured. All that being said, I like nitro a lot. It feels right and I like the way it sinks into the grain over time, especially on spruce top acoustic guitars. Nitro finishes are very repairable for the experienced luthier with the proper equipment since lacquer can be blended with fresh lacquer to make nearly invisible repairs. Then we can get into the merits of hand-applied varnish finishes...

Hoping to see him rock this Marvbird.

You're basically saying my buddy is full of it, and equating him with so called internet modding experts. The guy I'm talking about is one of the finest players I know, and he is one of the best amp guys I know who's got a killer ear for tuning amps. If I was going to trust anybody's opinion on sound it would be his, not some internet expert. And BTW he didn't do it for a tone change, his guitars had overly thick finishes that he thought would feel better if they were thinned, and they guy that knocked them back did a great job and rebuffed them to a gloss. And as I said, the finish looked, and more importantly felt great when finished. The tone thing was just an added bonus that he wasn't expecting and he didn't say it was a massive improvement. I don't think you have enough practical experience to call this BS. Yes, wood doesn't breathe, but thinner finish can help the wood vibrate more (if the wood isn't just plain dead). On a good piece of wood, thick poly finishes dampen resonance. And many people that call this BS are playing with potted pickups that have zero ability to hear any difference in the improved resonance. I've done quite a few finish experiments. And I've stripped three different guitars of mine with poly finishes, and all three of them looked, felt, and sounded better than when I started. You can keep on believeing what you want about finishes, but I will believe what I've felt, seen, and heard. Gibson has sprayed too many guitars with thick overly plasticized lacquer, and many people I trust, who've thinned them, or better yet, refinned their guitars can hear a difference. And another thing that distinquishes poly and urethane (and even overly plasticized nitro), from a properly shot thin nitro, is that it's way harder to repair finish flaws with poly/urethane/plasticizednitro. Certain finish repair people I know won't work on certain gibsons because of the plastizers That's another reason alot of us prefer a good thin nitro finish.

I hate to say it, but nitro lacquer doesn't allow the wood to "breathe" (the wood is dead anyway..) It's a myth the gets posted on the internet all the time. It's just BS that people say to distinguish it from polyester or urethane coatings that are "plastic". If you're going to sand it down, you better have a good polishing wheel handy to buff it back, unless you want an "old looking" dull finish. Just be careful that you don't sand or buff through the whole finish. According to my dad, I had an uncle who used to polish his black Oldsmobile every week back in the early 50s. After a couple of years, he hit metal on a few spots!

I actually have a close friend with serious musical chops that had a local finish guy knock back the finish on his Gibson 1956 Reissue Les Paul, and on his 1959 Reissue Les Paul. I personally thought it was a mistake when he sent them off. But the guy did a great job on them, and they actually look better, and more importantly, feel better to play (less plastically feeling for lack of a better term.) Both of these guitars have pretty microphonic pickups (Throbaks in both), and he swears the guitars sound more resonant.

This sounds like an easy way to ruin a nice guitar.

Thanks guys, On a whim, I contacted Wolfe guitars. They were pretty sure that they had one but had to search for it. Bingo! It's on it's way back to where it belongs! Thanks for taking the time to assist me in my mission! Tigerpaus

I did get a replacement for my 1960s Gibson ES-345 with a 2022 version. I've now played it enough to have an opinion. First, the Varitone and the stereo features I didn't ever need. Gibson stopped putting them into the ES-345. The new version has a fuller neck than the '60s and is built to be at least as good as the earlier builds. The finish and woods look the same. Thumbs up. The guitar has Phat Cats in it, which really sound fine. I have the original pickups as well, which I haven't tried. The reports on them are generally very positive. I have a fairly recent H-535. The build quality between the two are comparable. Most "the guitar that got away" stories don't have a happy ending. This one does.

In 2005-ish (maybe 2006 or 2007), I picked up at the factory a 150 Goldtop that I custom ordered through a dealer but just wanted to pickup at Heritage. I asked Marv if he would install a poker chip and Gibson LP pickguard that I bought and brought with me on my brand new 150 Goldtop. He said, "We used to install those years ago at Heritage, but due to the lawsuit we don't use/install them anymore". But he was kind enough to do it anyhow, he said to just keep it between us. So now the secret is out.... I think he is safe from litigation.

I have always liked rack stuff. With a pedalboard you have to either tweak with your feet or bend over and tweak. I started using the old Ibanez UE 400 rack FX (all analog!) back in the late 70s or ealy 80s. I have the switches on the floor but can add/subtract stuff by turning around instead of bending over. My Helix is the rack version and even with the Quad Cortex I keep it at waist level and use a floor midi switching system to change FX. I do use the Plethora X5 for really simple gigs where I only need a couple of basic tones. The Hall of Fame reverbs in there are stellar as are the delays

Trailer's for sale or rent - Rooms to let, 50 cents - No phone, no pool, no pets - I ain't got no cigarettes...

It is your guitar. Make the mods you want. Other people's rules don't mean shit.

Where are the videos? Twenty years ago I went to see Les Paul at The Iridium, and on his break, I hung out with him a bit. While we were talking, the girl that I went with told him that I was pretty good guitarist, and surprisingly, he asked me if I wanted to jam, but I didn't have my guitar wth me, and I'm not really a jazzer so I opted not to. I realized later that many rock/blues guitarists have jammed with him, and it went well, so I kinda regret my decision. Another funny thing was, that night he was trying out a new bassist (his regular bass man was sick). The new bassist was quite a good looking girl, and he was making a lot of jokes about why he should hire her full time. It was a fun night.

Why not just buy a Gibson? Not trolling, but what made you get the Heritage instead of the Gibson? My first Heritage was a '98 H150 (I bought used), which was a special dealer order with Seymour Duncan 59's and tune-o-matic tail and bridge (Nashville type) instead of Schaller pups and hardware and jumbo frets. Heritage put some weird value pots in it (basically the same as Norlin era late 70's Les Pauls, 300k and 100k). I played it for almost 20 years like that. Eventually, I had to replace the output jack, so put in the excellent Dimarzio 30% taper pots at the same time (500k and 250k). Much better. Then I put Faber locking ABR bridge and locking lightweight aluminum stopbar. Then I put on a set of Gotoh SG301 locking tuners in place of the heavy Grovers. That shaved a significant weight off the guitar, 8.8lbs now, vs a bit over 9lbs. More balanced and comfortable now. The Faber stuff is great, and is more functional change than stylistic change. Locking hardware and tuners are awesome at string change. Not long ago, I bought a virtually unplayed 2001 H535. It had the typical Schaller hardware and HRW pickups. I liked the Faber stuff so much I put it on the H535, along with a set of Gotoh SG301 tuners. (the Rotomatics had gotten stiff due to lack of use). I put the Faber inserts and bushings in and holy cow, did that ever bring the tone out! I was stunned how much difference that made to the 535. I just refretted it with the same Dunlop 6100 wire too. Turns out it had some of the worst factory fretwork I've ever seen. Explains why it was unplayed so long. But now, it's a forever guitar. I love it, hands down. I've compared it with a Collings I35LC with Throbaks (excellent guitar) and I am totally happy with my 535. I even put a CNC'd nylon nut on it, because they work so much better than bone. I didn't mind the stock Schaller hardware, but I'm much more used to the conventional tune-o-matic when I play. Just more comfortable. I also own a very killer Gibson, a Custom shop 60th anniversary 1960 Les Paul v2. It is a stunner of a Les Paul as well. I know what a great Gibson should be. (where I learned the value of Nylon 6/6 nuts - which were original on all the 'bursts from the 50's and 60's) So I ask, why do you want to change your Heritages? Are you: Correcting something? Changing something for practical purposed? Changing something to suit your playing style as it evolves? Changing something for aesthetic reasons? But I would suggest if you want it to be a Gibson, find the Gibson you want and get that. There are enough, minor, but important differences, that a Heritage isn't and never will be a Gibson. My H150 is never gonna be a Gibson Les Paul, and my H535 is never gonna be a Gibson ES335, but that's OK.

If the reason for changing stuff is just to make it "more like Gibson", the my answer is a resounding "NO". Adding a pickguard to the 137 is good because it serves a purpose. Changing tuners to locking ones serves a purpose. Changing electronics can also serve a purpose. Changing the pickguard to an ugly Gibson style is wrong. I think the Heritage guard is far superior, I like how it flows with the shape of the body. Adding a Poker chip is just pointless. It's a worthless piece of plastic. Maybe in 1952 it let people know that up was for "rhythm" and down for "treble", although to me, that doesn't even make sense. You play rhythm, you don't play treble! Seriously, does anyone even look at a poker chip to decide what setting to use? If I wanted it to look like a Gibson, I could buy a Gibson. I bought a Heritage.

Good to know ~ Thank you!! Yeah, the 150 is stunning, I got real lucky. My Very Best ~ Joe

I love my HOC 137. You did a great job with the specs on this one Josh! (I also love my 120 with the original Bill Lawrence pickup)

I played her today! She's a good one for sure.

FredZepp should sue them for using the likeness of his Centurion headstock.

I liken the Ascent line as similar to the G&L Tribute line. When first introduced, the guitars were labeled as Tribute by G&L. I think it limited the appeal of the guitars. Later, they changed to G&L Tribute Series for the logo and I think it gave the junior line a boost. I think Heritage should have done some thing similar. It would differentiate the guitars from the US line (although it easy enough to tell an Ascent by looking at the back of the headstock). I will say that my Tribute ASAT is an excellent guitar. There's no reason an Ascent guitar can't be an excellent guitar as well. As for the company dying in 2016, I would rather have the company stay alive even if it means change. I've got a guitar that was hand built by an outstanding luthier, Gerard Melancon. Unfortunately, he developed cancer and passed away some years back. The company died that day, no more Melancon guitars... JP has already passed, Jim, Bill and Marv are no longer spring chickens (God love 'em) and deserve some rest. Sometimes you just need to pass things along to the younger generation.

I put my HOC 137 (#004) up for sale a while back, in my attempt to thin my herd of gitfiddles. I'm so weak, that after a couple of weeks, I pulled it OFF the market. That thing has such great tone, and wonderfully full neck, I couldn't bear to let her go.

I bought a gtr with no finish once, it was blowtorched instead to sear it off. Kind of like a steak. Later on I did put a coat of lacquer on it so it handled seasonal changes better.

Small board

I like my 80s era duncan JB on the bridge of my H150 so far... didnt like the gibson 495T and R i put in... regretted buying that set imo these are way overdone compresses way more but the 495R is pretty fat and sweet !! Yet i would wanna slap in an old 80s 59s see how it goes.... I do have a H150 CC too which comes in with their 225 parson pickups which is low output, i pretty much getta hang of it too.... am weary that these humbuckers are relative of what the gibson Custombuckers are offering, but i have not tried side by side comparing the 225 parson pickups vs gibson custombuckers..... are they really same? Or have their each character?

That guitar takes me back to my guitar lessons in the mid 60s at Dee Wells music studio. They had one in the display case for sale (WAY more than we could afford), but seeing that, as well as guys like Johnny Rivers on the cover of his album Live at the Whiskey a Go Go just fired up my first case of guitar lust. You can have your Les Pauls and Strats. That's what a guitar should look like!

I had a great sounding Pearly Gates bridge pup in an H150 once. Maybe the blue one I sold to Detroit Blues?

You're on a tonequest! This may be incurable. SD 59s are decent pickups. Schallers are as well. If I could only have one pickup, it would be Fralin P-92s. That is not to say they are the best. I just like the single coil-like sound. The same is true with the Z-coils from G&L. There are innumerable variables in the signal chain and output. Strings, picks, technique, harness, control settings, cable (maybe), amp and its settings, speakers, position of speakers to the ears, and room or hall environment. Then there are pedals. The electric guitar has been around close to a century. It is funny that one of the great choices in pickups with jazz players is the very old Dearmonds. https://dearmondpickups.com/ If pickups were cheap, I'd like the idea of popping in a different set with string changes. There could be mini-toggle switches to change the circuits internally. Heritage semi-hollows are not so easy to change harnesses on. And pickups are not cheap. And your ears and brain are different than mine. So this could be a terminal journey, worth every step. Enjoy it.

The only multi-effect I've ever owned is a Digitech GNX-4, which I think they discontinued maybe around the time Columbus discovered the New World. Would I say it was awesome? At the time, yeah. It does way more than I've ever bothered to figure out. Have had a ton of fun with it; for my purposes it's been great. But, I think any time you go "all-in-one" you make compromises. The question becomes, "Are you ok with those compromises?"

LOL, they do! Always thought it was weird, but kind of understand it now. I have one very nice guitar, that is so nice, that I get nervous touching it and have OCD to wipe it down every time I get it out for a while. Bought it from a friend who lives in Japan. I'm afraid to take it out anywhere. It's gorgeous and plays like a dream. But a few years ago, was offered a killer deal on a new Gibson 60th anniversary Custom Shop 1960 Les Paul reissue. It came "lightly aged". I have no "first nick" trepidation and pull it out to play with ease. I'll even take it out to a jam or what not. I've always made my own patina, but it seems to take decades. The most "patina" of mine is a 1984 Fender Esprit, and it already had some significant marks when I bought it in 1988.

Agree with spectrum: make them your own. There's some threads here with ppl talking about stuff like that. And nice gtrs, congrats! Gorgeous custom core H150 there!!

It's all good! Make it unique, make it better. I have six with upgraded pots and caps, bridge and tailpiece, pickup rings, truss rod covers, pickups, toggles strap locks. Not once was I banned from this forum. You got a couple of beauties, huba huba on that 150

Maybe my memory is off, but I thought that all the Heritage made pickups were potted. There was the wax potting setup in the pickup winding room. I'm wondering if the squeal is due to the covers rather than the coils themselves. It's easy to test... when it starts to squeal, press on the pickup cover and see if it stops.

That tailpiece is made by ABM Guitar Parts, Division of JOWO GMBH, Wolfener Str. 36 Haus X Berlin, BE 12681 Germany DE. They make a long and short version, you want the long tailpiece in black for a Heritage Johnny Smith. If ABM doesn't have a black tailpiece in stock they will make one for you. Talk to Peter Borowski at ABM. You might find one in stock at a guitar parts supplier. This is old info from November 2018 so things might have changed since then. Fab guitar. Good luck.

Oops those are korina aren't they?

The showcase has been closed for many years. The factory is on Massman, close to the airport, off the Briley Parkway.

I’ve also replaced the 59s in a lot of guitars, but they sound great in my H575 Custom. I usually end up with Lollar Imperials as the replacement.

I will start by observing that there exists, in SE Asia, the ability to manufacture musical instruments to a very high quality. I am not at all espousing a "quality can only be found from American manufacturing" point of view. There is a whole 'business' point of view that should be considered. The original vision of The Heritage guitars was pretty clear. Working instruments for working musicians, patterned after the much-loved originals, built in (what was left of) the original factory, under the guidance of some folks who were involved in the creation, build and sale of those much-loved originals. With the departure of the OG owners/founders of The Heritage, corporate interests have taken the helm. Corporate interests being what they are, profitability and growth become the core of, if not the whole "uber alles" mantra. Having personally espoused, for many years, that 'the only things in nature that experience non-stop growth are kudzu, bamboo and cancer,' I will refrain from expounding further on my thoughts thereof. Suffice to say, I think the current management has a different set of goals than the OG owners/founders did, and their marketing--which translates over to their production choices--reflects that. Nothing wrong with it, it's all just board room decisions and calculated risks. If it were a perfect reality, the OG owners/founders would have continued forever. They would have learned a couple things along the way, like maybe 'pay a little more attention to QC,' and The Heritage would exist in a perpetual Golden Age. But, we don't live in a perfect reality. Otherwise, I'd be typing this from a 60' Viking enclosed bridge anchored off the coast of some uninhabited atoll in the Caribbean. Instead, here I am in the vast wastelands of Michiganistan, questioning my life's decisions. The current stewards of the brand can make whatever decisions they like, and I wish them the best of luck. I'll stick to, ah, pre-loved Heritage guitars.

I haven't heard that expression since high school!!!

There's a few I'd want. 1. My 1968 ES-345 for sentimental reasons 2. Gibson SG custom in walnut (sentimental) (maybe) 3. 1968 Epiphone Howard Roberts 4. 2002 Chestnut or OSB Millenium Eagle 2000