DetroitBlues

That's it?

So how's the rocking chair on the front porch?

Love to see real player wear on a guitar. She's a stunner.

That's a good question. I always assumed the Roy Clark was a single cut version of a 555., particularly when I see a full stop-bar tailpiece. Having never seen one other than the prototype, let alone play one, its hard to say what its made out of. For some reason, I'm thinking its a block of maple.

Those old gals sure age nicely. Wonder if they ever made any with beefy necks?

There was a little build up on the back side of the nut. I was able to fix it.

That guitar through a Marshall or a Marshall-esq amp sounds so good. I didn't even realize until a week after the gigs, I had my effects loop turned off. No delay, no reverb. Just wah, compressor, OD pedals.

Yes, thanks again Brent. While I only have a bridge pickup, it sounds great.

Good call.

There were no modulation effects in use (I didn't realize until after the gig the effects loop was off). Just a Timmy and Bad Monkey to push the front of the amp.

I'm sure Brent is drooling over this one.

What neighbors? The pond deserves a lot of love... so it is provided with "sonic" bliss!

I had one of those for the longest time until it eventually crapped out on me. At home, I'm usually using an interface to play through my iPad. My rig is setup for silent running....

I knew we searched for him for awhile, I thought this was the case. Great dude to know for sure. I remember him dealing with his mom's own health issues for awhile. RIP Smurph.

I believe the fretboard is a leftover fretboard meant for a Gibson SG from the 70's. There was a time Gibson used a mini-block inlay on a bound, ebony fretboard. I think this fretboard was from that batch.

When I first bought the guitar, I put in a set of used SD 59's in it. I sold it to another HOC member who had it for many years. A couple years ago, I bought it back sans the pickups. I put in a set of Railhammers I had lying around but I didn't like how they sounded. At the time a Heritage employee saw it on a visit two years ago. While an employee of Heritage, he couldn't afford to own one. So I lent it to him and he was going to restore it with OEM parts found in the factory. At the time he was either going to play it himself or possibly use it in a museum Heritage was thinking about. After 2 years, the museum never happened, and he never finished the guitar. I was asked if I'd take it back. The factory took the guitar, cleaned it up and put as much of the OEM parts back on it. The pickups they found wouldn't work, so they dropped in a brand-new set of SD's. Seth Lover in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. It very much sounded like the guitar when I purchased all those years ago from KBP810 who in turn bought it from Smurph. They also sent an API bridge and tailpiece (Advanced Plating Inc, same manufacture that supplies Gibson) The purge phase for me has ended but so has the desire to buy guitars. Since being in a band, I'm more focused on playing new music and being consistent with my sound. I really lost interest in all the latest gear videos, new offerings, and used gear marketplaces. To answer Bolero's question, Smurph got rid of it because he broke the headstock and had it repaired. Still he wasn't happy, so he sold it to KBP810 for cheap. The truss rod nut had a little buildup of glue from the repair and made it difficult to access. I found a tool that fits and am able to adjust it. It moves really easily which seems surprising for such an old guitar.

Access to the truss rod nut was a challenge. Typical sockets and wrenches didn't fit. I didn't want to use pliers, but I found a nut driver that had thin enough walls to turn the nut. Worked perfectly and turned very easily. I was happy it did. I also put an API Nashville bridge and tailpiece on it that was provided to me. Polished the frets, lubricated the nut, and cleaned the fretboard. She is ready to go. Played her again last night learning some new tunes for another band that plays more hard rock stuff.

Here’s a little video of her last night. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BNqEa7LHL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Amber left the factory on this date in 1985. I was able to access the truss rod and set her right. She made her first stage appearance since 2010. She sounded amazing.

Right now it’s a matter of finding a place and having the funds to fix it.

You're right about the neck size, but I'm not so picky about that much anymore. I've learned to adjust how I'm playing, but I think a lot has to do with touch. I don't need to push down as hard as I used to as my fingers are tougher now. My touch is lighter as I don't have to work as hard. I found myself to be much faster when my hand is relaxed, sort of negates the need of a thicker neck. I'm going to break out some more tools tonight and see what I can do. I have a proper Nashville bridge and tailpiece I'm going to install. I think I can get the truss rod, may take a little clean out of the cavity to get to the nut. With any luck I'll get a turn or two out of it and see if it makes a difference.

About 2007, I purchased a used H140 from another member. At the time it was my dream to own a Heritage. This particular example was from 1985, loaded with unique features unlike any other H140 of the time. Over the years, I had the top refinished, swapped pickups, and hardware. Eventually I sold it for whatever reason like I did with nearly every guitar over the last 15+ years. A few years ago, I bought it back. It had a few more mods, nothing terrible. I lent the guitar out to Heritage in hopes it would be used in their museum. But that never happened and the guitar remained in a closet up until the last couple of months. Heritage offered to restore the guitar to resemble its original appearance such as Schaller pickups and hardware when they found NOS parts in an old cabinet of Ren's. While it looks more like its original state, sans the color, ultimately, there were some problems. The pickups were dead, so Heritage dropped in a set of Seymour Duncan's. Seth Lover in the bridge and a 59 in the neck with new wiring harnesses. The Schaller bridge and tailpiece were added, but there is some odd issue with it fretting out around the 15th fret (bridge may have slightly collapsed) But there is a lot more going on. The guitar had a headstock repair long before I bought it, but there was so much done during the repair, access to the truss rod nut is nearly impossible. So, it cannot be adjusted; over time that wasn't an issue, but now the guitar sat for so long, the neck can no longer be adjusted, and the guitar is all but unplayable. Looking at the guitar, I know what it needs, but I do not have the means to fix it. This needs a new neck and Heritage can't provide one. Unfortunately, it's only use is a slide guitar at best. It's so beautiful, but it's a 40-year-old guitar that needs some serious TLC.

The fuzz pedal... So many variations, its hard to know where to start. I've had a couple fuzz pedals over the past 20 years or so. Mainly because of the whole Hendrix or Smashing Pumpkins tone. However, being a primary humbucker player, I really do not like the sound of it. What are the tip, tricks, usages, etc people use? When and why do you use a fuzz pedal? What are the differences in the options? I'm rather curious here.

Unfortunately Eljay, unless you're on the inside, there is no way to tell what the plan is really. But I would assume, they are winding down or already wound down the standard line to relaunch the standard II line. Which means a change in production schedules. I'd assume the 535 standard line will come back as a standard II and with finishes we are familiar with.