DetroitBlues

Looks really familiar....

In three weeks, I'll have a demo ready.

Most important question (to me anyway)... How's the neck?

Have you done anything with it? Still stock?

I'd do the same. I wouldn't shy away from one, the whole point was misjudging the lineup or Heritage for doing this. It would be fun to get one, upgrade it. I'd probably use it for a travel or leave it at band practice guitar (drummer is divorced with a pair of unruly kids that lack of respect for other's belongings).

I remember someone brought one of those little Stewart amps years ago to PSP. While the amp itself was small, it was a loud firecracker that sounded way bigger than the cabinet would suggest. If I recall correctly, it was real gig worthy amp that didn't need to be mic'd up. I could be wrong as I find myself playing a heck of a lot louder than I used to when out live.

Many have said the same thing and some will disagree.

Its not about judging, its about spotting the physical differences people who are familiar with the Heritage lineup to tell the difference between the USA and Chinese variant. And yes, many of us, myself included have upgraded our Heritages. Sometimes out of necessity, other time just because we can. I can say of the four Heritages I own, only one needed modifications/upgrades. The others do not. My 140 had a bad Schaller tailpiece and pickups. Had to replace them along with a new nut. My 535 I decided to put more high gain friendly pickups over the Seth Lovers it came with (I kind of regret that one). My H150 only had its control knobs changed with speed knobs because its easier to use when I'm at a gig for better feel. My 137 is exactly the way it came four years ago. My son has only added strap locks to his goldtop H150.

The new Ascent lineup seems to be growing, although only a few social media influencers I have found are talking about them. Because of this history of Gibson with Heritage, I usually only compare the two business practices and exclude anyone else. In the 1970's Gibson decided to make the Epiphone brand their import guitar brand. It helped guitarists distinguish between US and overseas made production. Obviously, those early import models were inferior to the USA counterparts and to this day, not really sought out guitars to collectors/players. So when Heritage created the Ascent line, only the discerning eye would know the difference between a USA made H150 and Chinese made H150. Heritage brand has lost some of its luster or did it? I think I unfairly compared Heritage to Gibson. When in fact, I should have compared them to other companies like Gretsch, Fender, PRS, etc. Fender for instance has not one, but three different countries making guitars with Fender on the headstock. China, Japan, and Mexico. Only when you look for the "Made In..." would you know where the model was produced. Gretsch has done the same with China/Indonesia/Japan. The same models in each brand could be made at any of these locations. The appointments and quality vary from one manufacturing source to another, but for the untrained, a Fender is a Fender. A Gretsch is a Gretsch. PRS at least called their guitars Student Editions or SE's of the same US Models, originally there were some glaring differences, but in later years, they are becoming harder to distinguish. In my opinion, without physically picking up one, I think the quality of the guitars are okay. The cheapest components are being used and the guitars are selling on a name brand that has really picked up considerably over the past few years. I don't expect them to be huge sellers or find them in a store next to the USA variants anytime soon. But.... If they decided to start using upgraded parts like Gibson does with their $1,000+ Epiphones, we may yet see them in a store near you. In my opinion, I think Heritage should have used older, discontinued models for their import line. H120 instead of H137 (H120 was a bolt on maple neck much like the Ascent H137) or use the H140 instead of the H150 (H140 has dot inlays on the fretboard much like the Ascent H150). There might be a place for these guitars. Not sure though. Is this an experiment or a permanent thing?

I was very fortunate to obtain over the weekend this killer Metropoulos 50w Metroplex MKII. This takes three of the most widely regarded Marshal circuits, Superlead, Superbass, and modified Superlead that follows the component values of EVH's Superlead. Only two inputs as the jumper method used on old Marshall’s is done internally. From what I understand the bright switch is the only major difference between the Superlead and Superbass amps, this amp has two flavors 500k and 5000k (so far the 5000K sounds best to me). The EVH channel called 12301 (EVH’s amp's serial number). It shares the tone controls but has separate gain controls. This allows the circuit to be second channel for a different flavor or a solo voice. To make it more friendly for home and small gigs, this model has a 50/25/10 watt setting. One important feature of this is the tone does not alter when changing the output. You can get the high gain sound without losing the low end typically found when you step down an amp or lower its volume. I can tell you last night I was rocking out on the amp and the Mrs was not complaining. A few more features are feature are high voltage boost by pulling the gain controls (which may be how it simulates the jumper method on the inputs?) and in-house designed effects loop that cuts the DB levels for pedals or boost them for rack effects. The effects loop is so well regarded, it can be purchased separately for amp builders to add to their own designs, I believe Friedman uses Metropoulos effects loop circuit. I've found this amp to be very pedal friendly and even through a 2x12 cab it has amazing tones at bedroom volumes. However, even at 10w through the same 2x12 its crazy loud. I'll be using this amp at my next gig, so I’ll share better, live band use mixes then for sound demo's. You can also reference this year's PSP videos. The same amp was used by Fredzep and myself on many of the songs.

Looks awesome, you've had a few over the years, I think the Greenies are a big upgrade from the stock EMG's. Hopefully it stays with you for awhile.

I've got one of two different guitars back. First being my H140, got that one back; currently on loan to someone rather deserving of it that couldn't otherwise afford a Heritage. Second is my 1976 Stratocaster I put up for sale and went back the next day to get it back, it was sold apparently 20 minutes after I dropped it off.

I can definitely relate to with my own past and present experiences with a band. Ultimately family comes first and if the thrill is gone.... Well, you know the rest. Best to move on, I bet there will be days you'll miss it. But I think when you're building memories of family, you'll find you don't miss it all.

Thank you all!

Good luck with the weight loss, I struggle myself. It's hard to stay the course. I find my Tele Style Guitar (Reverend Buckshot) is my favorite guitar, I think I'd rather have a Tele than a Strat. It just feels right.

So as a band, you're taking in 350 Euros or individually? Either way, live music must fare better over there than here... We'd wish to make that much. Most I ever made was $80. Least I made was $8. Average was maybe $20 for four hours... But the important thing is doing what you love.

Saturday I sold my Peavey Bandit to an older gentlemen that recently lost his job. He had been on the prowl for a Peavey Bandit USA Red Stripe model because they sound better than the older USA models. Couldn’t help but agree with him. As we sat there for nearly an hour talking about guitars, amps, and the thirst that can never be quenched for obtaining them, I told him something about my guitar buying. As I looked about the floor in the living room, I had a brand new Fender Stratocaster, a Reverend Six-Gun III, and a Martin MMV. I told him the longest I’ve had any of those was three weeks. But I said, my wife cannot complain about my buying guitars for one very good reason. In a way, they have provided for my family. And it has a lot to do with The Heritage and PSP. The week of PSP VI, I had a job for nearly eight years as a Senior Traffic Engineer with MetroPCS before they were “merged” with T-Mobile. I was called in the Human Resources Director’s office and with him was my boss and our Vice President of Network Operations. I thought it was really odd and found it immediately worrisome. And just like that it was over; I was told that T-Mobile has looked at all the markets and decided that Traffic Engineers weren’t needed. All the Traffic Engineers were to be laid off in 60 days. It didn’t matter what I really did for my job above and beyond my job title or how I was the senior engineer with the most knowledge and experience. What matter was my official job title. So for the second time in ten years, I was out of a job. Of course, that overshadowed my plans that week, the week of PSP VI. I packed my old HFT-445, loaded up my car, and headed off to PSP. I picked up Slammer from the airport on the way there and checked in the hotel for the night. Seeing all the guitars on display in the conference room that night and all the people I admire and consider friends really helped me to forget my own problems for a while. The next day, I was walking through the factory and saw so many unique instruments. Then there was the smell of the old wood dust, the sound of the machines sanding down necks and carving tops; it was just amazing. Undoubtedly, I had forgotten my problems, at least for now. I took my Heritage HFT-445 out of its case and held it proudly outside that factory for the group photo. 225 Parson Street, the birthplace of many guitars of rock stars. A place that should be a national monument. A place where it’s not the end of line, but just the beginning. I was in front of a factory who has seen its own end, its doors closed, people sent to Nashville or laid off, and left to rot. But a few people chose to stay; chose to open those doors again and start over. Marv, Ren, Jim and few others gave that old building and the equipment inside basically a reset button, a new lease of life. Perhaps there was some hope for me too. Perhaps, I’ll be able to restart my career and pick-up the pieces to begin again. The Saturday after PSP VI, I was still at the hotel when an ex co-worker from MetroPCS sent me a text message about his latest bass guitar purchase. He had quit on his own a few years ago, but he was happy with his decision. He asked how I was doing and I told him what happened. He demanded I talk to his wife immediately. He gave me her cell number and said I have to call her right now. She, of course, was a HR manager at General Motors. It never dawned on me to call her since I knew nothing about cars nor was I an electrical or mechanical engineer. I called her, she asked about my bachelor’s degree and my knowledge of Microsoft Office. She had me look up a specific job on the GM website and how to adjust my resume to highlight certain skill sets. That following Friday, I had a job interview. Less than a week later, I had a job offer. When my time was up with T-Mobile, I left on a Friday and started my new job at General Motors the following Monday. That was just about two years ago now. Last December sparked a heated conversation that banned members and damaged relationships to other members of the forum. The site shut down for several weeks and when the lights turned back on, things changed. One of those things was PSP. There was a looming question of will there be another PSP again. One could only hope. I decided to step up and see what I could do. I didn’t know if I would fail or not, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I called the VFW Hall to see if we could play there. Thankfully, they were excited to hear from us and not have to pay a band. We were able to play live music again and entertain some veterans at the same time. It was a win-win for everyone. I had help from Pressure to get a PSP VIII Logo setup. Called a friend from church about having shirts made with the logo. Obtained a guest list of all those who were going to be there. Guy was able to get the Factory to participate again. I received lots of help from a lot of people to make PSP a success. I cannot take credit for it all. PSP VIII came and went like a whirlwind. It was over just like that. As I woke up still tired and exhausted on Saturday, I checked my email and found someone wanted my Peavey, so I had to pack up and head home quickly. My family had left a few hours before to head out east on a vacation with my mother-in-law; so I had the house to myself and enjoyed the quiet stillness of home that night. No amps, no guitars, no beer, no sound; just peacefulness. I could have died a happy man knowing how much everyone enjoyed PSP this year. As I look back, I will always remember the great times I had at this PSP and the ones before. Someone asked why I did all this; it’s very simple really. The Heritage brought us all together. It’s the people who bring us back. That's PSP. Enjoy those beautiful Heritages everyone. There is a lot of history in your hands.

Great news. I need to get my chops up to par so I can one day do as you are doing.