MartyGrass

A very nice one!

Hmm. That's really interesting. How would you describe the tone? Did it slide into the pickguard mount like the Floating #3?

I believe Ken made 3 versions, the large majority being Floating #3. Ken Armstrong would rebuild these to a higher output for about $100. I have what's probably a unique one rebuilt as a single coil by one of the current Heritage team. People bad mouthed the Floating #3 a lot. I firmly believe much of the criticism came from the urge to guild the lilly. The #3 is an excellent low output humbucker. It is very clean, almost acoustic sounding.

The performance is masterful as is the arrangement and improv. At first I thought it was too dark in tone. Thirty seconds later, I changed my mind. Very, very cool.

I complained about his tone. It made me look like a beginner.

I have used TIs in 14s at times. Here's one of their two sets. https://shop.thomastik-infeld.com/product-category/guitar/jazz-guitar/george-benson-jazz-guitar/product/george-benson-jazz-guitar-gb114/?_gl=1*x4crvl*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh_i_BhCzARIsANimeoGybneEuaGoJHyoNpbb8kTGWTwcGe3M7Kgikc6L2t0cJlNqalXoTrMaAjbGEALw_wcB I even tried 15s. Here is what I found. Acoustically, the guitar is loud. The neck has to be straight and the action low to be playable, at least until you build up big callouses and more strength. It's hard to comment on the tone. My bias is that it is richer, but that may be my subconscious trying to justify the work and pain! I've learned whatever everyone else already knew: use comfortable strings and your pickup. Perfect.

Here's David and his guitar many years ago. He's disappered as best I can tell. I've Googled him for years. Here he is. Study his face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAwGG2MY-kg This has to be his son or he has a time machine. This is from less than a year ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrrZ8tGvWXE

I know someone who came from a distance to be there when Marv carved the neck of his new guitar. They had a conversation going about how much more to take off until it was just right. That was a Florentine GE. The customer sent some of the hardware he wanted used plus the billets for the spruce top. Amazing results in the end.

I know he was involved in the H-157 staple single coil model. I think they made a few dozen.

Next time go to 20s!!

I own its twin. It sounds as great as I could want.

I have first hand experience with the prototype several times and talked with the designer each time. It is my belief that this guitar is a superb acoustic jazz box. Imagine a 1920s L-5 with more attention to bracing and plate carving and with also primo wood. I owned a 1920s L-5 in my teen years and practiced on it like a maniac. The guitar was heavier. The 717 is significantly lighter. The 717 involved a lot of thought and went through the highest levels in the Heritage organization, including the CEO from Asia, who is a master jazz player. This was a long term project. Even the pickups went through several iterations to get it right. The build quality of the one I saw is flawless. The woods are superb in appearance. You can hear how clear and full the notes are. There are a couple of cosmetic things I'd want, but I would never use such a guitar. To me, it's delicate and expensive. I have a Golden Eagle and a H-575 that work just fine. But there are those who deserve the caliber of such an acoustic archtop. I hope this serves them well.

I've had the chance to play the prototype a little while ago. The guitar is very light and resonant. Compared to the Benedetto next to it, it's a toss up. The bracing is carefully shaved. I don't know if it's tap tuned, but the plate was carefully carved and is thin. It takes significantly more time by the best luthiers at Heritage to make this. That was the goal, sort of like the Citation. Another reason the price may be higher than you expect is that there was quite a bit of time put into creating the design and execution of the first guitar. I'll bet Heritage makes 5-10 of these per year max. I would have to be in a much higher tax bracket to get one of these. The first reason is that I would be fearful of the first ding. The second reason is that the tone caters to those with exquisite tonal taste when in the hands of a master. That's not me. The design, and yes, the headstock, is elegant. When you see and hold it, you'll know you are in the presence of something special. I wish Heritage all the luck with this. It brings the company to a notch higher in the acoustic jazz world, for sure. Personally I'd like inlays for appearance sake. I don't know if that's guilding the lilly though.

Some have better ears and know what they like. I've never had a problem with Schallers. Here's a sound comparison between Seth Lovers and Schallers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mURVofPTnY

That's a beautiful instrument. It looks like it has a rose natural finish. I'll bet this nice instrument is an example of why Johnny left Heritage. Johnny wanted black hardware and a floating pickup. As best I could tell, the first few years that's how they were made. Aaron Cowles did the tap tuning on these. He got the plates and took them to his shop. Heritage later did the the rest of the top. I've had an x-topped Heritage get a mounted pickup put in. It cut into the bracing some but was still stable. Here's Aaron in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsCIAboHDeI I don't want to rain on a parade here, but I don't get why someone would take a tap tuned top and mount a humbucker on it if that was the plan from the get-go. But I did that once on a used instrument and was happy with the result. The HRW in the neck position sounds very good and a bit sparkley. I heard Henry Johnson and Kenny Burrell play with that setup. I had a HJS long ago that I took to Heritage to ask a couple of questions and get a tone pot put in. Ren Wall talked with me a while and said he'd put the extra pot in. He let me watch. It took about 15 minutes on his work bench. When he drilled the pickguard he had me point to where I wanted the new pot. After he was done, I asked him what I owed him. $15! I like the finish and the gold hardware on yours.