MartyGrass

Here are my votes. Tuners: ok Tailpiece: too heavy Bridge: roller bridge good for Bigsbys Pickups: good for jazz hollowbody archtops The engineering is very good. Designs are not optimal for many uses. Growers are excellent tuners. SD 59s are a solid default. Whatever they are using for bridges and tailpieces are a step up.

The mini toggles switch among P-90, thinner single coil, and both (humbucker). Here's the wiring with push-pull knobs. The mini toggles to me are easier. https://www.seymourduncan.com/resources/pickup/wiring-diagrams

I think they used poplar back in the day, but either one would do.

The guitar and case survived intact. It came with a lot of documentation from 9 years ago that the guy I sold it to obtained. The guy I got it from obtained it from Don Dean, the king of 18" archtops (sorta). Heritage noted that they did only make two of these guitars. Both were made exactly the way they built them at Gibson except the size. I forgot how low the action will go without buzzing. It's very impressive. I put TI 12s Jazz. The guitar is pretty loud and sounds great. There is a signed label by Johnny Smith, and there is a second label handwritten saying it is an 18" Johnny Smith and is signed by the four original Heritage Company orders. I included some quick photos to show the impressive woods. The grain is tighter in the middle and widens at the side. So I had to research as to whether the opinion that tight grain is more responsive. The Heritage old timers and Aaron Cowles said it's a myth. A review of the Internet opinions by good luthiers say no tonal differences, probably because thickness and carving dwarfs any grain tightness factor. Anyway, I'm happy.

Do you mean the knobs are crowded? The H-150s with D-VIP electronics do have relatively less space for pots because of limited control cavity real estate.

About 10 years ago I bought this guitar from someone in Ohio. He wasn't a player, but a friend of his recommended he invest in a couple of new guitars at a guitar show in Cincinatti, if I recall right. This is a Heritage Johnny Smith with an 18" body. I'd like to tell you a good reason I sold it the next year. I think it was a matter of money. I'm not sure. I sold it to a great guy and a forum member. Later he bought a couple of other Heritages from me. Fortunately for me, he agreed to sell the HJS back. There were two 18" HJS made AFAIK. Both were in Cincinatti. Don Dean, of Scotty Moore and Elvis fame, ended up with one. That one is a natural and is 3 1/4" deep. The incoming is the traditional 3" deep. The natural finish one was owned by a friend of mine who had the Floating #3 pickup rebuilt by Kent Armstrong, making it a little hotter. You can hear a difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsM3VeXzpVw This is the incoming sister of the natural. It's a rose natural and has the standard Floating #3, which to me sounds warmer. I'm excited!

All you can do is test the water.

RhoadsScholar used to gig with that in Detroit. He used a Strat, H-170, and this H-150, mostly the H-150. He died during COVID, and of course there were no gigs then. I bought the guitar back from his trust and picked it up at his funeral months later.

This guitar is a little lighter than most because the control cavity expands for the mini-toggles. That's my recollection. The Schaller bridge and tailpiece were swapped out by Pete Moreno. The person Ren Wall built this for has too much back pain to play. This was his last guitar and the one he played the most since he got it.

Here's a flame back.

Heritage has some great maple!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozOCLj9OgFc&t=128s I'm a big fan of Fralin P-92s. They are hum free. They sound fuller than Strat and Tele single coils. I can't say they sound just like P-90s. They sound close enough for me though.

I agree with the Lollar Imperial Low Winds. This may be a shocker, but I also do like the Schallers. I'd happily swap them out if I didn't. I also think it was clever to be able to tilt the pickup for subtle tone changes.

I had a 1960s ES-330 that squealed like crazy. I don't know if had anything to do with the chrome covers.

Here's the process. You first find the ideal guitar. Next, you search for the optimal pickups. Once successful, you focus on the right strings. Then it's onward to the amp. Finally you can concentrate on the pedals. Then you're dead. The whole time the technology keeps changing and guitar pundits tell you why you're wrong about every opinion you have. And in those last breaths you remember why you picked up that first guitar and smile.

I may be wrong, but I think they are 2 3/4".

The guitar arrived yesterday. Shipping went from California to Michigan, but timing was right to avoid great temperature changes. The packing was excellent. It came in a large Reverb box. I owned this guitar once upon a time. I forgot how 3D the figuring is and how it really pops out. I also like how the maple back and neck are the same color. The mahogany color shift on a natural maple body is fine on other guitars. But the white (now yellowing) continuity from top to bottom is appealing. The action is ridiculously low without buzzing. Let's shift to shipping. This was $190 UPS ground. The UPS man told me how costs are going up. I'm sure part of it, probably a large part, is due to personnel. Another component is the cost of diesel. One barrel of crude oil only produces about 11-12 gallons of diesel, compared to 19-20 gallons of gasoline. Insurance costs may also be higher. I have a similar vintage H-555 that shows what Floyd Newton could do to create a tri-burst. The transitions in coloring and the symmetry are an artist's work. My observations over the years are that the old Heritage was very flexible in custom makes. Sometimes the quality was uneven, but usually they were great. Today there is more consistency in good quality but less flexibility in design. Yes, you can get custom builds but not so whimsically anymore. And guitars are expensive.

As I recall the pups are Schallers, not HRWs. They sounded good enough to leave them alone.

Maybe. This one has a placque on the case saying it belongs to Vince Lewis. It's a heavy case, not the usual TKL. I think the label says that, but I don't recall. This will be my second Vince Lewis Heritage. I haven't thought of Vince Margol in a long time. He was kind of the normal person stuck in a strange world of personal dynamics. I liked him. He's a tax attorney. I know what you're thinking- Trump needs help! Vince is not a high profile guy. https://www.margol-law.com/

I got this quite a while ago and sold it to a fellow HOC'r and friend years ago, and now I bought it back. This was built for Vince Lewis. Looks good, sounds good, plays good.

I don't know the number, but I know there were several prototype. The guitar begins as a thinline H-550. They added some Gretsch-inspired electronics, HRW pickups, and a Bigsby. David didn't like the sustain, so they put in a center block. That's the final prototype and the one I have. The next ones had signatures on the headstock and pickguard. Pros: Play well, sounds great, dramatic and beautiful blue Cons: Heavier than a H-555, although I have H-157s that weigh as much

There are more new concepts in the works, so I've heard. We'll see.

What a beauty! I'm sure it is a comfortable and rich player. Those guys at their best were the best!