MartyGrass

My recollection about the classics is that these were ordered by Jay Wolfe and had Gibson-like bridges and tailpieces. I also think they had SD pickups. The maple neck was common back then but inconsistently done. I've had a one piece, two piece, and three piece on H-555s made in that era. Custom select could mean anything, but the select probably refers to the woods. They probably charged extra money for each of those two words. Currently those words are custom core.

I do remember this when it came out. I never saw it in person.

Blue really shows up those major cracks!

Yours is a dark blue but is translucent, but it should say on the label. The appearance depends on lightling. There probably is a name like Neptune blue. Skydog's is a blue burst. Mine is called translucent blue. But look at the two pics with different lighting. Some finishes make no apologies for looking unnatural. Blue, black, white, green, red, gold and silver are examples.

In the long run, the money difference doesn't matter when you find the right guitar. It saves time and anxiety plus increases goodwill just to pay a little more. You won't find another one just like that for a very long time.

Large crack alert!!!

99% sure that's a reflection, not a crack. Bigsby was next door to Gibson back in the day. That's part of the reason Gibson used so many Bigsbys. My best guess is that someone loved this guitar and changed the pickups, the tuners, and added the Bigsby. It looks like an older Heritage because of the solid maple neck. Expect it to turn yellowish over time, which is cool. I like it.

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.