MartyGrass

You had a lot more glorious instruments than just these. I still have the H-157 I got from you.

Moving the pick confidently from the plucking to the thumb strumming positions is a feat by itself. The music sounds great.

Like all guitar models back then, there were variables. My DLX came with mini toggles in a beautiful burst finish (OSB). A friend of bought it long ago.

I was able to check the guitar out in detail. It is in excellent condition. The binding shows some yellowing and the gold shows some age. Electronics are fine. I weighed it at 8 lbs 7 oz. That is about a pound more than my H-530s. Then I noticed it has a full center block, which someone must have custom ordered. The absence of a cutaway, a bit of a fatter neck (not like a '58 LP though, and the center block accounts for the weight difference. This is a 2011 build. Back then Heritage made custom changes on signature guitars, I'm almost sure without the artists' consent.

The guitar arrived in excellent condition. This is fortunate because the box was brutalized. The guitar in case was packed extremely well will lots of bubble wrap, styrofoam, and filler. Otherwise it may not have made it.

That was 7 years ago. I wonder what happened.

It should be about half an inch of maple.

I do recall that Roy did have quite a hand in designing his two Heritage types. I also recall that some of the original guys, maybe Marv and Ren, told me he "stole" some guitars. I may have it wrong, but as I recall they lent him a couple of guitars that he wouldn't return, and Roy was mad at the Heritage guys. I know they were mad at him, at least for a while. I think it's possible that there was a disagreement about what constituted a RC Signature model. I personally got one that did not having any Roy Clark markings on it, which probably means Roy got no royalties. There was fallout with Johnny Smith as well. I can surmise why but don't know. Nonetheless, the Roy Clark and Johnny Smith guitars are among my favorites. Life is complicated. Here's a RC solo that is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjQ650DK5k

I think I'll ask if Heritage has any leftover Roy Clark truss rod covers. Why not?

Roy Clark Signatures have many variations over the years. There was a limited run of essentially H-535s with his name on them and with exception wood figuring. But the original design is a single cutaway that's deeper than the H-535s for higher fret access. The thinking of the single vs. double cutaway is that there is more bling facing the audience, a larger resonance chamber, and a little more body weight to avoid neck dive. You'll find them with double and single cutaways, maple and mahogany necks, dots, blocks and split block inlays, and some with Bigsbys. Some will have traditional black headstock veneers and some will have matching maple figured woods. Here's a ten year old thread that shows my old natural Roy Clark. I found one a few days ago that I managed to close a deal on. It's among the last ones made AFAIK. I'm a fan of the chestnut burst and the block inlays like on the H-157. I believe it has Seth Lovers, but I'll know eventually. This is basically a hybrid of a H-530 and a H-555. Here's him funking around showing off his skills. Anyway, here's the incoming porn.

I do miss the days when Heritage would build one-off greats on request.

My first guitar was in the 8th grade and was a 1964 Firebird V. With amp, it cost me $125. In many ways it was wasted on me. I wanted a set of strings for it and asked the sales guy what is a good set. He sold me 13-56 flatwounds, maybe 14s. My fingers were sore. I took lessons beginning about six months later. My teacher was close to speechless. First, the action was high. Second, the strings we not right for playing Led Zepplin. My first lesson was him doing a set up and putting 9s on it. I'll bet I would have been just as happy with a Chinese Heritage. Not now. Heritage could not come close to satisfying the electric guitar market. They would have to make 4,100 per day, seven days a week just for American sales. Gibson at its kalamazoo peak (Beatles and Elvis spikes) was about 5% of that five days a week for the whole world.

Let me put this sidetracking to bed. I looked for the origin of the sea being a harsh mistress. This goes back to at least the late 1950s. I'm guessing the sentiment predates Noah and Job. The modern spotlight on the term is a book written in 1964. Mistress of the Sea is an epic adventure involving pirates, star-crossed lovers and a lust for gold and vengeance. The novel, set in Tudor times, is based on the real-life events in the life of Francis Drake, notably the raid at Nombre de Dios and the rout of the English fleet at San Juan de Ulua. My wife is a geneologist. She has traced my heritage to Francis Drake and beyond. He designed a swifter, more lethal fighting vessel that defended England from the attack of the Spanish Armada. Queen Elizabeth's court was not made of saints though. You can put that in your pipe and smoke it! I'm not a fan of bolt-on necks for the LP design. It seems sacriligious. But if the guitar works well, it may become acceptable in the next decade or two, assuming prominent artists use it. It's a cheaper way to build a guitar. When the headstock breaks, you buy another neck. The argument that a set neck improves the amplified sound may hold some merit if the signal chain isn't highly modified. Here's my opinion, which will probably draw fire. Gibson made set necks since the early 1900s and did them very well. Fender began with screw in necks using a completely different build philosophy and has done that well. There are many opinions about which is better. Most of them can be discarded because they don't account for differing pickups, bridges, woods or scale length. My small collection has several through necks (Thortons), set necks, and screw in necks. It is my opinion that the neck joint, or lack thereof, done well makes little difference. Whatever that difference is, it is dwarfed by all the many other variables. Here is a discussion from a luthier who builds all types. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcNpQvoz0G8 Here are a couple of through neck and bolt ons. The through necks cost more to make and repair well.

Addendum: harsh mistress is worse. Here is what I found further about a book written long ago. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein 4.16 129,127 ratings4,885 reviews It is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of a former penal colony on the Moon against its masters on the Earth. It is a tale of a culture whose family structures are based on the presence of two men for every woman, leading to novel forms of marriage and family.

White is among the hardest. A few days before a PSP I was visiting Heritage. Marv and Ren had a white H-555 they made that was a custom order. It had a few minor finish flaws on it. I heard them discuss what to do and how dicey it was to get the white finish right. They decided to have it raffled off at PSP. It's a beauty. I love the white finish, but it's temporary. It morphs into yellow. They seem to check easily or at least show the checking. Nitro finish is a harsh mistress.* *Before I hit "reply" I wanted to make sure I wasn't overly offensive with this description. I researched the phrase. Here is the proper meaning. The phrase is used to describe someone (or something) with exacting standards that are hard, if not impossible, to satisfy.

I'm draw to the white H-150 if I were to choose any. The appearance of the wood wouldn't matter. The laurel fretboard looks okay. I'd rather have ebony in a white finished guitar.

Introducing the Heritage Ascent Collection - Swee Lee Blog

I looked up laurel and basswood as tonewoods. By description, they seem okay. I'd worry about the workmanship and hardware. Someone needs to take a chance, buy one, and give a report. Someone, not me. They indicate free shipping!

I've got one with a belly cut. Adding the weight relief, the guitar should be white. I don't know what basswood is, as far as guitars go. I wish there were reviews to read.

Someone buy one and tell the rest of about it. I recognize that a bolt-on neck on a LP is a sin. OTOH, I have several good guitars made by Chuck Thornton and G&L with the same type neck without an issue at all. The choice of woods, hardware and weight relief are also concerns. For me, it is shocking but too soon to judge. I'm waiting for the Ascent Super Eagle.

I'll jump in. I haven't seen a bad one yet.

If I had to pick a favorite for looks and home play, it's my 18" Heritage Johnny Smith. But that one isn't a gigging guitar.

It's hard to disagree with a semi-hollow. It's relatively light, has great sustain, no neck drop, versatility, and good looks. I really like the H-530, but there can be a feedback issue.

It stops me in my tracks every time. Woah!

I found a photo of David at Heritage. Also, here's another of his tunes on the blue Heritage.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxTvYP5SYBY Also, I read an old HOC thread that purported the guitar to weigh 16 lbs. I put mine on two scales. Both showed a little less than 9.5 lbs. I have a couple of Heritage H-157s weighing more.