TalismanRich

Did you forget the Katie's Psycho Popsicle H-150?

I've got a Digitech RP355 that I picked up years ago. I thought it would be nice to simplify things and just have one pedal. I played with it for a month or two, and it went over to the corner. Occasionally I'll give it another shot, and I soon get frustrated and move on. The old PodXT was better. As much of a pain as it is to transport it, I still like my individual pedals.

The serial numbering system had changed in recent years. Standard Collection: 1 (identifier) YY (year) XXXX (numerical ID) Custom Shop: HC1 (identifier) YY (year) XXXX (numerical ID) For example, a serial number of 1219876 or HC1214567 would mean that your guitar was built in 2021. The old scheme used letters to designate the year and day of manufacture. HANDWRITTEN SERIAL NUMBERS These Heritage guitars have a serial number that begins with a letter (e.g. D12345). Numbers following the letter is the # of day to Dec 31. Jan 1 would be 365, Dec 1 would be 030. The system was discontinued. Letter on Serial #: B Year Built: 1985 D - 1987 AA - 2010 AP - 2025 So a Serial # of Q23501 should be the Tue, May 9, 2000, 130th day of 2000, and the first number assigned that day. I don't know if Leap Years messed up the numbering system. It might have been Mon, May 8 since there were 366 days in year 2000

Favorite, that's a tough one. I would have to narrow it down to two, the 535 and the Millennium 2000. If I had to pick just one, it would probably be the 535. The red semihollow was my first "guitar lust". When I was taking lessons at Dee Wells as an 11 yr old, I would see that red 335 (or 345, or 355.. I didn't know the difference) in the display case, and I wanted one! It was the second Heritage that I bought, found it used on Ebay years ago. I still love that style of guitar 60 years later. I've had lots of different guitars, but I still favor them!

No, it's laminate Semi Hollow.

That spray booth might have been a blast from the past, but as someone who dealt with safety in a hazardous business, it was a bit on the scary side. I know what nitrocellulose dust can do with the smallest of sparks! (as in BOOM!) Thankfully it didn't turn into a blast, although they did have a fire when they began dismantling that area of the building. I was really glad to see their new spray booth that first year they moved. Much improved dust and solvent fume controls are a good thing. The new dust collector is a great thing as well. Dust explosions can be nasty, and that includes wood dust!

You are really out of touch with today's Heritage Guitars. This isn't 4 old Gibson employees anymore. Two are still alive, two have already passed. Does anyone expect that guys who started working in the late 50s should be building guitars today? These guys are in their 80s. Today, it's a different company. First point about giving them an F for not innovating.... Poppycock. By Jim Deurloo's own admission at PSP last month, when they opened they were making just about anything anyone thought of. Look back at catalogs from 1989 or 1993. Stat, Little One, H-110, SAE and SAE custom, HB1, HB2 and HB IV bass, H-140, Mandolins, banjos, Academy, Prospect, Mark Slaughter, H-574, H-480 acoustic, Parsons Street III and V, Millennium. They tried making unique guitars... they didn't sell. Guitarists wanted the traditional models, 150 and 535 are the bread and butter. The various jazz boxes were well received. I suspect Heritage sells more hollow bodies guitars today than Gibson, who don't even list a traditional jazz box in their current lineup. It's the same reason Fender sells a dozen Strats and a dozen Teles for every Jazzmaster or Jaguar. How many Coronados do you see them sell today? Gibson sells Les Paul, SG and 3xx variants by the truckload. How many Covus, Marauder, Victory or RDs do they sell? They're in the catalog. I don't see many on the Guitar Center wall. As for not having endorsed artists and heavy advertising, that costs money. They simply didn't have the budget to put full page ads in every guitar magazine every month. Perhaps if they had been charging exorbitant prices, they could have bought more ads, but they also might have sold fewer guitars. Gibson, Ibanez, Fender, probably spend more on their annual advertising budget that Heritage made in a year! As for nobody knowing Kenny Burrell, Mimi Fox, or Henry Johnson, you must be looking from a rock perspective. They are well known in the jazz world. Gary Moore had a signature, Alvin Lee did as well. David Paul had the blue jazz box. I've seen Buddy Whittington playing a stock H-140. Alex Skolnick? Having name on the guitar doesn't automatically mean that fans flock to buy them, especially when you have limited production capacity. How many variants of the Stratocaster do you need? Clapton, Beck, Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jimmy Vaughn, Stevie Ray, Robert Cray, Cory Wong, Rory Gallagher. That's just part of the artist models. The same goes for Les Paul variants. Reinvent the wheel.. .over and over and over again. Finally, I think you are looking at past history. Today, you can find Heritage guitars at Wolfe, Daves, Eddies, Sweetwater, Chicago Music Exc, Cream City, Jimmy Wallace. That's just the bigger US dealers selling US made guitars. They have an import line, akin to Epiphone, Fender Mexico, Squire or PRS SE. It's not to everyone's liking, but its brand building. And having played samples of the Ascent+ guitars, they actually played quite well. I would have no problem walking on a stage with an Ascent+ 150 or 137. Heritage is doing just fine. They are shipping out guitars by the dozen, not 2 or 3 a week. It's a different company.

Yeah, it's the horn that's going to make or break a guitar. You simply can't play a guitar if the horn doesn't have the exact dimensions of that someone drew up 70 years ago and endorsed by a Youtube personality. Sorry, I don't get your point other than trying to start a pissing match. Oh yeah, that horn of which you speak has changed numerous times over the years at that "other company". Personally, I think it's the silly poker chip that is holding back the Les Paul player from being successful. Seriously, if the stupid guitar player has to stop, look down at the front of his guitar and decide if he's playing rhythm or "treble", he needs to find another occupation. Speaking of which, how exactly do you play "treble"? Does that mean you can only use the notes on the treble clef?

If you listen to the second video I posted, Pete clearly says that they prefer to use Maple/Basswood/Maple for their laminate, although sometimes they use Poplar for the inner sheet. FWIW, the H-525 is a full hollow body, but uses a laminate top and back. While thicker than the H530 (also hollow and laminate), at 2 1/4" it is thinner than the H-575.

The 535 is laminate on the top and bottom. The sides are solid, which is different from the ES335 spec. On our tours of the factory, they have shown us how the actually make the laminates from thin sheets of wood, and then how they steam press the arch into the sheet vs how something like the 575 is carved. I can't remember wood layers they use for the laminate.

Is the H-530 a great instrument? I was always a big fan of the 535 / semihollow style, but I am really digging the 530 I grabbed last year. It's too bad you didn't get the matching sign to go with it!!!

This was from the 2018 tour. It's the same rope method we was this year.

I took some video of a fellow wrapping binding the first year they moved to the back area of the factory. He was doing the traditional rope method then. He had set up a little "glue pot" where he could drag the binding across and it applied the glue to the strip. Apply it to the routed channel, and then wrap while the solvent dries. Most guitar binding is Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, which is very soluble in acetone. Toss any scraps you have in some solvent and you make more glue. But buying a premade solution would probably be more consistent. It's similar to the old model car glue we used to buy, except that was just styrene dissolved in toluene.

Yes, they are making their version of a staple pickup. Square Alnico magnets, P90 size. The head winder was showing a couple of us how he is making them. That guy is like a chef in the kitchen when it comes to pickups!