TalismanRich

They have had ear protection available for years. I remember Jim Deurloo cutting a backplate during a tour and he had in a pair of earplugs. They also have safety glass available. Everyone who goes on the tours is required to have a pair. I took my own since I had to use them at work.

I got the impression that the "factory special" was a Sweetwater spec'd guitar. The Lollar PAF and jumbo frets vs the CC spec 225 and Medium Jumbos frets. Plain top vs figured top. I would guess they move enough that they could specify a factory run, a bit like Wildwood does with their "Wildwood Spec" guitars.

For those interested, this is how the H-535s are put together. You can see the center block, how they add the kerfing, and how the top is made and curved. This is from almost 10 years back, but the process is the same now. It's not a process that would be done by CNC.

I've only changed out one set of tuners on all of my guitars. A few of the original Grovers on the 535 were getting tight, so I swapped to a set of Grover locking tuners. I didn't notice any change in tone or sustain. The improvement was merely in tuning and easier string changes. I can change picks and hear all kinds of differences. I've changed strings and heard differences. For sure there is vibration going on there... clip on tuners work even with fretted notes. I wonder though, how much of that vibration gets all the way back down the string and into the pickups from the headstock. Or maybe I just don't worry about minor changes. I'm more likely to twist a knob and do gross changes.

Agreed, probably a customized SAE. Heritage, especially very early on, would do a lot of customization, and was exploring lots of different ideas. This is from the 1989 catalog.

One could always have a new truss rod cover made with "40". Custom Inlay will make whatever you want, including in Heritage's shape, in Mother of Pearl, Black/White or Abalam.

I do like the idea of a "40 Years" or "40th Anniv" as a 12 fret marker, much like the Millennium 2000 used for the upper markers.

While the Ascent and Ascent+ lines are good entry levels, they aren't made in the same factory as the standard and Custom Core ranges. Len, you should join us for this year's PSP, and see the way things have changed. While many things are still being done "old school", there are some improvements, like the spray booth where the air is filtered (no dust to get on the finish, and safer) and the PLEK machine to make sure the guitars have consistent setups. Heck, you might just find the exact guitar you want while you're there!

The guitars that I have played at the factory were every bit as good as my 2005 535. I don't think you'll find CNC robots making the H535s. I believe that they might be rough carving the necks (not sure if this is absolutely true), but putting together a semihollow body is a multistep process that doesn't lend itself to CNC manufacturing. The top and back are a 3 piece laminated sandwich that is then steam pressed in a form that gives it the arch. The center block is a solid block with the pickup areas cut out, and there is a piece that matches up to fill the gap between the top and block. Then you have kerfing that is applied to the rim before the top and bottom are glued. The pieces are then assembled by hand to form the body. Rough cutting the neck profile means that the starting shape should be more consistent in terms of thickness and curvature, but there is still a lot of handiwork to finalize things. If you've ever watched someone hand rolling a neck, there can be a lot of variation. It doesn't take a lot of sanding to go from a fat to a thin neck. In the past it was all done freehand, checking it with a pattern every so often. If you think about it, the old duplicarver was a primitive "cnc" machine, minus the computer. It's akin to the patterns that someone like Hillerich & Bradsby uses when carving baseball bats. A CNC just follows a computerized form to cut the wood.

That's not uncommon in business. In 5S methodology, there is a idea that if you don't use materials within a period of time, then it can be disposed. Since Gibson had a new, improved version of the humbucker, why keep a bunch of old obsolete equipment laying around taking up space? Send them to the dump and write off the value.

People will buy anything these days if it says it's limited edition. FOMO is a powerful driver of sales. "How can we sell a $130 pickup for $500?" "I've got it! We can put them in little cases like the guitars and call them a special edition." "Good idea! The boys in accounting will LOVE this one. How many can we make?" "We need to do a thousand to get a break on the little cases. Otherwise the cases will cost more than the pickups." "Perfect!"

They get a whole lot more "buyer awareness" from someone like Sweetwater having a dozen guitars available on their website. The biggest comment that I used to hear (after "never heard of them") is "I don't know where I can buy one". Their social media posts have to be helping a lot too. People search out stuff that they hear about. We're more "word of mouth" types, and "here, give this a try" people.

That version of the tailpiece and bridge was made by Schaller of Germany. They still sell the roller bridge, but I don't think the tailpiece is a current item. Thomann is a Schaller dealer. https://schaller.info/en/bridges/ If you want to change the style to a more common bridge and tailpiece, many people here swear by the Faber units. The trick it to make sure that you use the correct spacing.

The Triple Nickel is da BOMB! There are days I wish I had ordered that instead of the 157 way back when. Oh well, that's the way it goes!

That's exactly why people work so hard to make their LP sound just like Page's Tele on the first LZ album. They're really the same, just different!

Victor is a member here. He was at several PSPs. His HOC handle is Totonka. I haven't seen him around for a while, though.

Congrats on the new guitar. I'm glad that it wasn't any kind of scratch or crack. A slight nick or ding isn't a structural issue. The fact that it plays and sounds good is the real issue. There really isn't any other reason to have a guitar unless you want wall art! Enjoy!

That's funny, micing the floor to hear your tapping. I once read an interview with Paul McCartney, and he said there's one thing EVERYONE does wrong when they play Blackbird. He said that nobody ever taps their foot, and that was something he did on purpose! Nice pickin', Daniel.

NICE!

If Teaky is close enough to check it out in person, he'll know if it is a crack, scratch or reflection within about 2 seconds. You don't often see a crack that goes across the grain at a smooth curve, especially in a laminate body. A physical inspection will show anything (headstock repairs, etc.) and he can ask any questions. I think $2750 is a bit high. That's likely $3 - 500 more than it originally sold for. My H157 was much less than that in 2003. I would offer $2500 cash. The used guitar market isn't THAT strong. A new standard 535 is only $2500 right now from Heritage!

First, the Bigsby could well be factory installed. Back then, they were much more amenable to doing customizations like that I can't tell for sure if it has gold or silver hardware. Normally the 555s come with gold hardware, but lots of people opted for chrome or nickel, and the factory would gladly accommodate. Also, having Lollar pickups would not be unusual. The Imperials are very good pickups. When you check it out, see if there is something on the label inside the F-hole. As for the "crack", that might well be a reflection from the trem's arm, not a scratch. A crack would be unlikely as it doesn't seem to follow any grain, and the semi hollows are laminates with the grains between layers going crosswise which can resist the development of cracks like that. I zoomed in on the full size frontal shot, and didn't see the same type of line. I have a H-535 it's an absolutely GREAT playing guitar. The only question is if it feels comfortable, and sounds good to YOU!

From what Pete Farmer said in the Rich Severenson interview, the Bespoke program is really on hold unless you're an "established artist".

The paint booth is a huge improvement over the old setup on the third floor. The air is filtered in so that there's no dust to settle on a wet finish. Guitars are hung to dry, and the safety is a big factor as the solvent vapors are kept to a minimum in the room. There is a lot less wood dust in the shop itself. They invested a good deal of money in the dust collector system. Wood dust can be a dangerous fire and explosion hazard.

Actually, the post was made by Taylor Lawrence, who is Marv's grandaughter.

There's not a lot of info out there on the 101. There was a thread on it from 10 yrs back.