lowendpurveyor Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I'm new to Heritage guitars. I notice my local dealer having quite a few Heritage guitars for sale. Just wondering, the seller seems to have alluded to the fact that Heritage is going out of business. Does anyone know whether this is correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Nope. They went through some restructuring a couple of years back though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentrocks Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Things are tight everywhere...they could certainly use more orders, but i just talked to Vince a few days ago and there was no talk of closing the doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I'm new to Heritage guitars. I notice my local dealer having quite a few Heritage guitars for sale. Just wondering, the seller seems to have alluded to the fact that Heritage is going out of business. Does anyone know whether this is correct? I don't know...I emailed and called yesterday. I'm going to be in the area today (and had some time to kill around 3PM) so I thought I'd see if I could get a brief tour. I left a message on an answering machine, and no email response (which isn't unusual...they never respond to my emails). No biggie though...I guess I'll just kill time at Guitar Center:( Doesn't affect how I feel about my guitars...still love 'em to death! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 "...Paul's been killed in a bloody car crash...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 "...Paul's been killed in a bloody car crash...." Nah, the walrus was Paul! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halowords Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Let's hope so at any rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitfiddler Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I'm new to Heritage guitars. I notice my local dealer having quite a few Heritage guitars for sale. Just wondering, the seller seems to have alluded to the fact that Heritage is going out of business. Does anyone know whether this is correct? Well then, please give us the name of this dealer so we can help him clear out his Heritage inventory. What's he got? Rumors of business failures are rampant in this economy. Maybe your dealer is grousing because he can't move his Heritages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Lowendpurveyor from Australia I think. Sounds like he may shop at Jacksons Rare Guitars. Hes Gutting Heritage and has been for a while. Prices will seem steep to you guys in the US. Ive watched his prices and stock both move slowly down. With the strong Au$ these prices are now about right. Heritage at Jacksons Rare Guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurph1 Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 In business or out of business..I'm keeping my 535!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankV Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 In business or out of business..I'm keeping my 535!! +1,000! I heard that. My guitar instructor, way cool and hard to impress, finally deigned to notice my 535 this morning. He's adjusting the pups as I'm playing, a smile slowly growing on his face. He put the gain up on the amp, and finally, after like almost a year, he goes "that's a good sounding guitar"! duh He loves his Frankenstrat with the scalloped fretboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I heard that Jim Morrison was opening up for Jimi Hendrix who was playing a Heritage 150.... then Elvis was strumming a 445 in the corner! Well, that's what a friend of my Heritage dealer who used to date Marilyn Monroe told me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredZepp Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I find the Peavey is buying Gibson rumor more believable . ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Alrighty then...back to the original post...I stopped in at Tremolo Music in K'zoo (they have some VERY cool vintage guitars btw), and Scott says that Heritage is "taking a break" for a few weeks. He didn't think they were going out of business, just on hiatus (whatever the hell that means). We were chuckling about the fact that these guys make wonderful instruments, but have no business sense whatsoever. If they could find some way to develop a business, marketing, and operations plan and stick to it, they might be able to stay up and running. Oh well...hopefully they don't go the same route as Robin Guitars, who just announced it was shutting it's doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halowords Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Alrighty then...back to the original post...I stopped in at Tremolo Music in K'zoo (they have some VERY cool vintage guitars btw), and Scott says that Heritage is "taking a break" for a few weeks. He didn't think they were going out of business, just on hiatus (whatever the hell that means). So I should be patient about getting my specs for a Custom Prospect confirmed then, eh? Blasted impatience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mgoetting Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Alrighty then...back to the original post...I stopped in at Tremolo Music in K'zoo (they have some VERY cool vintage guitars btw), and Scott says that Heritage is "taking a break" for a few weeks. He didn't think they were going out of business, just on hiatus (whatever the hell that means). We were chuckling about the fact that these guys make wonderful instruments, but have no business sense whatsoever. If they could find some way to develop a business, marketing, and operations plan and stick to it, they might be able to stay up and running. Oh well...hopefully they don't go the same route as Robin Guitars, who just announced it was shutting it's doors. I've got a trash bag full of guitar parts they need to put together! Damn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Two words: hunting season. (Starts Nov 15 in Michigan for deer.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Two words: hunting season. (Starts Nov 15 in Michigan for deer.) There's a man who knows his luthiers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Hunting season and Thanksgiving. Next will be the EXTENDED Christmas break (which if I remember correctly is at least 3 weeks) Then two weeks for summer/independence day break. Some may scoff, but when the building & tools are paid for.... you can take breaks like the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mgoetting Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Sorry but I don't buy the hunting season deal. Bow season's honeymoon is over and everyone's back to work. Gun season doesn't start for a while. Besides, no business shuts down for two weeks for even deer hunting. This doesn't sound right. Maybe they're not closed but only slowing down. Maybe they are too busy to answer messages. Now you must excuse me while I clean my rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mgoetting Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Hunting season and Thanksgiving. Next will be the EXTENDED Christmas break (which if I remember correctly is at least 3 weeks) Then two weeks for summer/independence day break. Some may scoff, but when the building & tools are paid for.... you can take breaks like the above. Only if you don't care about your employees and customers or if you don't have much product demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Only if you don't care about your employees and customers or if you don't have much product demand. Wow, I think that is assuming a lot. 1. How do you know that the employees don't know about the extended vacations ahead of time. That they might even WELCOME the breaks. 2. Don't care about customers??? I assume you mean that Heritage is working every second to build a guitar is not loyal to their customers? WELL, the turn around time has been approx. 12-14 weeks for a custom order (yea, I have ordered 4 custom Heritages and that is the time frame). Every order a custom PRS (1 year) or a custom Fender (16 months)..... 3. Product demand???? If you are saving on expenses (electricity, salary for workers) then maybe you are saving money in this economy and it might be the prudent thing to take some breaks. AND for the record, they have done this for 25 years, except they used to have more fishing breaks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmc7581 Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 they have done this for 25 years, except they used to have more fishing breaks.... I accept what you say, because it sounds to me like you know what you're talking about. But this still makes me uneasy. Maybe just because we all care about the company, and because the economy is so unkind right now. It's worrisome. Like you're waiting for the next shoe to fall ... I need to find my medication now ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Wow, I think that is assuming a lot. 1. How do you know that the employees don't know about the extended vacations ahead of time. That they might even WELCOME the breaks. 2. Don't care about customers??? I assume you mean that Heritage is working every second to build a guitar is not loyal to their customers? WELL, the turn around time has been approx. 12-14 weeks for a custom order (yea, I have ordered 4 custom Heritages and that is the time frame). Every order a custom PRS (1 year) or a custom Fender (16 months)..... 3. Product demand???? If you are saving on expenses (electricity, salary for workers) then maybe you are saving money in this economy and it might be the prudent thing to take some breaks. AND for the record, they have done this for 25 years, except they used to have more fishing breaks.... I'm sure you know what you are talking about, but in this economy (regardless of whether or not they've been doing this for 25 years), this is a lousy business model and it makes me nervous too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mgoetting Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 I run a business in the same city as Heritage and with a few more employees. But I certainly don't know their unique circumstances. I could not afford to pay my employees to stay home for 6-8 weeks out of the year. Perhaps Heritage can. More likely, they are not paid though. The Heritage employees might want to have a steady paycheck because there's a good chance that at least some of them have spouses out of work- Michigan has about the highest unemployment rate in the country, the highest for eight consecutive years until Nevada nudged us out a few months ago. Further, it is likely that healthcare cost shifting, meaning deductibles and co-pays, is rising for them, requiring more after-tax dollars for the employees for the same services. Virtually all businesses in Kalamazoo have had to use this cost-shifting to purchase affordable policies for their employees. I have twenty five employees. No one, I mean no one in the last few years has asked for a few unpaid weeks off. Heritage employees might be different, especially since a sizable portion is owners. It almost always means a hurt bottom line when you close a plant while there's high product demand. There are fixed costs, like taxes and maintenance, with no revenue. Again, Heritage maybe doesn't mind that and has decided as a corporate cultural rule that there will be a lot of time off. But also consider that the plant was closed due to the power transformer or generator failure a few weeks ago. That was unscheduled down time for what, a week or more? I don't recall. You can point out that they've closed down for weeks at a time several times a year for many years. If the employees don't like that, they would have left. Consider this though, where would they go? Who's hiring neck carvers in Kalamazoo? Some have left, BTW. The gone hunting, gone fishing thing may be the truth. But my family and my employees's families would be eating beans and weenies every night if I closed down like that. Is Heritage shutting down for good? I have no idea. Are they closed for deer season? That would be quaint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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