Paul P Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've put off talking much about my guitar since I wasn't very happy with it when I received it in June 2007, right before the plant closed for a while. I guess it's one of the very last pre-restructuring guitars. At the time I felt pretty fortunate to have received it, given the uncertainties at the company. I just recently got around to fixing most of what I didn't like and I'm now starting to really appreciate this guitar. Below I describe the various issues and what I did to fix them. First of all the wooden part of my guitar is very well put together. The body and neck are fine, the binding and finish are great. It's all the metal and plastic parts that left much to be desired. I'd be interested in knowing how recent guitars coming out of Kalamazoo compare to mine. I hope they put a bit more attention into the final details as they are ultimately responsible for how the guitar plays and looks. The frets The frets were very rough and most had deep scratches in them. My guitar is supposed to have been plek'd. I do not know if the plek'ing is responsible for this or not. The frets were so rough that they wore through the coils of my stings after not playing all that much, as can be seen in the middle picture below. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1581-2/frets_1.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1583-2/frets_2.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1585-2/frets_3.jpg[/img] A lot of the deep scratches were lengthwise and worse than ones in the rightmost picture above. So I taped off the frets and went about sanding them with small pieces of plastic backed sandpaper to 2000 grit, which I got from LeeValley. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1587-2/frets_4.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1589-2/frets_5.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1591-2/frets_6.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1593-2/frets_7.jpg[/img] I then rubbed the frets down with some rouge and gave the fretboard a bit of teak oil. I am now quite happy with the way it plays. Where before I could feel a fret grinding away at a string while bending it, bends are now silky smooth. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1595-2/frets_8.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1597-2/frets_9.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1599-2/frets_10.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1601-2/frets_11.jpg[/img] The bridge I was not happy with the way the string grooves were cut in the saddles. The groove for the B string in particular was way deeper than necessary and caused the string to buzz everywhere on the neck. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1603-2/bridge_1.jpg[/img] When I removed it I discovered that the bridge was not a Schaller Tune-o-matic, but some noname knockoff. In the following pictures the original bridge is above and a real Schaller, which I got off ebay because it was cheaper than just saddles, is below. The Schaller is slightly more robust. The tailpiece was a Gotoh. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1605-2/bridge_2.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1607-2/bridge_3.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1609-2/bridge_4.jpg[/img] There was a lot a buzzing coming from the bridge and pickup area which I've managed to reduce quite a bit but not completely. While hunting around for the causes I removed the tailpiece posts and discoved the end a wire just stuffed into the hole, for grounding I presume. I first stuffed a bit of rag down in the hole to prevent rattles and then soldered a spring to the wire to ensure good contact with the post. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1611-2/bridge_5.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1613-2/bridge_6.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1615-2/bridge_7.jpg[/img] Finally I used masking tape to mark the string positions on the saddles and cut better notches with my nut files. The notch for the low E string had to be quite a bit off center and there's a definite bend to the string over the saddle so that it lines up with the pickup poles. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1617-2/bridge_8.jpg[/img] I was not able to completely intonate the guitar as two saddles ran out of travel but I may just get there if I turn them around, which I'll try next time I change strings. The nut I already mentioned the nut in another post. It wasn't a work of art by any means and was cut much too high. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1619-2/nut_a1.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1621-2/nut_a2.jpg[/img] http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1623-2/nut_a3.jpg[/img] Yesterday, for the first time since I received my guitar, I got a feel for what it's like to play a quality guitar. The feel was great and the tone was good. I installed DR Pure Blues 50-11 strings. I hope this post hasn't been too much of a rant. I've tried to control a year's worth of dissatisfaction which hasn't quite faded away yet. I'm sure that'll happen soon enough now that the guitar is so nice to play. Oh, and before the etiquette policeman gets on my back, here's a picture of the whole thing : http://www.heritageownersclub.com/gallery2/d/1399-2/guitar+_amp_+amp.jpg[/img] Paul P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chico Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 outstanding. beautiful looking guitar too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulk1 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Paul, That is a very well documented post. Thank you for doing that. I think it shows just why our boys were in trouble before the reorg. We all know their hearts are in it, tho'. To answer one question: my recently built (Dec08) Millennium had none of those issues. It was playable right out of the case. I feel extremely fortunate. And I am somewhat amazed at your perseverance. Not sure I'd have had the patience, personally. Good to hear you've about got it. going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 nice job, nothing feels better than fixing it yourself just the way you want it. karma up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentrocks Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Nice Heritage Paul you should open up a repair shop with your abiliy ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxdx99 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Agree with the sentiments posted - amazing patience and ability, Paul. Great post, both text and pics. I've 3 Heritages, and 02, 05, and 08 and all have (to my eye) excellent wood, plastic, and metal/elec components. As I received them (2 new, 1 used) setup and playability only needed adjusting for string gage and pickup preferences, which are always user selected. I do need to ask - what kind of amp is in the pic? Interesting looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentrocks Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 oopps ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum13 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [/img] This Millie was built January 2008 and as you can see the bridge placement was spot on. Sometimes I think the "Nashville" bridge got the name because they could not center the studs like the Kzoo people. I expect to do nut work, bridge work, fret work and change out a few parts on any new Heritage. Most important thing is the wood and construction. Heritage being a factory and not a boutique builder buys parts in bulk and needs to allocate their resources to make a profit. Some dealers will "improve" the factory setup I know J Hale does fantastic set up work. You understand if your 535 was one of the last ever produced, the moral might not have been too high but your were lucky to get it. It now appears after your personal investment you have the 535 you always wanted. Thanks for your story and now just play the *&^% thing! Nice 535 by the way! Millie19for WEB.jpg Millie19for WEB.jpg_thumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum13 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [/img] Sorry better shot of the saddle / bridge placement!!! Millie25 for Web.jpg Millie25 for Web.jpg_thumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Paul, well done! A good primer on both the ups and the downs of Heritage ownership! Always good to see someone competent take care of business, instead of mewing about it. A shame you had to deal with those issues, but it happens, as has been chronicled on the HOC more times than most of us would like to admit. Many have advocated the right to ship that thing straight back to Parsons Street, and justifiably so. I see your solution as equally viable; plus, you have the satisfaction of having made good repairs yourself. Karma up +1.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thanks for the comments. I probably was a bit too negative but it feels good to get that off my chest. Now I can brag about my Heritage along with the rest of you guys I have the Heritage pickguard, black to go with the ebony, but I can't make up my mind if I want it or not. Two very different looking guitars, with and without. Speaking of bragging, I'll post about my amp over in the Family Tree to save Thundersteel the trouble of moving it there. Paul P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnut1 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Paul, sorry to hear about all the issues and glad to hear you got them straightened out. When I buy a new guitar, I always ask for a setup and wont accept the guitar unless it is properly done. Of course if you are buying a used guitar from an individual, this isn't an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb630 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Thanks Paul, I have an issue with my 'B' string as well, I haven't looked closely at the bridge (if it there, I'll put a TonePros bridge on it). I just assumed it was at the nut, which is being replaced anyway with bone. Great detail and write up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freshmattyp Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I don't think you were being too negative. I think you were probably as nice as could be expected under the circumstances. If I had a factory fresh guitar with that many issues, it would have gone back in a hot minute. My own 2008 H535 had none of those issues, and my dealer set it up to my specs free of charge. That blue is just stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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