Your Favorite Heritage Guitar is...??

[Gitfiddler]

I know, this is a silly, maybe even sophomoric topic.  But, that said, this is the Heritage Owners Club, right?!  🙂

And haven't we all thought about all of the many Heritage gitfiddles we've owned, played or lusted after?  You know, that uber-flame-top H-(whatever) model that you never should have let go.  Or maybe that sweet axe that you've worn down the frets on, and rubbed the finish off, due to  its irresistible tone and feel?  

It doesn't matter if your favorite is an Ascent, Standard, Custom Shop, Core, Artisan-aged, Custom one-off, or an old school from the early days of Heritage.

Bring it!  And share a photo if you have one.  No model is off limits as long as it is a Heritage Guitar.

I'll kick things off with my all time favorite model...it's the no longer in production H525.  I've been blessed to own two of these great instruments, but my all time favorite is the one-off custom that Marv built to my specs back when they built almost anything customers or dealers asked for.

Here's a photo of Marv just after spraying it, taken by our dear friend, Ron (High Flying Bird) Warren.

OK, YOUR TURN!!  LET'S SEE YOUR FAVORITE HERITAGE!!

[LK155]

My 1996 H535 has been stellar since I bought it many years ago.   It  can do anything.  Always easy to play, always sounds great.  The only Heritage still in my personal cache today.

However, my H150 20th Anniversary is the beauty of the family.  And it happens to be the best playing, best sounding solid body I've ever owned.  Excellent in all respects except one.  I couldn't get used to the weight, and this one now resides with son Chris.

I've had other Heritages over the years.  Sold two of them (H155 Millie and H137) and bought them back shortly thereafter.  Had Kuz's H525 for a while but couldn't get comfortable with its physical size and let it go to TalismanRich, who apparently is very happy with it.  But the H535 and H150 are the standouts.

 

[Jimbob]

I currently own five Heritage guitars and recently sold my old 1992 H-535. Of all of them, though, I'd have to say that my all-time favorite is the Eagle Classic that I bought new from Jay Wolfe in 1996. At the time I just wanted to purchase a quality jazz box that would carry me well into my senior years. This one gets the least amount of play time than any of the others, but while I consider my others to be tools of the trade, I think of this one as being more like a collectible piece of art that also reflects the beautiful craftsmanship of electric hollow-body guitar building. It's just one of those guitars that will always remain with me.

Edited August 27 by Jimbob

[rockabilly69]

3 hours ago, Gitfiddler said:

I know, this is a silly, maybe even sophomoric topic.  But, that said, this is the Heritage Owners Club, right?!  🙂

And haven't we all thought about all of the many Heritage gitfiddles we've owned, played or lusted after?  You know, that uber-flame-top H-(whatever) model that you never should have let go.  Or maybe that sweet axe that you've worn down the frets on, and rubbed the finish off, due to  its irresistible tone and feel?  

It doesn't matter if your favorite is an Ascent, Standard, Custom Shop, Core, Artisan-aged, Custom one-off, or an old school from the early days of Heritage.

Bring it!  And share a photo if you have one.  No model is off limits as long as it is a Heritage Guitar.

I'll kick things off with my all time favorite model...it's the no longer in production H525.  I've been blessed to own two of these great instruments, but my all time favorite is the one-off custom that Marv built to my specs back when they built almost anything customers or dealers asked for.

Here's a photo of Marv just after spraying it, taken by our dear friend, Ron (High Flying Bird) Warren.

OK, YOUR TURN!!  LET'S SEE YOUR FAVORITE HERITAGE!!

Every time yuou post it, I want it more  What a beauty!!!

[DetroitBlues]

While I do have a few various models to drool over, I find my 2023 H150 Standard I as my #1 Heritage.  

Been on the stage more over the last three years than any guitar I have and it has some of the battle scars to show for it.

Feels best in the hand and sounds great through the amps.

 

Edited August 27 by DetroitBlues

[pressure]

These are my favorites,

A Heritage Johnny Smith and its Mini-Me The Heritage Millennium SuperLight.

[mtpatty]

This is my 1999 H150 with ebony fretboard...

[TalismanRich]

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!

   

[brentrocks]

[nuke]

My blonde '01 H535 with HRW's.  It had an issue when I bought it several years ago. But I pulled the frets and leveled the fingerboard, which was a mess from the factory, and re-fretted it. It always sounded great, and now it plays like a dream. 

I have a '98 H150 that I picked up and new at first strum, it was a keeper since 25 years ago. That one came with SD '59s and standard tailpiece and Nashville-style bridge from the factory. I've played the heck out of it. 

[yoslate]

Edited August 29 by yoslate

[yoslate]

For some odd reason, I couldn't include text with the pic above. That's my '21 Custom Core 150. 8 lbs. 4 ozs. Now sporting a pair of '61 PAF's out of a Barney Kessel. As was the case with a lot of hollow bodies, the pickups are out of phase. Middle position does that marvelous Peter Green thing. This is a fabulous instrument.

[CVS]

Lot's of beautiful guitars in this thread! I have 4 Heritage guitars and it is really tough to choose which one I like the best - My 2018 H137 is a real blues rock monster! 

[Vanschoyck]

This is from when it was new 10 years ago.  Not just my favorite Heritage but my favorite guitar since then.  Just got it back from the luthier where it had a new nut put on, fret dressed and new bridge slots.  Ready for another ten years.

[rockabilly69]

What do they say? Love the one your with! Lately I've been playing this beauty, the one Kuz sold me! Marv put his special sauce into this paint job! And I had Dan at Mojo Axe make me cool looking vintage style pickguard so I can plant my pinky while I fingerpick on it! 

A few weeks ago. I pulled this one of the case and it was buzzing on the 3rd fret G note of the low E string. Well I noticed the strings hadn't been changed since I bought it from Kuz. How do I know that? They were D'Addarios, and I never use them. So I polished the frets, put my favorite Pyramid nickel roundcore strings on it, gave the truss rod a turn, and voila, it snapped right into shape!

As I was testing the new setup I was making up licks with that G note and came up with a new song for the band, here's the demo...

 

 

Edited September 1 by rockabilly69

[Steiner]

My favorites:

Of course, there’s your Fine 157 in chestnut sunburst, the 3 holer @Gitfiddler,  I understand it’s a sin to covet another’s beauty but that guitar has haunted me since I first saw her.

Since I’m on a trip down memory lane…

@Millennium Maestro’s half century H-150.  Possibly the best custom guitar built.  It comes with a boatload of stories going back to his first purchasing the wood.

There’s @kbp810’s 157 with possibly the world’s prettiest wood.

Not forgetting @Spectrum13’s H-575 custom in mahogany and spruce.  His nestles in between G’s L4 and L5CES made throughout of solid, natural tonewood.

There’s @DetroitBlues’ 137.  Someday I may just own that beast…

@TalismanRich’s and @High Flying Bird’s chestnut sunburst guitars.

I’ve seen an H-155 Eagle in CNSB that I’d really like to own.

One of our seldom seen members (Brian?) brought a hollowbody to the hotel back in the barn days that I recall being floored upon first seeing.  I don’t know what I’d do with it but, hey, look at it!

Back in the @skinslammer days there was another member from this area who stopped by the ranch with his custom 150 he had.  @snowplow (Pete) built it to mimic a ‘59 LP.  That piece had a life-force I've experienced only once or twice since.

There are SO MANY other beautiful Heritage guitars I’ve seen and played over the years.  I’m sure I’ve forgotten many guitars that touched me but, you know, Father Time has a habit of erasing pure, exhilarating moments.

[Spectrum13]

1 hour ago, Steiner said:

 

Since I’m on a trip down memory lane…

 

 

Not forgetting @Spectrum13’s H-575 custom in mahogany and spruce.  His nestles in between G’s L4 and L5CES made throughout of solid, natural tonewood.

 

 

 

OK I could not commit or admit any one of my 6 are superior to the other 5. These guitars are cardiac and I do not wish to hurt their feelings, otherwise their necks could warp

[TalismanRich]

4 hours ago, Steiner said:

There are SO MANY other beautiful Heritage guitars I’ve seen and played over the years.  I’m sure I’ve forgotten many guitars that touched me but, you know, Father Time has a habit of erasing pure, exhilarating moments.

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

[Steiner]

2 hours ago, TalismanRich said:

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

Another I would love to snatch!  Thanks TR.

[pressure]

So many Fab guitars. How about the "Centurion" while we're at it?

[HANGAR18]

For some reason I cannot explain, I sold all of my favorite Heritage guitars. 

However, that does not diminish how much I like the Heritage guitars now.

[RJLII]

I am currently without a Heritage. I’ve owned an H-137 and an H-550. I’d really like to find an H-525 with a chubby 50’s style neck. 

[nuke]

My favorite Heritage and me waiting to go play  at a jam.   2001 H535 in blonde, with HRW's.  I put the Faber bridge and tail on it, and a set of lightweight Gotoh tuners. The heavy Rotomatics were really stiff from disuse. 

I got this one used a few years ago. It was absolutely pristine with virtually no sign of play. I picked it up browsing at a guitar shop, wasn't even looking. But it instantly had "the sound" that I look for in a great semi-hollow 535 or 335 style guitar. 

It had a problem that explained the utter lack of play. The fretboard was like a roller coaster. Some heroic efforts to level the frets on the wavy fretboard had been done to it along its history. Some of the frets were tall as brand new wire, others were under .030 tall, what most of us would call worn out. The fret tops were level, but the board wasn't.  The neck itself, straight as an arrow. The surface of the board was nuts. 

I tried everything I could think of, but just one day said, "this is it." and grabbed my fret puller pliers and took them all out.

I put some fine grit paper on my leveling beam and lightly sanded, which revealed all the high and low areas. Pretty much like a lunar landscape it turned out. Also, I measured the radius at around 9.25 inches which kind of meandered up and down the neck. Clearly, this one escaped the factory with a wonky fretboard. The fret nibs were all intact, so no question it was built this way. 

I leveled the fingerboard and flattened the radius down to about 10". I was already sanding into the pearl dots by then. Didn't want to get into replacing inlays, so I stopped about there. Put in a set of Dunlop medium jumbo wire. With the board leveled out, the frets went in nicely and only needed minimal leveling after installation. 

I put in a CNC-cut nylon 6/6 nut. Nylon was used on the Gibson's of the late 50's and early 60's. It is a fabulous material for guitar nuts. Hard, durable, and extremely slippery. 

The Faber hardware went on after. The Schaller stuff was shiny and clean without a single speck of corrosion, but I'm so used to tune-o-matic bridges, I changed it. The most amazing bit of that were the deep bushings Faber offers for their ABR and the tailpiece. They sink much deeper and tighter into the wood and really get in that maple center block a lot better than the short and skinny Schaller bushings. The tone change from the bushings alone was remarkable. 

And here she is. This is a 100% keeper for life guitar. It's everything a semi-hollow guitar should be. Plays like butter, sings like a bird. 

[Gitfiddler]

@Steiner.....If I decide to sell this Chestnut triple-set lady, you'll be first to know, my friend.  👍

My favorites:

Of course, there’s your Fine 157 in chestnut sunburst, the 3 holer @Gitfiddler,  I understand it’s a sin to covet another’s beauty but that guitar has haunted me since I first saw her.

Edited September 5 by Gitfiddler

[Steiner]

Gitfiddler, you’re killing me!  There is none more fair across the land.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t a 157…

Edited September 5 by Steiner