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Ultimately the tone and playability are the true test to a model like this. At the price point of this one, I would have liked to have seen at the very least some nice fret markers. The build I think is elegant.

I have first hand experience with the prototype several times and talked with the designer each time. It is my belief that this guitar is a superb acoustic jazz box. Imagine a 1920s L-5 with more attention to bracing and plate carving and with also primo wood. I owned a 1920s L-5 in my teen years and practiced on it like a maniac. The guitar was heavier. The 717 is significantly lighter. The 717 involved a lot of thought and went through the highest levels in the Heritage organization, including the CEO from Asia, who is a master jazz player. This was a long term project. Even the pickups went through several iterations to get it right. The build quality of the one I saw is flawless. The woods are superb in appearance. You can hear how clear and full the notes are. There are a couple of cosmetic things I'd want, but I would never use such a guitar. To me, it's delicate and expensive. I have a Golden Eagle and a H-575 that work just fine. But there are those who deserve the caliber of such an acoustic archtop. I hope this serves them well.

Fab guitar, I love it.

OK, I'll say it.... for me, personally.... I find the guitar FUGLY. I don't understand Heritage's design concept here. Are they going for the Benedetto modern jazz box look with that finger rest? The finger rest/pickguard is fugly and looks especially strange on a Heritage. If they were going with a modern look, then why use the gaudy, over-ornate tail piece? This guitar looks like they didn't have a design plan for either a sleek modern look or an old school classic look. On a positive side, I do love the new headstock. It looks like Collings "hair cut" headstock that I love. Even if it was $5-7K, I would pass on looks alone. Anyone agree with me, or anyone disagree and love it? All opinions are welcomed.

hell yeah!!! something about that photo looks odd though. Is it AI generated?

well what is sound & volume? air pressure more speakers = more air pressure I'm not sure who downvoted my post, lol, but I thought it was informative. I apologise if I offended somebodies sensitivities.

Because I've loved them ever since I popped one into a Tele, I now have the Seymour Duncan BG1400 bridge pickup in three Teles, but this is the first time I've had the set of both pickups in a guitar. I've had problems getting a neck humbucker that would balance well with the BG1400, and finally the custom shop started offering a BG1400 for the neck position. This set took quite a bit of fiddling with both pickup heights, but, I really wound up with a good balance. The trick was to get the neck pickup right under the strings then adjust the height of the bridge pickup for a good middle position. Soon as you get that middle position sounding right, the bridge pickup volume will be just slightly louder than the other two positions, and frankly, that's where I like it. In this demo I break the song into thirds, neck pickup first, middle, then bridge. I tried to use enough gain to make the pickups sing, but not too much where it would make it hard to discern what each position sounds like. The Tele is plugged straight into my Mesa Fillmore 50, and I'm also using one of my closed back Marshall Speaker cabs (Celestion Cream Alnico). The ext cab is mic'd with a CAD E350 condensor, and the Fillmore with a Sennehiser MD421. The bass and drums are guys from my band Vorraro, Martin Carle on Drums, and Jeff Aaron on bass.

wow that's a beauty! B serial & a stinger drool

If you have a 4x12 and a 1x12 with the exact same speaker used and they are running the same ohms (let’s just say both cabs are 8 ohms) then the volume will be close for both cabs. The sound will be very different though because of the big cab and all that surface area of the speakers. The big cab can keep the low end together and put out a lot of it. The 1x12 speaker is working 4x harder than any one of the 4 in the big cab so it will sound very different and have a harder time keeping the bass as tight as the big cab. Though the volume will be close to the same if not the same for both, the way your ears perceive the sound makes the big cab feel louder.

Hello! I picked up an early piece of Heritage history this week. It is a 1985 H-140 finished in May. I’ve never owned one so early. It has suffered a headstock break and repair, but it was done properly and feels like glass running my hand over it. It came with black plastics and cheap generic Chinese humbuckers. I put a set of Gibson Burstbucker 1 and 2 I had laying around in and it sounds so much better. The only downside is that I had to over pay a bit for it. The seller was tough but the fact that it was built so early on plus it plays so well and has a stunningly gorgeous top means I had to get it. Enjoy the pictures!

speaker sensitivity is important too. A 102 dB speaker is going to be louder than a 90 dB speaker, with a given amp

why do 4x12 cabs sound louder than what? a 1x12? seriously? more speaker surface area also improves bass response. That's why bass cabs can use a bunch of 10" or 8" ( or even smaller ) speakers. smaller speaker cones are also faster, so a big 15" speaker may have more bass than a 10", but is slower & less responsive. usually. Throw a bunch of 10" speakers in & they're faster, and have the same low end as a 15" speaker cabinet design is a whole other can of worms: ported, not ported, direct radiator, passive radiator, horn loaded, diimensions & size, shape etc all factor in

Not sure if this is a different topic, but why do 4X12 cabs sound louder? What is that relationship about? OR what about a 4X12 cab with high wattage speakers vs low wattage speakers?

"As New Old Stock". Basically used tubes that still test as new on a tube tester and still have plenty of getter, etc. Often they have worn paint markings, or may be OEM supplied tubes from Mullard, Amperex, RCA, etc.

ANOS? Almost NOS?

I've got a Fab 100 watt Mesa KingSnake combo that has a single 12" speaker and it works just fine. Amazing!

Ribbiting...

good thinking. lots of good folks on this forum ready to help…it has always been a good place that way.

Oh, I thought yours was the first! I was referring to them rather than you...which is why I replied in your thread. I guess I could have worded it better apologies

Bravo

You sure do make that Sweet 16 sing! Nice rendition of that classic song.

I was contemplating running my 50W Marshall head through my 1961 Hammond (as a speaker cab). It has twin 12 in speakers but only about 15W. Probably won't try that now🔥.

I've had the chance to play the prototype a little while ago. The guitar is very light and resonant. Compared to the Benedetto next to it, it's a toss up. The bracing is carefully shaved. I don't know if it's tap tuned, but the plate was carefully carved and is thin. It takes significantly more time by the best luthiers at Heritage to make this. That was the goal, sort of like the Citation. Another reason the price may be higher than you expect is that there was quite a bit of time put into creating the design and execution of the first guitar. I'll bet Heritage makes 5-10 of these per year max. I would have to be in a much higher tax bracket to get one of these. The first reason is that I would be fearful of the first ding. The second reason is that the tone caters to those with exquisite tonal taste when in the hands of a master. That's not me. The design, and yes, the headstock, is elegant. When you see and hold it, you'll know you are in the presence of something special. I wish Heritage all the luck with this. It brings the company to a notch higher in the acoustic jazz world, for sure. Personally I'd like inlays for appearance sake. I don't know if that's guilding the lilly though.