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Back around 2010 Joe and I went to Nashville to visit the Gibson Store. As Heritage owners are want to do, we took photos of us outside of the store with our Heritages. Good times.

Got it back from my amp guy today. Sounds really good. He replaced the reverb tank with a smaller one and relocated it to avoid the hum/buzz. Runs super quiet and well now. Also had him connect the bias adjustment pot to the back panel so i don't have to pull the chassis when re-biasing.

Picked this up in Ft Wayne IN last night. A 1991 HERITAGE GARY MOORE!!! The original EMGs have been removed and replaced with Seymour Duncan Greenies. The rest of the guitar is bone stock. Almost in mint condition 9lbs 10ozs. Medium C neck. Closer to a 60s neck. Plays effortlessly. Frets show zero wear. The tone is nothing short of perfection. Warm and creamy. Just an amazing example of Heritage Guitars golden era!!!

I believe these two korina 137’s were the first two Heritage custom shop guitars!

SInce they were obviously in contact with Gary, I wonder if that was one of his "specs". There are people who like heavy guitars.

Yes, most definitely. The source and the type of Magnet (A2, A3, A4, A5) is 90-95% of the pickup's tone.... BUT.... All A2 magnets are NOT the same. A cheap over sea's magnet is NOT the same as a US sourced, US made to exact specs magnet. Chinese magnets are harsh & brittle sounding and can be all over the place in terms of output. I have paid $80 for a set of USA specific spec'd magnets. I am sure many here will scoff at that, but you get what you pay for...

Stoptail and ABR looks plain wrong on a Jr/Special style guitar, and frankly, I think that pickguard looks goofy! They should follow the contours of the body better. I think the pickguard that forum member Cryoman made for these guitars is the shape that Heritage should go with. Using this kind of pickguard would give Heritage their own identidy/uniqueness. I also think the color is too banana yellow instead of the cooler wheat colored yellow of the vintage Specials. Right now this is a competitive market for Jr/Special style guitars as Gibson USA is making great versions of these for a low price. I think this is a fail.

The ultra-rare Heritage DB-140 double bass!! You can tell by the ever-so-slightly asymmetric headstock scroll and the slightly flattened upper bout to c-bout transition. There were only a couple built, and both (possibly three, depending on who you believe) were handmade by the heretofore silent partner in Heritage, Hymie Manischewitz. A gifted accountant and master luthier, he hand-scraped and tap tuned the front/backs of each of the stand up basses to perfection, carved the necks himself (including headstocks, and even the bridges and, some say, the endpins, but I have never been able to verify this) and did the finishes and buffing himself. Nobody, as far as I know, has ever mentioned if there was a case included, which I have always found odd. Hymie grew up in the Parkview Hills area of K'zoo, graduating from K'zoo Central High in 1952. While he attended Western Mich U, studying Accounting, he worked part time at the (then) Gibson plant, initially as a shop hand (sweeping, emptying trash/waste, etc), before moving in to the office as a junior bookkeeper, and eventually being promoted as a supervisor in the accounting department. What most didn't know, however, was that our man longed to--as he explained it to a mutual friend one time--"actually create something with my hands, not just perform miracles for the front office with my mind." Thus, he started hanging out in the shop after hours. This being the heyday of Gibson guitars, he had plenty of opportunity to get hands-on experience in the actual craft of building an instrument. Over the course of three or four years, he worked on acoustics, he worked on solid bodies, he worked on guitars, basses, banjos. Learning the ins-and-outs of each manufacturing step, he once said, informed his decisions on how to handle various accounting 'tricks.' Whether that's true or not, nobody really knows, other than he allegedly said it. What we do know, though, is that he worked for Gibson in both Accounting and, at least unofficially, in Production for many decades, and he excelled in both arenas. When ol' Gibson decided to abandon Michigan for the warmer climes of the South, Hymie just couldn't stomach the idea of going along. He'd managed to sock away enough money to "retire comfortably" as he mentioned to a fellow patron at Rum Runners one night (if you never caught the dueling pianos at Rum Runners...you really missed out! Did you know that American Idol contestant Matt Giraud used to play there?!), but he really wasn't ready to 'hang it all up' (as he supposedly termed it). Enter the "Fabulous Five" who launched Heritage. Except, they knew they needed someone to cook manage the books. One thing led to another and an offer was extended to Herr Manischewitz. He was totally on board, but his only requirement was, "You have to let me build a few instruments of my own choosing." Agreements were drawn up, signatures were scrawled, and the rest is history. Or, well, history if you know it...is it really history if nobody knows it? Regardless, now you know. In the early 80s, he toiled away by day, balancing the books, doing what he could to make the enterprise profitable. By night? Well, by night, he'd drift down to the workshop and lose himself in his only true passion, sanding on a giant slab of flamed maple. Slowly carving a neck. Turning an end pin out of ebony. I don't know when the HM-built DB-140s were completed, but I do know, for a fact, they were completed. The logs don't record them, nobody knows where they went (until now, because that one in the video is definitely one of them. Ask me how I know...hint: it's not just the headstock and c-bout to upper bout transition). Such a shame he passed away in the early 90s and virtually nobody even knew his story. Have you seen the (one and only) DB-147 with the over-the-top accoutrements? It's incredible! As I understand it, he had some help on the inlays and hand-rubbed French finish (spoiler alert: not going to tell you from whom, but you'll never guess). Anyway, now I'm curious how that dude in the back ended up with one of the rarest stand-up basses ever built and how you even found this video. Also: The fact this video is auf Deutsch amuses me to no end. Love it!

Wolfetone Legends

I liken the Ascent line as similar to the G&L Tribute line. When first introduced, the guitars were labeled as Tribute by G&L. I think it limited the appeal of the guitars. Later, they changed to G&L Tribute Series for the logo and I think it gave the junior line a boost. I think Heritage should have done some thing similar. It would differentiate the guitars from the US line (although it easy enough to tell an Ascent by looking at the back of the headstock). I will say that my Tribute ASAT is an excellent guitar. There's no reason an Ascent guitar can't be an excellent guitar as well. As for the company dying in 2016, I would rather have the company stay alive even if it means change. I've got a guitar that was hand built by an outstanding luthier, Gerard Melancon. Unfortunately, he developed cancer and passed away some years back. The company died that day, no more Melancon guitars... JP has already passed, Jim, Bill and Marv are no longer spring chickens (God love 'em) and deserve some rest. Sometimes you just need to pass things along to the younger generation.

My last trip to 225 Parsons was in 2016. It was just after the sale of the company. At the little lunch they put on for us I heard the new people speak and took them for chiselers. I told one of our members that the brand was dead. He thought I was crazy until a few months later when he called me and asked me how I knew so soon. I got into Heritage guitars because of their hand built guitars, made by the good hearted people of Kalamazoo. It means nothing to me when I hear about how good their guitars are now. It is a different company. Selling imports cheapens the brand. Now I have to add, "This guitar was made before they sold the company." Say what you want -The Heritage died in 2016.

I will start by observing that there exists, in SE Asia, the ability to manufacture musical instruments to a very high quality. I am not at all espousing a "quality can only be found from American manufacturing" point of view. There is a whole 'business' point of view that should be considered. The original vision of The Heritage guitars was pretty clear. Working instruments for working musicians, patterned after the much-loved originals, built in (what was left of) the original factory, under the guidance of some folks who were involved in the creation, build and sale of those much-loved originals. With the departure of the OG owners/founders of The Heritage, corporate interests have taken the helm. Corporate interests being what they are, profitability and growth become the core of, if not the whole "uber alles" mantra. Having personally espoused, for many years, that 'the only things in nature that experience non-stop growth are kudzu, bamboo and cancer,' I will refrain from expounding further on my thoughts thereof. Suffice to say, I think the current management has a different set of goals than the OG owners/founders did, and their marketing--which translates over to their production choices--reflects that. Nothing wrong with it, it's all just board room decisions and calculated risks. If it were a perfect reality, the OG owners/founders would have continued forever. They would have learned a couple things along the way, like maybe 'pay a little more attention to QC,' and The Heritage would exist in a perpetual Golden Age. But, we don't live in a perfect reality. Otherwise, I'd be typing this from a 60' Viking enclosed bridge anchored off the coast of some uninhabited atoll in the Caribbean. Instead, here I am in the vast wastelands of Michiganistan, questioning my life's decisions. The current stewards of the brand can make whatever decisions they like, and I wish them the best of luck. I'll stick to, ah, pre-loved Heritage guitars.

Right around the corner from Prospect and Academy is Henderson! Sir Brentrocks could have been immortalized. if only.... 😁

So I went into a music store and they had a BOGO free sale going on. To my surprize they had three brand new Heritages. An H150 CC, an H150 CC Artisan Aged and 575. Basically for $4700 I got a new 575 and a CC Artisan. I struggle with the aged guitar as I usually worry when I get a new guitar that I might get a ding. So buying an aged guitar, one doesn't have to worry. However if I pay less and then not give a shit about the clean guitar I can age it myself. But the flame on the CC Artisan sold me. So now I have more guitars. I suppose that in order to pay for these new ones I will have to sell an older one. I have a K seriel number burst that is quite nice and may show up here in the classifieds soon. Pictues will show up sooner or later.

I pull a lot of knobs. (keep your mind out of the gutter!) This tools works well without damaging anything.

You can buy a plastic tool just for that purpose. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-maintenance/pullit-knob-puller/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwveK4BhD4ARIsAKy6pMJIfmFmjq6MnC4aAyn_inONG2uOfo7vxJvsJvhZ5rpTUtFUawOzskYaAhwHEALw_wcB

In 2005-ish (maybe 2006 or 2007), I picked up at the factory a 150 Goldtop that I custom ordered through a dealer but just wanted to pickup at Heritage. I asked Marv if he would install a poker chip and Gibson LP pickguard that I bought and brought with me on my brand new 150 Goldtop. He said, "We used to install those years ago at Heritage, but due to the lawsuit we don't use/install them anymore". But he was kind enough to do it anyhow, he said to just keep it between us. So now the secret is out.... I think he is safe from litigation.

This amp was good but almost unmanageable on delivery. Sounded really kind of amazing, but noisy and so LOUD. Very Aggressive tone, even with the 'Pre" less than 11:00. Cool, but I need it to be more palatable at small/medium club level. I can hear why Dr. Z advertised it as having the SRV Mocambo sound. Jeez this thing is an animal. Couldn't quite settle it down at manageable volume. It was not original tubes. Loaded with what looked like a combination of JJ power tubes and a mix of JJ, GrooveTube and NOS preamp tubes. did some experimental tube swapping .... Tried TAD 7025 in V1 and V3 in an attempt to quiet the noise and settle things a bit. Nope. Tried Mesa Boogie 6L6GC and rectifier tubes I had hanging around from another amp...Better ... Tung-Sol 12ax7 reissue in V1 and V3- YES!!!!! Much quieter, warmer and just really plain soulful. Classic 6L6 bold and clear, lots of guts even super clean, still reflecting the character of this amp. I like it a lot. I'm going to try some other power tubes, and see where the tone journey takes it.

I have always liked rack stuff. With a pedalboard you have to either tweak with your feet or bend over and tweak. I started using the old Ibanez UE 400 rack FX (all analog!) back in the late 70s or ealy 80s. I have the switches on the floor but can add/subtract stuff by turning around instead of bending over. My Helix is the rack version and even with the Quad Cortex I keep it at waist level and use a floor midi switching system to change FX. I do use the Plethora X5 for really simple gigs where I only need a couple of basic tones. The Hall of Fame reverbs in there are stellar as are the delays

Hello, I'm new to the forum and been enjoying reading the content. I'm gtrjoe1901 on YouTube and I currently have an '08 H137 single P-90 - TV yellow & a '21 Custom Core H150 finished in beautiful dark cherry burst. I am curious how members feel about changing some hardware on the fiddles to make them more like Gibson's? I added a pick guard on the H137 & the person I got the H150 from changed (from original ad) "swapped out the tuners for locking tuners (no drilling) originals included. I also swapped out the truss rod cover and pick guard for a Gibson style (originals included). Thanks for your thoughts & time. My Best ~ Joe

Trailer's for sale or rent - Rooms to let, 50 cents - No phone, no pool, no pets - I ain't got no cigarettes...

It is your guitar. Make the mods you want. Other people's rules don't mean shit.

Where are the videos? Twenty years ago I went to see Les Paul at The Iridium, and on his break, I hung out with him a bit. While we were talking, the girl that I went with told him that I was pretty good guitarist, and surprisingly, he asked me if I wanted to jam, but I didn't have my guitar wth me, and I'm not really a jazzer so I opted not to. I realized later that many rock/blues guitarists have jammed with him, and it went well, so I kinda regret my decision. Another funny thing was, that night he was trying out a new bassist (his regular bass man was sick). The new bassist was quite a good looking girl, and he was making a lot of jokes about why he should hire her full time. It was a fun night.

If the reason for changing stuff is just to make it "more like Gibson", the my answer is a resounding "NO". Adding a pickguard to the 137 is good because it serves a purpose. Changing tuners to locking ones serves a purpose. Changing electronics can also serve a purpose. Changing the pickguard to an ugly Gibson style is wrong. I think the Heritage guard is far superior, I like how it flows with the shape of the body. Adding a Poker chip is just pointless. It's a worthless piece of plastic. Maybe in 1952 it let people know that up was for "rhythm" and down for "treble", although to me, that doesn't even make sense. You play rhythm, you don't play treble! Seriously, does anyone even look at a poker chip to decide what setting to use? If I wanted it to look like a Gibson, I could buy a Gibson. I bought a Heritage.

Good to know ~ Thank you!! Yeah, the 150 is stunning, I got real lucky. My Very Best ~ Joe

I love my HOC 137. You did a great job with the specs on this one Josh! (I also love my 120 with the original Bill Lawrence pickup)

I played her today! She's a good one for sure.

FredZepp should sue them for using the likeness of his Centurion headstock.

Agreed Now... I do wish "Heritage" continued success and growth. I know they are making great guitars, expanding the name recognition, and doing what they feel they need to do to thrive in today's market... but that doesn't mean I have to accept that it's the same company with the same story that I fell in love with so many years ago. I used to have to often explain my Heritages to people; but I could do so with pride. Now that conversation becomes a little more drawn out; add in these cheap bolt-on reasonable facsimiles for "Heritages", and that conversation now starts to become quite pedantic. If they had only put "Ascent" or even "Heritage Ascent" on the headstock... something to differentiate it from the main brand... I feel like that would have been a little better. But since they didn't, it does, to me, feel like it dilutes the brand as a whole. Then again, it's not like my opinion means much to anyone, and I'm certainly not the target consumer for these. So I guess I just typed all that out simply to hear myself think out loud.

Yep, I have Faber locking ABR-1 bridges and locking stoptails on all my Tuneamatic/Stoptail guitars. I hear more sustain (especially with the Aluminum stoptails) and all the hardware is locked down tight, the hardware won't move if you remove the strings. The Faber hardware is superior to any other locking hardware made, both in the materials used and the locking mechanisms.

Wow that’s a beautiful guitar! I own 3 H-150’s and one of them is from 2014 and looks a lot like yours!

Famous quote from THE TERMINATOR Same as the freaky, pointy, super rare Heritage guitar!!! 1986 Heritage Terminator I bought this guitar from a shop in Kalamazoo back in ‘22. Then I sold it to a local friend. I just got it back yesterday!! As far as numbers produced, this is one of the rarest Heritage models. Not necessarily one of the most desirable models. Designed by Marv Lamb, this was Heritage’s answer to the Explorer. This baby is a road warrior. Headstock repair. Lots of play wear. Despite its rough appearance, this guitar plays and sounds awesome!!! Only 8.5 lbs. 60s style neck. Dark, streaky rosewood fretboard. I took out the stock Schaller hardware and pickups and installed a lightweight locking tailpiece and bridge. It has Duncan 59s in it.

Here is a walk down old models. There are more. Catalog of Discontinued Heritage Models - Heritage Guitars - Heritage Owners Club

Marv told me he picked one of the streets and Jim picked the other. If I remember right, there were girlfriend (s) involved on the streets. But I didn't say that. ; )

Wasn't there a Heritage Little one? I would have had to draw the line on that one. "Look at that guitar player up there. Doesn't he have a little one?"

Well, I think the H535 is 200 better than a 335. And maybe the H575 is 400 better than a 175. And so on.

You'll put your eye out with that thing, kid. Nice snatchback.

Not a fan of pointy 80s shred guitars, but that's a cool piece. Definitely digging the 'natural relic' finish. Always thought it would be cool to have a G&L Interceptor bass; the guitar version of the same model was just a bit too radical for me.

Skolnick wanted the heaviest hunks of mahogany Heritage could come up with so I'd bet you're right!

Try this:

Very much enjoying it….

Well look at that!! Congrats. Those are great amps!

Both good looks, but I think the black looks a bit more rock and roll, and I think it would look even more so with black tophats Guitar sounds good in the video, do you have any original music on video?

I don't know that they could use a pick guard similar to the one on DB's HOC 137. It's almost exactly the same a what Gibby is using on the USA model. They don't need another Gibby lawsuit. It might have been better to just leave it off. I don't know if using a stoptail/bridge vs the wraptail is another way to distinguish itself from Gibby, but I don't remember any issues with the old H137 with the wraptails. It would just mean additional inventory but that shouldn't be a huge deal. Order a dozen, and do a run. They mention enhanced sustain, but I think a good wrap can be solid as well. The headstock is part of the Custom Core identity. I can understand them using it, but it shouldn't add a lot to the cost structure. I also think $3300 is a bit pricey. $2750 +/- would be more in line. You don't have the carving to deal with, binding, or any of the niceties of the 150 or 535s. Its nice that it doesn't have the poker chip. It's a worthless piece of plastic.

I didn't see it sway in the wind. All we needed to know was the real stack was next to 225 Parsons.

I’ve also replaced the 59s in a lot of guitars, but they sound great in my H575 Custom. I usually end up with Lollar Imperials as the replacement.

Good luck, sounds like you're heading in the right direction.

Just superb Brent! The top on that one is VERY nice! Enjoy!

One of the few guitars that I regret selling was a very limited run Ibanez AR3000 reissue. Man, what a wonderful guitar!