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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!!

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!

This is my 1999 H150 with ebony fretboard...

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.

I know we are supposed to be nice around here, but I feel this is truley the rant of a troll. This diatribe should have ended after sentence number five, right before where the second paragraph should have started. So in defense of Heritage, who I think has really stepped up their game, and is putting out some great guitars, I have something to say (In my best Utah Morman vernacular off course)... Fudge off Shizz head, get you own guitar company. With your new company, you can learn how to fix croooked archtop bridge posts and tuners. Then you can get back to playing your Heritages you love. Okay moderators. I probably deserve punishment for this post, but it was worth it. Gratuitous Heritage picture...

These are my favorites, A Heritage Johnny Smith and its Mini-Me The Heritage Millennium SuperLight.

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.

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.

I'll choose one focal point, the bridge base. Was it drilled at an angle, were the holes too large, or did the angle migrate over time due to factors like heavy strings with slight reduction in string tension due to storing? It's not expensive or difficult to replace the base or to fill the holes and redrill them. Tuner alignment seems to be much better these days. It was a common issue in the earlier days. That's a third world complaint since the tuners generally function when canted. But it is annoying to not line the tuners well. It's not that hard to get that right. This discussion is in part about what is the function of the electric guitar. Is it merely a tool that allows musical expression? Is it a tropy or work of art? Is it a blend? Is it an extension of our ego? The cost of perfection in the complex process of creating guitars is quite high. That includes wood sourcing, which can involve experience, expertise, traveling, patience, etc. The final step for the factory is shipping to the retailer. These acts may seem simple to the naive. They are not. Every step between can be complex. There is the business of maintaining employees, particularly skilled ones. The point is that there are a lot of things that have to go exactly right to get an excellent instrument. These steps each cost money, yet guitar sales is a very competitive area. So then what is the purpose of the instrument? A couple of days ago I saw a Beatles tribute band during its tour. A lot of finesse went into making the show excellent. The audience loved it. But I looked at the guitars they used. They had a Les Paul, a couple of J-160Es, some Ricks, a Hofner, a Fender and an Epiphone. The finish was worn off in the strummed areas. There were dings and scratches evident. These were superb musicians. They appeared to play effortlessly. The natural ease of playing and the resulting sound told me that their focus was primarily their performance, not their tools. We have all known people who have great pride in the appearance of their possessions. This can include their homes, their cars, and even the tools in their toolbox. With ownership comes responsibility. Some say this is a midwestern mentality: you own it, you maintain it. But I've lived in enough places to know that this thought is more universal and pretty much essential for a manageable life. Things have slipped through Heritage in the early days, back when the viability of the company was in question and the owners were pushed to their limits. Things are much better for years now. My advice based on the experience of decades is that you learn to take care of your stuff. And if you don't like something, don't buy it unless you can fix it.

The original post reads like AI that hasn't paid very close attention in an eighth grade English composition class....

lol

Just back from a spending spree,and added a 1988 H535 to the herd,see Bay Watch in these forums under fat bottom guitars for pics.Nice instrument with 40 years honest wear.Takes me back up to 5 Heritages,and I think 80 guitars in total (surely this is not excessive !).I do like the earlier Heritage instruments.

Congrats - A stunner. Cant wait to tell my wife that you have 80 guitars😀

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!

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.

My old “heritage” back home for a setup!!! This was originally a 1989 Heritage H150. The 1988, 1989 and early 1990 H150s bodies were the EXACT SAME CUT as a Gibson Les Paul Standard!!!! It suffered a really bad neck break!!! A local luthier constructed a Gibson Headstock and repaired the neck!!! When I bought the guitar for the first time, I had the middle pickup route done by Pete Moreno. I was trying to make an Ace FREHLEY “smoker” clone. I also added the milk bottle tuners. Added the DIMARZIO pups. Completely re wired it. Then I sold it to a friend. Then I bought it back. Then I sold it to that friend again. Chris asked me to do a string change and a setup on it. It’s 11.25 lbs!!!! But it plays so good!!! And the tone is absolutely amazing!!!

Thats cool! I remember you posting something about this, the headstock and body shape details seem really familiar.

I like the redundant boost approach. I use three. A Spark Mini as a clean boost or to raise my Fenders up to the same level as my humbucker equipped guitars. An RC Booster for light gain and sparkle, and a Timmy for heavier gain. They all stack well too. I may add another Spark Mini after the Timmy as a dirty boost.

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

Huh? Was this AI generated? Pretty sure Heritage hasn't made a Sweet 16 for about 10 years now, so I have no idea what this thread is about. Yes, Jay Wolfe was and is a Heritage dealer. He was pretty much THE dealer for a while, and also one of the main dealers of G&L guitars. However that is fairly outdated information, and Heritage is now carried by many dealers, small and large.

Fekkin' brilliant! Exactly what the OP asked for. That, and RJLII's observation.

Wow! Very nice!

Paragraphs are your friend. Just saying.

Yeah, it's the horn that's going to make or break a guitar. You simply can't play a guitar if the horn doesn't have the exact dimensions of that someone drew up 70 years ago and endorsed by a Youtube personality. Sorry, I don't get your point other than trying to start a pissing match. Oh yeah, that horn of which you speak has changed numerous times over the years at that "other company". Personally, I think it's the silly poker chip that is holding back the Les Paul player from being successful. Seriously, if the stupid guitar player has to stop, look down at the front of his guitar and decide if he's playing rhythm or "treble", he needs to find another occupation. Speaking of which, how exactly do you play "treble"? Does that mean you can only use the notes on the treble clef?

That is a beauty!

Congratulations on your NHGD. Pictures are mandatory.😁

27 days later: I like the Duke of tone pedal! It displaced the Jetter Red2.

I'll keep this really brief. What's electric guitar really about? Well, it's a male dominated genre of musical instrument that delivers POWER and FORM to ALL types of popular music. Yes, it has a few really talented female artist do come to mind. For instance, Jess Greenberg. She is really exceptional! An amazing talent. But 6 string wizards like her, are few and far between. So, the world of lead electric guitar giants is dominated by dudes. Dudes. Sling a a guitar around some guy's neck and he will likely wear it down low with the neck somewhat pointing skyward. That's what dudes do. So, please share your honest opinions. Of the these two horn shapes, which one looks like it's ready for business? I think you know I am getting at. Dear Heritage, you have, and always have had, a HORN problem. Do you see the issue? It's rock thing mainly. Most of the rock guys out there like to rock hard, not semi-hard. End of story. Don't take me word for it though, reach out to Jess and ask her which one she prefers.