MartyGrass

It's a bit of a trade off. The nut area is an easier reach. The high frets are not difficult to get, but you may bump into your belly! I have the Heritage semi-hollows of both persusions. It's easy to go back and forth.

The first two guitars I got, back in my teens, were a Firebird V and then a ES-345. It is likely the Firebird had a fat neck and the 345 a thin one, based on specs I can see these days. I never noticed back then. At 18, I got a late 1920's L-5. That neck was very fat. I noticed that but adjusted. Nowadays I like a medium thin neck best but still have some "59" carved necks on several instruments which I can play equally poorly! The L-5 I got was from a studio musician who played for Chess Records for years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_Records This guy good easily go from that fat neck to my much thinner Howard Roberts without missing a beat- literally. It can be difficult to predict how a neck will feel. There are some with small hands or arthritis who may be handicapped with a fat neck. But they couldn't be as limited as this guy, who managed to do quite well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ308aOOX04 I understand that guitars mean different things to different people. Many are very finicky, and I get that. Yet I reflect on working with traveling musicians, going state to state. Many, probably most, pianists did not bring their own pianos. Those who did said it was for the tone, not the feel of the keyboard. I played a few woodwinds a decade. I don't recall anyone complaining about the "action". Quite a few virtuoso guitarists can switch from a 24 3/4th" scale to a 25.5", some in the same show. Jimmy Page went back and forth between a double neck and a single neck guitar in the same shows. Most of us spend a good amount of time driving. I'll bet very few swapped out their driver's seats because they were too narrow, fat, stiff or soft. Most things in life we are okay with even if they are not ideal because they simply are a means to an end and they work. It seems to me that often some find that the precise comfort of the guitar is an end or at least one of the ends. I know that we are fussy about guitars. We have hundreds of different types of picks, strings, pickups, amps, pedals, and so much more. There is a risk that the pursuit of perfection spoils the journey. I don't want to be snide to the effetes, but here's some practical advice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0x978oZa3Y&t=39s

That's a very nice review. My belief is that Gibson and Heritage do quite well these days. I have more confidence in Heritage because it's a smaller operation. Their QC is pretty solid. The Gibson Custom Shop is competitive except in cost. I have fairly recent ES-345 and H-535 builds. The build quality of each is wonderful. I can squabble about their choice in inlays, tuners, and other things if I want to. Those are inherent in the models. The workmanship is spot on in both.

I had asked the seller the same question. It's not the one given away years ago. At least the seller didn't see a 2 on the back. When the "2" guitar was about to be given away, I was at the factory for another reason. They built a couple of them, which they often did when making a custom instrument. One of them had checking, if I recall right. Two of the Heritage guys were talking about what to do with it, probably Ren and Marv, but it could have been Bill. They decided to give it away by lottery at the PSP. That's my memory.

People made fun of the headstock since its inception, but it didn't stop us from enjoying the guitars. Labeling them "Heritage" makes good sense since that's what we called them all along. Fender, Guild, Gibson and Martin don't put "The" on the headstock either. I also like the wider, shorter headstock cosmetically. I don't know what all the yellow is about. Is it supposed to look aged? Another issue is that the string angle is sharper at the nut with the new headstock. The justification for the "snake head" shape was more good nut slippage with string bends and tuning. The last point I'd make is that the older H-150 has a smaller heel than the CC. This may seem minor, but the smaller heel helps high fret access slightly. In summary, which would I rather have depends on the individual instrument.

When I looked at fixing the nut slot, I saw the nut was slightly chipped and should be replaced. So I gave him this H-157 instead. I think this one originally landed in Los Vegas at Heritage dealer who liked Black Backs. Anyway, my grandson really liked the guitar and played a long time until he went back home last night. I'll get the Ultra taken care of. Here's the H-157. She's a looker and pretty light. The small heel is nice, too.

Huh?

I have another grandson who plays and takes lessons. I'm showing him how to correct an overcut nut with crazy glue and baking soda today. It's on a H-150 Ultra. Years ago I pulled the HRWs and replaced the bridge and tailpiece. Here are some before and after pics. Once we get it restrung and setup, he keeps it. I want to see him do the work first. He will. He doesn't know yet he can keep it.

My 14 year old grandson has been a studious guitar learner for two years and takes lessons. Some time ago I gave him a G&L to play. Yesterday he spent the day playing a ghost built Gretsch made by Heritage. It has the dimensions of a Super Eagle. He took right to it and played it for hours. He asked a lot of questions about it. He's 5'7" and it fit him well. I'll get the G&L back, which is a cool take on the Fender Jazzmaster, and he'll keep the Gretsch. I also gave him 10 sets of strings. He's at my house frequently. I'll teach him how to scope the interior and do sets up. Normally he's not that enthusiasted about things. This time it was different. He played for a few hours before he said it fits him well, is easy to play, and sounds great.

Gorgeous guitar.

We visit this topic from time to time, but it is always a joy. One of my favorite finishes is the chestnut sunburst. One nice feature is that the color difference between maple and mahogany isn't stark. Here are two older instruments. Note how the artists spraying them went for a slightly different result.

I recently saw a long documentary on the Challenger explosion. That inspired this addition to the American Eagle pickguard. I talked to Maudie Moore about a year before she died. She told me how they decided to put this image on the pickguard very soon before a national guitar show in Chicago. I think the symbol loses something if made in China. The idea of the symbol was to show the perserverence of the American spirit despite tragic setbacks. Wouldn't want to outsource that.

Thanks. They sound good to me.

The reflectors do look good. The stock pickups are these: https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps-gizmos/97937-new-gibson-t-type-calibrated-pickup.html Some love them and some hate them. Go figure. I don't know what "calibrated" means really. Phat Cats sound close enough to P-90s for my purposes. They may not be as warm. I'm not sure.

So I weighed the 2022 ES-345. It is 7# 14 oz. My H-535 from 2016 is 3 oz heavier despite being slightly thinner. The neck on the Gibson is slightly thinner. I wonder if there is a difference in the density of the center blocks.