MartyGrass

Highly unlikely that bobbins were wound at Heritage. Ren is a clever person. I'd bet on the cryo treatment. If not that, it's something that can change the sound but doesn't require a lot of labor. Is It Cool or Not? Cryogenically Frozen Gear Explained | Ultimate Guitar

To be candid about this, around a decade ago I really didn't like HRWs, at least in the bridge position in solid bodies. The high frequency output was too sharp to my ears. Eventually I sorted it out. The neck position was always fine. It's odd to me because I've never had an issue with Schallers. I'm pretty sure HRWs were cryo treated. I asked Ren once. He just smiled. In that particular context it would have been easy for him to say something like there's more to the story. He didn't. This conversation occured when I brought in a Johnny Smith with a Floating #3 pickup and asked about getting a tone control added. He did the work while I was there, which took maybe 15-20 minutes. He charged very little, no more than $50.

Where did this idea come from?

One thing is a clear difference. Tap the cover of a Seth and you will hear a click. No wax. Not a big deal.

You're right about the dot. I've put HRWs in my guitars a couple of times and did this. Clever guys!

We've gone down this path.

I have always liked HRWs sometimes! The right guitar and amp settings can bring out a very pleasant brightness and sparkle. The secret about making these pickups, as best I can guess, is a cryo treatment of the magnets. I've asked Ren Wall a couple of times over the years about cryo treatment. He just smiled and wouldn't comment further. I'd like to put this to rest. What's the truth?

Rare sighting.

That's an interesting question. As a kid I played a Gibson 225 for a year or so and gave it to my sister. Much later I had a 525 soon after they came out. The instrument was comfortable for me and was loud enough that it didn't need to be plugged in for bedroom practice. You should prepare how you want to manage the P-90 hum. The pickups are reverse wound, so when both are at about equal volume during amplification, hum is not an issue usually. That's what I did. There are pedals also that take out the 60 Hz hum. The second issue some of us have had is the feedback tendency, common to all hollow bodies. That can be managed as well. The upsides are how light the guitar is and that P-90 hollow body tone. It also has a cool retro image. It's a niche instrument that I like. How much it is worth and what you'll need to pay for it is unclear. They are collectible.

I have a couple of more comments on the Eagle Classic. I do like the fret markers. My Classic did not have any. Usually they are not necessary I suppose, but they can prevent a noticeable gaffe. Unless you use a bridge pickup, this guitar has it all. It's a true beauty. The finish is a masterpiece. Around the time this guitar was built I was at Heritage with a couple of guitars, an Eagle and an Eagle Classic, with some questions. In the conversation with two of the owners, I asked whether the choice of spruce top billets (blanks) differed between the Classic and Golden Eagle. Bill and Marv said in general no. That almond burst finish looks perfect. That is not easy to do well. I don't know if this guitar is parallel or X-braced. The latter is a little trickier with a mounted pickup. Either way is good.

Having grown up in Kalamazoo, I've experienced a lot of claims about what makes the difference in a good sound and have known several people who designed and built pickups on a larger scale. Many of you have heard many opinions also. Decades later these observations keep pouring in. A couple of days ago a long standing friend suggested a set of strings that made a big difference. I can only conclude that for many of us this tonequest has no end. I have been humbled several times when I was unhappy with the sound of a set up or pickup only to hand the guitar to someone very good and was amazed at the tone. My impression of Schallers is that they are decent. The tilt engineering is clever. Here's a relevant video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mURVofPTnY&t=222s I'll venture briefly into another realm- the Strat. I have one with the original pickups and a David Gilmour EMG set. There is a huge difference that to me is worth the investment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ozl28iKM0E

Very, very nice!

I got three of them. One of those I gave to my grandson. Gretsch and Randy had a charity auction years ago. A friend of mine tipped me off to the event. He got one. I put bids on 3 and got them all. They are essentially acoustic Super Eagles with floating pups. Together we got the first 4 Synchromatics. I kept two blondes and had a single coil pickup put into a Heritage floating casing made by one of the Heritage guys.

https://youtu.be/3Y1BBMVfTXo?si=Ri50Y29PJOlpsOLR I had one long ago. I bought it new. The dealer did not know about the LW treatment. I should have kept it. Back then there was a bias against it, saying it steals tone and sustain. Gibson got bad press about the Swiss cheese butchery. In theory some of that may be true. Yet I have great sounding small and medium sized semi-hollows. The LW H-150 did not have neck diving, was about 7 lbs, and sounded excellent. I'm glad Heritage is promoting such an instrument.

The Roy Clark early on had a floating center block. But you know Heritage back then. Flexible.

The center block may be cedar. At least the Asian Epiphones use that wood.

I apologize if this has already been addressed 10 times. HOC is now old enough that it has a lot to search through, even when using the search feature. So here's the first point. The Roy Clark model is supposed to have a floating center block. Mine doesn't. It has a full one. I'm happy with it. I was a bit surprised though. Two questions: 1. What does Heritage use for center blocks and is that variable? 2. Does Gibson use the same wood for their 335-355? Thanks, fellow nerds.

I got PTSD doing harness work on Heritage semis. You'd think there would be no significant difference between a Gibson and a 535. There is more swearing involved!

Some relics look like real playwear. The finish cracking on every square inch and a few dings don't. This one is decent. Still I won't pay to have it done.

I apologize if this has already been overdiscussed. I find that the relicking process is weird. To begin with, I've seen many lacquered old instruments and that don't look that relicked. Secondly, why would someone want that process done to a guitar? Do they think someone is fooled? I had a 70 year old well worn Gibson L-5 played by a studio musician and gig based professional player. There was some checking, but nothing like a new relicked guitar. I have to wonder if they take a guitar that got a little checking or a ding or two and decided to relick it and charge more than the way, which was to call it a second. I'm sure I've offended someone. So I best leave in my relicked car.

I'm glad your pickups don't hum. Mine do. They are reverse wound, so when both are on and the volumes are similar, there's no hum. I use a pedal to eliminate the hum otherwise.

To put this politely, reasonable people have different opinions. I have no quarrel with someone whose preferences differ from mine. I would appreciate a certain humility that precludes stating an opinion as a universal fact though. I do understand that love of guitars is a certain manifestation of mental illness that I suffered with most of my life. I am confident of this much on the topic: weight relieved H-150s weigh less.

Classic!

In my life I have witnessed in myself and others the same feeling of an instrument not fitting well. I have also seen looks of disbelief. A friend of mine was asigned the upright bass in high school. I had a cello. It didn't matter how we liked it. I had a Howard Roberts as a kid. It was big. My teacher said after a while I'd get used to it. He was right. But we are grown men. We don't have to put up with that anymore. One of my guitar teachers was Joe Fava. We were in his small teaching room, and he would smoke. He focused on technique and stopped me everytime my fingers didn't move correctly. It was constant criticism with occasional "good". I practiced this uncomfortable technique two hours a day. Eventually it became natural. Violin players told me the same thing. I wouldn't dare to complain. He'd say play your instrument properly or quit. Eventually it because okay. I went through the same with a bass clarinet. I have a H-575, two actually since I'm borrowing one, but like the feel of the H-530 a bit better. To get sentimental, I enjoyed the days being a kid and having a strong teacher who told me exactly what I'm supposed to do. It cut out a lot of noise from the other voices. Then Hendrix came along.