MartyGrass

The Seth Lover is the gold standard to me, particularly with jazz. I'm in the minority, but I do like Schallers, too.

I'd say that if I had to pick a neck carve it would be a medium C. I like thinner ones as well. But a long time ago I didn't know anything about neck carves. I came into a late 1920s L-5 with a pickguard-attached McCarty pickup. I had no idea it was collectible. That neck was big and it was distinctly different than the Gibson slim carves I was used to. But the L-5 was then my only guitar. Within a month it felt normal. Now I have an assortment of guitars. I pulled out a Thornton that was specified when made to be a 1958 carve. It is fatter than any Heritage I recall handling and is like my old L-5. After a couple of hours it was comfortable. But then I'm not a virtuoso. I know that many artists are very particular. Some are not though. Here are some pics. This is about 7.5 lbs, some of that being the fat neck. But the weight is not an issue. I hope you can appreciate how round the neck is from these pics. I would never claim a fat neck makes the guitar sound better. The guy who had this guitar made had two models with the same neck. I don't know why he was that specific.

I got a great H-157 from Skydog52 years ago. It's around 9.5 lbs. That's comfortable and it is a joy to play.

Must have been one of those nickle cadmium battery explosions that airports ask about. (kidding!)

I understand the question of the thread. Another way of determining a favorite is the context of when playing it. I played a ES-345 for several years in a band. I don't have one now, but I will always be nostalgic for one. I also had a Gibson Howard Roberts Artist in my late teens and played it two or more hours a day. It became so natural to hold it, I didn't even notice it hardly. I do have one of those, and it's an old friend.

There's the wood figuring that can be amazing. But a well done burst is truly a work of art. The transitions need to be subtle and symmetrical. The triburst is a master work when done well in that the interfaces are twice as complex. I am a fan of a few models.

One of my favorite H-170 was a gold top lightweight. PunkKitty had it for a whille, as I recall. It had only three knobs and a full neck.

May it fulfill your dreams.

I don't know the number, but I know there were several prototype. The guitar begins as a thinline H-550. They added some Gretsch-inspired electronics, HRW pickups, and a Bigsby. David didn't like the sustain, so they put in a center block. That's the final prototype and the one I have. The next ones had signatures on the headstock and pickguard. Pros: Play well, sounds great, dramatic and beautiful blue Cons: Heavier than a H-555, although I have H-157s that weigh as much

There are more new concepts in the works, so I've heard. We'll see.

What a beauty! I'm sure it is a comfortable and rich player. Those guys at their best were the best!

You had a lot more glorious instruments than just these. I still have the H-157 I got from you.

I was able to check the guitar out in detail. It is in excellent condition. The binding shows some yellowing and the gold shows some age. Electronics are fine. I weighed it at 8 lbs 7 oz. That is about a pound more than my H-530s. Then I noticed it has a full center block, which someone must have custom ordered. The absence of a cutaway, a bit of a fatter neck (not like a '58 LP though, and the center block accounts for the weight difference. This is a 2011 build. Back then Heritage made custom changes on signature guitars, I'm almost sure without the artists' consent.

The guitar arrived in excellent condition. This is fortunate because the box was brutalized. The guitar in case was packed extremely well will lots of bubble wrap, styrofoam, and filler. Otherwise it may not have made it.

I do recall that Roy did have quite a hand in designing his two Heritage types. I also recall that some of the original guys, maybe Marv and Ren, told me he "stole" some guitars. I may have it wrong, but as I recall they lent him a couple of guitars that he wouldn't return, and Roy was mad at the Heritage guys. I know they were mad at him, at least for a while. I think it's possible that there was a disagreement about what constituted a RC Signature model. I personally got one that did not having any Roy Clark markings on it, which probably means Roy got no royalties. There was fallout with Johnny Smith as well. I can surmise why but don't know. Nonetheless, the Roy Clark and Johnny Smith guitars are among my favorites. Life is complicated. Here's a RC solo that is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjQ650DK5k

I think I'll ask if Heritage has any leftover Roy Clark truss rod covers. Why not?

Roy Clark Signatures have many variations over the years. There was a limited run of essentially H-535s with his name on them and with exception wood figuring. But the original design is a single cutaway that's deeper than the H-535s for higher fret access. The thinking of the single vs. double cutaway is that there is more bling facing the audience, a larger resonance chamber, and a little more body weight to avoid neck dive. You'll find them with double and single cutaways, maple and mahogany necks, dots, blocks and split block inlays, and some with Bigsbys. Some will have traditional black headstock veneers and some will have matching maple figured woods. Here's a ten year old thread that shows my old natural Roy Clark. I found one a few days ago that I managed to close a deal on. It's among the last ones made AFAIK. I'm a fan of the chestnut burst and the block inlays like on the H-157. I believe it has Seth Lovers, but I'll know eventually. This is basically a hybrid of a H-530 and a H-555. Here's him funking around showing off his skills. Anyway, here's the incoming porn.