Dick Seacup

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!

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

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.

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.

Yep, MidMichigan Music. Rick Allen owned it. He was a good guy. Was somewhat acquainted with his daughter; haven't talked to either of them in many, many years. Rick eventually closed the music store. Think the big box and online places put him out of business. Used to like going in there just to browse and shoot the breeze. He still owns the building, though. Where the music store used to be is now a pizza shop, a distillery and a wine shop. He also built out a loft on the second floor, but last I looked the rent was, ah, a bit much.

Once upon a time there was an H-170 with Bigsby that became affectionally known as "The Tone Sucker." Regret followed not long after.

I have NI Groove Agent, XLN Addictive Drums 2, a handful of other "drum machine" VSTs (because they're like Pokemon, you have to catch them all, right?), the built-in stuff that comes in Ableton Live and Cubase Pro, and a Roland TR-8. For "quality" sounds, Groove Agent of Addictive Drums win. For "just lay down a foundation to jam along with", the TR-8 wins hands down. Several years ago, though, Roland superseded the TR-8 with the TR-8s, which has some different functionality. Never bothered to "upgrade" because what I have works for what I want to do with it. If I'm building a track, the work flow, generally, is to just get that four on the floor going with the TR-8 and then eventually replace it with better sounding/more complex MIDI patterns from Groove Agent. Just depends on how much effort I feel like making at the time and whether I'm truly "building a track" or simply "futzing around", aka "noodling."

Telecasters truly are the Swiss Army knife of guitars. Used for everything from blues to jazz to reggae to rock 'n roll to pop to country to you name it. That Tokai is a real looker, too. Good luck with the band and gigs! I <3 gig reports, so I'm hoping you post a few.

I laughed at the punch line. Sucked me in on that one! Glad you had a good time. It is amusing to hear my sons and their friends talk about songs that have been re-released as covers as if they're the original. I can't imagine playing in a band with that sort of disconnect.

I've always told my boys, "Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see."