Prospect/Millie

[koula901]

As far as I can tell the only difference is in the size of the body . . from the Heritage website, a Prospect body width is 15", length is 16-3/4". The millie is body width is 13-1/4", and length is 17-5/8". Wondering what's the difference in sound, if any, given same wood and pickups.

[drfie]

The prospect is a smaller 535 with laminated wood top. The Millie is, in my opinion, more similar to the 150. The top is solid and much thicker than a prospect. I have never had a Prospect, but having owned a Millie and currently being the owner of a 150 and 555, I'd say the sound of a Millie is more along the lines of a 150 than a 535/555, as far as sustain, feedback, etc.

 

my 2 cents.

 

dan

[tulk1]

Dan is certainly headed in the right direction. The Millie is a semi-solid guitar. Basically, it's a chambered body (there has been discussion that the LW bodies and the Millies have the same interior carve). And has much more in common with the 150 series than the 500 series.

 

The flat back Millie's have a deep carved solid top; rims similar to the semi-hollows; and a carved solid back. The maple is going to give a bit brighter tone than the 150 series. But not quite as "woody" as the semi-hollows.

 

The Prospect is put together just like the 535s, with the slightly smaller body and a floating center block. The block is not attached to either the top or back, hence the floating.

 

Both being smaller semi's, they are quite different in nature. Take the F-holes out of the Millie and you have an all maple chambered 150. Take the F-holes out of the Prospect and you have a semi-hollow without F-holes.

 

Now, if you can get the Millie that is arched top and back (no access plate), you have a 150 sized semi-hollow, laminate woods and all. I've had all 3 types of guitars mentioned here. Loved them all. But they are certainly not the same guitars in different shapes.

[koula901]

Tulk, thanks for comprehensive response, I really appreciate it. I did see a demo of the Millie on You Tube and fell in love with it - it had the split-coil buckers; but before I consider that, I thought I ought to know about the Prospect as well.

[SouthpawGuy]

A side by side shot of both for comparison.

 

 

My Millie has HRWs and the Prospect has Seth Lovers, they are vastly different in tone. The Millie does tend to sound more like a solid body, especially the bridge pickup which is actually very good for metal type tones with od / distortion and with a clean sound can be very tele like.

 

Shot of the Millies' semi solid construction ...

 

[koula901]

SouthpawGuy,

I take it the Millie is the one on the left side (single cut). Yes, the one I heard had HRW's and I loved the sound. So they are two different beasts. I notice that they both pose in front of a lovely Vox! Are there ever any problems with the floating block in the Prospect?

[tulk1]

SouthpawGuy,

I take it the Millie is the one on the left side (single cut). Yes, the one I heard had HRW's and I loved the sound. So they are two different beasts. I notice that they both pose in front of a lovely Vox! Are there ever any problems with the floating block in the Prospect?

Both of my Prospects had a "tendency" towards feedback. I used the 'ol Nuge trick of putting a bit of natural sponge between the block and the back. Has no noticeable effect on tone, but sure helped tame the occasional feedback problem.

[Spectrum13]

If I may contrast my 155 Millie and P90 Prospect as they differ in tone and construction.

There are a few kinds of millies - Ultras, Eagles, SAE, and 155s and I could be leaving a few out.

 

My 155 has a carved maple top - a one piece flat chunk of maple back, hog neck but the rims are solid maple with an extension from the base by the strap button up to the bridge. Called a semi-solid rather than chambered. The Ultra has a hog body that might be chambered. Sound wise the 155 bridge pup would compair to (I assume) a chambered all maple 157 (ebony board) having a thick maple cap and a maple body. It does not have the punch of a 150 and my 150 has the same seth lovers as my 155. The neck sounds is like a little L5, very jazzy prehaps due to the ebony finger board, carved maple top and maple back & sides It does not sound like a 555 semi.

 

The Prospect is available with a normal or floating block. I would describe mine as a cross between an inch smaller 535 and a 530. The floating block makes it more of a full hollow like a 530 but the block supports the bridge posts and stoptail so it has more sustain than a 530 but not as much as a 535. Nails the Grant Green tones and can do blues and rock too. Hope that helps.

[koula901]

If I may contrast my 155 Millie and P90 Prospect as they differ in tone and construction.

There are a few kinds of millies - Ultras, Eagles, SAE, and 155s and I could be leaving a few out.

. . . )

 

Yes it all helps. One can get this in different configurations.

[Guest mgoetting]

I have had a few Millies. The lightest is the DC. The heaviest is the Eagle. The others were really nice 155s. Any one of them would be all the guitar most people would ever hope to have.

 

I only have the Eagle left. It's got a carved front and back plus a thick neck. I know it can't be true, but it feels as heavy as my 157. I'll have to weigh the Eagle.

 

Everyone likes pics. Here's the carved back and front. They did a fine job.

 

I'd love to tell you that carving makes all the difference in tone. If so, I'm not good enough to hear it. Yet.

[koula901]

I have had a few Millies. The lightest is the DC. The heaviest is the Eagle. The others were really nice 155s. Any one of them would be all the guitar most people would ever hope to have.

 

I only have the Eagle left. It's got a carved front and back plus a thick neck. I know it can't be true, but it feels as heavy as my 157. I'll have to weigh the Eagle.

 

Everyone likes pics. Here's the carved back and front. They did a fine job.

 

I'd love to tell you that carving makes all the difference in tone. If so, I'm not good enough to hear it. Yet.

 

 

Plus, it has that fancy tail piece with "H" on it. Was the thick neck a happy accident, or did you order it that way - I happen to like thick necks. I'll bet that helps w/sustain. Beautiful guitar, by the way.

[Guest mgoetting]

Was the thick neck a happy accident, or did you order it that way - I happen to like thick necks. I'll bet that helps w/sustain. Beautiful guitar, by the way.

 

 

I've learned that a true happy accident would have been to find this in a dumpster!

 

I got this NOS from a dealer I trusted.

 

I do like thicker necks as well. Guitars with them seem heavier than they really are. Maybe it's because they torque the left shoulder more (right shoulder in your case, and almost in erictheweasel's case, too).

 

The H tailpiece may look like it would suck up sustain. It might, but you can pound on it for a trem effect.

[Millennium Maestro]

The thicker neck on that model is partially based on the fact they have 3 piece necks. These millies are a step further away from the 150 towards Jazzish. The H tailpiece or Fingers Tailpiece effectively lenghten the strings making the strings a little more slinky.

 

This is a Millie Eagle 2000, see the seam in the neck showing it to be 3 piece.

 

Millie Eagle 2000 has Abalone inlays, larger headstock, Imperial tuners, Bound Headstock

[Guest mgoetting]

That's a very nice blue finish. The best I've seen.

 

I've only seen a couple Millie Eagles. They've all been lookers.

 

I don't know if the neck thickness has much to do with lamination. It may, particularly with triple maple. I have a couple of 5 layered necks thinner than my Millies. I've read the 3 layers are different though. Guy, you may know.

[FredZepp]

Hopefully you have some pics of that blue Millie Eagle in the gallery, MM ... that blue is mesmerizing..

[pro-fusion]

Another thing to remember about the Millie, as I understand it, is that it doesn't have a block below the neck pickup. Because of that, the neck pickup responds more like a full hollowbody, while the bridge pickup responds more like a solidbody. I don't think I've ever played another dual-humbucker guitar where the two pickups sounded so dramatically different. It's quite a versatile instrument, though not as practical if you do a lot of high-gain soloing on the neck pickup.

 

I can't compare to the Prospect, but I sold my 555 back to Brent because it sounded a fair bit like my Millie DC. Not exactly alike, but definitely in the same ballpark.

[Millennium Maestro]

Hopefully you have some pics of that blue Millie Eagle in the gallery, MM ... that blue is mesmerizing..

Just for you.

[tulk1]

Another thing to remember about the Millie, as I understand it, is that it doesn't have a block below the neck pickup. Because of that, the neck pickup responds more like a full hollowbody, while the bridge pickup responds more like a solidbody. I don't think I've ever played another dual-humbucker guitar where the two pickups sounded so dramatically different. It's quite a versatile instrument, though not as practical if you do a lot of high-gain soloing on the neck pickup.

 

I can't compare to the Prospect, but I sold my 555 back to Brent because it sounded a fair bit like my Millie DC. Not exactly alike, but definitely in the same ballpark.

According to my meager attempt at Millie Forensics, there is no block under either of the pickups.

 

[koula901]

The thicker neck on that model is partially based on the fact they have 3 piece necks. These millies are a step further away from the 150 towards Jazzish. The H tailpiece or Fingers Tailpiece effectively lenghten the strings making the strings a little more slinky.

 

This is a Millie Eagle 2000, see the seam in the neck showing it to be 3 piece.

 

Millie Eagle 2000 has Abalone inlays, larger headstock, Imperial tuners, Bound Headstock

 

Damn, that's a fine guitar.