drfie Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Picked up a HFT-445 on ebay a couple of weeks ago and some here saw the listing (thread over in the Ebay topics). It has a crack on the top that didn't seem to affect playability to me. The DeArmond sound hole pup wasn't working either. I called Ren and he gladly agreed to see it. His initial thought was the crack looked stable and was just cosmetic. It doesn't go through the wood, it's just surface. He called yesterday to say the pup fix was just a matter of replacing a shorted tone pot. The neck isn't adjusting sufficiently to his liking and he is heat treating it right now. After fully looking it over, he still thinks the crack is cosmetic and not worth fixing. Sounds like all and all it was a great deal! Can't wait to get it back. dan
Genericmusic Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Congratulations on a nice find and great instrument.
schundog Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Nice Happy Ending. I would sleep well at night knowing Ren was watching over my baby.
Steiner Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 That's really cool. You've found a great deal, got the creators to bring it back to life AND (perhaps serendipitously) joined the Acoustic Bridge Club! Welcome aboard.
FredZepp Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Oh yes, that one looked to be just fine. What a great thing to have the crew in Kalamazoo fine tune the neck for you. That was a good one to grab.
tulk1 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Thats the one I posted here, bid on, then passed. I chickened out on the crack, SO happy to hear it's working out. And like Greg said, you've got the Creators working on it. It's in the best of hands. Dude, enjoy that guitar. They are very rare, and you are one lucky soul to have one.
chico Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 When you say "crack in the top" I assume you mean the spruce has split some below the bridge. Reason I ask, is I have a HFT 445 that was a factory reject. Among the issues, besides a broken neck that was glued back together under the headstock, was a small split at the seam of the spruce below the bridge. I posted a couple pics, you can see the split if you look carefully, running south of the saddle. Pardon the swipes from aggressive picking.. Like I say, a factory reject. But, man, does it sound GOOD! lately I've been working up Black Crowes songs in alt tunings, along with CSN alt tunings. They sound supurb. When I got the guitar, it was lying against the wall at Parsons St., unbuffed, dusty and forgotton. Jim D. picked it up, looked at the issues, said, "I think it'll sound fine, lets buff it up and clean it. The split will actually create even better tone". I haven't looked back, its #1 in my roster.. congrats, if you have photos post em.
drfie Posted January 21, 2011 Author Posted January 21, 2011 When you say "crack in the top" I assume you mean the spruce has split some below the bridge. Reason I ask, is I have a HFT 445 that was a factory reject. Among the issues, besides a broken neck that was glued back together under the headstock, was a small split at the seam of the spruce below the bridge. I posted a couple pics, you can see the split if you look carefully, running south of the saddle. Pardon the swipes from aggressive picking.. Like I say, a factory reject. But, man, does it sound GOOD! lately I've been working up Black Crowes songs in alt tunings, along with CSN alt tunings. They sound supurb. When I got the guitar, it was lying against the wall at Parsons St., unbuffed, dusty and forgotton. Jim D. picked it up, looked at the issues, said, "I think it'll sound fine, lets buff it up and clean it. The split will actually create even better tone". I haven't looked back, its #1 in my roster.. congrats, if you have photos post em. Yes, the split is exactly like the one in your guitar, judging from the picture. I'll post some pics when it comes back. Thanks for the input guys, and yes, it appears that I have joined a small club within a small club by purchasing a heritage flat top! dan
schundog Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Chico, the story of how you found that guitar is worth whatever the price of the guitar was!! Very cool way to come across one.
chico Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Brian, I got a good deal on it. Jim asked around to the other owners the number, and nobody cared. Another interesting thing. I am amazed at how well the guitar holds tune. Even in alt tunings. Right now I've got it tuned to open G. I can put it in the case, open it a week or two later (rarely does it go down like that), and its still in tune. If the climate has changed, the pitch may be off but all strings are off - or + the same amount. Speaking of climate, I suggest if you live in a cold climate with indoor heat running a lot, make sure you invest in a small humidifier for your case. It is a few pieces of wood, glued together after all.
kbp810 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Yes, the split is exactly like the one in your guitar, judging from the picture. I'll post some pics when it comes back. Thanks for the input guys, and yes, it appears that I have joined a small club within a small club by purchasing a heritage flat top! dan Nice grab! Split or no split I bet she'll sound great My 445 has plenty of bumps and bruises, but it's the sound that counts and boy does she sure sound good!
High Flying Bird Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Congratulations. I love my Heritage acoustic.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.