Observations: H550 v. Golden Eagle

[zeittgeist]

So, I have been playing the 2006 H550, that came a couple weeks ago, a lot; practicing maybe two hours a day. I feel like l am really getting to know this guitar. On the plus side, the sound is amazing: warm, fat, balanced; everything one could ask of jazz box. Additionally, the workmanship and execution are flawless. BUT, the guitar is somewhat awkward for me to hold and play. I am on the small size, 5'7", 125 lbs, and began wondering if a 17" was just too large for me. Then on Friday the '97 Golden Eagle arrive. The first thing that stuck me on opening the case was that I am definitely an Antique Sunburst man, This guitar was gorgeous. Then as I was pulling her out of her case, it became immediately obvious she had a thinner profile neck than the H550, and was overall quite a bit lighter. But the most interesting thing was how she "melted" into my lap and felt just right for me. I actually took her measurements because I couldn't believe she was the same size as the H550. I am thinking that not only because she is a full pound lighter, but much of the lightness comes from the thin "D" profile neck versus the H550's much fuller "C" profile. Compared to the GE, the H550 feels neck heavy and wants to fall off my lap. So I am guessing it is the weight and balance that make her seem smaller. Does this seem a reasonable assumption?

 

Now the troubling news: when I plugged her in, she sounded terrible. I tried to set her up the best I could: adjusted the truss rod, lowered the action, worked on the intonation, but soon realized there were problems beyond my meager skill. The nut grooves seemed too low, there were a couple frets that were too high, and there was a short in the wiring. So yesterday I took her down to the local luthier along with the H550 and asked him if he could make the Golden Eagle sound as good as her laminated topped sister. He claims he can, so in a week or there about we'll find out.

 

I have a tendency to generalize from too small a data set, but I am wondering if Golden Eagles, in general, have a different profile neck, and balance from H550s. Would like to hear thoughts and opinions.

Daniel

[valriver40]

good luck daniel on your new guitar fix. i had recentley bought a 550 in sunburst and they look great! being about 6 foot and 210 lbs the guitar fits me well.

[ingeneri]

I'll defer to the serious Heritage experts like Brent and John, but I think the difference in necks is more a result of changes over the production years than the models.

 

The Golden Eagle's carved and X-braced spruce top is just going to sound different than a parallel braced maple laminate. As to the plugged in sound of the GE, the #3 floating pups get little to no love online. I haven't played them, so I can't confirm the critiques.

 

Kent Armstrong's hand made floating pups are generally considered the best out there: Archtop.com. I have his Johnny Smith replica and it sounds fantastic. The full sized floating 12 pole HB is the same size as the Heritage and gets universally high praise. I saw Roni ben Hur use one on his vintage Johnny Smith and his tone was amazing: Roni Ben Hur

[MartyGrass]

The H550 I sold Tim had a thin neck.

 

My GE has a fatter C neck, which I like a lot. Hell, both necks are fabulous really.

 

The point is that you can't generalize on the necks with Heritage. Too much variability.

 

I have average sized hands and can easily adjust to almost any neck. I have a hard time understanding what all of the hoopla is about neck thickness.

 

It is true that there is a slight increase in finger strength with a thinner board. This is because the extrinsic hand muscles are closer to their full contraction when the fingers curve down toward a fist position. I don't see how this provides any detectable advantage. The difference is trivial, perhaps a couple of millimeters.

 

I admit I'm in the minority here and we are squarely in the land of opinion. We do spend much of our discussion time in this land though.

[ingeneri]

Oh and BTW, I'm 5'7" (but wish I was only 125 lbs!) and play an 18" by 3" Super Eagle with no problems in performance either sitting or standing. The 18" is a bit big for playing on the couch, so the 17" by 3" GE or 550 is actually the most comfortable for me.

 

Mark, I never used to obsess on neck shapes either. While the necks on my Super Eagle, 575, and Groovemaster have all varied, all the Heritage necks were extremely comfortable. But, I'm swapping my Benedetto Bambino Deluxe for a 525 in part because I keep on getting hand cramps with Bob's guitar.

[zeittgeist]

Thanks for the great replies. Sorting out all the variables on the quest to finding one's "perfect" guitar is a fascinating adventure. And having a support group like HOC makes that adventure even more fun. I don't suppose there is any empirical evidence to support my theory that the gorgeous triple binding on the Golden Eagle's neck is what makes it easier to play?

 

Also:

I was fortunate enough last week to sell some fountain pens on eBay which has resulted in a mid nineties Sweet 16 being enroute to my cabin. Just to add another player into the mix.

[MartyGrass]

I'm swapping my Benedetto Bambino Deluxe for a 525 in part because I keep on getting hand cramps with Bob's guitar.

 

 

Is the neck too fat?

 

Matt, I can see how a thinner neck can be helpful to you because of your heavier strings. All of my guitars have either 10.5s or 11s. All except the 575 I got from you. That has FW 13s. I just finished playing it for 30 minutes, by coincidence. No cramps, no fatigue. The thinner neck and low action may be why.

 

I had this 1920s L5 years ago with FW 13s and a very fat neck. I couldn't spend a lot of time below the fifth fret without muscle aches.

[MartyGrass]

Thanks for the great replies. Sorting out all the variables on the quest to finding one's "perfect" guitar is a fascinating adventure. And having a support group like HOC makes that adventure even more fun. I don't suppose there is any empirical evidence to support my theory that the gorgeous triple binding on the Golden Eagle's neck is what makes it easier to play?

 

Also:

I was fortunate enough last week to sell some fountain pens on eBay which has resulted in a mid nineties Sweet 16 being enroute to my cabin. Just to add another player into the mix.

 

 

I don't know if the triple binding helps, but it might. I was playing my 11.8 lb H157 last night. The dazzle from the abalone inlays made it feel four pounds lighter.

[zeittgeist]

I don't know if the triple binding helps, but it might. I was playing my 11.8 lb H157 last night. The dazzle from the abalone inlays made it feel four pounds lighter.

 

Yes! Exactly the phenomenon I am basing my theory on.

[Kuz]

Well, the neck on my 575 Custom is much beefier than on my Eagle. But the Eagle is 1 3/4" so it is wider. I would say the neck on my 525 is beefier too. Don't get me wrong, the Eagle's neck is not skinny, it's wide & fat just not as fat as the 575 & 525).

 

I played Vince Lewis' Sweet 16 at PSP3. Now that neck was on the skinny side. Even Vince said he is used to it now, but it was initially thinner than he liked.

[zeittgeist]

...But the Eagle is 1 3/4" so it is wider...

 

 

 

Is the 1 3/4" neck on your Eagle a custom order? Is it very common? Do you notice much difference between it and the standard 1 11/16? I am curious because there is an Eagle Classic on eBay whose description says it has a 1 3/4" neck and I thought that might have been a mistake.

[Kuz]

Is the 1 3/4" neck on your Eagle a custom order? Is it very common? Do you notice much difference between it and the standard 1 11/16? I am curious because there is an Eagle Classic on eBay whose description says it has a 1 3/4" neck and I thought that might have been a mistake.

 

Yep, a custom order and it feels a little wider. I custom ordered my 555 to 1 3/4" so for me it was no big deal.