rcfs1834 Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I know this might comparing apples and oranges. But I wanted opinions and insights from people who have owned one of the guitars in topic title. I'm looking for a Heritage P90 machine and those look like the best bet. FYI - I play mostly Americana, Classic Country, and Rockabilly type stuff. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
Hfan Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I know this might comparing apples and oranges. But I wanted opinions and insights from people who have owned one of the guitars in topic title. I'm looking for a Heritage P90 machine and those look like the best bet. FYI - I play mostly Americana, Classic Country, and Rockabilly type stuff. Any help is appreciated, thanks. I haven't had any of those models, I believe the 137 is of based on a LP jr model good for similar applications I'm sure.The hollow / semi bodies may be better for your styles. I have been lusting for a 525 myself. The semi 530 may be better behaved re feedback issues. Many experts here to weigh in I'm sure. Like your choice of genres. I also love P90s which I have only recently discovered ...only took me 40 yrs of playing..better late than never.
donnie Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I'll be interested in this myself. If anyone has any Prospect with P90's experience I'd love to hear that as well.
Spectrum13 Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I'll be interested in this myself. If anyone has any Prospect with P90's experience I'd love to hear that as well. Check my gallery I have a Korina 137 and P90 prospect. Both have Lollars. 137 is a slab with a fat neck great clean and dirty. Prospect takes on a great blues and rock tone dirty - clean mostly Grant Green like kind of pingy.
rcfs1834 Posted March 18, 2011 Author Posted March 18, 2011 Check my gallery I have a Korina 137 and P90 prospect. Both have Lollars. 137 is a slab with a fat neck great clean and dirty. Prospect takes on a great blues and rock tone dirty - clean mostly Grant Green like kind of pingy. Spectrum13, do you find that the 137 is versatile? Or is it mostly a rock/blues sound?
Spectrum13 Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 Spectrum13, do you find that the 137 is versatile? Or is it mostly a rock/blues sound? Extra versatile. Great Jazz tones, never tried "country" with it but I can't see why not. A lot of it's magic (IMO) comes from the very fat Korina neck and slab although I never played a Hog 137. P90s and Korina are a favorite combo with many builders and players.
Hfan Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I know this might comparing apples and oranges. But I wanted opinions and insights from people who have owned one of the guitars in topic title. I'm looking for a Heritage P90 machine and those look like the best bet. FYI - I play mostly Americana, Classic Country, and Rockabilly type stuff. Any help is appreciated, thanks. pcfs, any particular P90s in mind? Not sure which H uses standard..Lollars maybe.
DetroitBlues Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I know this might comparing apples and oranges. But I wanted opinions and insights from people who have owned one of the guitars in topic title. I'm looking for a Heritage P90 machine and those look like the best bet. FYI - I play mostly Americana, Classic Country, and Rockabilly type stuff. Any help is appreciated, thanks. In my opinion after personally playing all of these guitars, the H-137 is a darker guitar suited to gritty rock/blues. For Country, Swing, Rockabilly, you're better off with a hollowbody/semi-hollowbody, they have a more acoustic snappy feel and tone to them. If you're an accoustic style player, it would be better for you. You want a lot of snappy sustain when using a slapback delay and tremolo effect style of music which you get from the H-525/530.
rcfs1834 Posted March 18, 2011 Author Posted March 18, 2011 Ya, I figured the 525 or 530 would be best suited for what I want. But those Korina 137's look pretty sweet. Tough call.
Spectrum13 Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 RC, Spent a good deal of time playing country on the 137 through my Ac15 clone,,, not even close up against my telecaster. Don't have a 525 or 530 but the Prospect P90 is close to a 530 but it's a blues & rocker thing and clean does the Grant Green. Unless your ideal of country is Keith Urban (335 & Jr) I got to think you should rule out a 137K.
DetroitBlues Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Ya, I figured the 525 or 530 would be best suited for what I want. But those Korina 137's look pretty sweet. Tough call. It sounds like a matter of looks over tonal qualities. So be like most of the members here and get both! (Besides, I doubt you'll find a Heritage guitar with telecaster type electronics!)
rcfs1834 Posted March 21, 2011 Author Posted March 21, 2011 It sounds like a matter of looks over tonal qualities. So be like most of the members here and get both! (Besides, I doubt you'll find a Heritage guitar with telecaster type electronics!) Ha! Both!?!?!? Sounds like a plan...now the problem is finding a H-137 Korina and H-525 in the used market...
ladhilbluesband Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 I'd like to revive this topic. Does anyone have any added input in comparing the 525 to the 530? One has a single versus double cutaway but other than that are there any noticeable differences other than what's on the website?
barrymclark Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well, for Rockabilly, I would take either the 525 pr 530. Depends on what you are goin for. The 530 should have a bit of that Chuck Berry sound... assuming you play like him. The 525 might have something more akin to Scotty Moore. These are generalizations of course. Really, you can use any one of those three guitars. I am a hollow body kinda guy though.
barrymclark Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 I'd like to revive this topic. Does anyone have any added input in comparing the 525 to the 530? One has a single versus double cutaway but other than that are there any noticeable differences other than what's on the website? Really, the only way I can think to put it is... to me... the acoustic tone of the 525 is more 1940's and the acoustic tone of the 530 is more 50's. That is my interpretation of it. But as I mentioned, above, the H530 is a bit more Chuck Berry (he used a 330 for quite a bit don't know if he still does) and the H525 is a but more Scotty Moore (he played an ES295 for a bit which is pretty much a done up ES125)
Guest HRB853370 Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 In my opinion after personally playing all of these guitars, the H-137 is a darker guitar suited to gritty rock/blues. For Country, Swing, Rockabilly, you're better off with a hollowbody/semi-hollowbody, they have a more acoustic snappy feel and tone to them. If you're an accoustic style player, it would be better for you. You want a lot of snappy sustain when using a slapback delay and tremolo effect style of music which you get from the H-525/530. You played a 525 and a 530, enough to know this?
DetroitBlues Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 You played a 525 and a 530, enough to know this? I've played the Gibson equivalent made in Parsons street...1974 ES330
Kuz Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 I have played both and I own a 525. The analogy is closer to a 575 vs a 535. The 525 will give a big more of a hollow body archtop tone (especially if the 525 has TOM on top of a baseplate) more of a bigger jazz tone and prone to slightly more feedback with the bigger body than a 530. Even though the 530 is hollow it is closer in tone due to the smaller thinner body. Both are great but it Is the application of the guitar that would be my main concern. Classic R&R, blues, some jazz then the 530. Jazzy, Blues, lower gain R&R then the 525 My personal preference was the 525 because I already own a 555 and a 535 with P90s, so the woodier archtop tone was better suited for in the 525.
ladhilbluesband Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well I hate to open up this can of worms but maybe I should state my application first and hope that another guitar aside from the 525/530 doesn't come up. I'd like to be able to get a straight up jazz tone when needed, I'll be doing standards, vamping and soloing. Then I'm in a alternative band that plays everything from blues, to funk to rock. sometimes moderately loud sometimes not. I wont be using it for high gain stuff since I'll switch to a LP for that stuff but definitely somewhat rockish tones. Also, if I already have HB guitars and semi-hollow guitars with HB which one out of the heritage lineup will give me different tones? I don't want any redundancy if I can help it. I get inspired by new tone and I do want that woody characteristic that I can't get with anything else. For gigs/recording here are my main axes. Gibson LP standard (stock) An '83 Ibanez AM50 (all stock) Gibson Lucille (that I'm selling since the Ibanez is my new fav) A few teles a few strats So I gravitated toward the 525/530 because the P90s were JUST AMAZING sounding and they were different than anything I have. Thoughts?
barrymclark Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well I hate to open up this can of worms but maybe I should state my application first and hope that another guitar aside from the 525/530 doesn't come up. I'd like to be able to get a straight up jazz tone when needed, I'll be doing standards, vamping and soloing. Then I'm in a alternative band that plays everything from blues, to funk to rock. sometimes moderately loud sometimes not. I wont be using it for high gain stuff since I'll switch to a LP for that stuff but definitely somewhat rockish tones. Also, if I already have HB guitars and semi-hollow guitars with HB which one out of the heritage lineup will give me different tones? I don't want any redundancy if I can help it. I get inspired by new tone and I do want that woody characteristic that I can't get with anything else. For gigs/recording here are my main axes. Gibson LP standard (stock) An '83 Ibanez AM50 (all stock) Gibson Lucille (that I'm selling since the Ibanez is my new fav) A few teles a few strats So I gravitated toward the 525/530 because the P90s were JUST AMAZING sounding and they were different than anything I have. Thoughts? Wish there was an easy answer here. The 330 was used by everyone from Grant Green to Chuck Berry to Brian Jones. The 125 was used by LOTS of jazz players from the 40s on and used by a few rockabilly players. George Thorogood used a 125 as well. This may just be a trial and error thing. I guess if I was buying over the net and trying out a model would be nearly impossible, I'd go for the 530 if I played a wide variety of styles. Reason being is that the 330 was used famously on Stones albums, Jazz albums and early rock albums. Me, personally, I do the late 40's to early 60's thang for the most part. I really want both but I would probably snag the 525 first. BUT... my guitar tone tastes I believe are narrower.
ladhilbluesband Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well I guess the good thing is, the 525 is somewhat more known and if I don't dig it, I'm sure I can sell it without too much effort (I hope). I have a fellow forumer who has a lovely 525 and that might be a good bet. If the 525 is more removed from a HB LP compared to the 530 that's kinda what I'm going for. Plus when I played one a year or so ago it was THE best tone I've ever heard from a guitar, magical.
Gitfiddler Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 You can't go wrong with either the 530 or 525. A lot will depend on the strings (flats vs roundwound) and amp. Obviously there will be a slightly thicker jazz tone with the bigger bodied 525, but they can sound very similar if loaded with the same string type. I wouldn't play country chicken pickin on the 525, but that's just me. Here are my babies...H-530 (First one built) and H-525 Custom Gitfiddler spec.
SouthpawGuy Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Just throwing a spanner in the works .. Don't discount a 535 or other Heritage model with Duncan P-Rails or Phat Cats installed I have a 535, 576 and 170 all with P-Rails installed. They cover a lot of sonic territory, both individually and collectively Haven't posted these pics in at least a week .... ..
ladhilbluesband Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 I figure I can't go wrong here...Man I just LOVE the burst colors Heritage gets on almost all of their instruments. I spoke to Wolfe guitars and put myself on the list for a 525. I figure that's a safer bet than the 530. Didn't Heritage do a few runs of the 535 loaded with P90s? Or is that just custom orders? I played a 535 once and while it had an amazing tone I don't know if it had that woody characteristic that I noticed on the 525...I have not gotten a chance to play man so I speak from minimal experience. Thanks for the help guys!
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