Under the hood of an H-110

[Jimbob]

Well, it's a rainy day in central WI, so I thought it would be a good day to do a little tweaking on my newly acquired H-110. The goal for today was to swap out the stock SD '59s for a pair of Throbak SLE-101+ pickups, but I was also very curious to get a glimpse as to how this guitar was constructed. No surprises here, really, but I thought I'd share some photos I took while I had the pups pulled out.

 

The first thing I noticed is that there's no continuous center block. Other than the tenon area and a small block at the upper strap pin, the only solid mass lies under the bridge and tailpiece and continues to the end strap pin. As you'll notice, the maple top is quite thick at the pickup cavaties, but it's completely hollow under the pickups and throughout both sides of the guitar:

 

 

 

 

When the guitar first arrived on Tuesday, I noticed that the neck pickup couldn't be backed down off the strings as far as I would've liked. This last photo reveals that the 1/2" leg(s) of the '59 pickup simply didn't have the clearance necessary to go any further:

 

 

The Throbak set has 1/4" legs, so this was no longer an issue.

 

All in all, though, this is a great sounding instrument! It has some tonal characteristics of an H-150 with a hint of an H-535 thrown in, but it's really a beast of its own. BTW, the Throbaks sound way cool in this guitar, too!

 

Have a great weekend, all!

 

Jim

[FredZepp]

 

 

 

All in all, though, this is a great sounding instrument! It has some tonal characteristics of an H-150 with a hint of an H-535 thrown in, but it's really a beast of its own. BTW, the Throbaks sound way cool in this guitar, too!

 

 

 

Jim

Very cool.... you've made a great guitar even better. The Throbaks have to sound phenomenal in that axe. Thanks for the pics.

[Jimbob]

Very cool.... you've made a great guitar even better. The Throbaks have to sound phenomenal in that axe. Thanks for the pics.

 

You're welcome! And thank you! The Throbaks do indeed sound phenomenal in this guitar! Here's another shot of the guitar back in one piece again....LOL.

 

[Trouble]

You're welcome! And thank you! The Throbaks do indeed sound phenomenal in this guitar! Here's another shot of the guitar back in one piece again....LOL.

 

Looking at that guitar I am wondering why they were discontinued. Being hollow like that I bet it rings like a bell! Congratulations again on a beautiful instrument!

[big bob]

Those are great pics, thanks for sharing.

[Jimbob]

Looking at that guitar I am wondering why they were discontinued. Being hollow like that I bet it rings like a bell! Congratulations again on a beautiful instrument!

 

Thanks....but were these discontinued? I had no idea. The Heritage website still shows them in their semi-hollow category of guitars.

 

http://www.heritageguitar.com/models/h110lwvwb_specs.html

 

I have a hunch that my guitar may even be the same one that's shown on the website. If not, it's pretty close to it.

[big bob]

Looking at that guitar I am wondering why they were discontinued. Being hollow like that I bet it rings like a bell! Congratulations again on a beautiful instrument!

I don't think they were discontinued. You can still order one.

[brentrocks]

i want some Throbak 102s so bad....but they are a little $$$$

[Jimbob]

Yeah, Throbaks are pretty darn expensive, but I've seen used sets go quickly, so the resale is good on them if one doesn't care for them.

[pegleg32]

I paid $400 for a set of Throbak 102's used, and Kuz offered to take them off my hands for what I paid for them, BUT, if you keep an eye on Ebay, they do come up once in awhile. I love that guitar - I am pretty happy with my current collection and haven't had any gas in quite awhile, but I think I could work up some for that one.

[Trouble]

I don't think they were discontinued. You can still order one.

I must have been thinking of another model that was discontinued, very beautiful guitar and I think (JMO) that it might be the reason for Gibson's new 339.

[Trouble]

Relatively new I think the 339 was introduced in '07.

[tbonesullivan]

see... I think the top is just too thick on that. If they carved it out a bit that would probably make it a bit more resonant. Then again that might not be the idea.

 

So, what is different between this and say one of the LW 150s?

[Jimbob]

see... I think the top is just too thick on that. If they carved it out a bit that would probably make it a bit more resonant. Then again that might not be the idea.

 

I would entirely agree that the top of the 110 is too thick if Heritage was looking for a true hollowness to the tone of this guitar, but my hunch is that they were primarily shooting for the basic tone of a solid-bodied instrument for light weight but with a touch of hollow flare. It's actually quite a nice tone if that's what one is looking for. Earlier this evening I took an estimated guess on a CAD drawing as to what the mahogany rout may look like under the maple top, and I think it goes something like this:

 

 

So, what is different between this and say one of the LW 150s?

 

I'm wondering about this, too! I'd love to see the innards of a 150LW if anybody has any photos to share.

[fxdx99]

Thanks for those photos - really interesting. And that is one great looking guitar. Agree with your thoughts on it's design intent, makes a lot of sense and it looks like it'd be really comfortable to play, too. Also a fan of Throbaks - excellent choice there.

[Kuz]

I don't ever think Heritage intended or stated that the H-110 was "to be hollow".

 

Their intent to reduce weight (weight relieve) the guitar.

[tulk1]

The H110 is listed as both a semi-solid and a solid body, isn't it? The LWs and the Millies, near as we can tell, have this carve inside. Jimbob's diagnosis seems to match.

 

[DetroitBlues]

Thanks....but were these discontinued? I had no idea. The Heritage website still shows them in their semi-hollow category of guitars.

 

http://www.heritageguitar.com/models/h110lwvwb_specs.html

 

I have a hunch that my guitar may even be the same one that's shown on the website. If not, it's pretty close to it.

 

I was going to say the same, they still do make them it's just many don't realize they are under the semi-hollow body line. Besides, I doubt there aren't really any guitar they'd discontinued...

[blueox]

". . . I think the top is just too thick on that. If they carved it out a bit that would probably make it a bit more resonant. Then again that might not be the idea.

So, what is different between this and say one of the LW 150s?"

 

To my mind, except for the body shape details, the insides of LW versions of the H150, H170, and H110 guitars are basically the same.

 

 

"I would entirely agree that the top of the 110 is too thick if Heritage was looking for a true hollowness to the tone of this guitar, but my hunch is that they were primarily shooting for the basic tone of a solid-bodied instrument for light weight but with a touch of hollow flare. It's actually quite a nice tone if that's what one is looking for."

 

I agree with this assessment--that Heritage was not offering a hollow-bodied instrument with the H110 and not a classic semi-hollow instrument either. The LW or chambered versions of normally solid body guitars are another category. Now, with my custom version, I did spec out the body with an f-hole and thinner top to make it into something with a different sound and appearance than Heritage had originally intended.

 

 

"I don't ever think Heritage intended or stated that the H-110 was "to be hollow". Their intent to reduce weight (weight relieve) the guitar."

 

 

Yes, Heritage lists the H110 under the "semi hollow body guitars" category, but could really make a separate category for their LW versions to avoid confusion.

[Jimbob]

The H110 is listed as both a semi-solid and a solid body, isn't it? The LWs and the Millies, near as we can tell, have this carve inside. Jimbob's diagnosis seems to match.

 

 

Wow! I hadn't seen that image before. With the exception of the curves in the bout areas, that's very close to the carve of the 110. I don't know if I'd call my sketch a "diagnosis"...LOL....but I was quite curious as to what I had purchased and why it sounds as it does. If anyone were to ask me about a sound comparison between a solid and semi-hollow, I would definitely say that it leans more toward the sound of a solid guitar as opposed to the semi-hollow, but there is just a hint of hollow in it.

 

Hey Blueox, I've probably already said this, but that custom 110 you have is an absolutely gorgeous guitar! I can only imagine that the thinner maple top adds a new dimension to the overall tone, too. Either way, it's great to own one of these fine instruments. I've only had mine for a few days now, but it grows on me more and more with each passing day.

 

And, thanks to everybody for your input! This was truly great fun for me!

[tulk1]

Wow! I hadn't seen that image before. With the exception of the curves in the bout areas, that's very close to the carve of the 110. I don't know if I'd call my sketch a "diagnosis"...LOL....but I was quite curious as to what I had purchased and why it sounds as it does. If anyone were to ask me about a sound comparison between a solid and semi-hollow, I would definitely say that it leans more toward the sound of a solid guitar as opposed to the semi-hollow, but there is just a hint of hollow in it.

That's how I've been explaining the sound of my Millie DC NFH (no f-holes) since I had it made.