peteraltongreen Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Just thinking today ( Raining,of course ) Why did I buy a Heritage guitar in the first place ? O.K. Why ? For me,I'd been getting a little worried carrying a Gibson L5 to some of the gigs I was doing.As things changed,and I seemed to be getting less 'prestige' work,and more general,run of the mill stuff,with it's rougher audiences,I feared for my guitar.So,I thought I'd approach Gibson to do me a custom job.I'd always liked the Les Paul,but it was too heavy for me.I scanned the catalogues,and came up with an idea for a blend of the ES140,with it's attractive sharp (175 like ) cutaway,and small hollow body.I didn't like the short scale.So,I thought with a bit of adjustment,it might take a 24 3/4" scale,still be in balance on a strap,and I'd get what I wanted.Then I thought,if they make it with a centre block,like the 335 & a stop bar..wow what a monster ! I approach Gibson initially,but they said I had to deal with Rosetti,the British distributors.I knew then the price would go through the roof,and I was right.The estimates went sky high,and the appeal of having a custom Gibson,that would hopefully have cost a little less than the L5 vanished into thin air ! Fate,of course,intervened ! I was down my local guitar shop in Hull,Yorkshire,U.K. (Then Music Workshop,now 'Antones Guitars') on one of my regular trips ( Feb 1987 ),when Tony ,the owner showed me the Heritage H140CM. Love at first sight ! It fitted the bill,perfectly.Right shape,Right scale length,wasn't heavy,and oh!,that top ! A deal was done,and I went home a very happy man. The Heritage H575 came soon after (1988).I've come up with a crude mock up photo to show what I wanted,and a photo to show what I got.I'm taking H140 out for a spin tonight,through a Fender Concert & a Blonde 2 x 12" Fender cab.I know it will sound great ! Peter Alton Green
schundog Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Cool Story! Unlike you, I am merely a hobbyist player, and have WAY more stuff than I need/deserve. After looking high and low to finally find a Gibson ES-335 without finish flaws that felt and sounded good, I ended up with my Gibson ES-335 Memphis Reissue. Great guitar, but in the process of finding it, a small, dying music shop had a few Heritages on the wall, on of which was a 535. I really liked it, but I HAD to have the Gibson. Fast forward a couple of years, and I was on The Gear Page forum, when some "Brent" guy casually asked the masses "How many of you own a Heritage Guitar?" or something like that. The pics and the praises started flowing in, and I went on the hunt, naturally, right there on The Gear Page. I found my trans-red 535 in April of last year, and thought, "there, that should scratch THAT itch.." Not so fast. I found more and more "can't pass up" deals on Heritage guitars, and I now own six. I had to sell some pretty decent guitars to fund some of the Heritages, but I don't regret it for a minute! Here's what started it all....
Jimbob Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Cool stories! I've often wondered how or why others have purchased Heritage Gutars. I bought my first Heritage guitar entirely on a whim in 1994, and at the time I was looking for a ES-335 and had never heard of Heritage. A guy at a local music store just happened to have a like-new 1992 H535 in stock, showed it to me, and from there he gave me a short history about Heritage Guitars. I fell in love with that guitar the second I picked it up, and within 15 or 20 minutes I was out the door with my new (used) H535. While I really had no specific reason to buy a Heritage, I instantly knew that I had found a very fine instrument. I also replaced the original maple pickguard on it right away, for I knew the finish wouldn't last long if I had left it on. The current pickguard is a 3-ply plastic black jobbie that I cut and installed, but I still have the original one that's in perfect condition. The laminated top has also cracked and lifted around the f-hole from arm sweat, and it's been refretted as well. It's been played pretty hard, but she's still a warrior:
peteraltongreen Posted June 19, 2011 Author Posted June 19, 2011 Cool Story! Unlike you, I am merely a hobbyist player, and have WAY more stuff than I need/deserve. After looking high and low to finally find a Gibson ES-335 without finish flaws that felt and sounded good, I ended up with my Gibson ES-335 Memphis Reissue. Great guitar, but in the process of finding it, a small, dying music shop had a few Heritages on the wall, on of which was a 535. I really liked it, but I HAD to have the Gibson. Fast forward a couple of years, and I was on The Gear Page forum, when some "Brent" guy casually asked the masses "How many of you own a Heritage Guitar?" or something like that. The pics and the praises started flowing in, and I went on the hunt, naturally, right there on The Gear Page. I found my trans-red 535 in April of last year, and thought, "there, that should scratch THAT itch.." Not so fast. I found more and more "can't pass up" deals on Heritage guitars, and I now own six. I had to sell some pretty decent guitars to fund some of the Heritages, but I don't regret it for a minute! Here's what started it all.... Wow,that's a great looking 535 ! I went through a similar 'It has to be G',I don't even look at them any more.Heritage does it for me.I just love them to bits.I want another one,of course.I'm dying for a Sweet 16 ! I adore 16" Archtops,can't get enough.My first archtop was bought about 1959.It was a 'Francotto'.Never seen another,can't seem to trace them.I've enclosed the only photo I have.The strap is my pyjama cord,I suspect the plecrum will be the centre of a 7" record,the clothes are my school uniform ! Peter Alton Green
Spectrum13 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 In 2006 as a born again newbee, I discovered what GAS was and began to explore music forums and sites. My 40 year old ampeg needed some service, my 1986 Roland sucked for what I wanted to play and for the first time I went to Guitar Denter looking for a modeling amp. At this time I did not have anything Gibson like, just my flattop, Strat and a couple of Archtops. Went home with the Vox AND a MIK PRS that I kind of liked (in the store). After having the PRS for a couple of weeks I felt it was nothing like my first Gibson (1968 Goldtop) so I wanted another Goldtop and went on Harmony Central and learned as much about the available LP styles as I could and was drawn toward the Heritage 150s as described by their owners. (thanks guys who posted their reviews) Back in the 80s I recall hearing about the start up Heritage Co and I read all the unfavorable Gibson reviews and their costs. Decided I wanted a 150, searched on Gbase and only found about three available in the whole country. The first two shops I called told me they sold theirs and the third, Wolfe and a couple in stock, sold. Now I can't remember why I purchased my second Heritage (137) but my third (155) was lust at first site, guess my fourth Heritage was a result of being on this forum and wanting a custom build and my fifth, well that's astory for another time.
brentrocks Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 My first Heritage purchase was at mid michigan music in midland mi. We were visiting my in-laws. Walked into the store and they were having a 1/2 off sale. I saw this beautiful green H157. Got it out the door for $ 900
H Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 My first, an H-516, had the beautiful H tailpiece on it. That's my nickname and so I had to have it
Trouble Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I have never really been hung up on brands, I just always wanted a guitar that I could feel the quality in it, played well, and sounded great. I've owned a lot of guitars but mostly played Fender Strats. A few years ago I bought a new SG Standard, a guitar I had always wanted. I also started gigging again about the same time. I liked the SG really had no complaints except for the price tag. I was using the Strat as a backup guitar but having to do eq tweaks going from the SG with hot humbuckers to the strat with it's mild single coils was annoying to me, so I went on the hunt for another humbucker equipped guitar. I liked LP's but I wasn't about to pay for another new Gibson so started searching the used market. Most of the Pauls were still very pricey or beat up, but I began to notice that the Heritage guitars were way cheaper. I knew about the history of Heritage and had always assumed that being a smaller, more custom oriented company they would be even more expensive than gibson, but snagged a 150 for about 1100 on ebay. The 150 was supposed to be a backup to the SG but instantly became my main guitar, and also infected me with the Heritage bug, and I have never owned another guitar that was instantly so much a part of me. It's still the only Heritage I own but my next guitar will be a Heritage as well. Sorry for the long post!
tbonesullivan Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 simple really: I wanted a semi-hollow bodied guitar. I hadn't had one since my MIK Epiphone Sheraton I bought back in the mid 90s. I was looking at Hamer Newports and Heritage H-535s, and decided to go for a 535. I went on ebay, found one listed for $1300, made an offer of 1200, and that's how I got my 535, which is awesome and one of my favorite guitars. and then of course once I had ONE heritage... i needed more.
mark555 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Ah - why did I buy my first Heritage? Because you told me to! Remember the phone call I made to you and said I had seen a Heritage semi like a 535 but with different markers, and you said "it's a 555, go and buy it"? So I did. But anyway, I had been aware of Heritage guitars for a long time, since the mid eighties, but they went off the scene here in England for a long time, with just the odd used one coming up for sale. For you readers of this thread, I have always been hot for a 335 but they were getting to expensive, and by now my friendship with Peteraltongreen was beginning to develop. Pete and I were talking about Heritage and of course he has among his very exquisite guitar collection two very nice Heritage guitars and he invited me to his home to see and play them. As I played these fabulous instruments, I became convinced that my thoughts about buying a Heritage when one became available was the way to go so I just waited for a 535 to come along. One never did, but my 555 turned up in Leeds one September and I watched it hang on the wall for four months until I bought on new years eve just as the store was closing. As I said, it was Peter who said "Buy it". It was a good few years before I finally got the guitar I like. I love sunburst and Cherry red guitars, but the very limited amount of Heritage guitars here in the UK available tend to make you grab what there is while it is there. So I bought the blonde/natural 555. It is mellowing beautifully now and is going to look stunning in ten years time - on saying that, it looks stunning now.
mark555 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Here is my 555. As many of you will know I have said before that I got shut of all the gold hardware which is just not to my personal taste and replaced it with nickel.
mark555 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Here is my 555. As many of you will know I have said before that I got shut of all the gold hardware which is just not to my personal taste and replaced it with nickel.
Millennium Maestro Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 here is a story you wont hear to often... I am a Black Limba junkie, saw a Class of 59 at Romans... One of my good friends was one of his techs and he was always raving about them then I found one on Ebay in San Diego and the rest is history. So I guess... Ed Roman fueled my initial fix!
jjkrause84 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Like so many others I wanted a 335-type guitar but could never afford 335-type prices. I forget how I found out about Heritage....musta been through the Telecaster forums. Anyways, did some research and liked what I read. As many here will know, I REALLY did not want a red 335/535....the finishes have always been a huge Heritage selling point for me. Of course, I did find myself with a red 535 for a time and it was a stunner, no doubt about it. That said, brown is much better. I'm a convert, plain and simple.
Jimbob Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 So I guess... Ed Roman fueled my initial fix! Ha!....good ol' Ed Roman! I bought a Heritage from him once. He's quite the character, to say the least! At one time he was a huge Heritage advocate, and he must've sold hundreds of Heritages over the years.
big bob Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I was living in Mt Pleasant MI at the time and liked the idea of spending my money locally. I drove to Lansing and played several at Elderly. Two hours later I had my 575..
zguitar71 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 My first Heritage was bought on reputation and price. I had to have an 18" CES style arch top so I called Jay Wolfe and the next thing you know I had a blond Super Eagle with upgraded wood. I loved the guitar but it was just too big, now I lust for the 16" Kenny Burrell.
Gitfiddler Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I used to jam every Friday with my buddy, Rob D. He introduced me to the Heritage brand and told me that now iconic story of their beginnings. Next thing I know he's dragging me to Berkeley's Blue Note Music to check them out. I was immediately sold on the quality and value, but did not have the cash for a new one. I wanted an archtop SO bad. Rob ended up getting an Academy Custom right off of the floor at NAMM. I later found a gorgeous Sweet 16 on Ebay that I have quite the emotional bond with to this day. She is such a 'sweetie'!
pro-fusion Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I've known about Heritage for many years, but I went away from traditional electric guitar designs for most of the '90s and '00s in favor of metal-oriented shred designs (I still play those, too). About three years ago, I really started getting the itch to own a Les Paul Custom again, but I discovered that the prices on even the old Norlin ones I grew up with had become "extortionate," to put it mildly. That's when I looked at Heritage and bought my 157. It was initially just a matter of dollars and cents. What made me a devoted fan of Heritage was when my 157 arrived and turned out to be exactly what I look for in a LP-style guitar, and considerably better than the Gibsons I had tried out in recent years. It has that "X factor" that you all know about, and which only one of my old Les Pauls, an '81 Black Beauty, ever had to the same degree. Since getting it, I've had the chance to compare my 157 back-to-back with a number of very nice Les Paul Customs, new and old, and it has simply destroyed them all. Getting a 555 I had for awhile and now my Millie DC confirmed that Heritage simply makes amazing guitars. If someone passes on them because they like the Gibson headstock shape better or some other minor aesthetic quibble, well then they're really missing out on something special. Their loss.
Thundersteel Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 Confession--I used to be a Gibson person. But I got tired of them always raising their prices, and become frustrated at the increasing amount of flaws I'd find on new instruments. So while I was on the Harmony Central website, I found many positive Heritage guitar reviews. I found a used one awhile later, and from then on I was hooked!
111518 Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I remember seeing the first ads in Guitar Player when Heritage started back in the 80s, but that was also the time when I stopped playing or having much contact with the world of guitar. When I got a chance to begin to play again back in the mid 90s, I decided to sell a Super 400 that I'd owned for years, but rarely played, to fund re-equipping myself to gig. The original plan was that my friend who owns a shop in NC was going to sell the Super 400, then I was going to order a couple of Heritage guitars and that was going to be part of his initial order to become a dealer. So, I called the plant and had a long conversation with someone there about Super 400s and custom orders, my first experience with how different Heritage was, than what Gibson had become. That plan ended up falling through; my friend decided not to follow through with the dealership, so when the Super 400 sold I looked around online and found a used 550, at Ithaca Guitar Works. Drove down and played it: the split blocks and big blonde body helped me over my grief for having to sell the Super (actually, that guitar was way too big for me.) Then, a few years later, and based on the quality of the 550, I custom ordered a 535 ... and have picked up an Eagle Classic and 140 since. Here's a link to an earlier thread in which a number of us wrote about our first Heritage. http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...?showtopic=3752
KSquared Posted June 19, 2011 Posted June 19, 2011 I've always been a Fender person, but of course still lusted after Gibsons for that short scale dual humbucker mojo I just couldn't get. I went without for a long time because the big G's quality simply does not come close to matching the prices they seek, IMHO. I knew of Heritage but did not often see them or get a chance to play one. I was toying around with a few other brands to get the G-style fix, but never pulled the trigger. Then I found a local shop with 2 new 535s. I kicked the tires and was hooked. Rather than buying new, I found a gently used one right here.
DavesNotHere Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 Actually after 25 years, I decided I needed to learn how to play, I bought a Les Paul because I simply had to have one. It took a while but I found the ONE. After that I was spending too much time around Ron's, Joe's , and Jim's Heritages and I got the bug. My goal is to complete the alphabet, so far I have C......with more to come. I'm anal about these things once I get hooked.
zydecosoultrain Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 Members of the HOC had me convinced a long time before I actually got my hands on a H535.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.