Heritage guitar like Howard Roberts Fusion?

[robinruscio]

First post here. I'm on my second Heritage guitar- an H 555- and have previously owned an H157, though I'm really a pro bass player who dabbles a bit with guitar when I teach bass lessons.

I played a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion last night from 1981 (made in Kalamazoo) and was really impressed. It seemed a better fit for me tonally as it was a bit closer to a jazz style hollow body like the gibson Es-175, but punchier like a Les Paul. My friend who owned it said it was due to it's core and it's slightly smaller size than his Es-175. No feedback issues either, and it can be dirtied up. The 555 is sometimes a bit midrangy and barky for my tastes; I'm more of a modern jazz player then blues, but the full on hollow body guitars are usually a bit to traditional sounding for me. I love players like John Abercrombie, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jonathan Kreisberg, and Scofield for tone.

I was curious if Heritage is producing anything similar these days to that kind of design that anyone could recommend. My best guess was that the Henry Johnson might be close, but it seems to be a true hollow body and thicker than the Howard Roberts 14 and 7/8" body. Or maybe the Roy Clark? I saw some clips on yout tube of the Roy Clark but wasn't sure. I can't tell if there's a Heritage version of the somewhat obscure HRF.

[111518]

I think the Heritage that is closest in conception to the HR Fusion is the 576, which is a lam. maple 16" full hollow -sized guitar, but has a block under the bridge, similar to the Howard Roberts. There is a pretty 576 one on ebay at the moment, if you'd like to see one. (help me out by buying it --remove the temptation).

www.ebay.com/itm/Heritage-USA-H-576-Guitar-EXC-Cond-OHSC-/160644151336?pt=Guitar&hash=item2567233828

 

And, welcome to HOC

[blueox]

There is no Heritage that will directly match the Howard Roberts Fushion, but the discontinued Heritage H-576 might do it for you, as mentioned. The sheer number of variations on a theme that Gibson has made over the years would be hard for any other manufacturer to duplicate. Of course, the latest version of the Howard Roberts Fusion is available now from Gibson.

[Flat]

How do you like the guitar Wolfgang Muthspiel is playing in this video?

 

I was a student at GIT and a big fan of Howard and the HR Fusion--especially the first version with the stop tailpiece, like the one Howard played.

 

And I agree with the other guys that the 576 is closer in construction, and would be an awesome choice--but this guitar--I think it's Millenium Eagle 2000--covers some of the same ground, imho.

 

Maybe a little closer to a Les Paul than an ES-175 than the 576 would be?

 

I could imagine Abercrombie or Rosenwinkel using one of these. Just in case you find it interesting. Good luck!

 

[Kuz]

I won't discount a 525 either.

[Gitfiddler]

Having owned a HR Fusion III and a few Heritages, there are a few that offer similar features and tone.

The H576 is closest in body type/size, but I've never played one.

 

For overall tone and feel, I much prefer the 535/555. You can also come close by ordering a 525 with humbuckers, tom bridge and stoptail. That however, would be a custom optioned model.

 

I would still have my HR but I fell hard for yet another Heritage (H155) and couldn't be happier. The 155 and Millenium series are chambered and give you the best of both worlds sonically between a semi-hollow and solid body git.

 

Lots of options, but no direct model to compare with the Gibson series.

[robinruscio]

Guys, thanks for the help!

 

I was not aware of the 576, thanks for the heads up on that. I found this video demo as well:

 

 

It's very similar in shape and construction to the HRF. Wish I could play one. I of course prefer the Heritage wood to the Gibson wood!

 

I looked at the Millennium Eagle, but all I heard were blues players on it. The Wolfgang Muthspiel vid shows it can work well for jazz as well. I agree it is closer to the LP sound.

[robinruscio]

 

For overall tone and feel, I much prefer the 535/555.

 

I always thought I would like having the 555, but it somehow is a very different guitar than these other semi-hollows. I'm not sure why, as in theory it seems like it should be similar.

 

The 576 is tempting, though my suspicion is that it's closer to the es-175. The ebay seller is describing it as a cross between the HRF and a e-175. That could be good, though I loved the sustain on the HRF and have days where I like listening to guys play jazz on Les Pauls.

 

So if the HRF is a les paul crossed with a es-175, than the 576 should be 3/4 es-175 and 1/4 LP? Conversely, the Millennium's would be a 1/4 es-175 and 3/4 Les Paul?

 

Maybe a chart from most hollow to least:

 

es-175, 576, HRF, Milleniums, Les Paul

 

That might be simplistic, though, and doesn't explain where the 535/555/335 styles fit into the hollow body continium, as it were. I'm sure strings, player, and PUPS could make those differences harder to detect.

 

The thing is that I know that I instantly loved the HRF much more than my 555. Also, I'm not in love with look of the Millenniums for some reason.

[robinruscio]

Follow up- I called Heritage today a yakked about my interest in the 576 and the HRF. The person I spoke with worked with Howard Roberts on the fusion model 30 years ago!

 

The 576 is a little thicker, and has the half floating center block. He said he suspected it didn't sell well because of the cutaway being small. A large cutaway was something I liked about the HRF. He said the 576 was heavy and had a lot of sustain. Probably airier than the HRF since it was more hollow and larger. We also talked other options like the 530, 525, etc, but none of them sounded like what I was liking about the HRF exactly. He also explained that the 535/555 have different internal bracing, which may explain why they have a different sound, although I couldn't tell you why.

 

I also talked with the seller of the 576 on the bay, who was really nice. We agreed it was a better finished guitar. He had owned the HRF I (which I played) and III, and confirmed there was a weight difference, which was what my friend with the HRF I had said.

 

From the conversations, I'm going to go for the HRF III's that are on the bay. I can install a stop tailpiece and change out the PUPs later if warranted, though two I'm watching have aftermarkets that are probably good. The smaller body than the 576 and more sustain and solidness are probably closer to the blend I'm looking for. While and HRF I would be nice, I can't find one and they probably will be more expensive. I'm sure they sound better with the heavier block, but I also wouldn't mind loosing some of the weight, and the price is lower, which is important to me right now, since I have to make sure I can sell my H-555 for more than what I spend.

 

Thanks for your help! I think I will miss some of the finishing of Heritage. Maybe later on down the road I will get another Heritage for the arsenal, but since mine main thing is bass and I'm awaiting a newly commissioned upright in the mid $20ks, I think it will be awhile!!! Now I have to sell my 555- will list here if I can, since I gather it will be appreciated.

[bolero]

I had a 576 & loved it, it was a piece of Art, played fantastic & sounded great as well!!

 

only reason I sold it was because my hand was too big for the cutaway....kept getting jammed in there above the 14th fret

 

a 576 with florentine cutaway would be the bomb