vejesse Posted September 22, 2011 Posted September 22, 2011 This discussion got started over in the "For Section" but I'd like to broaden the audience.I see a lot of maple top 575's, Sweet 16's and Eagle archtops on Ebay. But despite seemingly much interest in these guitars I rarely see any 575's with spruce tops.I would think a 16" guitar with a 24.625" scale would be a great seller for Heritage but evidently it's always been special order only. The materials and other production costs for the spruce top would be almost identical to that of the maple guitar as, yet I would think they could charge more and make more.I've played many 575's with maple tops and two with spruce and to my ear the spruce has a great sound. More bass, a bit more complex maybe. More feedback, yes but were talking about a jazz guitar here.To my ear the 575 maple has a nice sound but it resembles a plywood guitar. Lot's of mids and somewhat one dimensional. Possibly better for some live playing. But advantages aren't enough to preclude spruce.So why are these guitars so hard to find? With all the models that have come and gone for Heritage over the years, has something like the 575 spruce ever been a standard model in their catalog?
SouthpawGuy Posted September 22, 2011 Posted September 22, 2011 Probably because an acoustically louder hollow body guitar with mahogany back and sides / spruce top, when amplified would tend to feedback more than an all maple guitar ? No sense in making that the "standard" model if the maple guitar sold in more quantities. The spruce is available as an option for the guys that want or need it.
vejesse Posted September 22, 2011 Author Posted September 22, 2011 I'm not suggesting they make it the standard. I'm suggesting they make more of them. Given the demand for them on the used market do you think they wouldn't be able to sell them? They seem to make plenty of 335 type guitars. The market appears flooded yet it seems they keep making them as fast as they can.
Gitfiddler Posted September 22, 2011 Posted September 22, 2011 Heritage is a relatively small operation compared to their direct competition. Therefore they build most of what their customers demand. As stated previously however, they are a custom shop that will build pretty much whatever you desire as long as it is within their basic design templates. Spruce, Maple, Mahogany are readily available for 575's and other gits they make.
Spectrum13 Posted September 22, 2011 Posted September 22, 2011 My guess would be retailers could turn around a flame maple soild top back and side 575 faster than a Spruce Mahogany. Sounds sexier. In a 16 inch arch top a spruce /hog would be sweeter. Hope to get one myself someday.
Kuz Posted September 23, 2011 Posted September 23, 2011 1. The 575 is based on an ES-175 which has a laminate maple top (our 575 is a solid carved maple top). SO in thus keeping with the tradition, most 575s have maple tops 2. Spruce tops are more associated with bigger archtops (Super 400s, L5s) and thus Heritage has the Super Eagle & Golden Eagle 3. In the last 5 years or so there has been a BIG trend/push of jazz archtop builders to use laminate maple tops to reduce feedback (Jim Hall, Jimmy Bruno, John Pizzarelli, ect... all of these guys' signature guitars have laminate tops) SO to answer question.... those wanting a smaller 24.57" scale are generally going to laminate maple tops and those wanting Spruce tops are generally still playing longer scale 25.5" large body arch tops. Hopes this helps.
Twin12s Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 After about a year of waiting, I received a spruce top, mahogany b/s 575 from the Heritage custom shop last week. The guitar has a single neck pickup and x bracing. The highs are sweet, but at this point in this young guitar's life, I don't hear the "bassiness" or depth I expected. I changed strings from the factory set to Thomastik infeld 12s and that helped. I'll work with the string height and pickup height to tweek it a litttle more. Beyond that, only time will tell. By the way, I think the 575, at least the spruce top. mahog b/x 575 closely resembles the old Gibson L4 CES which was also a solid spruce/mahogany model. Not sure about the body dimensions and scale though.
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 My guess would be retailers could turn around a flame maple soild top back and side 575 faster than a Spruce Mahogany. Sounds sexier. In a 16 inch arch top a spruce /hog would be sweeter. Hope to get one myself someday. You may have to place the order twice. It would certainly make a nice replacement for that imported D'Angelico.
Spectrum13 Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 After about a year of waiting, I received a spruce top, mahogany b/s 575 from the Heritage custom shop last week. Twin12, Hello and can we see a picture? Happy NHGD!
big bob Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 I allready got one.. It's verry nice.. no feedback issues at all...
barrymclark Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 I allready got one.. It's verry nice.. no feedback issues at all... Seriously, that is an awesome guitar.
DetroitBlues Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 After about a year of waiting, I received a spruce top, mahogany b/s 575 from the Heritage custom shop last week. The guitar has a single neck pickup and x bracing. The highs are sweet, but at this point in this young guitar's life, I don't hear the "bassiness" or depth I expected. I changed strings from the factory set to Thomastik infeld 12s and that helped. I'll work with the string height and pickup height to tweek it a litttle more. Beyond that, only time will tell. By the way, I think the 575, at least the spruce top. mahog b/x 575 closely resembles the old Gibson L4 CES which was also a solid spruce/mahogany model. Not sure about the body dimensions and scale though. WE NEED PROOF YOU GOT A CUSTOM 575!!!!
Spectrum13 Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 Seriously, that is an awesome guitar. If you take awesome and serious and make it one word you get..... BIGBOB575 Understated to the max! Aweserioussome!
tsp17 Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 All I can say is that my 575 spruce/mahogany is the best guitar i've ever played. plugged and unplugged both.
Twin12s Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 Pics are coming. Any advice about set-up? String guage, height, etc?
Steiner Posted October 20, 2011 Posted October 20, 2011 Find a good luthier and hand it over. It's the best investment you'll ever make!
Twin12s Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 After about a year of waiting, I received a spruce top, mahogany b/s 575 from the Heritage custom shop last week. Twin12, Hello and can we see a picture? Happy NHGD! Here's the pics:
tsp17 Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Find a good luthier and hand it over. It's the best investment you'll ever make! +1
Spectrum13 Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Here's the pics: That's going break in real nice. Enjoy!
Donelson Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 To my ear the 575 maple has a nice sound but it resembles a plywood guitar. Lot's of mids and somewhat one dimensional. To quote me, "Not". Come play my badass H575 custom with its "resembles a plywood guitar" carved maple top sometime, if you're in Nashville TN. If you can play jazz guitar at all, you will love it. If you have a better axe than this one, bring it. Also maybe bring a plywood axe along for comparison. P.S. Not kidding--I'd love to play some tunes sometime.
barrymclark Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 To my ear the 575 maple has a nice sound but it resembles a plywood guitar. Lot's of mids and somewhat one dimensional. Possibly better for some live playing. But advantages aren't enough to preclude spruce.You do understand those are fightin' words. Right?
bnmartin54 Posted October 22, 2011 Posted October 22, 2011 Silly question, perhaps - but I'm curious; assuming the same hardware, is there much of a weight difference between a 575 spruce-mahagony versus one that is all maple?
barrymclark Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Silly question, perhaps - but I'm curious; assuming the same hardware, is there much of a weight difference between a 575 spruce-mahagony versus one that is all maple? Although I don't have one in hand to say for sure, I would assume yes. Maple is heavier all things being the same.
Steiner Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Silly question, perhaps - but I'm curious; assuming the same hardware, is there much of a weight difference between a 575 spruce-mahagony versus one that is all maple? No discernible difference in mine. The mahogany has a maple neck; the maple has a mahogany neck. Twin12s - Beautiful guitar! What pickup did you go with? Did you get a mahogany neck?
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