Gitfiddler Posted February 24, 2010 Author Posted February 24, 2010 OK Gitfiddler, my name is also Tim and I joined HOC about six months ago, when I ordered my first Heritage. This is my first post. "Hello" to you and all of the Heritage owners/experts on this forum. That guitar, H535, is now due to arrive in two days. Although I've played one or two owned by others I confess it will be my first Heritage. For many years now my stage and studio mainstay has been a 1967 ES335TD I bought used in 1972 for $225. Long gone are the original pups, replaced with Seth Lovers, but it still remains my favorite feeling/sounding guitar. For some time now I have been trying to find an instrument I like well enough to retire this old girl to studio use only. She has accumulated quite a bit of wear and tear over the years and has earned some lighter duty I hope will help preserve what's left of her cracked and worn finish. Up to now I haven't found a suitable replacement. I hope that problem will be solved with the arrival of my new Heritage. Prior to ordering the H535 from Jay I had purchased a Larry Carlton 335 from a big box store. It is, to my knowlege, the only 335 style guitar made these days with a 1 9/16 nut width the same as found on 335's of the late 60's such as mine. I kept the LC 335 for less than a week and returned it, very disapointed due to the very shoddy fretwork/fretboard binding work it displayed. Failing to cap the ends of the frets with the binding to give it that smooth feel as was always a Gibson trademark feature of the past, or even making a decent attempt at smoothing the bare fret ends as Fender, PRS, and others do on non-bound fretboards was a shortcut I just couldn't tolerate on an instrument in that price range. If not for that lapse in quality with a switch to Seth Lover pups the LC 335 might have filled the bill, but to make it playable I'd have had to have it refretted properly. Replacing pups is one thing, to me mostly a matter of personal preference, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend an extra $400 to correct deliberate low quality workmanship. All of that led me to get in touch with Jay who assured me Heritage would make me an H535 with the nut width and profile I wanted, with my preferred pups, with the fretboard properly bound, and most likely at much lower cost than the LC 335. It was an offer I couldn't resist. I await delivery of that guitar now with high hopes it will meet my needs. It better...lol...it's a special order item. Wish me luck, and any special break in tips from H535 experts on HOC that might help smooth my first Heritage ownership experience would be most welcome. Thanks much..... FSBluz~Another Tim!? Great. I don't think the world and the HOC has enough of us...yet. Welcome to the asylum! Since you spec'd out your 535 with Jay, I'm sure you will be very happy with the end product. If any issues arise with it, he is great for problem solving. Congratulations on your first Heritage. And remember, your HOC membership is conditional upon providing a really nice picture of your guitar. OK, not really, but we do love to see photos.
FredZepp Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Welcome to the HOC , Tim... (fsbluz) We're glad that you came out of lurking and posted. Of course we will want to hear all about the new 535 !!! Interesting story that you have there about the frets on the Larry Carlton 335.... very interesting. Your old workhorse guitar , the 335TD , sounds like a nice axe... hopefully you bond with your 535 just as much. (or more) These Parsons St, Kalamazoo guitars have the mojo that Gibby had in the early days. I believe that you will be quite pleased...
jjkrause84 Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 OK Gitfiddler, my name is also Tim and I joined HOC about six months ago, when I ordered my first Heritage. This is my first post. "Hello" to you and all of the Heritage owners/experts on this forum. That guitar, H535, is now due to arrive in two days. Although I've played one or two owned by others I confess it will be my first Heritage. For many years now my stage and studio mainstay has been a 1967 ES335TD I bought used in 1972 for $225. Long gone are the original pups, replaced with Seth Lovers, but it still remains my favorite feeling/sounding guitar. For some time now I have been trying to find an instrument I like well enough to retire this old girl to studio use only. She has accumulated quite a bit of wear and tear over the years and has earned some lighter duty I hope will help preserve what's left of her cracked and worn finish. Up to now I haven't found a suitable replacement. I hope that problem will be solved with the arrival of my new Heritage. Prior to ordering the H535 from Jay I had purchased a Larry Carlton 335 from a big box store. It is, to my knowlege, the only 335 style guitar made these days with a 1 9/16 nut width the same as found on 335's of the late 60's such as mine. I kept the LC 335 for less than a week and returned it, very disapointed due to the very shoddy fretwork/fretboard binding work it displayed. Failing to cap the ends of the frets with the binding to give it that smooth feel as was always a Gibson trademark feature of the past, or even making a decent attempt at smoothing the bare fret ends as Fender, PRS, and others do on non-bound fretboards was a shortcut I just couldn't tolerate on an instrument in that price range. If not for that lapse in quality with a switch to Seth Lover pups the LC 335 might have filled the bill, but to make it playable I'd have had to have it refretted properly. Replacing pups is one thing, to me mostly a matter of personal preference, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend an extra $400 to correct deliberate low quality workmanship. All of that led me to get in touch with Jay who assured me Heritage would make me an H535 with the nut width and profile I wanted, with my preferred pups, with the fretboard properly bound, and most likely at much lower cost than the LC 335. It was an offer I couldn't resist. I await delivery of that guitar now with high hopes it will meet my needs. It better...lol...it's a special order item. Wish me luck, and any special break in tips from H535 experts on HOC that might help smooth my first Heritage ownership experience would be most welcome. Thanks much..... Welcome! If you dont' mind me asking....how much was your 535? I want a 535 fom Jay and I'm tryign to figure out how much I need to save up.
fsbluz Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Welcome! If you dont' mind me asking....how much was your 535? I want a 535 fom Jay and I'm tryign to figure out how much I need to save up. Don't mind at all and Jay never acted as though it was any secret although I'm sure there might be price differences from one guitar to another, and this price was quoted and agreed upon six months ago...it was a custom order however with block inlays instead of dots and the pickguard finished to match the guitar, some of that bumped the price up some from a stock guitar....$2242 including shipping....to get it precisely like I wanted it, a great price I thought....much less than the stock LC335
Sorax Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 Hi everyone. I inherited a 575 from my grandfather around 15 years ago. At the time I was 14 and just learning guitar. Although I loved her, she didn't get much action as I had a cheap acoustic to learn on and I saw the Heritage as a special occasion guitar. Then I mostly played bass throughout high school. And she stayed at home when I went to college. For the last 5 years shes been splitting time with my Strat and Laguna acoustic. The Heritage plays exceptionally well. Smooth neck, great action, excellent intonation and beautiful resonance. And if anyone is curious, I play through a Digitech GNX4 into a Roland KC-150. I recently became more curious about the instrument and a few Googles later I found this forum. It's great to see so much passion for Heritage, as my guitar is so special to me. I've already found lots of great information here, including the word Luthier , but I was wondering if someone could help me with one more thing. The guitar's model is written as "H-575 ALM". Whats does the 2nd part mean? I'm guessing it has something to do with the pickups or finish but would love clarification. Thanks for any assistance. Nice to meet fellow Heritage enthusiasts. Oh and here's some pictures. Enjoy! Picture album of my H-575
kbp810 Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Hi everyone. I inherited a 575 from my grandfather around 15 years ago. At the time I was 14 and just learning guitar. Although I loved her, she didn't get much action as I had a cheap acoustic to learn on and I saw the Heritage as a special occasion guitar. Then I mostly played bass throughout high school. And she stayed at home when I went to college. For the last 5 years shes been splitting time with my Strat and Laguna acoustic. The Heritage plays exceptionally well. Smooth neck, great action, excellent intonation and beautiful resonance. And if anyone is curious, I play through a Digitech GNX4 into a Roland KC-150. I recently became more curious about the instrument and a few Googles later I found this forum. It's great to see so much passion for Heritage, as my guitar is so special to me. I've already found lots of great information here, including the word Luthier , but I was wondering if someone could help me with one more thing. The guitar's model is written as "H-575 ALM". Whats does the 2nd part mean? I'm guessing it has something to do with the pickups or finish but would love clarification. Thanks for any assistance. Nice to meet fellow Heritage enthusiasts. Oh and here's some pictures. Enjoy! Very nice guitar, and welcome to HOC! I found the site back in November and haven't looked back since; its a great place to learn and share everything Heritage (and a few other non-Heritage things as well) I'm pretty sure the ALM refers to the finish - though I'm not sure what finish that is (Almond Burst?) I'm sure someone while chime in momentarily and let you know for sure - the regulars here have an amazing wealth of knowledge on Heritage guitars
FredZepp Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Hello Sorax... We're glad that you found us here at the HOC... Great way to start off, with some history and great pics of a great axe. And...yes , the ALM refers to the Almond Sunburst finish that shows off that flamed maple top so well. The matching pickguard and the stinger are nice touches also. (the black area on the back of the headstock) Welcome ...look around here and you will find many interesting things about Heritage....
Pawpaw Posted March 2, 2010 Posted March 2, 2010 Well this is my first time at a group meeting,.........I uh,....I have a problem,.....I LOVE my guitar.It isn't shiny,or new,but it is a heritage.A 1987 H137 dot inlays,what I believe is ebony fretboard,Pearley Gates pups,coil split mod on both humbuckers(push pull pots)The most comfortable neck I have ever played.I have tried to do research on this guitar,with not much luck.Picked her up at a little place not far from here,and she was soon letting me have my way with her;{)
Gitfiddler Posted March 2, 2010 Author Posted March 2, 2010 Well this is my first time at a group meeting,.........I uh,....I have a problem,.....I LOVE my guitar.It isn't shiny,or new,but it is a heritage.A 1987 H137 dot inlays,what I believe is ebony fretboard,Pearley Gates pups,coil split mod on both humbuckers(push pull pots)The most comfortable neck I have ever played.I have tried to do research on this guitar,with not much luck.Picked her up at a little place not far from here,and she was soon letting me have my way with her;{) Welcome to the group, Paw Paw. That 137 sure looks like a 140 to me. Have you pulled off her rear cover plate and checked? Whatever, it is, she's a fine looking lady!
FredZepp Posted March 2, 2010 Posted March 2, 2010 Well this is my first time at a group meeting,.........I uh,....I have a problem,.....I LOVE my guitar.It isn't shiny,or new,but it is a heritage.A 1987 H137 dot inlays,what I believe is ebony fretboard,Pearley Gates pups,coil split mod on both humbuckers(push pull pots)The most comfortable neck I have ever played.I have tried to do research on this guitar,with not much luck.Picked her up at a little place not far from here,and she was soon letting me have my way with her;{) Hello and Welcome Pawpaw... That guitar looks like it rocks... just has that "play me" look. And it sounds like some tasty mods have made it even better... Pearlys and coil splits... very nice.
fsbluz Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 FSBluz~Another Tim!? Great. I don't think the world and the HOC has enough of us...yet. Welcome to the asylum! Since you spec'd out your 535 with Jay, I'm sure you will be very happy with the end product. If any issues arise with it, he is great for problem solving. Congratulations on your first Heritage. And remember, your HOC membership is conditional upon providing a really nice picture of your guitar. OK, not really, but we do love to see photos. Gitfiddler, I received the new H535 and have now had a chance to set it up, get acquainted with it at home, and play it on stage. It's been many years since I've acquired a new guitar I've liked so well so quickly. As you know from my first post I wanted a guitar to replace my old 335 for the rigors of life outside home and studio, but for that to happen it had to be pretty special or else I'd never be able to leave the 335 back. I could go on and on about specifics but to keep this brief I'll simply say the artists at Heritage nailed the feel and sound of my old 335 closer than I ever hoped or expected. I played the H535 on stage this past weekend exclusively and never once yearned for the old 335. I was able to be content knowing it was safe at home in it's case, now allowed an easier life of semi-retirement...lol. If you knew me, and if you knew how much I truly love that old 335 you'd know better the level of high praise the previous statement portends. Without doubt I am now a huge fan of Heritage guitars. I will be displaying mine proudly. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see a few more Heritage guitars purchased around my area just on the beauty, playability, and sound of mine. I host a blues jam on Sunday evenings that attracts most of the musicians in the area from one Sunday to the next so it will be seen and heard by many. I created an album with a few pics of it but being new to this forum I'm not certain I set it up correctly to be viewed by others. I am also gonna attempt to attach the photos to this post. Let me know if you can view it. If not I'll take another stab at getting the pics up in a public manner.
Gitfiddler Posted March 3, 2010 Author Posted March 3, 2010 Fsbluz~ My God, Man, your 535 is on FIRE!! Great wood and finish on that one. And the blocks are the finishing touch of class. Nice. And yes, your pics made it to the Gallery. Fsbluz Gallery
fsbluz Posted March 3, 2010 Posted March 3, 2010 Fsbluz~ My God, Man, your 535 is on FIRE!! Great wood and finish on that one. And the blocks are the finishing touch of class. Nice. And yes, your pics made it to the Gallery. Fsbluz Gallery Thanks much. I had a hard time choosing a finish for it but the dark almond burst turned out quite to my liking. I checked out your gallery while I had a minute, wow, all eye candy for sure, and no doubt ear candy as well.
MatZen Posted March 4, 2010 Posted March 4, 2010 Hello all! I've been lurking in the background while waiting for my guitar to arrive. It's here and I am glad to say I am official. Quite enamored with this first one. It speaks volumes!
FredZepp Posted March 4, 2010 Posted March 4, 2010 Hello all! I've been lurking in the background while waiting for my guitar to arrive. It's here and I am glad to say I am official. Quite enamored with this first one. It speaks volumes! Welcome aboard MatZen..!! We are glad that you came out of lurking.. And a nice start it is with those pics.... That's just some excellent looking lumber in that one... Congrats on the new guitar. And I do like the stinger also....!!!! That amp/ guitar combo must put out some serious tone...
cody Posted March 4, 2010 Posted March 4, 2010 Hi everybody - My name is Jason 'Cody' and I don’t even own a Heritage yet. I play mostly acoustic fingerstyle, a Santa Cruz 00 almost exclusively. I was a huge G-word ES and LP fan when I was younger. I decided to go electric again, so Heritage was the obvious choice. Been lurking for awhile. Planning trips to dealers soon - probably in Michigan, though at the moment I live in PA, temporarily. Wish I could wait until PSP 2010, but I'm not that patient! What are the best places to see as many Heritages as possible in the Michigan area? Does the factory keep any models on hand to look at? Right now I’m open-minded, leaning towards a 555/35, Milly 155 or Ultra. Looking forward to auditioning my options! Anyway, thanks everyone for all the great info here! Hopefully I can contribute in the near future.
BlindDogWillie Posted March 6, 2010 Posted March 6, 2010 Hey Gitfiddler, my name is BlindDog Willie, but you can call me BlindDog. I've been poking around the HOC site since early January, and just bought my first Heritage, a '93 H-150CM that's antique cherry burst. I've got a 'Strat, an Epi Dot, and also play finger style acoustic, got a couple of those. I had a '57 Les Paul way back when (TV Yellow) that was stolen while off to college. Been wanting another Les Paul since then, but very disappointed with quality and sound of the newer LPs, and discouraged by the price. When I heard from a friend about the Heritage H-150's and H-157's, I've been looking into since then. I really appreciate all the posts from other HOC members, this has been very informative, as well as doing my own Google searches.
BlindDogWillie Posted March 6, 2010 Posted March 6, 2010 Welcome Willie...nice 150!!! Thanks Brentrocks, I've been playing it as much as work will allow since getting it!!
brentrocks Posted March 6, 2010 Posted March 6, 2010 Thanks Brentrocks, I've been playing it as much as work will allow since getting it!! I currently have 2 H 150s, a 1989 and a 2003. Both great guitars!!!
brentrocks Posted March 6, 2010 Posted March 6, 2010 Thanks Brentrocks, I've been playing it as much as work will allow since getting it!! You got frequent flyer miles to burn? Our annual get together (psp 3) is comming up this summer
BlindDogWillie Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 I currently have 2 H 150s, a 1989 and a 2003. Both great guitars!!! My H-150 has a pretty strange tailpiece and bridge that came with it, doesn't look like the Schaller hardware that I think Heritage installs at the factory. There's a broken Schaller bridge in the neck compartment, I don't know the history of it. I'm thinking about changing to a Tune-o-matic with GraphTech string saver saddles, and a stop tailpiece. Whadd'ya think?
brentrocks Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 My H-150 has a pretty strange tailpiece and bridge that came with it, doesn't look like the Schaller hardware that I think Heritage installs at the factory. There's a broken Schaller bridge in the neck compartment, I don't know the history of it. I'm thinking about changing to a Tune-o-matic with GraphTech string saver saddles, and a stop tailpiece. Whadd'ya think? never seen a tailpiece like that before??
mars_hall Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 never seen a tailpiece like that before?? It is an Ibanez Quick Change tailpiece and not stock http://www.ibanez.com/parts/2004_PARTS/el_..._tailpiece.html
Gitfiddler Posted March 11, 2010 Author Posted March 11, 2010 It is an Ibanez Quick Change tailpiece and not stock http://www.ibanez.com/parts/2004_PARTS/el_..._tailpiece.html DING! Give that man a cigar! The Ibanez (Gotoh) Quickchange tailpiece is a darn good one. And it looks pretty good on that 150. Welcome to the asylum.
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