How many Heritages are there?

[JohnCovach]

I was just thinking about the remark Vince made at NAMM about getting Heritage up to 10 guitars a day from the 4-5 they produce now.  If that's been the norm since the beginning (and I'm not sure that it has), then they'd produce about 100 guitars a month, or about 1200 or so a year.

 

In twenty years, that's about 24,000 guitars, and in twenty three years, about 27,600.  Just to compare, Gibson shipped 17,231 electric guitars in 1959 alone (not counting acoustic guitars).

 

So those of us who are buying and selling these guitars are working with a relatively small number of instruments, even if it does keep growing by about 25 guitars a week.

 

I'm not sure what all this means, I just find it interesting to think about how limited the supply of Heritages is compared to Gibson, Fender, Gretsch,  Rickenbacker and others.

[Dick Seacup]

Heritage output is low compared to the big brands (Gibbon, Ferden, Ibeenhad, &c), but compared to the truly boo-teak makers (Hamer stands out) they are making a ton of guitars.  Based on watching eBay, TGP, craigslist and other venues, I would say that less of the older stuff is up for sale than newer stuff.  It's fairly easy to find an early-2000s to current H-150, for instance, but next to impossible to find a late-80s to mid-90s.  The late-90s stuff is somewhere in between, as far as availability.  Until about late-April, early-May of this year, used prices for Heritages were increasing (thanks, Brentrocks!  Hehe).  I think they have leveled off somewhat, and some "less desirable" models are actually starting to slip a bit.  Of course, that just means that opportunists like myself will start snapping up the undervalued "less desirable" models, driving the price back up. 

 

From a manufacturing perspective, Heritage Guitar, Inc. would want to have an active, stable and thriving secondary market.  When any product that trades used suffers from poor resale (due to image issues, actual manufacturing issues, whatever), it becomes harder to move pricing in the primary market.  If Vince Margol and Company are intent on shifting MSRP up into the Gibbon stratosphere (or the PRS ionosphere), then the secondary market is going to have to be very lively.  Restricted supply is part of making that happen, but we already know that the old stuff is hard to come by.  Another part is informing and educating potential buyers, whether they be primary market or secondary market in order to overcome any resistance or perceptual issues.

 

Looking at the bigger picture, with a glance over our shoulders to what was going on at this time last year, the factory got extremely lucky that the HOC started up when it did.  While the express purpose (from the front page) is to provide a community for aficionados of the brand, the effect is that it creates buzz in the secondary market, takes care of the educating and informing, and helps to reduce support load on the boys at Heritage.  Did I say they were extremely lucky?  That's probably not strong enough.

 

They were on the verge of closing down.  Lamb was telling the local paper that they were going to sell and who knew where the factory would end up.  IIRC, several of the first members here were concerned that their orders weren't going to be built and were asking if anyone else was in the same boat, had more information, or knew how to contact the factory.  They didn't put a note on their web site about still being in business (despite internet rumors started elsewhere, I might add) until there was a thread here about them shutting down.  Times were tough for them a year ago.

 

At the same time the HOC got rolling, Vince stepped up on the financial/management side over in K'zoo.  The effect his involvment has had cannot be understated either.  So, I think the factory got lucky not once, but twice.  They got a white knight and they got a grass roots movement at just the right time.  I'm not sure who was doing all the praying over there, but it seems to have worked. Sorry, just got off on random thoughts from the "boy there aren't very many Heritages floating around" starting point.  LOL.  This ends the hijack.  I return you to your previously scheduled thread.

[brentrocks]

I'm not sure what all this means, I just find it interesting to think about how limited the supply of Heritages is compared to Gibson, Fender, Gretsch,  Rickenbacker and others.

 

never thought of that..great point john!!!

[111518]

If Brent kept a list of serial numbers as they passed through his hands, pretty soon we would have a definitive count! 

[GuitArtMan]

If Brent kept a list of serial numbers as they passed through his hands, pretty soon we would have a definitive count! 

[glow=red,2,300]LMAO[/glow]

[brentrocks]

If Brent kept a list of serial numbers as they passed through his hands, pretty soon we would have a definitive count! 

 

 

;D 8)

[SouthpawGuy]

If Brent kept a list of serial numbers as they passed through his hands, pretty soon we would have a definitive count! 

 

Brent doesn't keep 'em long enough to take note of the serial number, he's got a kind of GAS conveyor belt thing goin' on.  ;D

[Thundersteel]

I think he's a flipper!

[111518]

He should get a wooden guitar stand and just carve notches.