Thundersteel Posted April 13, 2010 Posted April 13, 2010 are you serious? Yes, he is. It's the ONLY one ever made!
barrymclark Posted April 13, 2010 Posted April 13, 2010 are you serious? the headstock alone is fantastic....I was actually thinking of custom ordering something with that To back up T-Steel, he is serious and I will add that Heritage has already said they will not make another. This one was actually made by an employee when he worked there. I believe the guy also said there was a solid body with the same headstock but his ex wife got that one. ...if I remember correctly that is. The story goes that the boys in K'zoo told him flat out that if anyone asks, no they won't.
FredZepp Posted April 13, 2010 Posted April 13, 2010 To back up T-Steel, he is serious and I will add that Heritage has already said they will not make another. This one was actually made by an employee when he worked there. I believe the guy also said there was a solid body with the same headstock but his ex wife got that one. ...if I remember correctly that is. The story goes that the boys in K'zoo told him flat out that if anyone asks, no they won't. Yeah, that would be one cool solidbody, eh? I should do a photoshop one day... Of course that part of it is... just a dream.... sorry , only the one.
nitram Posted May 29, 2010 Posted May 29, 2010 Hi, i've just bought a wonderfull H535 natural with this sérial number : A30101 but i can't find this letter ! Can you tell me the right fabrication date ? Thank's
FredZepp Posted May 29, 2010 Posted May 29, 2010 Hi, i've just bought a wonderfull H535 natural with this sérial number : A30101 but i can't find this letter ! Can you tell me the right fabrication date ?Thank's Welcome to the club.... An "A" Serial number is 1984, extremely rare as it was before the company was actually incorporated.. The model that you have, the H-535, was introduced in 1987..... Are you sure that you are reading the serial number right? ...LET'S SEE SOME PICS>>>>> ( AA would be 2010... a new one ..)
nitram Posted May 29, 2010 Posted May 29, 2010 I've just checked the number, it seems to be an H so it gives : H30101 !
bmclaughlan Posted June 15, 2010 Posted June 15, 2010 Decoding Heritage Guitar, Inc. Serial Numbers One of the areas that causes the most confusion for new members of the Heritage Owners Club is how to decipher and understand the serial numbering system employed by the factory. Essentially, each Heritage guitar is (ink) stamped with a six character serial number on the back of the headstock. The characters are comprised of a leading letter, denoting the year (see table below), followed by five digits. The five digits of the serial number encode the day and order of manufacture for the guitar. The first group of three digits represent the days remaining in the year on the day the guitar was completed. The last two digits indicate the build order on that day. For example, a guitar with a serial number of B35012 can be decoded as follows: B: Year built is 1985 (a rare find, indeed!) 350: Built on the fifteenth day of the year (365-350=15) 12: The twelfth guitar completed on this day From this, we learn that the guitar in our example was the twelfth guitar finished on 15 JAN 1985. One of the interesting side effects of this numbering and encoding system is that guitars built later in a given year will actually have a seemingly "lower" serial number. For instance, the first guitar completed on 1 FEB 1985 would have a serial number of B33401. This reverse dating scheme initially seems confusing and counterintuitive, but it is actually very effective. If you are pursuing older Heritage guitars, you would seek guitars with a low initial character, followed by a relatively high set of "date" digits, followed by low trailing "build order" digits. This information, and more, is available on the Heritage Owners Club Information Page. Maybe this has already been addressed, but what are they doing for 2010? I think that works out to Z-plus 1 doesn't it? My new H-157 has serial number Z27704 which would be March 29 ... or is this "Z year"? Thanks!!!
SouthpawGuy Posted June 15, 2010 Posted June 15, 2010 Maybe this has already been addressed, but what are they doing for 2010? I think that works out to Z-plus 1 doesn't it? My new H-157 has serial number Z27704 which would be March 29 ... or is this "Z year"? Thanks!!! "Z" should be a 2009 model .... http://www.heritageownersclub.com/info_serials.htm#table
bmclaughlan Posted June 15, 2010 Posted June 15, 2010 "Z" should be a 2009 model .... http://www.heritageownersclub.com/info_serials.htm#table Thanks, that's how I figured it too from the table. So I guess there's really 2 parts to my question: 1. What letter are they using for 2010? Anyone know? Start over at A (doesn't seem likely) or maybe use double letters (AA)? 2. Does it seem odd that I ordered a guitar in March from my local dealer, who called and talked to Ren about the specs and then took delivery ... and the serial number shows it was made in March of the previous year? Ren had told me personally that they don't make "spec" guitars, that everything is made to a dealer's order. I'm just the curious type ...
Thundersteel Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 1. What letter are they using for 2010? Anyone know? Start over at A (doesn't seem likely) or maybe use double letters (AA)? For 2010, they are using AA as the prefix. 2. Does it seem odd that I ordered a guitar in March from my local dealer, who called and talked to Ren about the specs and then took delivery ... and the serial number shows it was made in March of the previous year? Ren had told me personally that they don't make "spec" guitars, that everything is made to a dealer's order. Ren is correct. Are you sure you are reading the prefix correctly? Sometimes, they're hard to read. Or possibly, they had a neck from the previous year, and used that one on yours. It IS odd!
bmclaughlan Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 For 2010, they are using AA as the prefix. Ren is correct. Are you sure you are reading the prefix correctly? Sometimes, they're hard to read. Or possibly, they had a neck from the previous year, and used that one on yours. It IS odd! AA makes sense. My stamp is reasonably clear ... the Z is a little distorted at the top, but definitely couldn't be mistaken for an AA. Since it has the ebony board, it's plausible that the neck was created in 2009 and stocked. Perhaps at that point they stamped it with a Z, but I don't think they'd have added the rest of the serial number at that time, because that would indicate they'd had this neck hanging around since March 2009, which is a full 12 months. I don't know the sequence of applying the finish either ... presumably it's finished before the serial number is stamped, but is it finished before the neck is attached to the body? My head is spinning! Anyway, I was pretty specific in my specs (type of wood for the top, type of finish, HRWs, coil-taps, type of knobs) so it doesn't seem like this would have been a leftover guitar. Perhaps it's just destined to remain a mystery. Just another part of the Heritage mystique.
noob1234 Posted October 23, 2010 Posted October 23, 2010 Hi there, I'm searching around for a new guitar, my friend spotted a Heritage 535 in a local shop and said I should check it out. It's lovely and I thought I'd investigate it's serial number. I checked out the Decoding and Understanding Serial Numbers section of this site, but have hit a bit of a brick wall since the first character of the serial number appears to be "£"!? Here is a link to information on the guitar including a close up shot of the serial number on the back of the head stock: Heritage 535 Can anyone shed any light on this? Many thanks, noob1234
Patrick Posted October 23, 2010 Posted October 23, 2010 Hi there, I'm searching around for a new guitar, my friend spotted a Heritage 535 in a local shop and said I should check it out. It's lovely and I thought I'd investigate it's serial number. I checked out the Decoding and Understanding Serial Numbers section of this site, but have hit a bit of a brick wall since the first character of the serial number appears to be "£"!? Here is a link to information on the guitar including a close up shot of the serial number on the back of the head stock: Heritage 535 Can anyone shed any light on this? Many thanks, noob1234 I would suggest that you look inside the F hole and see if the hand written serial number on the label says something different. Whether or not it does, I would suggest that you buy the guitar and don't worry about the serial number. It's a great looking guitar. It's definitely got loads of vibe and character!! Good luck!!
FredZepp Posted October 23, 2010 Posted October 23, 2010 Hi there, I'm searching around for a new guitar, my friend spotted a Heritage 535 in a local shop and said I should check it out. It's lovely and I thought I'd investigate it's serial number. I checked out the Decoding and Understanding Serial Numbers section of this site, but have hit a bit of a brick wall since the first character of the serial number appears to be "£"!? Here is a link to information on the guitar including a close up shot of the serial number on the back of the head stock: Heritage 535 Can anyone shed any light on this? Many thanks, noob1234 Interesting... The truss rod cover, longer headstock and crooked tuners all point to this being an early one... but hard to say how early.
Bombassa Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 Maybe an E code... 1988 Looks like a C with a scratch to me. That trussrod cover seems to be a modified Gibby-type. My C-model has an ordinary G. cover witch was the standard then. My vote for 1986. (but I'm not too sure about this model that year)
DetroitBlues Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Mine is B04703, 318 day of the year, 3rd one made. H-140CM
Guest HRB853370 Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Decoding Heritage Guitar, Inc. Serial Numbers One of the areas that causes the most confusion for new members of the Heritage Owners Club is how to decipher and understand the serial numbering system employed by the factory. Essentially, each Heritage guitar is (ink) stamped with a six character serial number on the back of the headstock. The characters are comprised of a leading letter, denoting the year (see table below), followed by five digits. The five digits of the serial number encode the day and order of manufacture for the guitar. The first group of three digits represent the days remaining in the year on the day the guitar was completed. The last two digits indicate the build order on that day. For example, a guitar with a serial number of B35012 can be decoded as follows: B: Year built is 1985 (a rare find, indeed!) 350: Built on the fifteenth day of the year (365-350=15) 12: The twelfth guitar completed on this day From this, we learn that the guitar in our example was the twelfth guitar finished on 15 JAN 1985. One of the interesting side effects of this numbering and encoding system is that guitars built later in a given year will actually have a seemingly "lower" serial number. For instance, the first guitar completed on 1 FEB 1985 would have a serial number of B33401. This reverse dating scheme initially seems confusing and counterintuitive, but it is actually very effective. If you are pursuing older Heritage guitars, you would seek guitars with a low initial character, followed by a relatively high set of "date" digits, followed by low trailing "build order" digits. This information, and more, is available on the Heritage Owners Club Information Page. Are there any Heritages made with an A preceding the serial number? My understanding was that Heritage began production in 1985.
FredZepp Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Are there any Heritages made with an A preceding the serial number? My understanding was that Heritage began production in 1985. Yes, they made a few in 1984, but were incorporated as Heritage Guitar Company in 1985
Breadfreak Posted August 17, 2011 Posted August 17, 2011 I just read online that a Heritage built in 2010 would have 'AA' and then five numbers as the serial code. I think you should add this bit of information into the original post I'm guessing a Heritage built in 2011 would have a serial number starting with 'AB', but I'm not sure about that. It might be 'BA' or something of that sort...
Thundersteel Posted August 17, 2011 Posted August 17, 2011 Looks like a C with a scratch to me. That's what it looks like to me, too.
mars_hall Posted August 17, 2011 Posted August 17, 2011 I just read online that a Heritage built in 2010 would have 'AA' and then five numbers as the serial code. I think you should add this bit of information into the original post I'm guessing a Heritage built in 2011 would have a serial number starting with 'AB', but I'm not sure about that. It might be 'BA' or something of that sort... AB is correct
Davyboy49 Posted November 8, 2011 Posted November 8, 2011 WOW,i am glad to find this out because i had listed my H-575 on ebay not realizing it was built in 1985! So,now i know i have a guitar that was built in the first production year and was the first guitar built on May 19 ,1985...Thanks!
Gitfiddler Posted November 8, 2011 Posted November 8, 2011 WOW,i am glad to find this out because i had listed my H-575 on ebay not realizing it was built in 1985! So,now i know i have a guitar that was built in the first production year and was the first guitar built on May 19 ,1985...Thanks! Cool! Hopefully you held onto it! If so, how about a photo? Let's compare it to one of the newer models to see if they changed 575's since the beginning.
SouthpawGuy Posted November 8, 2011 Posted November 8, 2011 WOW,i am glad to find this out because i had listed my H-575 on ebay not realizing it was built in 1985! So,now i know i have a guitar that was built in the first production year and was the first guitar built on May 19 ,1985...Thanks! Hi and welcome to the HOC. Check out this page ... http://www.heritageg...delhistory.html According to that info the 575 was not produced until 1987. A "B" prefix serial would be 1985 and a D an 1987.
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