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Heritage Owners Club

What have I found here?


tdrommond

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Have you considered checking into the witness protection program and moving to another state? That is a spectacular guitar. Friends come and go.

 

What else do you play? That would be a big step up from pretty much anything.

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Have you considered checking into the witness protection program and moving to another state? That is a spectacular guitar. Friends come and go.

 

What else do you play? That would be a big step up from pretty much anything.

 

I currently own a '96 Mex. Fender Strat Std., a '11 Squier Strat Affinity, a '83 Alvarez Regent and a homemade cigar box guitar. So yes, this is way out of my league. I'm sitting here with goosebumps waiting for my lunch hour so I can take it home and plug it in.

 

This one was custom made for my friends dad, who has since passed away. He doesn't play and it has sat in the closet for a few years. Pulled it out of the case and it was still in tune, even on old crusty strings. It wasn't on pitch, but relative to each other, it was in tune. Amazing!!

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Very interesting....

 

Heritage just started using the finger tail piece in the last two years.

 

The compensated bridge looks like it was customized (Heritage archtop bridge/saddle don't normally look like that one), but the the "birds" baseplate is definitely an older Heritage one. Is the the baseplate & bridge rosewood? (it should be ebony).

 

I would say you have a customized Golden Eagle (the finger tail piece was either added after it left the factory or the guitar is newer than you thought. But the "bird" inlays in the baseplate haven't been used for at least 3 years. So maybe the guitar is 2-3 years old or it is older but has been modified.)

 

Cool guitar either way.

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Well, I got it home and had a closer look. According to the lable inside the upper F hole, it's a Super Eagle. It is all original and as ordered. It was custom orded by K.C. Ficklin of Columbia, MO. The gentleman that ordered it was a jazz player. Mr. Ficklin wasn't well for a long time prior and didn't play this one more than a few times before he passed away in 2004. His son said he only saw him play it once and it was a big deal that Dad got "The Guitar" out. It usually stay put away in the back of his closet. There are a couple of hand written notes indicate it may be a 1994 and is a nitro finish.

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Is there such thing as Happy Borrowed Guitar Day (HBGD)? I'm having one, just didn't know what to call it.

 

Borrowing a guitar is like having a mistress on the side. You know she's not yours, but you still get to have all fun you want. :icon_pirat:

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Is there such thing as Happy Borrowed Guitar Day (HBGD)? I'm having one, just didn't know what to call it.

 

Borrowing a guitar is like having a mistress on the side. You know she's not yours, but you still get to have all fun you want. :icon_pirat:

Your Mistress just happens to be a super model. Have at her!

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Well, I got an eye opener re-stringing this thing last night. Holy crap that finger tailpiece is a PIA. One laps in tension and the string slips from under the hook. Glad I took the strings off one at a time starting in the middle. That's a floating bridge :shocked: 2 very careful hours later and I was ready to try it out.

 

It is the prettiest guitar I have ever played...and I didn't enjoy it at all. The big radius neck left my hand and wrist sore. I could not get comfortable with the body and my right elbow. It is heavy, hard and I'm clumsy with it. Overall, I'm glad my friend has loaned it to me. I'll keep playing it to see if it grows on me. Frankly, I enjoyed playing my strat much more this morning. If she were a mistress, she'd be an insanely hot chick with lots of baggage and a crappy attitude.

 

I may not be sophisticated enough for a Super Eagle...or a super model :icon_jokercolor:

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I hope you put a soft cloth under the six finger tailpiece as you changed the strings. That prevents the sudden release of string tension from popping out of the 'fingers' and putting a little divot in the guitar's top. Not cool.

 

Supers are big girls and take a bit to get used to them. Having long arms helps a bit, but that's not a custom option. :icon_smile:

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I hope you put a soft cloth under the six finger tailpiece as you changed the strings. That prevents the sudden release of string tension from popping out of the 'fingers' and putting a little divot in the guitar's top. Not cool.

 

Supers are big girls and take a bit to get used to them. Having long arms helps a bit, but that's not a custom option. :icon_smile:

 

I didn't use a cloth, but part of the reason it took 2 hours was I went slow and methodically. I figured out how the tailpiece worked before I started loosening the strings. I backed all the thumb wheels out to release the pre-load and give myself some room under them. Nothing popped and I was really careful in putting the strings back under the fingers, not to scratch to top. I didn't research on the bridge, so it was a bit of a surprise when it slipped. I stopped, got online and researched it and how to adjust it. Sure glad I did. Looks like someone bottomed out the thumb wheels at some point and left divots in the top. Luckily not through the clear coat. I dab of clear fingernail polish on the end of a toothpick filled them nicely. A little rubbing compound to blend and you'd have to look hard to find them now. There were a few little worm trails from previous movement of the the bridge, too, that buffed out. I didn't think it had been played much, no wear on the frets, but it has been restrung a few times...poorly. I probably spent half an hour messing with that, but the other hour and a half was spent trying to string it. I wouldn't want to gig this guitar and need to change strings as often as I do on my strats. I'd have to hire a guitar tech or I'd play with dead strings. Is there some huge advantage to this setup? I get the fine adjustment, like a violin, and I like that all the tuners are lined up neatly, but for heaven's sake. Either there's an easier way and I didn't find it or this is just a huge PIA.

 

Another of my hobbies is vintage car restoration and I like British stuff. The wood in old Jaguars is finished in a thin varnish that even fingernails leave marks in. I've had lots of practice preventing and working out scratches and dings in old brittle clear coat. I'm pretty patient and usually budget twice the time I think it will take. Since this one isn't mine, I was probably over cautious. My wife laughed at how I covered every hard surface in the shop before I took the guitar out of the case.

 

I wish it had been more fun to play. I sure wanted it to be.

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I am not, not in anyway, trying to offend you or anyone who has said a jazz archtop bigger than 16" is hard (some act like impossible) to play.

 

BUT what I don't get is that most of use started playing guitar on an acoustic, usually a dreadnought acoustic.

 

I really hear people say they just can't play a Martin D-28.

 

I am a big guy at 6'5" so maybe it is just me, but 10 mins with guitar (big body, small body, contour, non-contour body) and I am comfortable.

 

So I am not trying to rip you, but more to understand where this "I can't play a jazz archtop" reaction comes from. I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended. Thanks!!!!

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