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What is the "brightest" Heritage model


heritagefan7

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Posted

Considering stock guitars...and stock Heritage pickups for the model...Which git is the brightest? (I realize this is extremely subjective and that stock is going to be hard to nail down as Heritage handcrafts and customizes so much)

 

My previous 555 was what I would call bright and sharp through the bridge pup...maybe the brightest I've heard...Do others concur or is there something else out there to rival it? (ebony board w/ Schallers on the 555--play the right note and you'd think it could shatter crystal stemware!)..I miss it.

Posted

Never had any reason to give any of them any sort of IQ test. Thought that sort of thing was damaging to the psyche....

Guest HRB853370
Posted

Could also depend on the angle of the sun if you are playing outdoors...

Posted

Never had any reason to give any of them any sort of IQ test. Thought that sort of thing was damaging to the psyche....

hah!

.

Posted

IMHO, the semis (535 & 555, and prospects) will be the brightest, with the 555 that has a maple neck & Ebony fretboard being the brightest I have ever played. But both are bright in a good way. I have had a lot of good guitarist and luthiers that have said you can EQ in lows but not really so easy to add highs to a muddy guitar.

Posted

Never had any reason to give any of them any sort of IQ test. Thought that sort of thing was damaging to the psyche....

HA...I knew somebody was going to go there!

 

KUZ...My experience has been the same w/ the semis--they can be so sharp/bright....but I've noticed when i'm recording that my 150 (seth's) can get growly quickly, but...it is not so quick to the bright/sharp side of things. Clearly mixing and eq's can change that somewhat. However, my P90 big box can be extremely bright..more so than the 150 (great great git) which is a solid body. I know that they are diff animals, but it strikes me odd that a 17 inch wide & 3 1/2 inch deep hollow body can be brighter than a 2 inch deep maple capped solid body...

Posted

HA...I knew somebody was going to go there!

However, my P90 big box can be extremely bright..more so than the 150 (great great git) which is a solid body. I know that they are diff animals, but it strikes me odd that a 17 inch wide & 3 1/2 inch deep hollow body can be brighter than a 2 inch deep maple capped solid body...

 

Interesting! My Super Eagle, with P-90's, is also really bright, on the bridge pickup...and that's with a wooden bridge. Whoda thunk?

Posted

H530 is the brightest Heritage I've played...probably a bit more than the 525. But like other single coil gits, (Strats, Teles, Filtertrons, and other P90's) you just EQ the amp or turn down the treble on the instrument to compensate. Also, heavier strings give P90's a bit more of a balanced tone.

Posted

Obviously the degree of brightness is going to vary from guitar to guitar even same models as the wood is obviously not from the same tree.

 

My Cust 555 with mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard is a light guitar and bright in a good way, zero mud. I wanted a fuller warmer rounder tone so I call Jon Gundry at Throbak pickups and he said to get the Peter Green pickups without the magnet flip. Now, I had at least 5 set of pups in this guitar (Seth's, Lollars, Tom Shorts, Peter Florence, ect) and they all sounded very similar. I put Jon's PG102s in this 555 and it may be the finest guitar tone I have ever played... More bass, MORE mids, nice rounded highs, just ultimately incredible!!! These Throbak PG102s should be the default pups for a semi-hollow Heritage.

 

Now my 535 P90 is a heavier guitar and with the P90s it is darker, warmer, much rounder on the neck and the bridge has the p90 bite but much less intrusive. An equally incredible guitar, but it will never be accused of bright, not muddy, but not bright.

 

As I was playing with my 150s the other day and making some mods (topic for another thread), I have come to a similar conclusion albeit the sample size is small.

 

The conclusion based on 8 guitars..... The lighter the guitar the brighter, more articulate and a scooped mid tones. The heavier the guitar the less bright, more mids, and more sag to the guitar. Interestly the bass and highs are about the same, but the brightness and articulation and mids were a direct correlation to the weight of the guitar.

 

If I was looking for a bright articulate guitar I would get a light guitar (of any model). If I wanted a beefy mid heavy phat guitar I would get a heavier one.

 

Anyhow my study, my results, waiting for a Nobel prize nomination!

Posted

The less mahogany you have and the more maple will be brighter... Electronics change that too...

 

gallery_328_8_65377.jpg

 

All maple body VIP2 with mahogany neck and HRWs, 25 1/2" scale length .... it should be beyond bright. It isn't

Posted

My 170 custom with mini hums is the brightest. It probably the heaviest as well. Far brighter than my all maple 555 with Seth's, or my all maple 575 with prails. The bridge pup in my stat is bright as well, it's a early 80 super distortion.

Posted

Obviously the degree of brightness is going to vary from guitar to guitar even same models as the wood is obviously not from the same tree.

 

My Cust 555 with mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard is a light guitar and bright in a good way, zero mud. I wanted a fuller warmer rounder tone so I call Jon Gundry at Throbak pickups and he said to get the Peter Green pickups without the magnet flip. Now, I had at least 5 set of pups in this guitar (Seth's, Lollars, Tom Shorts, Peter Florence, ect) and they all sounded very similar. I put Jon's PG102s in this 555 and it may be the finest guitar tone I have ever played... More bass, MORE mids, nice rounded highs, just ultimately incredible!!! These Throbak PG102s should be the default pups for a semi-hollow Heritage.

 

Now my 535 P90 is a heavier guitar and with the P90s it is darker, warmer, much rounder on the neck and the bridge has the p90 bite but much less intrusive. An equally incredible guitar, but it will never be accused of bright, not muddy, but not bright.

 

As I was playing with my 150s the other day and making some mods (topic for another thread), I have come to a similar conclusion albeit the sample size is small.

 

The conclusion based on 8 guitars..... The lighter the guitar the brighter, more articulate and a scooped mid tones. The heavier the guitar the less bright, more mids, and more sag to the guitar. Interestly the bass and highs are about the same, but the brightness and articulation and mids were a direct correlation to the weight of the guitar.

 

If I was looking for a bright articulate guitar I would get a light guitar (of any model). If I wanted a beefy mid heavy phat guitar I would get a heavier one.

 

Anyhow my study, my results, waiting for a Nobel prize nomination!

You have my vote Kuz!...I have heard a guild t-100 w/ guild humbuckers--thin line hollow body...way bright tone. I don't get how sound in a hole isn't warmer than sound bouncing off of a maple cap. I have acoustical training (albeit not as a luthier and no degree by any stretch) and this still doesn't make sense. Jazz boxes are constructed to be warm and creamy, right?

 

Thing is, I have warm, fuzzy, growly covered (maybe too much). I'm looking for bright, crisp & clean...I would never have considered a 530 if I hadn't read this thread. BTW, I had a strat and we just didn't bond--but it was a great great guitar--just not for me. While it was bright, I also found it a little thin (if that makes sense) for my taste, but I cut me teeth on a LP style git and am just used to that.

Guest HRB853370
Posted

Obviously the degree of brightness is going to vary from guitar to guitar even same models as the wood is obviously not from the same tree.

 

My Cust 555 with mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard is a light guitar and bright in a good way, zero mud. I wanted a fuller warmer rounder tone so I call Jon Gundry at Throbak pickups and he said to get the Peter Green pickups without the magnet flip. Now, I had at least 5 set of pups in this guitar (Seth's, Lollars, Tom Shorts, Peter Florence, ect) and they all sounded very similar. I put Jon's PG102s in this 555 and it may be the finest guitar tone I have ever played... More bass, MORE mids, nice rounded highs, just ultimately incredible!!! These Throbak PG102s should be the default pups for a semi-hollow Heritage.

 

Now my 535 P90 is a heavier guitar and with the P90s it is darker, warmer, much rounder on the neck and the bridge has the p90 bite but much less intrusive. An equally incredible guitar, but it will never be accused of bright, not muddy, but not bright.

 

As I was playing with my 150s the other day and making some mods (topic for another thread), I have come to a similar conclusion albeit the sample size is small.

 

The conclusion based on 8 guitars..... The lighter the guitar the brighter, more articulate and a scooped mid tones. The heavier the guitar the less bright, more mids, and more sag to the guitar. Interestly the bass and highs are about the same, but the brightness and articulation and mids were a direct correlation to the weight of the guitar.

 

If I was looking for a bright articulate guitar I would get a light guitar (of any model). If I wanted a beefy mid heavy phat guitar I would get a heavier one.

 

Anyhow my study, my results, waiting for a Nobel prize nomination!

 

My conclusion: You miss your 525.

Guest HRB853370
Posted

The less mahogany you have and the more maple will be brighter... Electronics change that too...

 

And what do you base this on, Dr. DB?

Posted

 

My conclusion: You miss your 525.

 

I thought we were talking about solid body guitars. If it is a hollow body, I still contend heavier will be less bright, but my generalization above were based on solid body guitars.

 

My 575, my Florentine GE, my Thornton Improv, and soon in 3 months or so another guitar.... are helping to cure the separation anxiety!!!!

Posted

I have one that is all maple with an ebony board, I guess that it's pretty bright ...

DSCF0495.JPG

 

For some reason, when I saw the title of this thread, I thought of an all maple 157LW, made of all flamed maple. ( no , I've never seen one.... )

Posted

I have an all maple millie eagle with an ebony board, it's a hollowbody so maybe that rounds out the tone a bit. I wouldn't say it's overly bright

 

also have an all mahog 157 with an ebony board, I think it sounds brighter/clearer than my 150 with maple cap & rosweood board

 

popular contention is that maple gtrs sound brighter. I think ebony boards have a more defined sound....not sure if it's brighter but more articulate, might be the word? it still has lots of bass

 

I had an all maple Gibson J-200 w/osewood board that was certainly thin & bright sounding...I sold it

Posted

I have one that is all maple with an ebony board, I guess that it's pretty bright ...

DSCF0495.JPG

 

For some reason, when I saw the title of this thread, I thought of an all maple 157LW, made of all flamed maple. ( no , I've never seen one.... )

What a beautiful pic of a beautiful git....Throw and ebony board on the 157 LW?-could take it through the roof if you buy the claim that an ebony board brightens tone. (Brightens?--is that a word?)...Maybe from soho down to brightens?

Guest HRB853370
Posted

I have an all maple millie eagle with an ebony board, it's a hollowbody so maybe that rounds out the tone a bit. I wouldn't say it's overly bright

 

also have an all mahog 157 with an ebony board, I think it sounds brighter/clearer than my 150 with maple cap & rosweood board

 

popular contention is that maple gtrs sound brighter. I think ebony boards have a more defined sound....not sure if it's brighter but more articulate, might be the word? it still has lots of bass

 

I had an all maple Gibson J-200 w/osewood board that was certainly thin & bright sounding...I sold it

 

My Taylor is maple sides and back, very bright sounding and lots of midrange too. Not to much low end however.

Posted

yeah I replaced that J200 with a rosewood bodied Larrivee jumbo....I missed that fullness on the low notes; now have it in spades!!

 

they make/made rosewood J200's but they are rare

Posted

I always thought the Academy would be the brightest model. :icon_scratch:

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