FredZepp Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 I'd seen this post by someone who had just taken a Heritage Factory Tour with Ren... His comments really give a feel for the Heritage history... Here's an excerpt .... ---------------------------------- Paul Murphy, from Blue Fish Guitars in Plymouth Michigan and I took the very cool Heritage Guitar factory tour. Its the old Gibson Plant in Kalamazoo Michigan. Several of Gibson’s luthiers who didn’t want to make the move to Nashville, when Gibson closed the Kalamazoo plant, started Heritage Guitars and kept the plant open. They have been in business for twenty five years as Heritage. They haven’t updated anything. Its a blast from the past. The luthiers are making hollow and semi-hollow body electric guitars using the same techniques that made Gibson famous all those years ago. There isn’t a computer (not counting employee cell phones) in the entire facility. Place an order and its processed by hand and you will get well crafted a hand made guitar from one of their artisan luthiers. No plastic feel of the new water-base finishes, all of their guitars finished with hand buffed cellulose lacquer. No laminates for the arch tops. No CNC routers. All are carved from solid using an over under pin router rotary duplicator. I’m not sure if the tool has an official name but that describes this, purpose built, machine well. The sides are bent like they have been for one hundred years, on a gas fired iron, shaped for the job. Our tour guide was Ren Wall. This is the same Ren Wall who worked in engineering for Gibson. He is the engineer behind the Heritage HRW pickups that so many artist covet today. Ren had plenty of stories about playing licks with BB King. Designing guitars with Les Paul. He even told us of once designing a guitar for Ted Nugent based Teds hand print. http://hickorybanjo....-to-edit11.html
DetroitBlues Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 If only those people would remember what Ren has done for them and show Heritage some love...
Fernando Posted October 26, 2012 Posted October 26, 2012 And that's one of the reasons why I see my Heritage guitars as priceless treasures, not investments.
smaj Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 If only those people would remember what Ren has done for them and show Heritage some love... This could not be stated any better!
hotfordcoupe Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 If only those people would remember what Ren has done for them and show Heritage some love... And that's one of the reasons why I see my Heritage guitars as priceless treasures, not investments. I feel exactly the same way. I bought my axe with the intention of having an extremely well buit guitar to play and not collect. My guitar is an oddball because the headstock says Gretsch but it was made completely by Heritage. It's one of less than 50. It's basically an Eldorado with the 18" body or in other words, a Super Eagle body.
blueox Posted November 2, 2012 Posted November 2, 2012 " . . . My guitar is an oddball because the headstock says Gretsch but it was made completely by Heritage. It's one of less than 50. It's basically an Eldorado with the 18" body or in other words, a Super Eagle body."
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