HANGAR18 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 It’s no secret that I am a lifelong fan of Ted Nugent.It is also a well-known fact that he often plays Gibson Byrdland guitars with a Florentine style cutaway.(He has at least 12 of them last I heard which now qualify as “vintage” and he’s been playing them since they were brand new.)We all know that trying to get your hands on an original/vintage Gibson Byrdland is nigh unto impossible and the newly made versions with the original rounded Venetian cutaway are nearly $8000.00.So naturally, in the category of “dream guitars I don’t have a chance of ever actually owning” I have been trying to figure out what a Heritage version of a Gibson Byrdland might be.Here is the Byrdland measuring stick I’m using:Extra-narrow, short-scale 23-1/2"neck with 22 frets.Hollow body with solid spruce carved top.17" wide by21" long2-1/4" RimFlorentine style (sharp pointy) cutaway as opposed to the original rounded Venetian cutaway.And this video… note the close-up of the bridge at 02:14 A Heritage Golden Eagle as a Byrdland equivalent? (...as mentioned in a previous thread.) Nope. Similar yes but scale length is too long, rim measurement is too thick, neck might be too thick, wrong pickups, ¾ inches too short, no Florentine style cutaway and wrong bridge. A Heritage H575 as a Byrdland equivalent? Nope. Not a carved spruce top, wrong bridge, ¾ inches too short, big fat neck and rim too thick. A Heritage Henry Johnson as a Byrdland equivalent? Maybe. The only major difference between the Henry Johnson model and a Ted Nugent version of a Gibson Byrdland would be that the body is way too thick. Perhaps if Heritage would make one with a 2 ¼ in rim, I think that might be as close as they could get, based on their current production line. But, even with the Henry Johnson model, there are still some other small differences like being ¾ inches too short and missing 2 frets. (20 instead of 22)And then of course, there is the cost. (Not that I could afford a carved hollow body made by anyone on this planet.) But I speculate that if a brand new Gibson Byrdland (as of 2013) is going for around $8000.00 actual selling price, then perhaps a Heritage version of a Gibson Byrdland would actually sell for $5369.00.
Thundersteel Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Heritage has, on occasion, made thin-rimmed versions of their thicker guitars. I remember an H550 that was around 2-1/2" or so. All you need to do is ask to see if they'll make one for you. The worst they can do is say "no."
brentrocks Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 i know Marv doesnt like to do short scale stuff....but if you sweet talk him, he might
HANGAR18 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Posted January 17, 2013 i know Marv doesnt like to do short scale stuff....but if you sweet talk him, he might The short scale really isn't that important to me. I'm okay with a neck like the ones on my H150 or H157, I just don't like the bag fat chunky necks or wider than normal necks.
Gitfiddler Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Sounds like someone needs to call a dealer for a quote. :-)
Guest HRB853370 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 oh come now Hangar, you cant play RocknRoll with a jazzbox!!! You should know that!!
kidsmoke Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Ray, the guy who does the fretboard work at Heritage, has a Heritage Byrdland, although I can't recall what he calls it. had it built himself. In my mind it's the short scale that really makes it a Byrdland, I'm surprised that feature is optional for you. he's got a couple of youtube videos with that axe. Ray's an interesting dude.
HANGAR18 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Posted January 17, 2013 oh come now Hangar, you cant play RocknRoll with a jazzbox!!! You should know that!! I could watch that Ted Nugent video all day long, especially with Derek St. Holmes singing, just like old times, and those drums sound fantastic!
HANGAR18 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Posted January 17, 2013 Ray, the guy who does the fretboard work at Heritage, has a Heritage Byrdland, although I can't recall what he calls it. had it built himself. In my mind it's the short scale that really makes it a Byrdland, I'm surprised that feature is optional for you. he's got a couple of youtube videos with that axe. Ray's an interesting dude. I think I saw one of those videos which isn't online any more but it was supposed to be a Heritage Golden Eagle but made to Byrdland specs. I assumed that if I worked at Heritage, I could get an exact replica of a vintage Byrdland like Ted Nugent plays but only with a Heritage headstock as the only difference. Being that I fall into the category of regular ol' "Joe Customer", my next course of thinking in this hypothetical exercise was to figure out which existing production model came the closest to a vintage Byrdland so that I could theoretically order a guitar which could be built without the extraordinary expense involved with having the factory to retool in order to build one. I'm sure if I were rich and had $20,000,00 to spend on a guitar, that they might consider such a retool. But I guess what I am hoping to get out of this discussion is to solicit opinions as to which current production Heritage model does everyone feel most closely resembles the previously described Byrdland. Me trying to figure out how to actually own a Byrdland someday is kinda like me trying to figure out a way to get a date with Sandra Bullock. Probably never happen in a million years but a nice dream anyway. lol
smaj Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 I'll tell you a secret, if you can find one of the Epiphone Elitist Byrdlands, buy it. They are great guitars!
Spectrum13 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Byrdland was a short scale thin L5. So a two pickup Golden Eagle build about 2-3/4 wide. Or you could do a 350T - 550 Thinned to 2-3/4 and save on the carved deluxe trim.
Guest HRB853370 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 I could watch that Ted Nugent video all day long, especially with Derek St. Holmes singing, just like old times, and those drums sound fantastic! Derek used to live in my ex town in Georgia. His trio used to play the local bars. So one day, we were at one of the shows and I approached the bass player and asked if I could sit in. He said, no problem man. That was a trip. Didn't get to play Stranglehold with Derek but we jammed for a few songs. Never will forget that!
HANGAR18 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Posted January 17, 2013 Derek used to live in my ex town in Georgia. His trio used to play the local bars. So one day, we were at one of the shows and I approached the bass player and asked if I could sit in. He said, no problem man. That was a trip. Didn't get to play Stranglehold with Derek but we jammed for a few songs. Never will forget that! Cool, Man!
RhoadsScholar Posted January 18, 2013 Posted January 18, 2013 There were a few thin line Golden Eagles made with florintine cutaway's. That gets you pretty close (but they'll have 25 1/2 scale lengths)
skydog52 Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 Ray, the guy who does the fretboard work at Heritage, has a Heritage Byrdland, although I can't recall what he calls it. had it built himself. In my mind it's the short scale that really makes it a Byrdland, I'm surprised that feature is optional for you. he's got a couple of youtube videos with that axe. Ray's an interesting dude. Finally found that video. Ray is a wild man! http://youtu.be/KCtUnYC_NFg
HANGAR18 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Posted January 23, 2013 Finally found that video. Ray is a wild man!http://youtu.be/KCtUnYC_NFg That's the guy! And one of those guitars was the one we're talking about but he did another video which was longer where he discussed the Byrdland specs which went into that guitar. The one thing about that guitar though is that the rim width looks like it is a lot wider than 2-1/4" inches but maybe that's just the camera adding weight to the guitar. hahaha.
skydog52 Posted January 24, 2013 Posted January 24, 2013 That's the guy! And one of those guitars was the one we're talking about but he did another video which was longer where he discussed the Byrdland specs which went into that guitar. The one thing about that guitar though is that the rim width looks like it is a lot wider than 2-1/4" inches but maybe that's just the camera adding weight to the guitar. hahaha. Almost looks like a modified Henry Johnson model. Or Super Eagle.
mark555 Posted January 26, 2013 Posted January 26, 2013 I had a guitar teacher with a beautiful Byrdland with the florentine cutaway, he was also a pro jazz player and extremely nice chap.
SofaPlayer Posted June 15, 2013 Posted June 15, 2013 Here it is, a Heritage Byrdland. Officially a Golden Eagle thinline but with all the Byrdland specs, including the short scale. And Lollar P90s, yummy! Probably one of a kind. Looks like the twin sister of Martys GE thinline. Queen twins, I might add. And yes, it even is for sale, although certainly not cheap. I still would have bought it instantly if it had the long scale but I've never played a 23,5" scale and I don't dare to take the risk. But maybe one of you wants to bring this baby back to the family. Someone go for it, please, and free me from the temptation. By the way, I am not affiliated with the seller. I have been in contact with him and he seemed completely trustworthy to me. However, I have never done business with him as I think his prices are not very realistic. http://www.fine-instruments.net/gethin_english.html
HANGAR18 Posted June 15, 2013 Author Posted June 15, 2013 Walnut stain burled maple ? Excellent. . WOW! That is freekin' awesome!
SofaPlayer Posted June 16, 2013 Posted June 16, 2013 Not much enthusiasm around here for a guitar that I think is utterly special. How come?
Spectrum13 Posted June 16, 2013 Posted June 16, 2013 Not much enthusiasm around here for a guitar that I think is utterly special. How come? The photo is enough. It would take 10,000 words to describe how beautiful that came out.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.