Heritage Guitars, back to work!

[soybean]

Heritage guitar company is back to work!

http://www.guitarjamdailycom/index.php?opt...0&Itemid=53

[cod65]

link is dead over here

[golferwave]

  Same here.

[Dick Seacup]

Needs a '.' in from of the 'com'

 

Try this one

[cod65]

whoah.  3 guitars per day ?  this I gotta see.

[JohnCovach]

The newspaper story says they have been making 1200 guitars a year and the plan is to double that (2400 a year).

[sweet-tooth]

In a world of over 6.6 billion people even 2,400 guitars a year is a very low number.

[Blues_N_Rock]

Interesting......an atorney specializing in marital separation and divorces becomes principal in a guitar business.  Is this guy a friend or associate of the founding four?  Or simply the financier?  It will be intersing to see where this company is in five years?  Sometimes old school is the best school.  I guess not having a computer to run the business except for the plek operations is a bit behind the times.  Welcome back Jim, Marv and JP.

[Thundersteel]

Their website has been updated!

 

               

                                                                                                                    Internet Notice

 

Following a summer of negotiations and planning, Heritage Guitars, Inc., has reformulated its ownership and hierarchy, and has resumed production of guitars in our Kalamazoo plant.  Bill Paige has accepted a position within the organization, and Vince Margol has purchased shares to become an equal partner with Marv Lamb, Jim Deurloo, and J.P. Moats.  Vince will be the managing partner and President.

 

First, and foremost, we would like to thank our employees for their dedication to our organization, as well as our product.  The commitment shown by returning to us after our layoff will be rewarded in the future.

 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Dealers, Distributors, and enthusiasts for their patience during these difficult times.  We have reemerged stronger and more resolved from this process.  You will soon see significant changes to our delivery schedules, as well as a shortened wait period for our product.  We remain committed to crafting the finest handmade guitars available at any price, and look forward to fulfilling and exceeding your expectations for your new guitar.  Keep checking back for more updates.

[Dick Seacup]

Nicely worded, glad they're back to work, fantastic that they value the employees/dealers/etc.  But, still no link to the HOC?  ???

 

;D

 

Heh.

[Jim Gus]

Hey great. Word is new prez didn't know who Heritage was until three of four years ago. Maybe now they can find some of the orders

they lost since 2006. Lots of angry customers and dealers to please. But hey, Fender brought Ovation and Hamer and it shouldnt be long until they kill the Hamer brand just like they did to Guild. Nonetheless, Heritage is on a one year resperator--let's see how  it goes. Most businesses fail because lack of long term plan. There isn't one here. 

[Paul P]

But, still no link to the HOC?  ???

 

I wouldn't hold my breath.  I don't really see Heritage paying much attention to this forum,

they're in another world, the corporate one (at least they are now).  We're just a bunch of

enthusiasts and don't necessarily represent all Heritage owners.  If this forum were run by

Heritage it'd be another matter.

 

Who does own this forum anyway ?  I can't find the information anywhere on the site.

 

Paul P

[Thundersteel]

Who does own this forum anyway ?  I can't find the information anywhere on the site.

 

I don't know, but I know Jay would like to send a big THANK YOU to him. Jay said the administrator is responsible for an increased interest in the Heritage brand. Those weren't his exact words, but I'm sure that's what he meant.

[golferwave]

  I've said from the beginning of the shut down that I felt they had little or no succession plan for the company.  That being said I believe what they are saying and that they are committed to better customer satisfaction and service. I just hope that the old guard has the time to properly train the young craftsmen.

[Dick Seacup]

I wouldn't hold my breath.  I don't really see Heritage paying much attention to this forum,

they're in another world, the corporate one (at least they are now).  We're just a bunch of

enthusiasts and don't necessarily represent all Heritage owners.  If this forum were run by

Heritage it'd be another matter.

 

Who does own this forum anyway ?  I can't find the information anywhere on the site.

 

Paul P

 

Oh, I wasn't seriously miffed that they don't link to us, Paul.  Given the litigious nature of our society, they'd be silly to do anything more than give the HOC a nod and a wink.  Gibson doesn't do much with the LP Forum, Fender has (or had) their own forums, but they don't seem to get involved with, say, the TDPRI, Hamer used to link to their "fan club" years ago, but corporate lawyers said, "No more" and that link was removed from the official Hamer site.

 

That being said, Harley-Davidson *does* recognize their owners' club, but I think they control it in fact.  Thing is, I'd think that if they actually control the club, they'd be open to more liability for the goings on, not less.  But, I'm not a lawyer, don't play one on TeeVee and haven't slept in a Holiday Inn Express in years.  ;D

 

It was just supposed to be a light-hearted observation.  Do they pay attention to this place?  Dunno, but from a marketing (marketing is not just advertising and sales) perspective, I think they'd be foolish not to lurk at the very least.  But, that's just my opinion, and my dad used to tell me opinions are like...well, anyway, they're back to work and that's cool!

[skydog]

Baby steps I know, but they need to update the website to at least include current offerings. I've yet to see mention of a 137 on there.

[Thundersteel]

Just found another interesting article:

 

http://blog.mlive.com/kalamazoo_gazette_ex...torney_swo.html

[jacques]

Baby steps I know, but they need to update the website to at least include current offerings. I've yet to see mention of a 137 on there.

 

http://www.heritageguitar.com/New%20Models.htm

 

just scroll down, buddy...

[Administrator]

I don't know, but I know Jay would like to send a big THANK YOU to him. Jay said the administrator is responsible for an increased interest in the Heritage brand. Those weren't his exact words, but I'm sure that's what he meant.

 

If this forum has done anything to increase the visibility of The Heritage mark and drive interest in these fantastic guitars, then it is a success. 

 

The story goes that I was in the market for a new guitar and stumbled across a couple of interesting Heritage models.  In trying to find out more, I learned that there wasn’t any dedicated site for Heritage enthusiasts; no central repository of product knowledge.  My frustration level climbed higher when I went to the manufacturer's web site (the information is there, it just isn't pretty  ), so I resolved to address the issue.  The Heritage Owners Club was born as a direct result of me suffering from GAS and having to sift through posts on The Gear Page, the Les Paul forum and Harmony-Central.  After I set up the rudimentary site and forums, I sent personal messages to about two dozen members of TGP and H-C.  I think almost all of them joined, and you see they have the "Charter Member" logo under their handle.  Actually, by the time I got around to putting the Charter Member designation in place, membership was up around 30 or so, including several people I had not directly contacted, which I thought was pretty amazing, so they got one, too.

 

As to Jay…well, we’ve emailed a couple of times, and I’m pretty sure he knows my full name.  I keep meaning to call down there and talk to him, just to say, “Hi.”  If anyone deserves recognition for pushing awareness of The Heritage brand, though, in my opinion it’s Jay.  When I was looking for information on Heritage guitars way back when, his name came up more often than any other. 

[JohnCovach]

I think the HOC is great and I was glad to find it.  Many if us (including me) have bought guitars from Jay, but it's probably crucial to the continued success of this page if we have no "official dealer" (and that's the way it is now).  Many of us buy from other places and shops, and that's healthy for the brand and for our discussion.  I also think it's good not to be officially associated with Heritage.  People need to be free to post criticism of these guitars (as well as praise) with not even a perceived sense that this will be discouraged or censored.  Of course, most of us are here because we love these guitars, so the posts tend to be positive and supportive anyway.  I have been involved in some of the boards sponsored by guitar companies and they are pretty sterile places.

[Paul P]

The Heritage Owners Club was born as a direct result of me suffering from GAS and having to sift through posts on The Gear Page, the Les Paul forum and Harmony-Central.

 

Thanks for the history and a big thanks for giving birth to this place.

 

I've wanted a 335-style guitar for a while now (mainly for blues, and maybe some bluesy jazz down the road)  but didn't like what I

read about Gibsons, especially given the price they go for.  I'd seen the odd mention of Heritage on the internet, usually very positive,

so when I decided the time had come I went about finding, reading and re-reading everything I could on Heritage.  The more I

read the more I wanted one :-)

 

It was only after I had ordered my H-535 that I found the Heritage Owner's Club.  I've enjoyed reading about others' experiences

with their Heritages while waiting for mine to arrive, then waiting for my 50th birthday to come along so I could actually play it.

Well, that happened yesterday evening (the celebration was a couple of days before my real birthday) but I haven't had the

chance to do much more that gaze in wonder at my new guitar.  Everything I'd read is true.  What a work of art.  I'm quite

humbled by its beauty and feel.  I bought a Neotech Super Axe strap and it's so comfortable that I hardly feel I'm wearing a

guitar at all.  Everything is just right.

 

I still don't have an amp to play through, though I'll probably borrow my daughter's Vox 15R a few times for the immediate future.

I'm in the process of building a tube amp consisting of a mix of Fender blond Bandmaster 6G7-A preamps and harmonic tremolo

circuit, Deluxe Reverb AB763 reverb, and single ended Champ 6V6 output.  So a 5 watt blond Bandmaster Reverb.

 

In the meantime I'll stick mainly to my 6-string acoustic, working towards the day I'll be worthy of playing the H-535.

 

Paul P

[Thundersteel]

The Heritage Owners Club was born as a direct result of me suffering from GAS and having to sift through posts on The Gear Page, the Les Paul forum and Harmony-Central.

 

I suffered the same fate. I was wanting to start a Heritage website for some time now, but my experience in that area is lacking. Thank goodness for this site!

[Dick Seacup]

I still don't have an amp to play through, though I'll probably borrow my daughter's Vox 15R a few times for the immediate future.

I'm in the process of building a tube amp consisting of a mix of Fender blond Bandmaster 6G7-A preamps and harmonic tremolo

circuit, Deluxe Reverb AB763 reverb, and single ended Champ 6V6 output.  So a 5 watt blond Bandmaster Reverb.

 

Now there's a schematic/layout I'd like to see!  Did you come up with this arrangement on your own?  Sure sounds like a nifty little amp.

[Paul P]

Now there's a schematic/layout I'd like to see!  Did you come up with this arrangement on your own?  Sure sounds like a nifty little amp.

 

I've come up with the plan by wanting the best circuits Fender had to offer all in one package and at a low enough power to not

go deaf (in my living room).  I'm still finalizing the schematic and layout as my parts are coming in.  Most of the circuitry is just copied

directly from Fender so should work well, the only parts I think I'm going to have to play with are the various coupling capacitors

between the different circuits as they are from different amps so I can't use the values of an existing design.

 

It's a time-intensive project.  Just deciding on which manufacturers to go with for the different parts, then finding suppliers for those

parts takes hours and hours.  Then learning how the circuits work, not to mention how tube-based electronics work in general, and

redrawing the schematics and planning the layout.  It's been a long journey so far, but very interesting.  One big reason for choosing

the route of building myself is to be able to modify it later to suit my taste, to be able to play with the sound of the amp and know

what I'm doing.  Also I don't know of any existing amp on the market that has what I want.

 

Paul P

[chico]

I came across the HOC this summer whilst googling for info on what was happening with the company--so many rumors of closing etc. 

I had joined a yahoo Heritage lovers list a couple years back:

 

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Heritage_Guitars/

 

but there just wasn't any activity over there in the last few months (sure do like the H137 on their front page though!)

so when I was googling for Heritage comments this summer and came across this list it was  8) if you know what I mean.

Have told a couple of folks about the HOC, fellow Heritagenians, think they have joined since then!

 

Sure is cool that they have reached a satisfactory conclusion to the difficulties they had and will still build em.  Things look good indeed!

 

And, kudos to Jay and ALL the Heritage dealers out there.  Iit isn't easy to be one sometimes--the logo on the headstock is so important for sales and a boutique builder like Heritage doesn't move enough product for some of them to warrant being a dealer.  There are at least 3 such ex-Heritage dealers in S. WI. I can think of.  The folks that stock and sell The Heritage have to be "believers" too.  Cheers to them, including Heritage dealer #1 Mr. Wolfe whom I've never met.

 

Ray P.

Madison, Wi. by way of Kazoo,

2nd cousin to JD