Keith7940236 Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 I've had my new Eagle for a few weeks now and have gotten an opportunity to begin to get acquainted with her. She had a trip to the luthier for some fret leveling and some set up work to lower the action and correct some intonation. I think that I have mentioned before that I am studying jazz guitar, mostly standards, working on leaning to comp and improvise. Lots of work on arpeggios and developing ways to use chord extensions and alterations. The guitar has the Heritage #3 pickup on it, and it is really a big improvement over the #2 and #1. The tone is very full and clear. As I don't have a tone wheel installed, I adjust the amp accordingly. I'm really pleased with it, not biting at all, but a very rounded and easy to temper. The neck was made to my requests by Marv, in that I wanted something a little thicker than the early 90's Eagles that I have owned previously. I have a 1.75" nut and 25" scale (a la Johnny Smith) and the shape fits my hand very well. Now that the frets have been leveled, it plays well all the way up the neck. As the humidity changes here, the action moves a little along with it. I haven't had any buzzing issues, but today the action is just a tad high. If that persists, I'll give a little tweak to the truss rod to bring it back. Where I'm really impressed is with the acoustic sound. It still sounds tight, as a new guitar would, but there is a very definite "woodiness" to the tone. I have it strung with TI Fat 13's that allow the unwound strings to chime, but the wound strings don't ring anything like the round wounds that it came with. Even so, I love the tone of the thick strings with a nice thick Dunlap 205. I've been playing some finger style music, mainly a couple of John Gorka tunes. It's really pleasant to hear the woodiness of the guitar as opposed to the ringing of a flat top. There is a Johnny Smith album called "Legends" (with George Van Eps) that has Johnny Smith playing solo acoustic tunes on an unamplified archtop. I can't find a clip to post, but that is very much the sound of the guitar. All in all I am extremely please with the guitar. I'm anxious to hear how she changes over time.
Gitfiddler Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 Wonderful Eagle! You've named some great jazz artists to learn from. That archtop will only encourage more playing/studying. Well done. Since you don't have a tone knob, you may find that the volume knob works great to soften the tone if you back it off a tad. I use the volume more on my archtops than the tone knobs.
tsp17 Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 Wonderful Eagle! You've named some great jazz artists to learn from. That archtop will only encourage more playing/studying. Well done. Since you don't have a tone knob, you may find that the volume knob works great to soften the tone if you back it off a tad. I use the volume more on my archtops than the tone knobs. +1 on all points. Really a wonderful guitar Keith.
RhoadsScholar Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 It is great to see some of the newer Heritage's coming out, custom built, meeting the needs of the buyer. Congrats on a beautiful Eagle.
MartyGrass Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 That Eagle must sound grand. I love the finish and the specs. I do recommend listening to Legends. Here is a sampling of the tracks. (Ignore everything past the 12th track.) http://www.amazon.com/Legends-Solo-Guitar-Performances-Smith/dp/B0000006NE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388611303&sr=8-1&keywords=johnny+smith+legends
Spectrum13 Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 Your Eagle was spotted and well admired at PSPVI. Heritage is building their best stuff. Thanks for confirming and what is the deal with that tailpiece?
koula901 Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Pure elegance. X2. That guitar is breathtaking.
jimsoloway Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Stunning guitar. Given that my custom order is going through the shop right behind yours, it's very encouraging to see just what a beautiful job they've done.
2bornot2bop Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Killer, Keith! Heritage...a place that still builds 'em as you want 'em!
Keith7940236 Posted January 4, 2014 Author Posted January 4, 2014 Have any more info on the tailpiece? The tailpiece is made by Steve Holst in Oregon. If you google his name, you will find his web site. He is a very nice guy and does really wonderful work. There is a page on his site that describes how to measure for a replacement tailpiece. The pricing is very reasonable and the work is beautiful and sturdy. He's building me another archtop right now, can't wait to see the finished product.
Ned Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Another archtop? Like marrying a supermodel and taking a pornstar as a mistress
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