Frank67 Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Dear friends, first post here and happy new years from Germany! After a long, long wait (very complicated story, not worthwhile dwelling on) I finally received my wonderful Golden Eagle with a few custom features. I immediately fell in love with the instrument. It really has been living up to all expectations I had from the old school craftsmanship … and then some. - Antique natural finish- Solid carved spruce top, 17'' lower bout, maple back and sides, all multiple bindings etc.- Parallel bracing (rather than X - I stayed true to the WesMo specs)- Ebony fretboard, 25.5 scale, round neck profile, not too chunky- Split block inlays (rather than the clouds)- Single inset Seth Lover pub (prefer that over floaters)- Volume and tone knobs on the outer rim of the f-holes (where they mess least with the top vibrations)- TOM bridge (I prefer that over wood bridges; also true to the WesMo)- Finger tail piece (just like those)- Grover Imperial tuners (like 'em too)- Output jack on the side (not the endpin)- Setup for d'Addario round wound .13 strings. This is certainly not carved in stone. My preferences seem to oscillate a lot between brighter roundwound strings, more mellow roundwound strings (Thomastik bebop's) and flat wounds (prefer Thomastik as well)Some of these are custom features. I couldn't be any happier with the guitar - the craftsmanship is impeccable. The setup from the factory was excellent - just the intonation was off, but this might well have occurred during transport. It sounds awesome, looks great, plays great … everything I wanted! I feel that there is a definite difference relative to the laminate guitars I have mostly used so far. It is difficult for me to describe it in words … more full, punchy, 'silky', warmer, more resonant (hence also easier feedback) - the recording has a few bass notes that were borderline resonant (have to learn better how to control that) - in general the bass is nice and full and round and not boomy; the highs are beautifully shimmering and not piercing and the mids are sweet and beautiful). I wasn't sure about the Seth Lover pickup - but after hearing it I really see no reason to think about anything else. The pickup really gives a nice balanced tone with excellent string separation and without being muddy at all … really much better than I expected. … oh, and before that discussion starts again: I actually LIKE the headstock (in particular the beautiful eagle inlay but I am also completely ok with the shape) … guess what … having this one wants me to have another Heritage :-) (… thinking about a H555) Here are some pictures: … and in case you don't mind some very mediocre jazz playing, here is a link to a YouTube clip (haven't found how to embed it here in the forum)! Happy 2014 everybody! Cheers, Frank
JeffB Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Great way to start the New Year! Nice guitar and nice playing. Welcome to the HOC
111518 Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Beautiful guitar. I've got a thing for split blocks. Congrats.
H Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Welcome to the HOC What a great way to introduce yourself!
Kuz Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Beautiful guitar, nice playing, and wonderful tone!!!
RhoadsScholar Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Like the specs on that one. A great looker. Guitar Playing sounds great. Welcome aboard !
davesultra Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Welcome! And if I'm correct allow me to say "schone gittare"!
koula901 Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 What a beautiful guitar and wonderful tone! Welcome to the HOC!
Frank67 Posted January 4, 2014 Author Posted January 4, 2014 Thanks a lot guys! It feels great to receive such a warm welcome … I'm happy happy to be part of the Heritage family now! What can you guys tell me about the H555? Does the mahogany neck make a big difference? Do you prefer Seth lovers or 59's in it? (for me it would be an all-round guitar from jazz to rock (I play rock with a cover band)). Do people like their vari-phases (or how it is called) or does Heritage only make them with their HRW pickups? Their seems to be a majority opinion that the 535 typically is similar to the best 335's from big G (I like the 535 design better, e.g. the position of input jack). How about the 555 - is it best compared to the 355? (I guess) - and is it similar well regarded? I may visit the plant in may … and since I'm in the area, I thought I may bring an early christmas present to myself back home :-) Thanks again and cheers, Frank
Spectrum13 Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 That WesMo is a home run. Since your reaction to that 24 month wait on your 1st custom Heritage is ordering a 555, you share our common disease. The only know cure is running out of available capital or ideas on what to build next. Plan for an extened stay on the HOC, membership is free.
Frank67 Posted January 4, 2014 Author Posted January 4, 2014 Ha ha, true, we all have the same disease :-) ... You should see my living room full of guitars ... I truly love the GE WesMo and will never part with it ... But nothing wrong with wanting another beautiful instrument. I am sure I can make up some excuse :-)
skydog52 Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Welcome to the HOC Wow! What a beautiful build. Congratulations. Great playing and tone. The Seth Lover sounds very nice.
Gitfiddler Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Frank67~ You did good...real good for your first custom order!!! And you can really make that Golden Eagle sing sweetly. Nice playing. Welcome to the HOC.
golferwave Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Welcome to the HOC! That's a beautiful Heritage! Enjoy!
bolero Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 wow...that is a stunner for sure!! congratulations!! and I really liked that clip....cheers
MartyGrass Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Hi Frank. I'm aware of your tumultuous saga in getting your GE. Patrick, who some know at HOC, kept me posted on this adventure while he was also having his recent Heritage creation made. He drove from New Jersey to Kalamazoo three times and made more than a dozen phone calls troubleshooting the process. I believe you have one of Patrick's spruce tops he bought from Alaska. The Seth Lover is simply a great choice for a WesMo. You can pay more but will only get different, not better. Your and Patrick's new guitars are two of the best Heritage has made.
Frank67 Posted January 5, 2014 Author Posted January 5, 2014 Hi Marty, ... Nice to know! Yes, Patrick has been my 'Guardian Angel' in the process and without him I am sure it wouldn't have happened. I am really really grateful to him! Getting the guitar to germany after it was finally finished was another drama but eventually my wonderful wife brought it home with her after an US trip (she is american). After I had it in my hands I knew it had been worth the wait and every penny I paid for it. I think your recollection of the wood ource is right - Patrik told me once. I am really happy to know that the guitars are considere to be among the best GEs that Heritage has made. I am really really impresed by it! For the pickup - I had originally thought that I would swap it out against a boutique PAF ... But after hearing the Seth Lover in that guitar I felt that would be silly since it sounds so good. Happy sunday! Cheers, Frank
PaGator Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Very nice guitar and good playing, congratulations
MartyGrass Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 You may notice the tight grain of the very slow growth spruce on your top. The billet for your spruce was close to $500 wholesale. Patrick delivered two of those billets, one for him and one for you. By comparison, Heritage generally uses faster growth spruce with looser grain. This reduces the billet cost to less than $100 wholesale and allows Heritage to charge less for their archtops. I doubt anyone can hear the difference.
MartyGrass Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Here's the top of Patrick's guitar, which was made simultaneous to yours. The old sunburst finish brought out all of the satanic messages hidden in the wood (just my opinion here).
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