tdrommond Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 Since selling the Super Eagle, I've wanted another Heritage. The SE was the most uncomfortable guitar I've played, It was also the most beautiful. So, to an appreciating jazz guitarist it went. But, I missed the story behind it. I think the Heritage story is the best one out there for impressing the quality of a guitar. I've dreamed of a Gibson 335. Something built in Kalamazoo, but the values of late 70s and early 80s 335s are out of my price range. Plus, I'm a bedroom player, with big hopes. But, after learning about Heritage Guitars and who they were, I wan't looking for a 335, I knew I wanted a H-535 or -555. Here's what I bought and received today. I little dirty, a little tarnished, a lot of sitting and not being played. Cleaned up really nicely. Lots of fine scratches from play and a few marks on the back. Nothing serious. The hardware is pretty dirty and tarnished. Break out the Mother's and elbow grease. All cleaned up and ready. Only case candy I found was the warranty card and the hang tag with the model, finish and serial number. I haven't restrung it, yet. I played it a bit on the old strings and the pickups are terrific, no noises or scratchiness in the pots or 3-way. I don't plan on any mods.
tsp17 Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 i can see why you are happy with that one! very sweet. well done.
schundog Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 That is beautiful! My first Heritage was my 535, and it's still my favorite. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come, and stick around here to join in our madness!
skydog52 Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 You did a great job cleaning that beauty up. I like the grain pattern in that neck! Enjoy
Billgelder Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 There is just something special about a 535/555.
Redsand Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 Congrats...That's a classic right there tdrom, get ready for an intense love affair! I'm so attached to my 535 that its #3 on my "Items to grab in case of emergency" list! Don't tell my dog though!
tdrommond Posted January 28, 2014 Author Posted January 28, 2014 You did a great job cleaning that beauty up. I like the grain pattern in that neck! Enjoy Thanks. I tried to remove the tarnish from sitting unplayed and leave the patina of a 14 year old guitar. That's why I didn't replace any tarnished fasteners, just knocked the rust off of them. I'll tackle a new set of strings this evening. My Super Eagle usually had dead strings because I hated the finger tailpiece and trying to keep the ball end in the hook. Hoping the Shaller tailpiece is not as fussy. I'll know this evening. I played it with the old strings until 1:00 am, then got up at 6:30 am, so I could play a few minutes before going to work. Only an hour until lunch Sure hope the boss doesn't expect to much out of me today or tomorrow...and maybe Friday and Saturday, too.
aaronmarkson Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 Break out the Mother's and elbow grease. Mother's? Like the car products? I just got a 94 that ha a very dull finish, and I am debating on just keeping it as is or trying to give it a little shine. I kinda like the old look, but also want to take good care of it.
MartyGrass Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 The 335/535 design is the most versatile around. I personally prefer the thinner 535.
tdrommond Posted January 28, 2014 Author Posted January 28, 2014 Mother's? Like the car products? I just got a 94 that ha a very dull finish, and I am debating on just keeping it as is or trying to give it a little shine. I kinda like the old look, but also want to take good care of it. Exactly. I like the Carnuba Cleaner Wax and Meguires Calif. Gold Carnuba paste. Usually by hand. For color sanding or deep scratch repair, I like Meguires Ultimate Compound on a random orbital polisher. It loves lacquer and lacquer really responds to it. First pass for any guitar in my shop is a wipe down with wax and grease remover, followed by a warm damp cloth after the wax and grease remover evaporates. Then a hand rubbed coat of Mother's Cleaner Wax. Helps me inspect the guitar and find all the stuff that needs attention. Then I decide if it needs any sanding or buffer work. If it's sanding, I like to start by hand with 2000 wet and soapy on a pad or block. If it's fighting me, I drop down to 1500. Never courser than 1200; just work longer at it. The Ultimate Compound will take out 800 grit scratches, but I've only needed it when orange peel was an issue on new builds. Give the Mother's a try and see if most of the dulling micro-scratches are polished out. You'll know from there how deep you'll have to dig and whether it's worth it to you. Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome and kind words.
Vanschoyck Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 That cleaned up very well - nicely done. Enjoy.
peterbright Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 If you have trouble when changing strings (with them popping out of the tailpiece), you can use a capo to hold the string until you get some tension on it.
TalismanRich Posted January 28, 2014 Posted January 28, 2014 If you have trouble when changing strings (with them popping out of the tailpiece), you can use a capo to hold the string until you get some tension on it. Good suggestion. I forget about doing that all the time!
peterbright Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 Thanks Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I527 using Tapatalk
tbonesullivan Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 Nice!!! The schaller bridge and tailpiece are chrome plated, so they should get nice and shiny with just a cloth. THe same with the schaller pickup covers. The grovers are nickel plated, so you might want to remove them to give them a thorough polishing with some brasso or some other mild metal polish. Looks like a keeper to me!
PrairieDude Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 Your guitar cleaned up very nicely!! Well done.
tdrommond Posted January 29, 2014 Author Posted January 29, 2014 Nice!!! The schaller bridge and tailpiece are chrome plated, so they should get nice and shiny with just a cloth. THe same with the schaller pickup covers. The grovers are nickel plated, so you might want to remove them to give them a thorough polishing with some brasso or some other mild metal polish. Looks like a keeper to me! You're right. The Schaller stuff cleaned up with a damp cloth. I'm leaving the pickup covers alone. They have a faint string shadow and some normal wear marks, but still look nice. The strings were super easy to change. Installed a set of D'Addario 10-46s. I normally use GHS Boomers on my strats and teles, but I thought they might be too bright and brassy. I took a minute and polished the frets. Nothing more than some jeweler's metal polish. I've fret rocked the neck. It's perfect, nothing needs filing or leveling. Just a few marks from the wound strings on the middle frets from being in and out of the case. They polished right out. I don't think anyone has done much to this guitar. When I pulled the pickguard to clean underneath, I could see that those screws haven't been out before. There was still a little fuzz around them from the screw cutting it's first threads. Same was true for the truss rod cover. I didn't pull the pickups. I didn't see any tool marks on the screws. There's enough wax built up around the trim rings to believe they've never been disturbed. Same was true for the TRC and the truss rod nut didn't have any tool marks on it. There's a black mark on the TR nut that looks like an inspector's mark. Once I found that the p/g and TRC screws were pristine, I knew I would have to be careful cleaning and re-installing everything. I got out my jeweler's screw driver set and found a phillips tip that fit perfectly. I backed all the screws into their holes until I felt them drop into their original threads. I also decided to leave the tuners alone. Again, no tool marks on the screws or signs that they have ever been removed. I just polished what I could and it looks great. Overall, this appears to be a completely original guitar with no mods or tinkering. Can't see any reason to change that.
mark555 Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Really nice guitar, the mahogany neck is a nice contrast against the maple body.
Oldfartfret Posted April 19, 2014 Posted April 19, 2014 I just purchased an H575. It came with a Hertiage case. What do I use to clean the outside of the case? I also need to clean up the machines. Is metal polish too strong? Thanks for the help.
peterbright Posted April 19, 2014 Posted April 19, 2014 a little (very little) amorall on the case...I use mag/aluminum polish on really messy tuners
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.