MartyGrass Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 Background: The Roy Clark is in some ways the bastard child of the H576 and the H555. It is thin like the H555 but, according to the specs, the body is 2" longer. (I don't feel the difference.) Like the H576 there is a floating center block, so it is a hollow body but has the top reinforced to withstand some real hardware, reduce feedback, and create great sustain. The single cutaway is deeper than on the H555, giving a little better fret access. The scale is 24 3/4" and there are 22 frets. The headstock is larger, like the H576. The top and back are laminates. Premium woods are used for the RC. Like most Heritages, there are almost unlimited variations: maple vs. mahogany neck, fretboard woods, fretboard inlays, pickups, etc. Unlike some artist models, Roy had a strong hand in designing this guitar. I have owned two Roy Clarks over the years. The first was a gold top with a maple neck and no inlay ebony board. The second was a stunning natural. Neither of these had the Roy Clark signature on the headstock. I sold both of them during a flurry of buying and selling while I was trying to figure out what I wanted for myself. And I will admit that I enjoyed the excitement of trying a lot of guitars. Recently I sold off all but one solid body and semi-hollow, both being good fits for me. My only thin hollow body was my Johnny A. I sold that because it was too much of a high end instrument for me to leave around the house for playing when I got a few moments here and there. I had been looking at H530s, ES-330s, and even Epiphone Casinos for some time to fill that niche. As a kid I had a cherry 330 I lugged around everywhere and liked the lightness and great sound. While a H530 would certainly suffice, I was drawn to the partial center block and mounted tailpiece. I saw the Roy Clark as the best design for what I wanted. The trouble is that they are scarce. I personally believe that's because the guitar is named for Roy Clark, who never got the proper respect for his virtuoso talent. Jazz, blues and rock players think of him as the fat guy on Hee Haw. Roy is much more than that, and he played amazingly well on that TV show in its genre. The fact that my two Roy Clarks came without Roy's name on the headstock tells you that his identity on the model is not viewed as a plus among some guitarists. That's a shame. I very recently Googled Heritage Roy Clark and found one on the Hamer forum. It arrived yesterday. FedEx delivered the guitar: The new arrival is a 1997 Roy Clark in OSB. It's in excellent condition with only mild signs of fret wear and nitro wear. I didn't weigh it, but it is in the 7 lb category as expected. The neck is mahogany and the fretboard is a beautiful rosewood with split blocks. The neck is a medium-thin D carve, which is immediate comfortable to me. The binding is a stunning aged yellow cream. The Schallers have been swapped out for Seth Lovers, an excellent choice. I tore it down, cleaned it up, and restrung it. I had a pack of GHS flatwounds 12s lying around. These are meh on my archtops. But they sound much better on the RC. As an aside, I was a bit hesitant sending money to someone I knew nothing about on the Hamer forum. We talked a bit and he mentioned he knows someone else in Kalamazoo who knows a lot about Heritage. Well, that could only be Brent. In fact this guy was waiting for an amp from Brent via FedEx that same afternoon. Two hours later the amp arrived and the FedEx guy took the boxed up Roy Clark. Once again Brent helped with a smooth transaction, this time without even knowing it. Amazing.
Gitfiddler Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 Sweet RC! I thought they all came with slim taper neck profiles. Custom order?
bsck1 Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 That's a beauty! Amazing how the HOC keeps on giving even without firsthand knowledge. Congratulations on a wonderful find.
GASguy Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 That's a really beautiful Roy Clark you have there sir. Congratulations and enjoy! Edited to add, looks like they cut off Neil Young's head in my avatar with the upgrade.
Ned Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Roy played on Wanda Jackson's first record or two on Capitol. Some of the best licks ever. Your pretty guitar reminds me of the Academy which also has the role in my house always being out to play for minute or an hour. Congrats on a beauty.
Ned Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Also with floating block but the split blocks are the most. Not to take anything away from your NGD but am messing with photo bucket to revive my avatar, and pictures are good
MartyGrass Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 Also with floating block but the split blocks are the most. Not to take anything away from your NGD but am messing with photo bucket to revive my avatar, and pictures are good It's Little Roy. Nice.
MartyGrass Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 Sweet RC! I thought they all came with slim taper neck profiles. Custom order? Hmm. I never heard that. This one is a bit on the thin side.
brentrocks Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 you beat me to that one Mark!!! that is very nice and a great deal!!!
brentrocks Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Hmm. I never heard that. This one is a bit on the thin side. The natural RC I had also had a thin neck
FredZepp Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Looks great in OSB w premium woods. The design of a RC model seems like it would be great for a warm tone and comfortable to play also. Enjoy!
Houston535 Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Great guitars for just sitting in the big leather chair and playing. I rarely plug it in. Does your case have "The Heritage" logo on it?
peterbright Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 I saw Roy play live once and few can match his ability. He also seems to really enjoy playing.
rockabilly69 Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Background: The Roy Clark is in some ways the bastard child of the H576 and the H555. It is thin like the H555 but, according to the specs, the body is 2" longer. (I don't feel the difference.) Like the H576 there is a floating center block, so it is a hollow body but has the top reinforced to withstand some real hardware, reduce feedback, and create great sustain. The single cutaway is deeper than on the H555, giving a little better fret access. The scale is 24 3/4" and there are 22 frets. The headstock is larger, like the H576. The top and back are laminates. Premium woods are used for the RC. Like most Heritages, there are almost unlimited variations: maple vs. mahogany neck, fretboard woods, fretboard inlays, pickups, etc. Unlike some artist models, Roy had a strong hand in designing this guitar. I have owned two Roy Clarks over the years. The first was a gold top with a maple neck and no inlay ebony board. The second was a stunning natural. Neither of these had the Roy Clark signature on the headstock. I sold both of them during a flurry of buying and selling while I was trying to figure out what I wanted for myself. And I will admit that I enjoyed the excitement of trying a lot of guitars. Recently I sold off all but one solid body and semi-hollow, both being good fits for me. My only thin hollow body was my Johnny A. I sold that because it was too much of a high end instrument for me to leave around the house for playing when I got a few moments here and there. I had been looking at H530s, ES-330s, and even Epiphone Casinos for some time to fill that niche. As a kid I had a cherry 330 I lugged around everywhere and liked the lightness and great sound. While a H530 would certainly suffice, I was drawn to the partial center block and mounted tailpiece. I saw the Roy Clark as the best design for what I wanted. The trouble is that they are scarce. I personally believe that's because the guitar is named for Roy Clark, who never got the proper respect for his virtuoso talent. Jazz, blues and rock players think of him as the fat guy on Hee Haw. Roy is much more than that, and he played amazingly well on that TV show in its genre. The fact that my two Roy Clarks came without Roy's name on the headstock tells you that his identity on the model is not viewed as a plus among some guitarists. That's a shame. I very recently Googled Heritage Roy Clark and found one on the Hamer forum. It arrived yesterday. FedEx delivered the guitar: The new arrival is a 1997 Roy Clark in OSB. It's in excellent condition with only mild signs of fret wear and nitro wear. I didn't weigh it, but it is in the 7 lb category as expected. The neck is mahogany and the fretboard is a beautiful rosewood with split blocks. The neck is a medium-thin D carve, which is immediate comfortable to me. The binding is a stunning aged yellow cream. The Schallers have been swapped out for Seth Lovers, an excellent choice. I tore it down, cleaned it up, and restrung it. I had a pack of GHS flatwounds 12s lying around. These are meh on my archtops. But they sound much better on the RC. As an aside, I was a bit hesitant sending money to someone I knew nothing about on the Hamer forum. We talked a bit and he mentioned he knows someone else in Kalamazoo who knows a lot about Heritage. Well, that could only be Brent. In fact this guy was waiting for an amp from Brent via FedEx that same afternoon. Two hours later the amp arrived and the FedEx guy took the boxed up Roy Clark. Once again Brent helped with a smooth transaction, this time without even knowing it. Amazing. That is the best looking Roy Clark I've ever seen. That pickguard really works on that body shape!
MartyGrass Posted May 12, 2014 Author Posted May 12, 2014 yep Great guitars for just sitting in the big leather chair and playing. I rarely plug it in. Does your case have "The Heritage" logo on it?
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