ghumba Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I've been really itching for a new heritage and was thinking about the H525. Does anyone know if Heritage does Koa tops and/or bodies? If so, do you think a fully hollow guitar like an H525 would do well with Koa? I think a nice OSB or something a little darker would look really sharp with Koa, but I don't want to forsake sound for looks... Also, H525's seem to be a lot less popular than most of the other Heritage guitars. Any reason for that? Is it just the fully hollow + P90 combination that scares people? I just love the sound samples that I've found on-line and miss my previous P90-equipped guitar a lot.
TalismanRich Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 It definitely isn't scary. Its a great guitar, very comfortable. I like the fact that its a bit thinner than some hollowbody guitars. The P90 can rock out, although you do have to be a bit careful to avoid the hollow body howl if you crank it too high and get in front of the amp.
PunkKitty Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I would love to see a koa Heritage. The only builder that I know of that regularly uses koa is Carvin.
TalismanRich Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 One thing to remember about the 525 is that it is a laminate top and back. Since they make their own laminates, they will have to get the right thickness pieces of Koa. They might also be able to do a mix of Koa / Maple or Koa / Basswood. If you are looking for a solid top, then you should be checking out the 575. I'm sure you could get them to do a 575 with P90s.
ghumba Posted January 29, 2015 Author Posted January 29, 2015 One thing to remember about the 525 is that it is a laminate top and back. Since they make their own laminates, they will have to get the right thickness pieces of Koa. They might also be able to do a mix of Koa / Maple or Koa / Basswood. If you are looking for a solid top, then you should be checking out the 575. I'm sure you could get them to do a 575 with P90s. That's a good point, I didn't even think about the laminate aspect to it.
Gitfiddler Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 If you truly want a Koa top, as PK wrote, you might check out the Carvin SH550 with Koa option. No P90's though. http://www.carvinguitars.com/guitargallery/sh550 If you want a P90 525 lam top, they are pretty rare on the used market, but do come up on Ebay once in a while. Here's a shot of mine. It's my first custom order from Heritage. They nailed my specs.
ghumba Posted January 29, 2015 Author Posted January 29, 2015 If you truly want a Koa top, as PK wrote, you might check out the Carvin SH550 with Koa option. No P90's though. http://www.carvinguitars.com/guitargallery/sh550 If you want a P90 525 lam top, they are pretty rare on the used market, but do come up on Ebay once in a while. Here's a shot of mine. It's my first custom order from Heritage. They nailed my specs. That's a great looking guitar! I'm much more in the laminate camp than solid top camp just due to the fact that I like to crank the amp a bit and I think the solid top would put it over the edge. They are very rare on the used market and I want a nice chunky neck on it, so I'll probably have to buy new - not the worst problem in the world
rockabilly69 Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 If you truly want a Koa top, as PK wrote, you might check out the Carvin SH550 with Koa option. No P90's though. http://www.carvinguitars.com/guitargallery/sh550 If you want a P90 525 lam top, they are pretty rare on the used market, but do come up on Ebay once in a while. Here's a shot of mine. It's my first custom order from Heritage. They nailed my specs. Sweet rig!
ghumba Posted January 29, 2015 Author Posted January 29, 2015 It definitely isn't scary. Its a great guitar, very comfortable. I like the fact that its a bit thinner than some hollowbody guitars. The P90 can rock out, although you do have to be a bit careful to avoid the hollow body howl if you crank it too high and get in front of the amp. Your guitar is also gorgeous! Too many colors to choose from... One question I keep meaning to ask - is the wooden bridge saddle glued to the top of the guitar or does it come off? The reason I ask is that I had a cheap Epiphone mandolin a while back and the saddle wasn't glued down, so every time I changed the strings, it was free to move. Kind of impossible to maintain intonation that way, although maybe I was doing something wrong.
jimsoloway Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I think they'd probably be willing to carve a solid koa top for a 525. Alternately, I know for sure that they'd be willing to build a thinner 575 (My new 575 is 2 1/4" at the rim). On the other hand, a pice of quality koa with a strong figure and thick enough to care an arched top is a very pricey piece of wood. If you're really interested, I wold recommend calling Bruce Krebs at Notable Tonewoods. He's a really reliable and honest source and in the koa world that counts for a lot. http://www.notablewoods.com
Gitfiddler Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 That's a great looking guitar! I'm much more in the laminate camp than solid top camp just due to the fact that I like to crank the amp a bit and I think the solid top would put it over the edge. They are very rare on the used market and I want a nice chunky neck on it, so I'll probably have to buy new - not the worst problem in the world Thanks. I'm with you on the chunky neck. I ordered my 525 with a fat '59 neck and other goodies. Couldn't be happier with the results. With the thinner body, it resists feedback pretty good...to a point. Go for it! Sweet rig! Thanks Daniel.
TonyD Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Wow! That is an amazing looking guitar. I have been contemplating one of these guitars as a thinner alternate to my ES-175. How do you like the Lolar's in this guitar? Thanks!!!
Gitfiddler Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 Wow! That is an amazing looking guitar. I have been contemplating one of these guitars as a thinner alternate to my ES-175. How do you like the Lolar's in this guitar? Thanks!!! Thanks, Tony. The Lollars in this box sound amazing. Old school, thick, but enough presence to cut through the mix. And they are wound so that there is zero 60 cycle hum in the middle pickup position. I keep the switch in the middle, then roll down the volume pots for the best tone. It came with round wounds, but I immediately put on a set of 12 flats and haven't looked back. And speaking of 'back'... Close-up:
Steiner Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 Close-up: Whoa... Nice shootin' Tex! Beautiful subject too. I doubt koa would make a major sonic difference in a 525. Aesthetically it would put it over the top. I adore koa and would argue that it is the most beautiful wood available. The board foot price of instrument grade koa is 5+ times the price of curly maple. Obviously you'll be talking to the Dover twins when it comes to price. At the same time, you'll have a unique Heritage.
tbonesullivan Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 All depends on the implementation, though as many others have said, koa is currently HIGHLY sought after, and while farming is underway, it'll be quite some time before they are ready for harvest. Sad thing is that when parts of Hawai'i were cleared for farming, many trees were simply chopped up.
DetroitBlues Posted May 7, 2015 Posted May 7, 2015 They have been working with Spruce, so that's another option..
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