Soliciting your input

[jaywolfe]

I've been invited to participate in a Heritage "Strategy Meeting" 2'nd week in January. Been compiling a list of suggestions & ideas that I feel would be pertinent for any potential "looming" restructuring of the Company. This would be a Company remaining at 225 Parsons, upgrading the shop and wanting to increase production and brand awareness.

I know that the good folks that participate in this forum love Heritage and want the best for the brand going forward. With this in mind I solicit your thoughts, ideas and input. Please e-mail me at wolfeguitars@comcast.net anything you'd like me to carry to the meeting. Posting here is of course encouraged also. This is our chance to have our ideas presented. I appreciate your input, and will post developments as they occur......or not occur.

Thanks,

Jay Wolfe

[Sillytele]

We live in interesting times. Younger people long for days they have HEARD about but not lived. That is why vinyl is making a comeback and trust me, I know a lot of hipsters that crave my ipod 1st gen.

That being said, for me the most obvious thing to put front and center is the DNA of Heritage guitars. The fact that the craftsmanship is directly attached to the touchstone of modern day electric guitar making is priceless. There are subtle ways of connecting the higher quality of the The Heritage to "Gibson" that can be done without mentioning the "G" name. As a long time buyer, seller and player of vintage Gibson guitars I personally feel that the Heritage is the logical next step for quality guitar product with a real world price and expert American craftsmanship. The other company has lost its soul. It was left behind at 225 Parson Street.

I would love to help in any way possible.

[Conneazoo]

No CNC machines.

[Polo]

I've been invited to participate in a Heritage "Strategy Meeting" 2'nd week in January. Been compiling a list of suggestions & ideas that I feel would be pertinent for any potential "looming" restructuring of the Company. This would be a Company remaining at 225 Parsons, upgrading the shop and wanting to increase production and brand awareness.

I know that the good folks that participate in this forum love Heritage and want the best for the brand going forward. With this in mind I solicit your thoughts, ideas and input. Please e-mail me at wolfeguitars@comcast.net anything you'd like me to carry to the meeting. Posting here is of course encouraged also. This is our chance to have our ideas presented. I appreciate your input, and will post developments as they occur......or not occur.

Thanks,

Jay Wolfe

 

 

Here's what I would personally bring up in a "Strategy Meeting".

- Invest in a new website ASAP.

- Create a standardized product line that would be sold in batches to the brick and mortar dealers.

- Develop an itemized ordering system thru the company website and sell the "customized guitars" direct to customers.

- Create a viewable S/N registry. (This would reinforce the exclusivity of the brand)

- (re) Invest in a PLEK machine and place a higher focus on doing better set-ups. a world class guitar shouldn't need fretwork and a set-up right out of the box.

- Reboot the signature artists, Retain a few artists that might actually generate some interest in the product from the folks that typically purchase these guitars.

- Focus on Marketing the product as a direct competitor to the G brand Custom Shop guitars or Collins, PRS ect.

- Go back to stenciling serial numbers, the hand written S/N's usually look pretty sad IMHO.

[DetroitBlues]

 

 

Here's what I would personally bring up in a "Strategy Meeting".

- Invest in a new website ASAP.

- Create a standardized product line that would be sold in batches to the brick and mortar dealers.

- Develop an itemized ordering system thru the company website and sell the "customized guitars" direct to customers.

- Create a viewable S/N registry. (This would reinforce the exclusivity of the brand)

- (re) Invest in a PLEK machine and place a higher focus on doing better set-ups. a world class guitar shouldn't need fretwork and a set-up right out of the box.

- Reboot the signature artists, Retain a few artists that might actually generate some interest in the product from the folks that typically purchase these guitars.

- Focus on Marketing the product as a direct competitor to the G brand Custom Shop guitars or Collins, PRS ect.

- Go back to stenciling serial numbers, the hand written S/N's usually look pretty sad IMHO.

 

I cannot think of much more than what is suggested here.

 

Of course, I think the factory could use a bit of cleaning house, but that has nothing to do with running the business.

 

Has the building been declared a Historic Building already? It may help preserve it as well.

[Conneazoo]

 

Here's what I would personally bring up in a "Strategy Meeting".

- Invest in a new website ASAP.

- Create a standardized product line that would be sold in batches to the brick and mortar dealers.

- Develop an itemized ordering system thru the company website and sell the "customized guitars" direct to customers.

- Create a viewable S/N registry. (This would reinforce the exclusivity of the brand)

- (re) Invest in a PLEK machine and place a higher focus on doing better set-ups. a world class guitar shouldn't need fretwork and a set-up right out of the box.

- Reboot the signature artists, Retain a few artists that might actually generate some interest in the product from the folks that typically purchase these guitars.

- Focus on Marketing the product as a direct competitor to the G brand Custom Shop guitars or Collins, PRS ect.

- Go back to stenciling serial numbers, the hand written S/N's usually look pretty sad IMHO.

This, of course is what I meant to write all along, yea, that's the ticket. Did you know Brooke Shields is my sister? I'd talk more, but I'm meeting Leonardo DiCaprio for coffee.....Ummmmmm, yea, yea, that's the ticket.

 

Thank you Polo for writing what was in my head.

 

.......and no CNC machines.

[brentrocks]

Fire Marv

[Rod]

I'll try to do this justice without writing a thesis. Not easy to do. These will probably not be the sentiments of this forum at large.

 

Just to get things going, I'll say that the idea that a guitar body or neck can be done better by the tools of 1984 or 1957 or whatever than by a modern machine is nonsense. For some reason, we as guitar players (including me) have deemed that the way of constructing a guitar in 1957 constitutes "hand built". My Cherokee ancestors would have given three deer and a pair of good moccasins for a belt sander. I think there are a number of ways to improve the process by having machines do what machines do better and having humans do what no machine yet invented can do as well as a human. A detailed analysis of those things is more than can be covered in a forum post, but let's look at the obvious. Selecting wood, final finish, final fit. fretwork, setup, careful selection and QC of every component.

 

The automotive industry is a great example. An automobile engine built today is far better than ever before, in large part due to advances in machine technology. Assembled and inspected by humans, but with components machined to tolerances only possible with computerized machinery.

 

Another thing... In 1957 (or whenever) there was nothing to copy, and what would eventually be revered as since-unequaled perfection was unknown (ref. the Gibson Les Paul 1961-1968).

 

In the interest of brevity, I'll cut to the chase. There are plenty of boutique guitar builders who all build superb instruments. What what does Heritage have to offer that make them more desirable than someone else? The mystique of the Parsons Street location, for one. The other is the lineage. Now is the time for the current owners to leave their imprint going forward. Whether it's Marv saying "I always thought that if we had the resources this could be better done this way", or if it's shaping the perfect neck and then having it forever captured in a CNC program to be duplicated to the last microscopic detail. Nobody else can do that. Then do the things that can be done better by a human (such as the above mentioned). Get a Plek machine. No rough frets, high actions, crap pickups, pots or swithches. Use skilled labor. Advertise, and get guitars in the hand of relevant players who fit the target demographic.

 

Of course the sale of the company is imminent! These guys aren't immortal. The only value of this company, other than a collection of antique woodworking equipment, are the intangibles that the original owners bring. The trick is to make those intangibles tangible. It's hard to put a price on mojo, but we all do it. The trick is to sustain it and make a profitable business doing so. The prices will have to go up and the process streamlined or Heritage will go away. There is no avoiding that, regardless of how much those of us with no financial interest in it want to.

 

Another thing. Part of appeal of Heritage guitars is that they don't make many of them. Perhaps the limited manufacturing capability of the Parsons Street location is a negative. I think it could be a positive. If Heritage can only produce say 1500 guitars a year, then produce 1500 guitars a year... and that's it. Make reference to that fact in the serial number. Advertise that number compared to Gibson, Fender, PRS. There's value in limited supply.

[Guitarbean]

 

Here's what I would personally bring up in a "Strategy Meeting".

- Invest in a new website ASAP.

- Create a standardized product line that would be sold in batches to the brick and mortar dealers.

- Develop an itemized ordering system thru the company website and sell the "customized guitars" direct to customers.

- Create a viewable S/N registry. (This would reinforce the exclusivity of the brand)

- (re) Invest in a PLEK machine and place a higher focus on doing better set-ups. a world class guitar shouldn't need fretwork and a set-up right out of the box.

- Reboot the signature artists, Retain a few artists that might actually generate some interest in the product from the folks that typically purchase these guitars.

- Focus on Marketing the product as a direct competitor to the G brand Custom Shop guitars or Collins, PRS ect.

- Go back to stenciling serial numbers, the hand written S/N's usually look pretty sad IMHO.

All this...except I like the hand written serial #s.

 

I'd also focus on making H150s consistently under 9lbs and charge appropriately.

[Conneazoo]

Just to get things going, I'll say that the idea that a guitar body or neck can be done better by the tools of 1984 or 1957 or whatever than by a modern machine is nonsense.

Rod your post is well thought out and well written. I agree with many of your points. I don't agree with this one, but only on something singular that popped into my head.

 

While I agree with the basic tenet of this statement, it's my feeling that if a CNC or whatever is brought in then, in reality, "The Heritage" is gone.

 

Where is "The Heritage" in a program keyed in to a cold brain? Where is "The Heritage" in a caddy of whirring bits milling a hundred necks per day? Where is "The Heritage" in those same bits carving the same number of tops?

 

For me "The Heritage" is in the fact that they are still building them the same way in the same factory that started it all.

[tulk1]

One of the biggest, and I think Guitarbean mentions this, they HAVE TO HAVE a modern, updatable and UPDATED website. Responsive design. Current production models listed. And all the etcs, etcs etcs. Those of us that have been involved here longer than most will remember how horrid the old site was. Then the new site was good for about an hour. The new management needs to hire a web designer and a webmaster to keep it relevant. We even have offers from pros here on the site that are willing to do the pages.

 

And to get these wonderful instruments out there, maybe consider a "Studio" model. Less frills, same construction, etc. But NO OFFSHORE ASIAN models. Keep it MIA, all the way.

[Rod]

Rod your post is well thought out and well written. I agree with many of your points. I don't agree with this one, but only on something singular that popped into my head.

 

While I agree with the basic tenet of this statement, it's my feeling that if a CNC or whatever is brought in then, in reality, "The Heritage" is gone.

 

Where is "The Heritage" in a program keyed in to a cold brain? Where is "The Heritage" in a caddy of whirring bits milling a hundred necks per day? Where is "The Heritage" in those same bits carving the same number of tops?

 

For me "The Heritage" is in the fact that they are still building them the same way in the same factory that started it all.

 

I don't disagree, exactly. I buy in to all the voodoo. If they said they waved Duane Allman's hanky over all of 'em I'd want one.

 

Here's the thing, and this is only what I glean from what I read. I don't think these guys ever made a lot of money. That was not their purpose in life. Forgive me for coming to conclusions having no earthly idea what their P&L looked like. It's really just speculation. But, it looks like they made enough money to provide themselves a comfortable living. At that, the company has no income left over to interest an outside investor/buyer. Whoever buys the company will have to hire somebody to take over what the owners had been doing and probably pay them about whatever the owners were making. To complicate matters, I read somewhere that there was at least a period in recent years where the owners took no salary. A pretty important part of the P&L to a banker or an investor. Thus, I conclude the the business is not sustainable as is.

 

That aside, a lot of the mojo goes out of this business the day the current owners leave. Now, fact is that they may not have personally shaped a neck or sprayed a sunburst in years, but I as a consumer think they did. Let's also say that once they're not laying hands on the guitars I have no confidence that whoever they hire will do it as well as they did, or even end up with a dimensionally similar product.

 

To me, a lot of the mojo is sustainable through, for example, having Marv complete a series (a few?) necks and have every nuance of them analysed and made reproducible by computer. What Heritage never did was advertise that they were the very people who created Duane Allman's Goldtop (or somebody else among a list of vintage LP players).

 

Maybe CNC necks isn't the right place to attack streamlining the process. I've never even been through the plant, so what do I know. I hope to someday see a picture of the current owners and a caption that says something about these being the guys who built the guitars that true icons of the guitar world made their legendary music on, and then a statement about how the company will capture that, respect it, and uphold the heritage (as well as The Heritage). If that's best done by continuing to do things exactly as they are now, I'm all for it.

 

It could well be that the emphasis should be on revamping the website and advertising. Those things are certainly necessary. BTW, does anybody know how Collings, PRS, Suhr and the like manufacture with respect to CNC vs. hand? Probably no need in reinventing the wheel. There is probably no shortage of profitable boutique builders out there.

 

However they do it, I'd like to see these guys go out with enough money to live very comfortably for the rest of their lives, and with a legacy for the rest of us to enjoy for many years. I think the reason Heritage guitars have been priced somewhat below the competition is that virtually nobody knew about them. You didn't see the stars playing them, you didn't see big advertisements in the slick magazines. I found out about them by word of mouth, basically by accident. I'm certain the new owners will correct that first.

[Gitfiddler]

The only suggestions I have is for the Heritage to take a close look at Carvin-Kiesel Guitar's marketing model. They've shown that a relatively small USA guitar brand can be unique and still sell a bunch of high quality, custom built guitars.

 

Also, keep what is currently working for Heritage in terms of quality and mojo, but please ignore building guitars via CNC manufacturing.

[Conneazoo]

I don't disagree, exactly. I buy in to all the voodoo. If they said they waved Duane Allman's hanky over all of 'em I'd want one.

Again Rod, great writing and sentiment. I agree with lots of it.

 

I guess now all we can do is crack a cold one, play some tunes, and watch what happens while hoping for the best.

 

Cheers.

[ShredAndDestroy]

Very distasteful feelings expressed there; brentrocks.

[Spectrum13]

The only suggestions I have is for the Heritage to take a close look at Carvin-Kiesel Guitar's marketing model. They've shown that a relatively small USA guitar brand can be unique and still sell a bunch of high quality, custom built guitars.

 

Also, keep what is currently working for Heritage in terms of quality and mojo, but please ignore building guitars via CNC manufacturing.

Bingo

[Grambo150]

Eliminate the dealers and have direct sales from the factory to the customer.

[AP515]

I don't have the same prejudice against CNC machines. Hand made doesn't have to mean hand carved. I do believe in letting machines do what they do better, and let hands do what they do better, and I don't think anyone who has any time looking into it can say a hand carved body is "better" than a CNC carved one. Besides, hands didn't carve out the pup cavities, routers did. Hands may have held it but a jug prevented mistakes. That's just a similar thing as the CNC, and the CNC will make them much more cost competitive.

 

I want the history, I want the story, I want the human factor in creating them; they just don't have to take so much time carving when a CNC will do it faster and cheaper with the same quality. Humans can do the rest.

 

I would like to see the H150's be less than 9lbs. Old backs can use a break. I'm not a big fan of relieving them, but maybe look for lighter mahogany. The hog in the 50's was lighter anyway, so it could be advertised as getting back to the original.

[Steiner]

Rod your post is well thought out and well written. I agree with many of your points. I don't agree with this one, but only on something singular that popped into my head.

 

While I agree with the basic tenet of this statement, it's my feeling that if a CNC or whatever is brought in then, in reality, "The Heritage" is gone.

 

Where is "The Heritage" in a program keyed in to a cold brain? Where is "The Heritage" in a caddy of whirring bits milling a hundred necks per day? Where is "The Heritage" in those same bits carving the same number of tops?

 

For me "The Heritage" is in the fact that they are still building them the same way in the same factory that started it all.

 

Bingo.

 

Woodsmithing is a learned art, not something a computer will ever know. You make 1 neck then 10 , 100, 1,000, 10,000... You find that there are nuances to the medium. Perhaps a different cut angle and little waste of raw material gives a significant improvement to the overall instrument. A CNC is presented a jiged block of material and does its thing regardless of the outcome. A skilled human hand knows options throughout the process and can react when the non-homogeneous wood tells them it's time. Yes, there are more CNC'd guitars per unit time. More duds too. Look no further than Tenn.

[heritagefan7]

I've had the blessing of being owning heritage guitars for maybe 7 or 8...maybe 10 years. I've had the blessings of being a part of this forum for a while as well....I love the guitars, the people on this forum and the whole approach of Heritage.

 

What I like about Heritage is that H is quality AND feels personal--not part of a mass manufacturing company whose goal is to make money.

The idea of mass mfg Heritage would seem to me to end what I like abt Heritage---PLUS---Ibanez, Gibby, Fender, Schecter...etc already have that market covered..

 

WHAT APPROACH MIGHT HERITAGE TAKE?

 

Maybe Ernie Ball Music Man (not sterling brand) might possibly be a helpful model---MIA...Great guitars, very well made and only made to order...but still marketed and sold in large stores.

 

A better price than Gibson AND better Quality seem like a winning combo----Gibby has a resale stigma that sellers use--Heritage doesn't have that, but can put a better quality guitar--aestheticly beautiful guitar in people's hands for less money--Awesome.

 

I agree with the website

 

I'd sell the hound out of the history---It's Heritage's DNA....but also explore some technological changes like maybe Piezo bridges, smooth neck heels, and maybe a few new models.

 

Determine WHO (what market) you want to target for sales--that will help drive what changes you implement.

 

Lastly, don't make too many models---just do a few things and do them well---Advertise, great product, great price.....

 

JAY---I REALLY like the fact that you guys sell a Plain Top 150 for a lower price....

 

Is it heresy to talk about changing the Headstock?......If so, my great apologies---I've owned lots of Heritages--and bought and sold lots of Heritages on the HOC---My FAV guitar in the world is a 157vsb---Which I will have one day!....BUT maybe a thought abt the tapered headstock on the 150/157? I never minded it, but lots of folks seem to....just a thought.

 

VERY BEST on whatever steps lie ahead---Heritage is a wonderful company with a special soul. PLEASE NOBODY GET MAD AT ME FOR THE HEADSTOCK THING---JUST A REFLECTION OF WHAT I READ/HEAR OTHER PLACES/FORUMS!

[High Flying Bird]

Eliminate the dealers and have direct sales from the factory to the customer.

That's the second mention of this. I'll bet Jay will over look that one as will Paul and that feller in the skirt in Las Vegas.

[High Flying Bird]

My Cherokee ancestors would have given three deer and a pair of good moccasins for a belt sander.

Arkansas. Now we have more southern white trash here. Cherokee to boot. We might be kin Rod. ;^)

[pegleg32]

Any of you guys who have played a PRS will probably appreciate a CNC neck. The one I play is perfect for me, and if I ordered another, I know I would get the exact same neck. Machines do have a place in manufacturing, but I agree, mojo does too. When I play my Heritages, I feel like I'm playing something special.

[tulk1]

CNC'd necks still have to be finished and fit by hand.

 

Trivia - who introduced CNC machining to the world of musical instruments, particularly guitars?

[PunkKitty]

I'd like to see a Heritage version of the SG.