Has anybody ever looked underneath the neck pick up?

[Mark Gregg]

I have a 535 and a 150 and the 535 has a long neck tenon and the 150 does not. I thought that was weird and wondered if it was a model to model deal or a year to year deal. I guess the 150's never had them. I wonder why they did it in the 535's?

[brentrocks]

I have a 535 and a 150 and the 535 has a long neck tenon and the 150 does not. I thought that was weird and wondered if it was a model to model deal or a year to year deal. I guess the 150's never had them. I wonder why they did it in the 535's?

 

Welcome Mark!

 

Sure would like to see your Heritages ;D

[skydog]

I inspected mine and didn't think it was long enough or wide enough. I dissolved one of those enzyte capsules in water and soaked it for 24 hrs. It picked up length and girth. Now I'm happy. 

[Gitfiddler]

OK, this is an old thread, but a good one. I noticed one of Ron Warren's (aka High Flying Bird) great photos from the PSP II of a neck joint at the Heritage factory.

 

Check out this tenon shot:

 

 

[jacques]

Read my second post from July 27 2007: it was also because of neck pictures like this one that I started to wonder about the neck tenon in Heritages.

[Kuz]

Read my second post from July 27 2007: it was also because of neck pictures like this one that I started to wonder about the neck tenon in Heritages.

 

The question was posed to Ren at PSP2 and he gave a very appropriate response in my opinion.

 

He said that Short or Long, whatever, it starts with good solid wood and a good solid neck joint. He said they have very little if any stability problems because the neck pocket is tight, the wood is good, and they usually get it right the first time.

 

I personally saw one gentleman setting a neck. He glued it, set it, and clamped it. Then he said, "No that's not quite right". He caught the mistake and re-set the neck. I don't think a robot would have caught the mistake. Then again a robot might not have gotten it wrong in the first place.

 

Bottom line is my comfort level is very high with Heritage's necks and their stability.

[Thundersteel]

I like that they fitted the neck, and then hand-chiseled the neck as necessary for a tight fit.

[rooster]

If you look at the photos of the "G"-brand long vs. short tenon, look at the more important part: the long tenon is squared off allowing for maximum stability, and the short is rounded. Heritage, OTOH, (as you can see from the Heritage photo) uses a squared off tenon, allowing for a very tight fit compared to the "G"-brand's short tenon.

 

I'm very happy with my 3 Heritage guitars, and don't see a reason to pick at something that is built well.

 

rooster.

[Mills]

The problem with the long versus short tenon conflict is that it really comes down to this:

 

1. The more wood in direct, tight contact the more likely the neck and body will resonate at the same magnitude and frequency.

 

2. Glue will act as a damper between the neck and body if it has a lower compressive strength and density than the wood itself and the amount of energy that is transferred from the wood, to the glue and back.

 

So really, the question is how much glue do the builders use. It is possible that a long neck tenon could be more of a tone sucker than a short neck if it was installed in a lackluster manner. If installed correctly and the neck is very tightly fitted I would expect that a long tenon will transfer more energy just due to surface area.

 

In the end though, it's all what sounds best to you.