Heritage 140 2nd Edition Serial Number 1

[fuzzylogic8250]

It's good to be back!

I stopped playing for a few years.   I stayed in the music industry running a small record label selling techno in Europe and doing AR work.  It was an amazing experience.   My job mainly consisted of sourcing out talented artist in electronic music and licensing remixes and working with the artist to create tracks to the labels taste.   We released amazing sounds from an unknown German artist who was 18 years old.   We also haggled with some of the bigger dogs making music for Ibiza clubs and scored a few solid releases that charted on the techno and deep house charts.  We had one break away track bounce across the UK underground clubland.      DJing and constantly listening to electronic music burnt me out.     

Now, I have been getting back into guitar and including  2020, this is my third year programming music for a Christmas event that features five different rooms at one of the Alabama State Parks.   Each room has a different Christmas theme (e.g.a Grinch room, Elves, Santa and Mrs Clause's room etc...) so I program one hour of music for each room consistent with the them.   My Christmas mixes are pretty incredible.   Outside of the park, I'm not sure how I am or if I am going release it.  Licensing is such a pain.   We took a hit from Disney. 

 

Anyway, my prize guitar is my collection is a Heritage 140 2nd Edition from 2005.    I bought it from Jay Wolfe.   It is serial number #1 and it's the first one made of the floor.  It was the guitar featured at the NAMM show that year to introduce he 2nd edition of the 140.   Ren Wall designed the guitar and it features a set of HRW's perfectly tuned for this instrument.    I have had several players pick up this particular 140 and finally after being able to put it down (its an amazingly comfortable and awesome sounding guitar) immediately ask me, "What pickups are these?".   It's changed from stock as I replaced the original hardware with a vintage style aluminum locking tail piece and and Gotah Vintage style bridge.  It's vintage alloy steel all the way down to the bolts.  Everything retrofitted perfectly.   I still have the original Schaller machine heads because if it aint broke don't fix it.    It pretty much specs out as a guitar you will find at the Heritage custom shop.  Man, Heritage make the best guitars and this one is really special.   There has been so much confusion about 140s and HRWs in the past but I have studied and sought after these guitars for years and also I have had a few 150s.   I don't use the G word.    It's ridiculous.   Heritage Guitars are premium quality.   I have discussed this guitar several times with Ren over the years.  Most recently a couple of months ago when I had a question about my neck and I dropped a message in the contact box and was surprised to get a phone call from Ren a day later.   He's a great guy to talk guitars and Alabama Bass fishing with.   Heritage has quality customer service.    

 

Anyway, I am tootling my own horn here but I am happy to say after all these years of playing my H140 2nd Ed is still my favorite guitar.   I went through a strat selling spree recently and even sold a Nash with Bare Knuckle Pickups in it (I was BKP dealer for a few years) but I don't think I'll ever part with the 140.   It's too fine of an instrument for the resale value.   140s in general sound really good and play well with a good feel.    It's weird they never really took off.  Especially the 140.  The whole HRW pickup thing and their unavailability (currently, Ren has something up his sleeve) is a shame.   I think BKP are the best made pickups on the planet but I wouldn't even consider removing the covers on my HRWs...The tone is amazing.   Heh...There is a YouTube video of a couple of old timers compare a stock PAF loaded '59 through an early Marshall and Vox (killer tone) against the HRWs and the HRWs split the room on which pickup sounded better.   The first time I talked to Ren I wanted to know what the closet pickup I could get to an old PAF was for my 150 at the time.  It was my first 150.   Ren and I talked about the various 'Duncan models but he said he was in the process of designing a pickup from modifying Schaller's and in a few months he would have something out.  Next thing I know the HRWs are out and I finally obtained a pair in the 140.  Wow. Amazing tone and clarity.   It's interesting they work in across the full spectrum of tone and in all the Heritage models.   Jazz to rock and all....Ha...  Just like a PAF

 

Anyway, if you have any 140 questions send them my way.   I'll be asking many questions here as I am doing guitar electronics guitar electronics again.  

 

It's good to be back.  

[fuerstj659]

Thank you, I appreciate your offer and of course your kindness. I keep telling people that the people on the HOF are the greatest and will help with anything. 

Thank you again and I am sure you will be hearing from me.

Sincerely,

Jeff

[bolero]

hey great post, thx for sharing!

would be nice to see a couple pics :D

[DetroitBlues]

H-140 models were great guitars.  

What I liked is instead of an arguably sustain sucking weight relief, Heritage just made the body thinner.  Less weight but more sustain.  (I can't say that is true or false, just how some feel about weight relief)

A nice feature upgrade on the 2nd Gen 140 was a bound neck.  I thought the 1st Gen's looked off with a bound body but unbound neck.

Only think I prefer on the 1st Gen was the sharp cutaway versus the rounded, H150 style cutaway.

And Bolero is right!

Pics or it didn't happen!  

[tulk1]

I had always intended my next Heritage to be an H140 2nd Ed. Sadly, never got around to it. Congrats on having such a special guitar. But I will have to echo DB's take --- where're the pics?

[fuzzylogic8250]

Thank for the kind reply's.    ....yeah, introducing the complete binding on the 2nd edition was a really nice touch.   The cream has aged nicely.   I have pics of the guitar uploaded to a Facebook album.   See the link below.   If you can't all view it then I will upload the pics from PC but I have a ton of pics in the FB album posted below.   Let me know if you have trouble viewing it.

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=peerless.tone.9&set=a.106011967607884

[y2kc]

That is just a bad ass guitar. Enjoy!

y2kc

[FredZepp]

According to the serial number,  this was the first guitar made on Thursday, July 14,2005.

[bolero]

looks fantastic!

[loudtubeamps]

fuzzylogic8250

Very sweet 140 . I really like the tint on the top, it looks very warm.

Did you put the covers on the Schaller's?

If not, I wonder why later models were not covered?

I'm actually on the hunt for a couple of used ones for my 140. 

[skydog52]

Belly cut and all. That was a custom order. Congratulations!

[fuzzylogic8250]

@loudtubeamps

 

This guitar came with the covers.   I think it is mainly had to due to aesthetics as many people like the look of the uncovered pickups on the 150's and 140's. If I correctly recall a lot of the quilted or flamed  maple blue stained tops looked really  good with the covers off showing the black single coils.  The HRWs are awesome if you can find them.    

[loudtubeamps]

1 hour ago, fuzzylogic8250 said:

@loudtubeamps

 

This guitar came with the covers.   I think it is mainly had to due to aesthetics as many people like the look of the uncovered pickups on the 150's and 140's. If I correctly recall a lot of the quilted or flamed  maple blue stained tops looked really  good with the covers off showing the black single coils.  The HRWs are awesome if you can find them.    

Thanks, she's a beauty.

[tsp17]

On 10/30/2020 at 5:52 AM, skydog52 said:

Belly cut and all. That was a custom order. Congratulations!

Right on!  Wonderful guitar.

[Genericmusic]