So I finally got my new Cust 555

[Kuz]

So after 10 months of waiting, I was quoted 12-14 weeks , I get the call that my Cust 555 (Wide Fat neck, Mahogany neck, Rosewood board, 555 inlays & binding, premium wood package, & nickel hardware with Seth Lovers '59s) has arrived. So drive about 100mph to Hauer Music in Dayton (about 25 miles away). I asked Jim if he looked at it yet, and he said that since I have been waiting so long that I should do the honors and look at it first.

 

So I open the case slowly... and IT'S THE WRONG ****IN' COLOR > > > > !!!!

 

I have called Ren & Bill about 6 times going over the specs of this guitar with them. I sent them pics 3 times of the Chestnut Burst I wanted. It arrives and its my least favorite color, Antique Burst.

 

To their credit they nailed everything else; 50s style wide fat neck, beautiful Mahogany neck, very nice RW board, 555 inlays, 555 binding, nice (I wouldn't say stunning) premium top, back, & sides wood, VERY nice weight- lighter than my other 555 despite the beefier neck, set up was spot on.

 

So I decided to take her home and play her. She plays very nice- low action- and sounds great. So what do I do?

 

I called Heritage and they said they would take it back and refinish it with the right Chestnut burst, but that refinishes are risky for finish blemishes. It already has a couple finish blemishes- small wood chips & color on the binding, some finish swirls. a pencil head size ding on the headstock but not through the color- all these are very minor and I may even expect them with a handmade guitar.

The other option ( if they[i ]chose)[i] was to build a new guitar, where again I was quoted 12-14 weeks but Bill said they were very busy.

[/i][/i]

 

So I have decided to keep the guitar. After a day the color is growing on me- it actually has a tiger-eye look to it. I just don't want to risk more finish blemishes or if they build a new one, another long wait for maybe a heavier guitar that doesn't play/sound as well.

 

Moral of the Story: I won't order a guitar from Heritage again. > I probably with certainty will buy another Heritage that is already at a guitar store

 

Second moral of the story: If you were hoping for  stricter quality control from the "New Heritage"- unfortunately it is business as usual!

[Heritage525]

That is a bummer   Well, at least the guitar has great tone and play.  Still, I would feel the same exact way as you.

[JohnCovach]

Unfortunately, this a story that is told again and again.  I think you have reached the precisely correct conclusion in all this: do not order custom guitars from Heritage.  Maybe once the reorganization occurs (and they start to use a better way of keeping these kinds of things straight), there may be hope that they'll get it right more often. 

 

Heritage guitars are extremely well made and priced way under what they're really worth.  When you buy one used, you often have to swap out hardware and pickups.  Even new ones come with set-up issues that need to be remedied.  The way I see it, if you buy a Heritage, you get about 95% of the guitar you want, but then you have to be willing to modify and adjust to get that last 5% (the exceptions are the guitars Jay Wolfe sells).  While this works well for used guitars and even new ones, it often doesn't work well for custom orders.  This accounts for most of the complaints about the Heritage customer service (though there are also other issues).

 

If I were to give the Heritage guys some advice, I'd say they should cut down on the custom work.  Use the modifications that Jay has made standard with the new guitars he sells, and then just send the guitars out that way.

 

And if they had sent me a guitar with the wrong color, I'd be hacked off as well.  After I cooled down though, I'd keep the guitar and ask if I could buy another one at cost.

[Kuz]

"And if they had sent me a guitar with the wrong color, I'd be hacked off as well.  After I cooled down though, I'd keep the guitar and ask if I could buy another one at cost."

 

GREAT idea, although if they didn't seem to want to care about fixing the color, I doubt they would want to keep me happy with a guitar at cost.

 

One other funny thing I forgot to mention. On the phone I asked Bill Page to read back my custom order invoice to make sure they put the premium wood on and the correct Pickups.

He said, "Oh yea, I think I have all those order forms at home. It would take me a day or two to find it.

 

Luckily since it just shipped Friday he was able to find a copy since it was shipped.

 

Heritage = Great luthiers. Very poor businessmen!

[Kazwell]

I think it's called brain damage from 50 plus years of breathing in nitrocellous laquer fumes in a poorly ventilated building.  :-

[GuitArtMan]

My custom order experience with Heritage is simiar...

I custom order a 535 from our man Jay.  I want super flamed maple, trapezoid inlays, bound peg head and f holes, beefey neck (I sent them the dimensions), Seth Lovers (long before these were the norm) and was quoted about 4 or 5 months.  Well gutiar no. 1 arrives at about the 5 month mark.  Plain maple, pencil thin neck.  I send it back to Jay and was assured I would be rushed to the front of production (they said by the end of July).  Well July comes and goes... no guitar... August comes and goes... no guitar... September comes and goes... no guitar... they say it's in the finish room... October comes and goes... no guitar... still in the frickin' finish room... finally around Thanksgiving they say what they though was a finish flaw was actually a crack in body and the guitar needs to be destroyed!  They give me the chance to opt out but I want the frickin' guitar!  I ask them if they can have it ready by the NAMM show in Januaray and they say yes.  Well they didn't make it by NAMM, but I did have it a week later.  The gutiar was beautiful, but instead of the deep C shape neck I wanted I ended up with a deep D shape neck.  It just didn't feel comfortable in my hands up the neck.  During this time a local shop became a Heritage dealer and I played probably four or five 535s there that had the neck shape I wanted.  I wont bore you with the horror story of getting the neck reshaped (it took well over a year and two trips back to Kalamazoo!).

 

I custom ordered a Milleniume Ltd. Edition from Jay.  I wanted a solid carved maple back ala the Millenium eagle, and solid trap inlays, not the outlines that the Millenium series had.  I was quoted around 8 months.  Well at about the 11 month mark I get a call from Heritage saying they had built the guitar with a rosewood board (the trap inlays confused them) rather than a ebony board.  They said they could swap the fingerboard for ebony, but that it would delay the completion of the guitar.  I said I'd take the rosewood.  They gutiar arrived and was gorgeous.  It had a beautiful chestnut burst with quillted maple that looked like sea shells - really prety.  I shouldn't have ordered the carved maple back however.  It made the guitar weigh quite a bit more than I expected, as well as tilted the guitar when it was on the strap so that it hang funny.  In the ended I ended up selling it, but it really was a beautifull and unigue guitar.

 

I'm hesitant to custom order another Heriage, but I reallly do want a nice 535 with trap inlays and a bound peg head and f holes.

[Kazwell]

> > > > > > > > > > >

[JohnCovach]

"And if they had sent me a guitar with the wrong color, I'd be hacked off as well.  After I cooled down though, I'd keep the guitar and ask if I could buy another one at cost."

 

"GREAT idea, although if they didn't seem to want to care about fixing the color, I doubt they would want to keep me happy with a guitar at cost."

 

I wouldn't so sure.  Both the dealer and Heritage are responsible for the problem.  If you keep the guitar you have, why wouldn't Heritage sell you a second guitar of your choice at dealer cost?  All the dealer is doing is sacrificing his margin to make up for the problem with the first guitar, and Heritage is simply selling the guitar to you at the same price they'd be selling it to the dealer.  Cost on these guitars is likely 50% of the MSRP, so that's a pretty good price on new guitar. 

 

In fact, if Heritage made that standard policy, they'd have some guys hoping they'd get it wrong.  In any case, it would show good faith on their part.

[yoslate]

Well, with a custom Super on order, this thread sure doesn't inspire confidence.  I think the advice of several not to custom order instruments is well advised; it's a little late for me on that now, though.  But I really do appreciate the anecdotes.  I suppose what I'll do is just lower my expectations so as not to be too disappointed -- jeez I get tired of that modus operandi -- and then evaluate what I get, when I get it.  But after the "reorganization," I figured all bets were off.  At one point, I'd written the guitar off completely. 

 

I think I've a pretty good object lesson to follow in Kuz's posting.  Kuz, I admire the way you've handled this.  As I read your post, I could vicariously feel the floor go out from under me! I do, however, feel a bit more positive knowing I've ordered this guitar through Jay.  There's much anecdotal support for Jay to be had here...that's why I joined this august group to begin with!  As I've allowed before, I admire the objectivity as well as the passion displayed for Heritage guitars here daily!  Thanks, fellas!!!

 

slate 

[Kuz]

Well, with a custom Super on order, this thread sure doesn't inspire confidence.  I think the advice of several not to custom order instruments is well advised; it's a little late for me on that now, though.  But I really do appreciate the anecdotes.  I suppose what I'll do is just lower my expectations so as not to be too disappointed -- jeez I get tired of that modus operandi -- and then evaluate what I get, when I get it.  But after the "reorganization," I figured all bets were off.  At one point, I'd written the guitar off completely. 

 

I think I've a pretty good object lesson to follow in Kuz's posting.  Kuz, I admire the way you've handled this.  As I read your post, I could vicariously feel the floor go out from under me! I do, however, feel a bit more positive knowing I've ordered this guitar through Jay.  There's much anecdotal support for Jay to be had here...that's why I joined this august group to begin with!  As I've allowed before, I admire the objectivity as well as the passion displayed for Heritage guitars here daily!  Thanks, fellas!!!

 

slate 

 

I hope the best for you getting your guitar the way you order it. Man just some simple stuff like  computer for electronic ordering, a full time receptionist, ect. would go a long way toward helping them. I was really hoping things might change with the "New Heritage" team, but I don't see one change that occurred prior to the closure. I think they are stuck in their ways of how to make a guitar(which is fine) and stuck how to run a business (which is not good).

The best I can tell you is whatever guitar you get will be an excellent one. I do think it is a good idea to lower your expectations, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[skydog]

:uwp:

[tulk1]

:uwp:

 

That's what I was going to add. Instead, I'll add this. How about a pic of what your ordered (color-wise) along with a pic of what you got? Would be nice to see both.