H137 HOC LE in Action!

[DetroitBlues]

Bit of a teaser.  I don't have any video yet, but I used my Heritage H137 HOC LE at last Saturday's gig, almost 2 full sets.

Always concerned when using it for live use previously being it has P90's, a wonderfully sounding pickup, but prone for the worst of 60 Cycle hum.  Although, this particular model has Mojotone Quiet Coils.  Supposedly a normal P90 that has been wound in some way to reduce noise.  

I decided to just use it anyway.  Very thankful that I did.  Guitar sounded great and, being a lighter guitar, it was easier on the back.  Being so well made, it felt great to play.  Best of all, no noise!

So glad I made this guitar happen.

Edited November 26 by DetroitBlues

[TalismanRich]

That's what the guitar was built for.  

I like the fancy strap you have on that thing.  

[rwinking]

So they sound like P90s and they are quiet? Meaning quiet as a humbucker? I love my 137 but the Lollars are noisy. I may have to try the Mojotones.

[rockabilly69]

4 hours ago, DetroitBlues said:

Bit of a teaser.  I don't have any video yet, but I used my Heritage H137 HOC LE at last Saturday's gig, almost 2 full sets.

Always concerned when using it for live use previously being it has P90's, a wonderfully sounding pickup, but prone for the worst of 60 Cycle hum.  Although, this particular model has Mojotone Quiet Coils.  Supposedly a normal P90 that has been wound in some way to reduce noise.  

I decided to just use it anyway.  Very thankful that I did.  Guitar sounded great and, being a lighter guitar, it was easier on the back.  Being so well made, it felt great to play.  Best of all, no noise!

So glad I made this guitar happen.

H137/LPSpecials are pure rock and roll machines. There's something to be said for a nice lightweight mahogany plank with two P90s (or one)! Glad to see you out there using yours for what it was intended. 

[greatmutah2112]

I just bought a new to me SG but damn do I need a H137/LP Special in my life.  P90s are my jam. 

[DetroitBlues]

20 hours ago, rwinking said:

So they sound like P90s and they are quiet? Meaning quiet as a humbucker? I love my 137 but the Lollars are noisy. I may have to try the Mojotones.

I was lucky enough to do a tonal/sound comparison between these pickups and a SG Special Custom Shop.  There was little to no difference in tone but a significant difference in noise.  I don't think they are necessarily humbuckers in a traditional sense as there still was the growl and bite of a normal P90.

[DetroitBlues]

15 hours ago, greatmutah2112 said:

I just bought a new to me SG but damn do I need a H137/LP Special in my life.  P90s are my jam. 

Heritage brought back the H137 in a Custom Core model.  Very similar to mine except the no neck binding, in-house built P90's, and separated bridge/tailpiece.

Someone was selling an HOC 137 a while ago, can't remember who.  But its a great deal, especially if you're a fan of the monstrous fat necks.  A Custom Shop guitar without the price tag of a Custom Core.

[rwinking]

I finished up a session for some young guy yesterday. He is doing some video on his YouTube channel and it was a country/rock kind of thing. I used my old tele (that I painstakingly did a relic job on over a period of 54 years)for a couple of rhythm tracks. Today after reading all of this stuff about the H-137 I pulled mine out and I thought "Why the hell did I use a tele on the session?" Truth is I wanted it to sound "authentic." The H-137 would have fit in there much better....it has a tele kind of twang from the P90s but it has a little more depth and snarl. Next tele session I will use the H-137. I just have in my mind C&W = Tele and Roots rock/old R&B = H-137. Starting today, the 137 is staying out where I can see it and be reminded of it's versatility.

[Gitfiddler]

On 11/27/2024 at 6:51 AM, DetroitBlues said:

Heritage brought back the H137 in a Custom Core model.  Very similar to mine except the no neck binding, in-house built P90's, and separated bridge/tailpiece.

Someone was selling an HOC 137 a while ago, can't remember who.  But its a great deal, especially if you're a fan of the monstrous fat necks.  A Custom Shop guitar without the price tag of a Custom Core.

I put my HOC 137 (#004) up for sale a while back, in my attempt to thin my herd of gitfiddles.  I'm so weak, that after a couple of weeks, I pulled it OFF the market.  That thing has such great tone, and wonderfully full neck, I couldn't bear to let her go. 

[DetroitBlues]

On 11/28/2024 at 3:55 PM, Gitfiddler said:

I put my HOC 137 (#004) up for sale a while back, in my attempt to thin my herd of gitfiddles.  I'm so weak, that after a couple of weeks, I pulled it OFF the market.  That thing has such great tone, and wonderfully full neck, I couldn't bear to let her go. 

Good deal, it’s a rare model and a timeless design.

[Millennium Maestro]

On 11/26/2024 at 10:24 AM, rwinking said:

So they sound like P90s and they are quiet? Meaning quiet as a humbucker? I love my 137 but the Lollars are noisy. I may have to try the Mojotones.

yes, they a a dual coil design with noise cancellation. i have them in several guitars. 

[rwinking]

Thx! I'll check them out!

[bolero]

Those HOC137's are sweet!!

[BillyTwang]

They are. If anyone is considering selling their HOC137 I am interested. I am consolidating my H150 Standard OSB/with Custom Core case (guess the previous owner didn't like the weight of the case) and H-140 2nd Edition with HRWs into one solidbody with P90s, and I really like the specs on this one. Great job on HOC 137!

Edited December 2 by BillyTwang

[DetroitBlues]

On 12/1/2024 at 8:27 PM, BillyTwang said:

They are. If anyone is considering selling their HOC137 I am interested. I am consolidating my H150 Standard OSB/with Custom Core case (guess the previous owner didn't like the weight of the case) and H-140 2nd Edition with HRWs into one solidbody with P90s, and I really like the specs on this one. Great job on HOC 137!

Of these H137's, there are only four in existence.  Five were built, but the fifth went unclaimed, so Heritage installed Lollar P90's and a normal Grover kidney-bean tuners.  

Unfortunately, this limited run hit right at the beginning of the pandemic.  A few orders were cancelled outright and many interested parties never placed an order.

Excellent guitar, especially when the price was under $2K.

 

Edited December 3 by DetroitBlues

[Doug]

I still regret not pulling the trigger on one of those when they came out.

 

[BillyTwang]

I believe I saw the unclaimed one recently on Reverb. I placed an offer but did not receive a reply. Were the Mono gig-bags  just a standard Mono Case offering, or customized?

[BillyTwang]

" TKL Hardshell case and Mono Gig Bag Included (Unique CS Feature)"

[DetroitBlues]

20 hours ago, BillyTwang said:

I believe I saw the unclaimed one recently on Reverb. I placed an offer but did not receive a reply. Were the Mono gig-bags  just a standard Mono Case offering, or customized?

They came with both a Heritage hardshell case and a black Mono gigbag case.  It was a rare treat and wish I'd kept the Mono Gig bag.  I use a double one now for gigs.  Since I play locally and load my own equipment, I don't worry about them as they protect my guitars quite well, especially the fragile headstocks.

[BillyTwang]

I've owned many Heritages, since 1988, with the TKL cases. The H-150 and H-140 cases were perfect fits. I'm sure the H-137 has a similar tailored fit.  I don't see any reason to transport them in anything else. My Peerless archtop arrived in a case which fit so poorly the president of the company sent me an apology and the company redesigned the case for the remaining of that model's inventory. I researched cost effective options to transport it and settled on a Mono OM/Classical gig bag which fit like a glove. The guitar has resided and traveled in that gig bag for the past 10 years without incident or intonation issues (floating bridge, floating pickup, and pickgaurd). That was a case where a gigbag was a good fit, no pun intended.

[DetroitBlues]

Last nights gig…

[bolero]

Nice!

Always cool when one of your biggest fans shows up

[DetroitBlues]

3 hours ago, bolero said:

Nice!

Always cool when one of your biggest fans shows up

Yup, seemed a bit more like a huge metal fan than classic rock or country.  

[TalismanRich]

It looks like you're having a good time!

[DetroitBlues]

14 hours ago, TalismanRich said:

It looks like you're having a good time!

Its been more and more fun every time.   Need to build up my finger strength.  I've got back to back gigs next month and my fingertips are usually sore the next day..