Buying a Guitar ONLINE - HOW?

[doctrane]

I'm faced at the moment

in my consideration, to perhaps purchase, in my case (H-575)

from some Online Vendor (Ebay, Store in Another State, etc.)

 

In my case it's harder...

I've never played the instrument, only read about it.

It's so subjective and unless I can actually find a local player that I can demo,

I don't see how I can throw the dice and just purchase,

let alone, a random instrument from some place remote.

 

Can it be done? (I know) but what if the outcome is not what I expect?

What's the best way of going about this?

Any suggestions?

 

Appreciatively

 

Dave

[ingeneri]

As I mentioned in the 575 thread, I'd go with Wolfe's Guitars (biggest Heritage dealer? http://www.wolfeguitars.com/) or Jeff Hale (archtop specialist http://www.jhalemusic.com)

 

If you want to hear a 575, here is a link to some stuff I recorded. http://jazzguitarlife.ning.com/profile/MattIngeneri I'm using a modified 575 with P-90s through a Jazzkat amp on the first two tunes (Little Chippie and Watermelon Man).

 

Good luck

[big bob]

I'm faced at the moment

in my consideration, to perhaps purchase, in my case (H-575)

from some Online Vendor (Ebay, Store in Another State, etc.)

 

In my case it's harder...

I've never played the instrument, only read about it.

It's so subjective and unless I can actually find a local player that I can demo,

I don't see how I can throw the dice and just purchase,

let alone, a random instrument from some place remote.

 

Can it be done? (I know) but what if the outcome is not what I expect?

What's the best way of going about this?

Any suggestions?

 

Appreciatively

 

Dave

 

 

I'm sure there would be lots of hoc'ers who would love to play all of jays 575's and find you just the right one..

[pegleg32]

Hi Dave,

 

I, along with many others of the HOC, have bought many guitars online. I have never been disappointed in anything that I have bought, but, you have to first of all evaluate the seller - that is fairly easy on Ebay - and I have observed and avoided lots of scams. Then read the description carefully not so much for what it says, but for what it doesn't say. Then always, ALWAYS, e-mail questions to the seller and evaluate the answers. Sometimes you will discover the seller smells, sometimes the product smells, and other times both appear legit, but it gives you much insite into the situation. It is mostly a case of using common sense and evaluating the seller 1st, and then the product 2nd. It is my personal opinion that 95% of the highly rated sellers on Ebay are topnotch folks, and their descriptions are usually right on.

[FrankS]

Hey Dave,

I had the same dilema several months ago. I wanted a Heritage but couldn't play one before buying. I live just outside Vancouver and there are no dealers here. Further complicated by living north of the 49th and not everyone will ship to Canada. If you are good with a used guitar then one will come available for sale from one of the members of this forum. That, IMO, would be the best way to go. I hang out in several guitar forums and without a doubt this is the best. The members here are as good as Heritage Guitars are. First class people (although they are not hand made).

Having said that I found the best deal for me at Faultline Music, but I don't believe they stock Heritage any longer. They hang out here so you may hear from them. They were terrific to deal with and had never shipped to Canada before. I live literally 5 minutes from the border so I was able to have a gorgeous H-150 shipped to a mailbox place across the border and picked it up myself.

I am sure others will warn you that one Heritage may not be enough. I haven't taken the plunge a second time but an H-535 or Millie sure looks tempting.

 

Good luck with the hunt.

 

Frank

[High Flying Bird]

First class people (although they are not hand made).........

 

I am.

 

I have owned 6 Heritage guitars new and used. 4 of them I bought site unseen. They have all been nice guitars. If you like large bodies guitars I am pretty sure you will love the 575. (I have the acoustic version the 475) If you are particular about the neck radius you might need to be sure the dealer or seller gives you an accurate description of the neck carve.

 

Like Frank said your best bet would to get that 575 from a forum member.

[doctrane]

Hi Dave,

 

I, along with many others of the HOC, have bought many guitars online. I have never been disappointed in anything that I have bought, but, you have to first of all evaluate the seller - that is fairly easy on Ebay - and I have observed and avoided lots of scams. Then read the description carefully not so much for what it says, but for what it doesn't say. Then always, ALWAYS, e-mail questions to the seller and evaluate the answers. Sometimes you will discover the seller smells, sometimes the product smells, and other times both appear legit, but it gives you much insite into the situation. It is mostly a case of using common sense and evaluating the seller 1st, and then the product 2nd. It is my personal opinion that 95% of the highly rated sellers on Ebay are topnotch folks, and their descriptions are usually right on.

 

 

TY All

[Kuz]

I have bought 9 Heritage guitars, 7 of them are new. The beauty of Heritage Guitar Company is that they are a custom shop. One of the things that appeals to me is the ability to custom order (neck, hardware, pickups, ect). I choose to order new guitars to support Heritage Guitars and to get "my" personal Heritage guitar.

 

I don't buy off flea-bay.

 

The couple of guitars I have sold, I had good reasons for selling (I just didn't play that type of music ie Jazz) so I was honest in telling people they were great guitars, but not in my style.

 

I have always been a little weary of buying used because why is the seller selling his guitar. Does he have a legitimate reason, or has he found out the guitar was a dog?

 

Either way the HOC members that post regularly can be trusted, but with that said there is nothing like ordering "your own personal" guitar from Heritage Guitar Company via a dealer!

[zydecosoultrain]

Hi Dave,

 

I bought two second hand Heritage guitars online. A H535 with a Seymour Duncan jazz neck and JB bridge, and a H575 with HRW's. Both guitars cost $2250 AUD (~$1870US) which was a significant outlay for me. The H535 needed work on the nut, pickup covers were corroded, and the fretboard was dry to the point of cracking. A $100 setup fixed everything.

 

Both times I received great information from the HOC, rang the vendor several times, especially regarding condition, colour (hard to really see on an internet photo), and pickups. I also contacted Ren at Heritage by email re likely pickups for the model to find out if they had been changed etc. Both times I also had a verbal agreement from the vendor that I could return the guitar (at my expense) if I was deeply dissatisfied.

 

I also contacted Jay Wolf and Jeff Hale and purchasing and importing a guitar were reasonable options, although obviously I would prefer to buy within Australia (~$400US freight, import tax etc).

 

I couldn't be happier with these guitars and it is unlikely I could have got them any other way. Phil, my jazz teacher and the guys who do the setups for me were very interested in, and impressed with, the guitars - although my teacher did express some nervousness about buying an expensive guitar sight-unseen.

 

Good luck, you won't regret it,

Greg

[doctrane]

Hi Dave,

 

I bought two second hand Heritage guitars online. A H535 with a Seymour Duncan jazz neck and JB bridge, and a H575 with HRW's. Both guitars cost $2250 AUD (~$1870US) which was a significant outlay for me. The H535 needed work on the nut, pickup covers were corroded, and the fretboard was dry to the point of cracking. A $100 setup fixed everything.

 

Both times I received great information from the HOC, rang the vendor several times, especially regarding condition, colour (hard to really see on an internet photo), and pickups. I also contacted Ren at Heritage by email re likely pickups for the model to find out if they had been changed etc. Both times I also had a verbal agreement from the vendor that I could return the guitar (at my expense) if I was deeply dissatisfied.

 

I also contacted Jay Wolf and Jeff Hale and purchasing and importing a guitar were reasonable options, although obviously I would prefer to buy within Australia (~$400US freight, import tax etc).

 

I couldn't be happier with these guitars and it is unlikely I could have got them any other way. Phil, my jazz teacher and the guys who do the setups for me were very interested in, and impressed with, the guitars - although my teacher did express some nervousness about buying an expensive guitar sight-unseen.

 

Good luck, you won't regret it,

Greg

 

TY You bring up a good point

I do take lessons

I'll ask my jazz teacher, and of course at some point, I think it would be in my best interest

to go to one of these large fairly local stores (not GC), where I'm sure they have numerous, archtops to get

a sense of difference in sound and feel.

 

I've been playing solded bodies (strat and lespaul) - have had my eye on

a PRS custom -22 or 24 (the one with the wide neck) - that instrument, or should I say, those instrument

to me, feel great and play great, and of course much of my 'Jazzy' inflection comes from how I

slide into and awy from the fret.

 

What I'd like to hear, or would hope to hear would be another sensibility of the sound of the instrument.

another nuance inherint in the playing of an archtop. That being more on the lines of what comes out of my

acoustic. Let's call it an acoustic envelope, which has a more oh, organic?, breathing, something

 

If it's just a woody sound but without a subtle control over that wood, or vibration, then I might

just call it day, and ultimately purchase a PRS.

 

I do talk alot, (pontificate?? - it's kind of my way, sorry to bore and whatever.

The mere fact that I could go into a store, though, and literally try the instrument I was interested in, has to me big advantage.

[zydecosoultrain]

TY You bring up a good point

I do take lessons

I'll ask my jazz teacher, and of course at some point, I think it would be in my best interest

to go to one of these large fairly local stores (not GC), where I'm sure they have numerous, archtops to get

a sense of difference in sound and feel.

 

I've been playing solded bodies (strat and lespaul) - have had my eye on

a PRS custom -22 or 24 (the one with the wide neck) - that instrument, or should I say, those instrument

to me, feel great and play great, and of course much of my 'Jazzy' inflection comes from how I

slide into and awy from the fret.

 

What I'd like to hear, or would hope to hear would be another sensibility of the sound of the instrument.

another nuance inherint in the playing of an archtop. That being more on the lines of what comes out of my

acoustic. Let's call it an acoustic envelope, which has a more oh, organic?, breathing, something

 

If it's just a woody sound but without a subtle control over that wood, or vibration, then I might

just call it day, and ultimately purchase a PRS.

 

I do talk alot, (pontificate?? - it's kind of my way, sorry to bore and whatever.

The mere fact that I could go into a store, though, and literally try the instrument I was interested in, has to me big advantage.

Hi Dave,

 

Following on ... I also have an Ibanez AS80 copy of a Gibson E335. The Ibanez is a nicely made Korean guitar but really only reflects the tone of the pickups IMO. The Heritage H535, on the other hand, has a hand-made feel about it. The Heritage has something that is almost organic. I can't quite describe it very well but the Ibanez is not in the same ballpark even though tit has the same Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup in the neck as the Heritage. The H535 feels more comfortable, has a wider range of tones and has overtones that I never tire of listening to. The difference between good quality factory made (Ibanez) and good quality hand made (Heritage) is huge but hard to define.

 

The H575, is my best guitar by a long shot. It's a hollow body archtop so requires looking after, and I'm nervous about having it in the boot a parked car etc (that's why I still have the Ibanez). I'm learning to play chord melodies and the H575 is perfect. It's a comfortable size and shape to hold for hours, the scale length is perfect for quick chord changes. It has amazing resonance with a mellow top end and a beautiful tight bass with overtones that make me want to keep playing and practicing. This guitar is perfect for jazz and my playing has improved exponentially since I bought it. I get the feeling that the more I learn the more the guitar has to offer. I think I will be [playing it until I fall off the twig, I'm already scheming for early retirement so I can play it more (OK I got a bit carried away there, there's still the mortgage and 2 kids to think about). The only better guitar for me that I could possibly imagine is maybe a Heritage H575 or similar with a spruce top (like Mimi Fox and Henry Johnson use for jazz) or an expensive one-off, boutique archtop from a small luthier.

 

Regards,

Greg

[doctrane]

Hi Dave,

 

Following on ... I also have an Ibanez AS80 copy of a Gibson E335. The Ibanez is a nicely made Korean guitar but really only reflects the tone of the pickups IMO. The Heritage H535, on the other hand, has a hand-made feel about it. The Heritage has something that is almost organic. I can't quite describe it very well but the Ibanez is not in the same ballpark even though tit has the same Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup in the neck as the Heritage. The H535 feels more comfortable, has a wider range of tones and has overtones that I never tire of listening to. The difference between good quality factory made (Ibanez) and good quality hand made (Heritage) is huge but hard to define.

 

The H575, is my best guitar by a long shot. It's a hollow body archtop so requires looking after, and I'm nervous about having it in the boot a parked car etc (that's why I still have the Ibanez). I'm learning to play chord melodies and the H575 is perfect. It's a comfortable size and shape to hold for hours, the scale length is perfect for quick chord changes. It has amazing resonance with a mellow top end and a beautiful tight bass with overtones that make me want to keep playing and practicing. This guitar is perfect for jazz and my playing has improved exponentially since I bought it. I get the feeling that the more I learn the more the guitar has to offer. I think I will be [playing it until I fall off the twig, I'm already scheming for early retirement so I can play it more (OK I got a bit carried away there, there's still the mortgage and 2 kids to think about). The only better guitar for me that I could possibly imagine is maybe a Heritage H575 or similar with a spruce top (like Mimi Fox and Henry Johnson use for jazz) or an expensive one-off, boutique archtop from a small luthier.

 

Regards,

Greg

 

OK you sold me...

 

I assume the pic next to your name is you 575!

So how do I go about purchasing one?

Let's say exactly the one in your pic.

 

Do I call heritage and get a new one?

Can I get my pick of a new one?

Should I seek out a store, somewhere in the universe?

(jay or wolf)

 

Should I purchase from an owner?

 

I do always ask myself, particularly being that I haven't played one of these (h-575)

is why would someone want to sell, if the instrument was so good?

But then I do realize it's a big world and people have all kinds of legitamite reasons for selling things

not related so much to the item?

 

Anyway, again I appreciate your comments 'zydecosoultrain'

and welcome any continued input.

 

Thanks again

 

doctrane

[SouthpawGuy]

I bought my 575 Custom in Old Style burst, a used 2005 model, from Jay.

 

I'm in Ireland, and I understand your reluctance to buy sight unseen / unplayed, it worked out just fine though.

 

Pics ...

 

 

 

 

[Rude Dog]

naked.

[doctrane]

I bought my 575 Custom in Old Style burst, a used 2005 model, from Jay.

 

I'm in Ireland, and I understand your reluctance to buy sight unseen / unplayed, it worked out just fine though.

 

Pics ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Instrument!

 

Did you compare it to any others?

Do you have feedback issues?

 

Sound wise could you compare it to a vintage___?

 

Just curious?

[DFB140]

I've bought 2 heritages off of fleabay.Both guitars were top notch instruments.

My 2nd Heritage arrived last month last month,and the honeymoon isn't going to end anytime soon.

Crappy pic,but great guitar.