yngwie308 Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...?showtopic=5350 My two Heritage Gary Moore's to me had issues and after taking them to a master luthier and archtop builder, the late great John Zeidler, and he changed out the hardware as I wanted on both and totally reset up the guitars, planing the fret boards, placing the new stainless steel frets I requested, I'm not sure if he replaced the nuts completely, but they were definitely re-cut. the are amongst the best playing guitars of this style now, but when I bought them new, one ordered through a dealer and the other through the mail from Manny's new, I didn't like them. When I called Heritage at the time, they couldn't believe anything was wrong with them, I seem to remember. I don't mean to jump in on a Heritage quality of work issue, but in my case this was many years ago.. yngwie308
brentrocks Posted January 7, 2010 Posted January 7, 2010 Way to go people....if we keep this up we run a good thing right into the ground! Have you noticed how many hits this thread has recieved???? If we post some "good news" stories, you think it would get this attention? in the words of a wise man i know..... Just play the F***ING thing!!!
ingeneri Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Way to go people....if we keep this up we run a good thing right into the ground! Have you noticed how many hits this thread has recieved???? If we post some "good news" stories, you think it would get this attention? in the words of a wise man i know..... Just play the F***ING thing!!! Brent, If you want to shut this thread down, I doubt anyone will object. I just did a google search under "heritage guitar quality issues" and this thread didn't show up in 10 pages. In contrast this thread http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps...-vs-gibson.html came up on the 3rd page, and includes my pretty strong endorsement below. Such posts, far outnumber the complaints. "Heritage vs. Gibson" I've made my position on Gibson clear, so I'll just focus on Heritage. First, you're dealing with a small company instead of a large multinational. That means you have plenty of opportunities for customized orders that include premium woods, choice of pickups and other hardware, and different finishes. It also means you can call the company and, on a good day, speak with one of the three founders. Your dealer has even better access. Second, you have the history. As I mentioned in the other thread, Heritage's three founders all worked at Gibson from '50s-mid '80s and are still active in Heritages day to day production. Also, the factory and machinery were purchased from Gibson back in the 80s and are what the classic vintage Gibsons were made with. This is why those of us who are Heritage devotees will often, admittedly annoyingly, refer to them as the real Gibson. Third, there is the quality. Heritage produces much smaller volumes of instruments and I think it shows. While some others on this board had problems in the 90s, I've owned three (a 1992 575, a 2004 Super Eagle, and a 2007 Groovemaster) that were all excellent. The introduction of a PLEK machine in, I believe 2004, seems to have greatly improved the quality of fret work. Fourth, by keeping the number of signature guitars in check, you actually have a much better range of products. So instead of the 1961, 1962, and 1963 etc... reissue Les Paul, you have models like the 525, 550 , and new 530 that are upgraded versions of the old Gibson 125, 350, and 330 models that were originally budget guitars but are now only available on the expensive vintage market. The signature guitars they do make, like the Super Kenny Burrell or older Johnny Smith models, are pretty spectacular. Finally, you have cost. Heritage's are usually 1/3-1/2 the cost of the equivilant Gibson. A 575 goes for around $2K, has a carved maple top, and a nitro finish. My 575 is much more alive both acousticly and plugged in than any new ES-175 I've ever played. Likewise, while I've only gotten to play an L5 once, I found it disappointing and would never consider trading it for my Super Eagle. It's hard finding dealers for these smaller volume guitars. I've used Jeff Hale, who specializes in jazz boxes, several times and always had a great experience. While you can't try out the guitar beforehand, 1) you won't be able to do this with a custom order anyways, and 2) he allows returns after a trial period. Here's the link: http://wwww.jhalemusic.com Here's a link where you can hear me playing the different models: Matt Ingeneri's Page - Jazz Guitar Players Jeanine and It Could Happen to You are using the Super Eagle through a Jazzkat amplifier, while Back at the Chicken Shack, Little Chippie, and Watermelon man are with the 575 after I modified it with Jason Lollar P-90s
yngwie308 Posted January 8, 2010 Posted January 8, 2010 Way to go people....if we keep this up we run a good thing right into the ground! Have you noticed how many hits this thread has recieved???? If we post some "good news" stories, you think it would get this attention? in the words of a wise man i know..... Just play the F***ING thing!!! Brent, I still kept my guitars which I would never sell, so there must be some 'quality' involved, a comparable Gibson thread would be more than 7 pages...bro Yes I still play them. Dave
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