Guido Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Hi! I have a question. My Heritage has a black painted headstock back. Some call it "Stinger"?! I have seen a few guitars with that painting. My guitar is from 1993 (J serial number). It's not a second. Does anybody know why they did this? I guess there must be a reason for it?! Thanks Guido By the way my first Heritage arrives on Monday, 25th. Can't wait to see, feel and play it!! Will post some pics.
tulk1 Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 HI Guido. Welcome to the cult, er ... HoC. Be sure you post pics when you get a chance. Always love to see someone's first Heritage. Or their second, third, fourth ... you get the idea. As for the stinger - aesthetics, mostly. Kind of sets the back of headstock apart, I think. Can't think of any other reason, other than it was "the thing" at one time. Pretty cool. Our own Skydog just ordered a custom guitar with that very same stinger.
SouthpawGuy Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 My '86 170 has one. and so does my '86 VIP II Me likey, very cool
Steiner Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Hi Guido - welcome to the collective! Mr. Lamb suggested that "back in the day" they'd run into some not so pretty wood in the headstocks and that was the solution they came up with to cover the back; notice the face is always covered with a laminate. While shopping I saw that the classic hollowbody guitars had this feature and, like the cupid's bow, set it apart from the lower priced guitars. I grew to desire this and specked it on the custom Heritage I had built; even though they probably would have done it without being asked. The stinger, like many other added touches Heritage includes in the base price, is a feature indicative of the quality and care the creators include in their fine, craftsmen builds.
111518 Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Just one note about stingers. They are standard on some very high end guitars, and I like the look --my Super 400 had both the stinger and an inlay on the back of the headstock. However, when I see one on a used mahogany-necked guitar that doesn't usually have a stinger, I always check very carefully for evidence of a headstock repair and other evidence of "monkey-business." The stinger is a great way to conceal a repair, or that you've sanded out and re-imprinted a serial number, removed a volute, made a "#2" stamp disappear, etc.
Mikenov Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Huh, I wouldn't have thought of that. I really like the look of the stingers. I would like to own a guitar with one but none of my Heritage's have them. Oh well. I like the look of my Heritage guitars anyways. Congrats on the Axe Guido!
212Mavguy Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 What a cool thread here...I learned something new!
smurph1 Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 i can't imagine a Heritage without a stinger...It's like a muscle car without a high horse-power engine..it just ain't right...Oh..and welcome to the Club Guido!!
Lionheart Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Just one note about stingers. They are standard on some very high end guitars, and I like the look --my Super 400 had both the stinger and an inlay on the back of the headstock. However, when I see one on a used mahogany-necked guitar that doesn't usually have a stinger, I always check very carefully for evidence of a headstock repair and other evidence of "monkey-business." The stinger is a great way to conceal a repair, or that you've sanded out and re-imprinted a serial number, removed a volute, made a "#2" stamp disappear, etc. This is actually great advice - interestingly enough, when I brought my Roy Clark to my guitar teacher, and he noticed that the tuners had been replaced, he really took a good look at the headstock for that very reason. He handed it back to me and told me why, and it had never hit me that there may have been a headstock repair that I hadn't noticed.
rjsanders Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 howdy, Guido. Stingers go way back. here's a '58 Byrdland, for example. i don't know when they were first introduced or why...
Guido Posted January 22, 2010 Author Posted January 22, 2010 Thanks for your fast replies. There was definately no headstock repair or anything else. Here is again the link with two pics: http://www.oldenburger-music-station.de/Heritage-H-150_C.htm It's a guitar shop in germany. The guy bought the guitar there and that's why the know the stinger is original. The shop and the guys are reliable. The shop is famous in germany for their vintage guitar show they organize every year. I wrote an email to the guys from kalamazoo about the stinger questions. Let's see if I'll get an answer. Of course I will publish it. Guido
FredZepp Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Thanks for your fast replies. There was definately no headstock repair or anything else. Here is again the link with two pics: http://www.oldenburger-music-station.de/Heritage-H-150_C.htm It's a guitar shop in germany. The guy bought the guitar there and that's why the know the stinger is original. The shop and the guys are reliable. The shop is famous in germany for their vintage guitar show they organize every year. I wrote an email to the guys from kalamazoo about the stinger questions. Let's see if I'll get an answer. Of course I will publish it. Guido Nice Looking 150CM there !!
smurph1 Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Yep..Very Pretty..bet she sings like a bird too..
DC Ron Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Stingers are sweet, my Roy Clark has one, but...sometimes no stinger is best. This is my Super Eagle. These usually have a stinger, but not this one. Wonder why?
FredZepp Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Stingers are sweet, my Roy Clark has one, but...sometimes no stinger is best. This is my Super Eagle. These usually have a stinger, but not this one. Wonder why? Now THAT is a neck !!!! nice pic. Maybe one day you could add a stinger... for that classic look
FredZepp Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Now THAT is a neck !!!! nice pic. Maybe one day you could add a stinger... for that classic look Of course , I'm just joking.. I wouldn't change a thing on that one. Maybe they would tend to add the stinger more often during certain years and less in others..?
Gitfiddler Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Stingers are sweet, my Roy Clark has one, but...sometimes no stinger is best. This is my Super Eagle. These usually have a stinger, but not this one. Wonder why? I only posted this so I could have just one more picture of that incredible neck!! WOW!! DC~ You win!! Game OVER!!
Thundersteel Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Stingers mean you're supposed to play further up the neck. If you play primarily "cowboy" chords, you'll get "stung!"
111518 Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Hi Guido - welcome to the collective! Mr. Lamb suggested that "back in the day" they'd run into some not so pretty wood in the headstocks and that was the solution they came up with to cover the back; notice the face is always covered with a laminate. This is speculation, but, going back to Steiner's post, the stinger can conceal grain run-out where the headstock angle cuts across the grain of the wood. That's most likely to happen on the face of the headstock, which is one reason why headstocks are almost always covered with veneer, but it can also show on the back. The stinger would also would give a little latitude in making the call about how to rough bandsaw a neck blank to show the prettiest wood. Maybe, in the case of consistently beautiful wood like on DC's Super Eagle, the craftsmen just have the prerogative to use their own judgment about painting on the stinger or showing wood, sort of like whether to put a pickguard on a flamed solidbody. Who'd want to paint over that maple?
Steiner Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 This is speculation, but, going back to Steiner's post, the stinger can conceal grain run-out where the headstock angle cuts across the grain of the wood. That's most likely to happen on the face of the headstock, which is one reason why headstocks are almost always covered with veneer, but it can also show on the back. The stinger would also would give a little latitude in making the call about how to rough bandsaw a neck blank to show the prettiest wood. Maybe, in the case of consistently beautiful wood like on DC's Super Eagle, the craftsmen just have the prerogative to use their own judgment about painting on the stinger or showing wood, sort of like whether to put a pickguard on a flamed solidbody. Who'd want to paint over that maple? That was my first reaction to the natural wood. No cognizant luthier would destroy that beauty!
rjsanders Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 I ordered the H 137 DLX with a stinger only the slightest hint of digressive hijackery, but what the status on your DLX?
mark555 Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 What ever the reason for a stinger, my own preference would be to never have one. My 555 has one, and I wish it did not. Should I ever order a new one, it would definitely be a continuation of the neck finish, I just love mahogany and maple as it is on the neck. On saying that, each to their own, and congratulations on a beautiful aquisition.
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