Your Heritage Guitar Discovery

[Ray]

I am curious to find out how HOC members discovered Heritage guitars.

 

I only found out about Heritage Guitars about 3 or 4 months ago. I had always been a fender strat/jazz bass person for years. I was aware of other makes, notably PRS and Gibson, but never bothered to check them out until I visited guitar shops some time ago. I was impressed with the sound of Gibson and PRS guitars during those visits and soon purchased them.

 

Fast forward to November 2009 - I came across Heritage Guitars when I met Mimi Fox and Henry Johnson who use Heritage Guitars. Wow…the sound of their guitars was out of this world - everything about Heritage was fantastic! I have used the last 4 months to research these guitars to determine the best options for me. It was during my search for information that led me to the Heritage Owners Club.

 

Please do not misunderstand me...I still like my old guitars and would not swap them for anything. Not because they are the best, in my opinion, but because they have become part of my personal music history/story and collection. I do not sell guitars. Generally, I decide within a month or so of purchasing whether I like the sound of a guitar. If the answer is 'Yes', I keep, if no I sell it or give it away as a present to someone who is interested in guitars and needs it.

 

For me, Heritage Guitars are a PREMIER guitar builder - as good as any other and second to none; I would turn to them for most of my guitar needs.

[brentrocks]

Living in SW MI....i have known about Heritage for many yrs. I went through my phases over the yrs....pointy gtrs, EVH guitars, Fender/Gibson phase.....then i saw the light a few yrs ago.

[Shmockiebaby]

Seems like I have know about Heritage ever since they were founded. But never saw them in person. Found a 150 in Rochester NY, but it had a Kahler. Only Heritage I ever saw in person for years.

 

Finally saw a few archtops in person, and got into 'em. But didn't want to spend the $$ (I'm cheap). Until I found my 575 fixer-upper at Elderly last week. It turned up in their vintage update e-mail. Price was right, I had just sold an ES-175, so I grabbed it.

 

Still getting to know it. Am I a convert yet? Not yet. But I do love this guitar. Great look, great action, good tone for unknown pickups.

 

Now I want a Sweet 16! I was looking at L4-Cs, and they were too much money.....but in researching my 575, I discovered the Sweet 16. Too cool....

[pegleg32]

I discovered Heritage thru Ebay. I was intent on purchasing an LP, which I did, and wanted to add an SG and 335 to my stable. I had a search set up for 335's and someone advertised a 535 by comparing it to the 335 which pulled it into my search. When I saw the price, I started researching Heritage and came across the HOC. Followed posts here, and within 3 months I had my first Heritage 535. I was so extremely pleased with the first one that I bought my matched set, and then sold my first 535 for more than I had in it. Heritage has been a great experience for me and I'm a top of the line supporter and fan now.

[golferwave]

Through the ads in Guitar player magazine. The guitars in the ads looked so good and I got to play one when a friend bought a new H-150 while on a trip. I was hooked immediately and bought my own shortly after.

[Hfan]

After many years of not playing any electric guitar, in 2006 I started looking around at new Gibbons and Fenders, not the custom shop upper end stuff more the base price USA made models. I was unimpressed, they didn't remind me of the guitars I had back in the early 70's. I found Heritage on Harmony Central and then learned more from the company web site etc. Bought my 1st one, a new 575 Custom from Wolfe Guitars sight unseen. I was thinking of Jazz lessons (still haven't found the time) and was looking at 175's. I loved the guitar right off the bat. I now have 4. I also bought a G&L for the Strat experience.

 

Only found this site last year after purchasing my beautiful 150 from Golferwave on e bay (thanks again Golfer).

 

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

[chico]

I was born and raised in Kalamazoo, and like many rock and roll teenagers around there in the 60's I bought my first guitar, a Fender Jaguar, at a music store less than a mile from the (then) Gibson plant, on Michigan Ave. The store is long gone. And, I didn't know what I was buying, it was just, well, cool to have a California guitar. (Wish I'd known WHAT to buy at that store, like a late 60s new Strat or even better a 3-4 yr old used pre-CBS strat!)

 

Like many in the Kzoo area, I didn't know what was in my midst (Gibson) or that one of my relatives, a second cousin and half-generation ahead of me Jim Deurloo, worked at Gibson, and had, most all my life (I was born in '53, he started working there in the late fifties). Remember, back then, Gibson was the "stodgy" old company compared to the California cool of Fender, notwithstanding the legacy of the LP, which really didn't grow to what it is today until well after G left Kzoo, IMO.

 

Fast forward to the late 80s, I started playing again after not playing for years (the Fender Jag was stolen during my KC years in the 70s), bought a post-CBS Fender, and then discovered (late 80s, early 90s) that a cousin of mine worked at the old Gibson plant, building guitars as he had for years. Gee, why didn't I know THAT Mom?? (she is Jim's first cousin and is seen in some of the pics HFB/Ron W. took at the factory tour last year at the PSPII talking to him)

 

Since then, and over the last 15 years or so, I've gotten to know my cousin better and of course he knows how much I revere the products he and the others there make. Bravo Heritage, here's to another 25!

 

Can't wait to order another Heritage someday soon. Oh, and I still love my Fenders, esp. my Strat Plus. Never have had the desire to own a "G"

[eljay]

for me, on some guitar forum--i belong to several--sometime in the past year where someone referenced heritage as the successor organization to gibson in kalamazoo.

 

i've been intrigued for a while. finally scratching the itch with an h530 now on order. i'm trying hard to contain my little-boy excitement!

 

i can't help thinking that a 150 might be in my future, too, at some point.

 

eljay

[pushover]

My much more talented Uncle from Denver Col. put me on to them when he purchased one for himself. He regularly gigs and performs on the local scene there, but I'm not sure how he found out about Heritage himself. Up till then I'd been wondering if I would ever be worthy of a LP custom. Once I discovered and tried a Heritage it was no longer a matter of being worthy (which I probably never will be), since getting more for less made it a no-brainer..

[eljay]

Never have had the desire to own a "G"

a most reasonable point of view. i wuz a fenders-rule guy in the '70s. now, savoring the best of several builders, including G.

 

i just got a ric 360 and am entertaining the thought of getting a carvin (!) before i die. funny, i have zero desire for a prs!

 

regards, eljay

[tulk1]

Had known about Heritage for quite some time, being active in guitars and a Gibs fanboy when they moved out of Kalamazoo. But never played one. My nephew bought one on ebay and brought it to one of the family picnics. Seemed reasonable as a solid body to me. Then, when buying tubes at Doug's Tubes I noticed he had a 157 for sale. Price was good, so I had him ship it with the tubes. Even tho' I sold that 157, and last known residence was the UK, it started me on the long slide down the K'zoo trail. BTW, it was this one:

 

[chico]

Had known about Heritage for quite some time, being active in guitars and a Gibs fanboy when they moved out of Kalamazoo. But never played one. My nephew bought one on ebay and brought it to one of the family picnics. Seemed reasonable as a solid body to me. Then, when buying tubes at Doug's Tubes I noticed he had a 157 for sale. Price was good, so I had him ship it with the tubes. Even tho' I sold that 157, and last known residence was the UK, it started me on the long slide down the K'zoo trail. BTW, it was this one:

 

 

now THAT's one I'd regret having sold!

[Patrick]

About 16 years ago, my jazz instructer from NJ, Vinny Corrao, bought a Golden Eagle from a local music store. I had all Gibbys and fenders up until then. I saw the guitar, played it and decided I had to have one. I drove from NJ to Kalamazoo, worked with J P Moates on exactly what I wanted . . . and they delivered. I was hooked. I tried to talk Jim Duerloo out of some of his "private stock" . . but he wasn't selling. He told me about a guy who worked for Gibson for quite a while back in the 70s and 80s . . . said he had a Gibson Johnny Smith that he made for himsefly while working there. Said no one's hands touched the guitar but his . . . and it was now for sale. That's how I met Aaron Cowles. When I drove to his shop in Vicksburg MI on the way back to NJ. I saw a 17" American Eagle that he had just finished for a client. OUTRAGEOUS!! I ordered one on the spot. I got it 5 months later. One of the best sounding and playing arch tops I have ever owned. It's one of the prizes of my collection. Aaron's currently making me an 18". I should get it buy mid June. Buy the way . . . I'm still kicking myself in the butt for not buying his Johnny Smith . . . it was a very special guitar. It had developed a crack, which Aaron had repaired perfectly . . . but the crack turned me off to the guitar. Bone headed mistake!!!

[Millennium Maestro]

Never have had the desire to own a "G"

a most reasonable point of view. i wuz a fenders-rule guy in the '70s. now, savoring the best of several builders, including G.

 

i just got a ric 360 and am entertaining the thought of getting a carvin (!) before i die. funny, i have zero desire for a prs!

 

regards, eljay

I really really like the carvin neck profile... but they really lack something. Gibson is just way over priced... but there are alot of real sweet G's out there.

I am not a PRS fan either... I love how diverse this club is!!

[big bob]

Ok, um what? I thought this was the Gibson forum... I gotta get new glasses..

[smurph1]

I was raised in Michigan and in 1977 did a documentary of the Gibson guitar company for my film class..Needless to say I was upset to hear that they moved to Nashville, because I thought they were the greatest guitars in the world..(Especially the Les Pauls) I heard that it was a Union busting move.. Fast foreward to many years later, and a friend and I were in a small music shop in central Michigan, and the old man who owned the shop had all of his guitars hanging on the walls still wrapped in plastic..There were several Heritages there..The old guy told us the story about how some of the old Gibson workers stayed behind and kept making these handmade beauties, in Kalamazoo..I didn't have pot to p#ss in then, but the old guy made an impression on me..that was in the early 1990's.About a year and a half ago I was taking my Gibbon BFG in for repair (imagine that, A gibbon with something wrong with it!) and there on the wall was this beautiful sunburst Heritage..I played it through a Blues Junior, and was totally smitten!! I traded 2 amps, the BfG and some cash even up for what turned out to be an all original 85 H-140CM, and to this day I still think I got the better part of the deal!! It was $1100, but worth every penny..I've had nothing but compliments on how that thing sounds!! (and I really can't play that well)

[FredZepp]

I've always been mostly a Gibson player, but with some Fenders and Martins thrown in...

 

I saw an ad on the local Craigslist for a Heritage H-150. It had one pic that was rather dark and a bit fuzzy, but it looked like a decent tobacco finish LP style guitar. Then I did my research and was intrigued .

 

I met the guy in a parking lot and when he pulled out the guitar ...it was WOW. I remember telling him that this looks nothing like the pic and he was about to apologize when I explained that it was better than expected. I quickly announced that I would take it.

 

Little of the flame showed in his dark pic... but it was ... good, .... very good.

[TalismanRich]

I had played guitar until about 1981 or so. When I got married and had kids, I pretty much stuck it in the basement.

 

Back about 10 years ago, my son thought he wanted to try to play guitar after going to a couple of free concerts on the Louisville riverfront. He and I went down to see Steilberg's for a nice cheap guitar for him. Jimmy's been a Heritage dealer for years. That got me looking and playing guitar again. I decided to buy myself a guitar for my 50'th birthday present, I ordered a new Heritage 157 in Almond Sunburst.

 

Of course, I always wanted a red ES335 when I was a kid, so when a nice 535 came up on the 'bay, I grabbed that. Then Brent decided to let the Mille 2000LE go, so I've got #22, my third Heritage.

 

I've managed to hold off on buying any more since then. But someday....

[tbonesullivan]

i first heard about them back in college when looking for new guitars. I didn't know the story then though, and didn't have cash, so I kinda forgot about them. Then a fellow carvin addict picked one up, and I learned the whole story. It was still a few years after that though that I found a good H535 used on Ebay, which was my first heritage, and a great used H150CM at Wolfe's, my second. These won't be leaving my possession anytime soon.

[Hfan]

Had known about Heritage for quite some time, being active in guitars and a Gibs fanboy when they moved out of Kalamazoo. But never played one. My nephew bought one on ebay and brought it to one of the family picnics. Seemed reasonable as a solid body to me. Then, when buying tubes at Doug's Tubes I noticed he had a 157 for sale. Price was good, so I had him ship it with the tubes. Even tho' I sold that 157, and last known residence was the UK, it started me on the long slide down the K'zoo trail. BTW, it was this one:

 

 

Tulk, That was a beautiful 157. Did it have Schallers? I see it had the 1 on each side leveling screw set up. If they where Schallers do you recall if the bridge pickup had a bit of a tilt to it in relation to the strings? I'm in the middle of trying to figure out what kind of pup ring my new used 157 w Schallers should have, my bridge pup has a bit of a tilt downward towards the bridge (I posted today in Barry's thread), maybe it's normal. Actually does it even matter if there is a tilt? Is the entire pup surface active or only the screws area where the 6 screws are on top?

[herve]

nice forum idea

an Ad in a french guitar book with the gary moore model and as i told in "my heritage story" in this forum, one day i was in my local guitar shop and between a dozen of Les Paul G a beautiful and thiner was inside it was my H140 CM

[Hfan]

Tulk, That was a beautiful 157. Did it have Schallers? I see it had the 1 on each side leveling screw set up. If they where Schallers do you recall if the bridge pickup had a bit of a tilt to it in relation to the strings? I'm in the middle of trying to figure out what kind of pup ring my new used 157 w Schallers should have, my bridge pup has a bit of a tilt downward towards the bridge (I posted today in Barry's thread), maybe it's normal. Actually does it even matter if there is a tilt? Is the entire pup surface active or only the screws area where the 6 screws are on top?

 

 

Sorry guys, see I went off topic on that last one, won't let me edit it.

[slider313]

It was 1987 and I owned a '73 LP Deluxe with the "sandwich" body. It must have weighed 12+ pounds. I frequented a shop that would deal in just used guitars but had signed up to become a new Heritage dealer. I looked in the catalog and liked the idea of the LP shape with less mahogany on the back. What I wanted wasn't in the catalog. I told the owner I would love one of these but it would have to have a '59 style neck with block inly, a bound neck and headstock, MOP The Heritage logo and a killer flametop. He said it could be made to my liking and would take a few months. I traded in the LP Deluxe and custom ordered my H140. I have it to this day and I'll never, ever sell this one.

 

 

 

[111518]

I remember seeing the first ads in Guitar Player when Heritage opened, but that was also the time when I stopped playing or having much contact with the world of guitar. When I got a chance to begin to play again back in the mid 90s, I decided to sell a Super 400 that I'd owned for years, but rarely played, to fund re-equipping myself to gig. The original plan was that my friend who owns a shop in NC was going to sell the Super 400, then I was going to order a couple of Heritage guitars and that was going to be part of his initial order to become a dealer. So, I called the plant and had a long conversation about Super 400s and custom orders, my first experience with how different Heritage was than what Gibson had become. That plan ended up falling through; my friend decided not to follow through with the dealership, so I looked for and found a used Heritage archtop, a used 550, at Ithaca Guitar Works.

 

Here's a link to an earlier thread started by Slider in which a number of us wrote about our first Heritage.

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/i...?showtopic=3752

[hiro]

2001 . . . was looking to learn guitar, and began researching . . . I decided electric was the best, since everyone I knew used acoustic steel strings . ..

 

I was intending to get a Fender Telecaster, then someone on the forums clued me into G&L and how much better in quality they were. But then there was interesting about Gibson and the Les Paul (the acoustic I took lessons was a epiphone, and also a gibson) so . . .

 

Someone on the forums mentioned Gibson story was like Fenders (the originals / starters left / or weren't associated with company in name so the 2000 companies were just name only), and I looked it up (google wasn't around) via metasearch, infoseek, and spider search. Found the Kalamazoo story of Heritage.

 

So I was hooked. But the guitar thing didn't stick and few years later, when it did I got into classical guitar and didn't buy a Heritage until recently.