Your Heritage Guitar Discovery

[DC Ron]

I used to "vacation" at the guitars shows (remember those?) in the Southeast. Tampa. Atlanta. Orlando. Jacksonville. Jay Wolfe was always displaying his Heritages ("no plywood here!") but he always brought out a bunch of his trade ins as well. After over the course of the year I had bought a 1980 Howard Roberts Fusion, a 1969 Reverberocket, a 1953 Zephyr Deluxe Regent and a Guild classical, all from Jay, I started thinking...why are all these folks trading in their great guitars? With this in mind...went to the Tampa show in 1993 and Jay had this brand new, insanely quilted OSB Golden Eagle sitting next to a Kalamazoo Award. That GE was the coolest thing at the show. Had to buy it and did. The beauty and playability of Heritage guitars stuck with me long after I sold the guitar in a fit of madness. I am somewhat consoled that it's now in Gitfiddler's very good hands.

[smurph1]

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.

that's a Beaut, by the way..

[tulk1]

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.

 

Oh, the shame!!! .............. going off topic. Hf, I am admitedly one of the worst offenders for doing that. Open game, as far as I'm concerned.

 

That was indeed a beautiful guitar. It was an H157 Classic with SD59s for pickups. Just a stunning top, mauve colored back .. totally faboo. At 10lbs+ it was putting me back into the old LPC territory, so it had to go. On the pickups, don't know if it had a tilt or not. Not sure the tilt would ever make a difference. Biggest impact is that it got me solidly into Heritage guitars. And for that, it was perfect.

[Gitfiddler]

My Heritage discovery came back in 1997 from a good friend named Rob Diamond. Man, he could play! Anyway, Rob gave me the Heritage history lesson and mentioned that he was looking to buy one. He knew that I was lusting in my heart for an archtop and sold me his Gibson ES165 for a steal of a deal...after he found a Heritage Academy Custom at the NAMM show. I was so glad to finally score a decent archtop, that it took me a while to realize Rob's Heritage was a much better guitar than the Gibson he sold me! What are friends for!

 

About that time, I started following Rob to the local Heritage dealer (Blue Note Music, Berkeley, Calif) and played a few of their amazing Golden Eagles and 575's. Man, they were SO much better than any Gibson I had ever played.

 

From that day forward I started checking Ebay for Heritage archtops, until I finally found a beautiful ASB Sweet 16. That poor 165 never had a chance after that. I sold it soon after 'Sweetie' arrived. I've been hooked on Heritage ever since.

 

 

[peteraltongreen]

Hi Ray.

How did I discover Heritage ? Well,I started playing guitar in 1957.I was lucky.I was in England during the '60's and saw & worked with everyone who was important at that time.In England,during the '50's,we were not able to buy American guitars,as we owed the U.S. so much money in lieu of war equipment.We only saw pictures of American guitars in the press,hardly ever on T.V.,or on album covers.I often bought an album just for the guitar photo on the front !The only U.S.guitars we saw were brought into the country by sailors or servicemen.Of course,you always want what you can't have.Finding info on guitars was difficult too.Very few catalogues,only available in London,200 miles from where I lived in a non expressway country. Eventually,I obtained a '59 Les Paul Junior,about 1962.My love affair with Kalamazoo had started.Around 1965,my interest in jazz took over from pop.I was living,briefly in London,and was able to check out the shops,and better still,see the players,including Wes Montgomery,who played Ronnie Scott's jazz club in March of that year.My first view of a live L5 ! As things progressed,my U.S.Gibsons & Epiphones started to mount up,all Kalamazoo made.So,in the early'80's,I decided,

I'd like a custom shop Gibson.I came up with this idea.I wanted the body of an ES140 T,with the centre block of a 335,stop bar & tuneomatic, 24 3/4" scale,and various inlays.Parallelograms on the fingerboard,L5 torch on the headstock.I had pals in the retail business,& the local U.K. Gibson rep.was also a friend.I put it by them,and the cost was going to be astronomical,if they could, or would do it.So 1986 arrives & I get a phone call from my local guitar store to take a look at a new 'Heritage' that was just in.There it was,my C140CM.Yes,solid,not so fancy,but a corker,with it's tiger top etc,and it was much lighter than a Les Paul,and a fraction of the cost of my special order plan.Loved it,bought it,still got it.You can see it in my HOC gallery.I bought a 575 in1988.Want more,but I don't have a job for a new one....yet !

[Steiner]

For years I frequented the guitar shows around here and a few out of state. I kept running into this "The Heritage" brand. Sweet looking, felt and sounded great but were selling for top dollar. Alas, I traveled life with the lesser expensive Gs. I bought an L4-CES (my first electric) and continued Jonesing for an L5. When I finally decided to buy an L5, I kept running into this Golden Eagle model for less than 1/2 of the L5's price. Well, to tell an old family secret, my Grandmother was Dutch. Hello to the Golden Eagle! These things are like potato chips; I just can't get enough!

 

It's a wonderful life!

[GuitArtMan]

I think I was aware of them back in the late '80s/early '90s but didn't play my first one until the mid to late '90s. I was looking for a 335, and didn't like the Gword reissues I had played. A local shop owner had one and I got as chance to play it and fell in love. I've been hooked ever since and the 535 is till my favorite Heritage.

[Kuz]

About 6 years ago I went back into a store in Dayton that was a big high-end Fender dealer. I hadn't been in there for years.

 

I saw what I thought was some good looking "G-brand knock offs".

 

The owner told me the whole story and I walked away with a 555. I played/compared it to my be-loved '65 335. To my amazement it sounded equally as well, had better frets, and stayed in tune. I sold my '65 335 for $10K and used it for my Heritage collection today.

 

The rest is History, and I will never sell my Heritages. They are like my children and are all VERY special to me.

[MuDBoNe]

My story...After owning a 1995 LP Studio, I started reading about Les Pauls. I discovered the marketing of Gibson and the fact they are building guitars differently than how the originals were. After searching for a source for an original style guitar (no weight relief or chambering) I came across Heritage. I sold the Les Paul very quickly after finding out about these beauties.

[High Flying Bird]

...... 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)

 

I love this story Chico. I knew I had to get that shot. By the way, who is the kid with the cheap lens?

 

[High Flying Bird]

It was in 1989. I walked into Mr. Walker's shop to look around. I was a young man then and Walker knew how to handle me. He pulled me and a buddy aside and, under his breath, told us the Heritage story. WOW! "Here in a few months we will be able to order them straight from the factory." About 9 months later I saw a photo of Jeff Beck with a black Les Paul with cream trim in the Guitar Handbook. I gave Mr. Walker a call.

 

"Well Ron it will probably take about 2 months to get it here but they can build it." "OK. I'll be there at Lunch time with the money." Around 4:00pm Mr. Walker called me back. "Ron, I don't believe this but they have the one you want in stock. It will be here Monday." I couldn't believe my ears. Then he said.... "They claim that they made two of these for Roy Clark and he chose the other one." That I didn't believe until a few months later when a friend called and told me to turn the TV to Hee Haw. There was Roy Clark with a Heritage 150 just like mine.

 

Then there was the time Walker sold me a 445. He wouldn't let me leave until I had bought it. Steiner has it now. It is a Jewel. I have also owned 3 535s, another 150 and the 475. I currently have 2 535s and the 475.

 

Mr. Walker is one of my best friends. He and his wife came to my wedding. I couldn't believe he wasn't carrying a Heritage in his trunk to sell me when I was at a disadvantage. He is a very old man now. I make sure he gets my Heritage photos. He is like family.

[mark555]

Living in Yorkshire, England, the dealer where I got my first Gibson from was JSG Music in the town of Bingley. It was a shop that was known locally for good guitars at good prices, heavily into retailing Gibson and Fender. In the late seventiesl long before e bay came on the scene you could always see a good selection of used guitars there, which was ideal for younger players with less money like myself. Anyway, it was at this store where I first became aware of the Heritage brand when they were first made in the eighties. A Gibson style guitar that was better made for less money by the guys who made the Gibsons I was desperate to own seemed like a common sense deal to me. However, one problem, no money.

 

Soon after, Heritage disapeared off the scene in England, the G brand was strong and over here the four main guitars that sold were the SG, Les Paul, Strat and Tele. With a 335 into the mix, it was hard for Heritage to get a hold in the market here in the UK. I think I saw about three Heritge guitars in about ten years, but my interest had been set and I was always looking out for one.

 

Over the course of a few years I had got to know another member of the HOC, Peteraltongreen, and one day I asked him what he thought about Heritage, and his answer was that he had two of them. Knowing now that Peter has exquisite taste in guitars,really endorsed what I had already been thinking, that I should seriously look at Heritage. However, they were not available in the UK. in the autumn of (I think) 2005 I was in a guitar shop in Leeds which did not as a rule sell used guitars, but on the wall hung a natural finish used Heritage 555. Over three or four months it stayed there, with me keeping an eye on it.No one seemed to want it, perhaps not really knowing just what it was, the guys spending money seemed to want PRS and Gibson. So, on new years eve, I phoned Peter for a chat, told him what I'd seen and basically, he said two words "Buy It". I phoned the store, told them I wanted a deal, got them to reduce it by a further 15% and walked out of the store with it. I sold a Les Paul junior special to fund the purchase, and to this day I have no regretts what so ever.

[barrymclark]

I first became really aware of what Heritage was in the mid 90's. I was working at a Mom and Pop shop that sold Gibsons and a Heritage was in there used. I remember thinking it was another Gibson clone but the make was too fine for it to be a cheap knock off. I then thought maybe it was a brand within the Gibson family since it was made in Kalamazoo (this was my first store and I still had a lot to learn... still do ).

 

The manager of the shop filled me in on the story. I did think it was a cool story but my interest in them would have to grow slowly over several years.

 

By the time I worked my last music store, I had become a supporter of Heritage. Much of that was my frustration with G's quality issues. When someone came in prepared to spend Gibbon money, they had a hard time finding one that didn't have something wrong with it and I don't mean the playability issues that can be tweaked out. I mean corkscrew necks and roller coasters. Noisy electronics and chipping paint RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. Sure, every brand has this, but this was becoming the rule and not the exception. After awhile, I just tried to sell people Epiphones. They seemed to be made better and they saved a ton of money. But when someone comes in looking for something, they tend not to want to leave with something else or a cheaper made version.

 

We would occassionally get a Heritage in used and they would sell almost as fast as they came in. In retrospect, I should have bought some of those but I just wasn't in a Gibby/Heritage frame of mind at the time.

 

As soon as I left my last music store, I did start to want one but money was an issue. After years of telling people to imagine your favorite Gibson and then imagine it made well, I was starting to take my own advice.

 

Fast forward to January 2007. My first marriage over and a budding relationship starting with my now wife, she quickly noticed I liked to play guitar. She the said her great uncle makes guitars. I said, "cool!" She then asked if I had ever heard of Heritage guitars.

 

I admit I was waiting for a laugh or something but, no, she was serious. Her great uncle is Marvin Lamb. She told me the story about how Marvin came by her house when she was little (this was 1985) and dropped off a 140 to her father. That Christmas met her family for the first time and I got to play that very 140. That did it for me. I had to have a Heritage.

 

I went home and looked at the guitars I didn't really mess with anymore and put them up for sale.

 

They sold and that got me about $950 but I was looking at still needing a couple hundred more before I could seriously look.

 

A fella came on here in March of 2008 by the name of Michael James and he had three for sale. One of which was a triple humbucker 140 in transparent blue. He had it up for a good price previously but when I came back on the page, he lowered it to about $800. I instantly threw my hat into the ring and that week was the longest wait I have ever had for a guitar.

 

It arrived at my work and I was just beside myself. Still am.

[pro-fusion]

I think I was aware of them back in the late '80s/early '90s but didn't play my first one until the mid to late '90s.

 

That's pretty much my story, too. I remember playing a 140 and a goldtop 150 at a local used guitar store in the mid '90s, but those weren't what I was into at the time. But I already knew basically who Heritage was even back then, even though I didn't know about Gibson's move to Nashville and have never even been to Michigan.

 

I've always been a Les Paul Custom fan, and when I decided to finally get one again after many years I discovered that the asking prices on the old Norlins I grew up with had gotten silly in the last few years ($2,500+ for beat-up guitars). I decided to take the plunge on Heritage and got my 157. I was absolutely blown away from the first moment I took it out of the case.

 

The funny thing is, I've had the chance to play it one-on-one with several Norlin-era LPCs, and my 157 has blown all of them away, including ones that would generally be considered the best of the bunch from that era. It's a big, bad heavy monster of a rock guitar. It's not just me, either. My friends who have tried the 157 against LPCs are all completely impressed by it.

[crocane]

I grew up in Jupiter, Florida (although I now live in Stuart which is just North of Jupiter). A few months ago I was messing around on the internet and ran into the Wolfe Guitars website. I never knew it existed (it is in a pretty inconspicous spot that you have to know about to find). I stopped by and was immediately struck by the numder of guitars Jay has and the quality of the guitars...especially the Heritage guitars. I had never heard of Heritage but was always interested in picking up a Gibson ES355. Once I saw the quality and price of the Heritage guitars compaired to the Gibsons it was pretty easy to forget about the gibsons.

 

I still have not purchased a Heritage yet but hopefully I will be in a position to do so soon. I really want a 535. Actually, I sold a spare amp yesterday to partially fund paying for a Heritage 535.

 

ps....I have been coming to this site for the last couple of months but this is my first post. I really enjoy the forum.

[skydog52]

I first discovered Heritage after seeing a feature article done by Eric Smith on channel 7 in

the Detroit market. It was a very well done feature piece on the fellows at Heritage.

Shortly after that I ordered a H-555 Cherryburst from Elderly instruments. That was 1989 and

I have enjoyed playing their instruments ever since. I still own 4 Heritages and love all of them.

 

I have owned around 20 guitars of various makes and Heritage by far outshines them all in

quality and tone especially. They just flat out sound good. I plan on buying more when the

economy turns around. My goal is to own every model.

[golferwave]

I grew up in Jupiter, Florida (although I now live in Stuart which is just North of Jupiter). A few months ago I was messing around on the internet and ran into the Wolfe Guitars website. I never knew it existed (it is in a pretty inconspicous spot that you have to know about to find). I stopped by and was immediately struck by the numder of guitars Jay has and the quality of the guitars...especially the Heritage guitars. I had never heard of Heritage but was always interested in picking up a Gibson ES355. Once I saw the quality and price of the Heritage guitars compaired to the Gibsons it was pretty easy to forget about the gibsons.

 

I still have not purchased a Heritage yet but hopefully I will be in a position to do so soon. I really want a 535. Actually, I sold a spare amp yesterday to partially fund paying for a Heritage 535.

 

ps....I have been coming to this site for the last couple of months but this is my first post. I really enjoy the forum.

 

 

 

Welcome to the HOC! Be sure to let us know when you get your first one (The first will lead to many more, and we're a bunch of enablers here)

[Thundersteel]

I was a die-hard Gibby fan. I knew there were other makers out there, but I had fallen for the "Only a Gibby is good enough" hype.

 

Ironically, I first heard about Heritage while I was a member of the LP Forum. I began some research, and decided to try one. I bought an H150 off ebay, and it sounded spectacular!

 

I knew I had to have more. I wanted a new one, so I sold the H150, and have bought & sold several more to try to cure my addiction. The only Heritage I have now is my H150CM w/Lollar P90s, and it ain't going anywhere!

 

Thanks to the people on this forum, I have also discovered G&L and Hamer; though this is, by far, the friendliest forum I belong to.

[ledzef]

My friend Dan was working for Midwest Music Exchange in Chicago where the big companies would send repairs to if it didn't have to be sent back to the factory. When Gibson announced that they were shutting down the K'zoo plant he was bummed saying the better Gibsons were coming out of K'zoo not Nashville. Than he heard that a few luthiers were staying behind in K'zoo to start a new company called Heritage he got a early example of a H-150 and said that these were the real deal. A small guitar store in Illlinois got onboard in '86 as a Heritage dealer and the guitars they had were really cool I just couldn't afford them. Fast forward to 2005 and Ed Roman was closing out his Heritage line and I remembered about those early Heritages I saw and said "what the hell?" I saw my Blues Deluxe hanging on the wall looked like a 335 with the dots and no VIP system and I asked a salesman to play it. I think I played 3 chords unplugged and knew this was the guitar for me. My now wife bought it as a engagment present and I love and cherish my guitar to this day. I'm hoping to pass it on to my unborn son Alex and I hope he'll cherish it as I do! BTW only 3 months to go the home stretch. Sorry to get off the subject.

[FredZepp]

My friend Dan was working for Midwest Music Exchange in Chicago where the big companies would send repairs to if it didn't have to be sent back to the factory. When Gibson announced that they were shutting down the K'zoo plant he was bummed saying the better Gibsons were coming out of K'zoo not Nashville. Than he heard that a few luthiers were staying behind in K'zoo to start a new company called Heritage he got a early example of a H-150 and said that these were the real deal. A small guitar store in Illlinois got onboard in '86 as a Heritage dealer and the guitars they had were really cool I just couldn't afford them. Fast forward to 2005 and Ed Roman was closing out his Heritage line and I remembered about those early Heritages I saw and said "what the hell?" I saw my Blues Deluxe hanging on the wall looked like a 335 with the dots and no VIP system and I asked a salesman to play it. I think I played 3 chords unplugged and knew this was the guitar for me. My now wife bought it as a engagment present and I love and cherish my guitar to this day. I'm hoping to pass it on to my unborn son Alex and I hope he'll cherish it as I do! BTW only 3 months to go the home stretch. Sorry to get off the subject.

Cool Story.

and Three months... July, yeah.

 

a magical three months, congrats again.

[crocane]

Welcome to the HOC! Be sure to let us know when you get your first one (The first will lead to many more, and we're a bunch of enablers here)

 

Thanks. I am afraid it might become an addiction particularly since I pass by Wolfe Guiars almost weekly.

[barrymclark]

Thanks. I am afraid it might become an addiction particularly since I pass by Wolfe Guiars almost weekly.

Now THAT's terrible.

 

 

Just not fair. How can anyone expect you to not take out a second mortgage to get more Heritages?

[SouthpawGuy]

Thanks. I am afraid it might become an addiction particularly since I pass by Wolfe Guiars almost weekly.

 

Resistance is futile. You are pleasantly doomed !

[je00143]

Like many, I have always been a _Brand G player. That changed forever in mid- 1998. I was driving down Main Street in Walnut Creek, CA when I took a quick peek at the window of a used guitar shop (Black Market Music, now deceased) and they had a gorgeous blonde Heritage in the window. I went, "Whoa!!," found a parking meter, went in, looked at it, and played it. I had no idea what it was. I know now that it was a Golden Eagle. I found a dealer in Berkeley, CA - Blue Note Music - and he had maybe six 575s for me to try. I ended up with the one I have now, OSC in color, gold everything, HRWs, and an engraved truss rod cover.

 

Up to now, I have held my GAS problem in check. That is, until I saw the two-tone almond/clear 575 featured a couple of months ago in this blog, the one that Ren was holding. I want one. More to the point, I want THAT one!!

 

Thank you for letting me share.

[rjsanders]

long-time gibby LP & EC fan here. i stopped by C.B. Perkins in San Jose looking for strings (Pyramid or Thomastik) about 10 years ago & saw the Heritages for the first time. later wandered up to Berkeley & stopped by Blue Note and they had a bunch (lotta archtops, semis). got to talking to James, the owner, and ordered one of the first Millenniums (millennii?) - a black beauty type w/custom truss rod cover & Seths. great guitar, Summer of '00. it had a prob, but Bill Chapin fixed it. later sold it during a lay-off & wish like heck i could locate it & get it back ("#028", if anyone runs across it).

 

called Heritage Nov '00, talked to Jim Deurloo to suggest a double-cut version of it & he said he was holding a prototype of it as we spoke. called Wolfe some months after NAMM to price the DCs and he said he had 2 in stock. yeah, but i want a black beauty kind of one. he's got it. yeah, but i want them newfangled HRWs. he's holding it in his hands. and it's the NAMM guit & first of its kind w/letter of authentication to be had by Bill Paige. try it on 48hr approval. it took 48 secs.

 

so, it went.

 

later on got the 157 goldie (Lollar P90s) and 137 (same Lollars + Pigtail intonatable wrap) from CB Perkins. others from e-bay (445, HB-1). the goldie is Tim Volpicella's all-time favorite non-Chapin. the 137 is the Perkinses all-time favorite solidbody.

 

love them guits