Is it just me?

[Jazzpunk]

or does Heritage make the best necks on the planet?! Seriously, there is some kind of mojo going on here!

 

I was always a slim neck kind of guy until I got my 575. It was the first beefy neck that I bonded with. Plenty of beef for tone but so easy to play!

 

Than along came my 525. At first I found it a little too chunky but now it fits like a well worn glove. Same goes with my new Groovemaster.

 

I still find beefier necks on other guitars to be challenging to play but for some reason, Heritage necks play like butter no matter how thick.

 

It's magic I tell ya'!

[golferwave]

I'm with ya JP. The necks on my Heritages are the standard carve and they seem to be just a little slimmer than a 59 neck. Fit my hand perfectly and comfortable to play!

[brentrocks]

Marv is the NECK MASTER

[big bob]

funny, I love the necks on all my heritages, except one to be mentioned later. But I also love the warmoth necks on my home builds, and the neck on my robin is so thin when I'm holding the neck I can touch my fingertip to my thumb.

I guess I love all my necks the only neck I just did not bond with was on my mili 2k ltd, it was just too narrow at the nut... My point is I guess I just don't understand wanting all your guitars to have the same neck profile. My 150 custom has a big beefy round back c shape with a 12" radius and a wide nut and I love it. My Robin tedley has a super silly stupid thin neck, with a u shape, a almost flat radius, huge frets, and I love it as well; not more or less, just different feel for different guitar..

[Kuz]

Brent is dead on. Marv, taught the fellow employees (and he still makes necks as well) about the secret "asymmetrical" neck.

 

It looks like a beefy neck, but the shoulder on the bass side is beefy with a gradual taper on the treble side.

 

Funny, he said that Guitar Player or Vintage Guitar was reviewing a Heritage guitar. They commented how comfortable the neck was and they attributed it to a happy accident "asymmetrical neck".

 

Marv said "It wasn't any freaking accident!"

[Steiner]

Ah! Is that the strap I wanted???

 

How did you get that SO FAST?!!!

 

Oops, no Hijack. I agree with you all. They are magical, different (even within Heritage brand) and Sir Lamb is the Neck Guru!!! Long live the creators!

[Jazzpunk]

Brent is dead on. Marv, taught the fellow employees (and he still makes necks as well) about the secret "asymmetrical" neck.

 

It looks like a beefy neck, but the shoulder on the bass side is beefy with a gradual taper on the treble side.

 

Funny, he said that Guitar Player or Vintage Guitar was reviewing a Heritage guitar. They commented how comfortable the neck was and they attributed it to a happy accident "asymmetrical neck".

 

Marv said "It wasn't any freaking accident!"

 

Haha! Great story.

[big bob]

Ah! Is that the strap I wanted???

 

How did you get that SO FAST?!!!

 

Oops, no Hijack. I agree with you all. They are magical, different (even within Heritage brand) and Sir Lamb is the Neck Guru!!! Long live the creators!

Yes it is... works great thanks Eric..

[brentrocks]

Yes it is... works great thanks Eric..

 

no strap locks...TISK, TISK

[big bob]

no strap locks...TISK, TISK

Strap just came today, and is used for exhibition purposes only. HHHAA

[erictheweasel]

I must concur. Even doing nothing more than playing scales, my 157 has the best neck ever!

[tulk1]

After the plant tour at PSPI, I had the chance to spend a bit of time with Marv. The question about neck profiles came up (of course). Marv goes, "So, did Ren give you the speech about finger boards and measuring your hand width and all that nonsense? Just tell me what you want and I'll do it." (paraphrased, of course ). He did mention that they had seen a trend towards slightly fatter necks than they had been doing in the later 90's to early 2ks, and they had beefed up their "regular" necks. When I ordered the Millie NFH I specifically asked that Marv carve the neck. On the Prospect Custom I asked for the same neck carve, but did not ask that Marv make it. They are nearly identical, given that they are handmade. So if Marv isn't doing the necks, he sure taught someone how to do them right!

[H]

Strap just came today...

That looks great! Where did you get it?

[yoslate]

Marv is an artist! The guy doing a lot of the necks now (I wish I could recall his name -- cool guy) told me a great story about when he first came to work at Heritage, maybe ten years ago. Marv was giving him the orientation tour. They came to that belt sander on which Marv gets the necks pretty close, before hand finishing. It's that sander with the free-running belt, maybe three-and-a-half or four feet long; somebody'll find a pic of it. So Marv asks this guy what kind of neck carve to do. Now, this guy had been a luthier, on his own, so he knew what was what. He gives Marv a description, and Marv freehands it, pretty close to dead on, after several passes with the neck blank. Marv says, "Try one...." so the guy introduces his blank to Mr. Sander, and he said, in about forty seconds, he'd pretty much reduced it to a toothpick. Marv says, "No, no...like this...." Nails another one in short order. Hands New Guy another blank, minute later...swizzle stick. New Guy said it took him years of "practice" before he could approach what Marv seemed to be able to do in his sleep.

[Gitfiddler]

The necks on my Heritage gits are all slightly different from one another...but all are great feeling.

 

The best one of all to me is my 535 Goldtop. The neck is chunky, yet with a taper near the headstock that is just perfect. It gives me goose bumps just running my hand up and down the back of the neck.

 

I know, I'm wierd, but that's the truth!

[tbonesullivan]

I gotta agree, they make some nice necks. The only neck that I have that I like better is the one on my Carvin CT6M, and that's partly because of the tung oil finish. The neck on my Am STD tele is also awesome.

 

The only neck I have some issues with now is my Hamer special, which is typical 90's thin. It's got '90s, and sounds awesome, but the neck.. *sigh*

[tulk1]

Marv is an artist! The guy doing a lot of the necks now (I wish I could recall his name -- cool guy) told me a great story about when he first came to work at Heritage, maybe ten years ago. Marv was giving him the orientation tour. They came to that belt sander on which Marv gets the necks pretty close, before hand finishing. It's that sander with the free-running belt, maybe three-and-a-half or four feet long; somebody'll find a pic of it. So Marv asks this guy what kind of neck carve to do. Now, this guy had been a luthier, on his own, so he knew what was what. He gives Marv a description, and Marv freehands it, pretty close to dead on, after several passes with the neck blank. Marv says, "Try one...." so the guy introduces his blank to Mr. Sander, and he said, in about forty seconds, he'd pretty much reduced it to a toothpick. Marv says, "No, no...like this...." Nails another one in short order. Hands New Guy another blank, minute later...swizzle stick. New Guy said it took him years of "practice" before he could approach what Marv seemed to be able to do in his sleep.

The new guy.

 

[yoslate]

That's him; thanks, Kenny! That cat was great to talk to.

[tulk1]

That's him; thanks, Kenny! That cat was great to talk to.

 

For the life of me I cannot remember his name. Bet Brently can. He was also in on the development and original distribution of Big Bends Nut Sauce. Pretty cool!

[barrymclark]

The 140 neck is just incredible! Very, very comfortable.

[smurph1]

Brent is dead on. Marv, taught the fellow employees (and he still makes necks as well) about the secret "asymmetrical" neck.

 

It looks like a beefy neck, but the shoulder on the bass side is beefy with a gradual taper on the treble side.

 

Funny, he said that Guitar Player or Vintage Guitar was reviewing a Heritage guitar. They commented how comfortable the neck was and they attributed it to a happy accident "asymmetrical neck".

 

Marv said "It wasn't any freaking accident!"

Gotta love that..

[big bob]

That looks great! Where did you get it?

Got it from a forum member, used there use to be a place that sold them but I think they are gone for good. Was called heritage axe-sessories or something that.

[GuitArtMan]

Not to rain on anyones parade, but in my case they make some of the most inconsitent necks on the planet - The Heritages I have owned:

535 Almond Burst - large D shape. Too broad of shoulders for me, made the neck feel wider than it was. Felt VERY WIDE up above the 7th fret or so.

535 Antique Natural - slim C shape. Nice shape, but slimmer than I like, even with my small hands.

Millenium Ltd. - Nice medium C. This was a great neck - loved it. Just didn't bond with the geetar for some reason.

535 Dark Almond Burst - Another nice medium C shape. Very nice neck.

535 Anitique Natural - Slim D shape. I swear this was wider than 1 11/16" at the nut, more like 1 23/32" or somesuch.

137 - Medium broad shouldered C or slim shoulderd D. Definitely more meat on the shoulders than the Millenium or Dark AB 535, but not as much as the AB 535.

All of mine have been symetrical. I have played, and like assymetrical necks, just haven't played a Heritage with one.

[Kuz]

Not to rain on anyones parade, but in my case they make some of the most inconsitent necks on the planet - The Heritages I have owned:

535 Almond Burst - large D shape. Too broad of shoulders for me, made the neck feel wider than it was. Felt VERY WIDE up above the 7th fret or so.

535 Antique Natural - slim C shape. Nice shape, but slimmer than I like, even with my small hands.

Millenium Ltd. - Nice medium C. This was a great neck - loved it. Just didn't bond with the geetar for some reason.

535 Dark Almond Burst - Another nice medium C shape. Very nice neck.

535 Anitique Natural - Slim D shape. I swear this was wider than 1 11/16" at the nut, more like 1 23/32" or somesuch.

137 - Medium broad shouldered C or slim shoulderd D. Definitely more meat on the shoulders than the Millenium or Dark AB 535, but not as much as the AB 535.

All of mine have been symetrical. I have played, and like assymetrical necks, just haven't played a Heritage with one.

 

I am not trying to be mean spirited, but unless you order a custom guitar with your specs, then they are going to be different.

 

Heritage will build the exact neck specs you want, other than that yes, they will vary.... and that is on purpose.

 

A dealer should be able to give you a generalization of C or D or Early 50s, Mid 50s, Early 60s, mid 60s, ect.

[GuitArtMan]

I am not trying to be mean spirited, but unless you order a custom guitar with your specs, then they are going to be different.

 

Heritage will build the exact neck specs you want, other than that yes, they will vary.... and that is on purpose.

 

A dealer should be able to give you a generalization of C or D or Early 50s, Mid 50s, Early 60s, mid 60s, ect.

Not to disagree with you but two of those were custom orders with necks to my specs: the Almond Burst 535 and the Millennium Ltd. Same specs, two different necks.