Questions about H550

[jblues]

I just bought a '92 H-550, have a few questions:

 

- The upper bouts have clear arching...feel almost like braces thru the top. Is that normal in all H550s?

- My guitar has one piece neck. When Heritage changed from one-piece on this model? Anyone know if the neck is maple or mahogany? How to tell the difference?

- What would be the best way to tie a "loose" cable inside the body?

- I believe the pickups are Schallers (4 adjustment screws). What is the verdict on those? I know Heritage now offers Duncan Seth Lovers in this guitar. Does anyone know why and when Heritage moved away from Shallers to Seth Lovers?

- Does Heritage offer models with upgrades? If so how to tell if my guitar has any upgrades?

- What might have been the price of my guitar in 1992 when purchased new?

- My guitar came with a black case with wine red interior with no markings whatsoever. How to tell if this case is original?

 

Thanks, in advance!

 

Photo:

 

[barrymclark]

I can answer a few of your questions:

 

Maple neck

 

Schallers are quality pickups. Trust your ears. If you want to try something else, go with that. If the ones in there make you happy, keep them.

 

EVERY model of Heritage is subject to custom modifications.

[111518]

I just bought a '92 H-550, have a few questions:

 

- The upper bouts have clear arching...feel almost like braces thru the top. Is that normal in all H550s?

- My guitar has one piece neck. When Heritage changed from one-piece on this model? Anyone know if the neck is maple or mahogany? How to tell the difference?

- What would be the best way to tie a "loose" cable inside the body?

- I believe the pickups are Schallers (4 adjustment screws). What is the verdict on those? I know Heritage now offers Duncan Seth Lovers in this guitar. Does anyone know why and when Heritage moved away from Shallers to Seth Lovers?

- Does Heritage offer models with upgrades? If so how to tell if my guitar has any upgrades?

- What might have been the price of my guitar in 1992 when purchased new?

- My guitar came with a black case with wine red interior with no markings whatsoever. How to tell if this case is original?

 

Thanks, in advance!

 

Photo:

 

 

Barry posted while I was typing, but I'll post despite some duplication ...

 

Beautiful guitar.

I should be grading exams, but here's a fun distraction. As a 550 owner, I can answer a few of these questions:

1. The "humps" on the upper bouts are a little ... unique. My hypothesis is that Heritage uses the same top press for the laminated 550 as they use for the 535 and 555. A contour that is expected on a semi seems a little strange on a full bodied guitar, and overall the top has less arch than say a 175 or a 350. But, you'll get use to it.

--the 550 is parallel braced, with additional runners in the lower section of the body under the bridge anchors. So, the humps have nothing to do with the bracing.

2. Most 550's have one-piece maple necks. Should be able to tell by the grain. Mahogany is going to be courser grained, and grain lines will run up and down the neck. Maple will show flame/character lines across the neck.

3. I'm a fan of tie-wraps, but might not be easy.

4. You'll find different responses to pickups here. I think Schallers are well-suited to a guitar like a 550 --med. output quality buckers. I have 'um in my 550 and have no plans to change. Other's would rather invest in pickups with names that suggest the heyday of American guitar making/playing ... like Seth Lovers, or 59ers, or Fillmores, or etc. Matter of taste ... but I wouldn't consider the Schallers trash just cause they haven't had the Madison Ave. treatment.

5. Heritage makes many custom guitars. From the pic, your 550 looks pretty stock. Mine has gold hardware and "custom" engraved in the headstock inlay. We've seen 550s with various necks, pickups, tailpieces, etc.

6. I think there are some old catalogs and price lists posted here on the board. You might try a search.

7. I'm responding in part because you are the only person to mention a red-lined case for a 550 --I think mine and yours might be of similar vintage. My case is red lined, and has a label on the exterior identifying it as made by the Harptone Case Co. of Brooklyn NY. Most of the newer Heritage cases have "Heritage" in gold and are made in Canada.

 

--hope that helps. Welcome to the board.

[FredZepp]

From the 1989 Catalog...

[jblues]

Very good info gents, mucho appreciated! I'll search here every post that talks about 550 to learn more.

 

I had a chance to play the guitar now at a higher volume and it sounds like the neck pickup may be microphonic. It squeals at high frequency. When tapping it the high string side sounds hollower and more sensitive to squeal than the lower string side. I suspect the Schallers are wax potted, maybe this one was not done that well though. I have a Seth Lover neck and Antique bridge pickup that I could put in the Heritage if I cannot get rid of the microphonics.

 

I double checked the case and it really does not have any labels or markings anywhere. A photo below.

 

Thanks again!!

 

[jblues]

BTW the headstock inlay reads "CUSTOM'...does it mean that something in this guitar is not "stock"?

[barrymclark]

All the ones i have ever seen have that

[nachogrande]

Looks pretty nice lady there. Barry is puttin' a lot of data to my desicion at the moment about having a hollow body Heritage.

[jblues]

All the ones i have ever seen have that

 

10-4.

[barrymclark]

Looks pretty nice lady there. Barry is puttin' a lot of data to my desicion at the moment about having a hollow body Heritage.

Hollows are a lot fun. You can't go wrong with a Heritage.

[Gitfiddler]

Very good info gents, mucho appreciated! I'll search here every post that talks about 550 to learn more.

 

I had a chance to play the guitar now at a higher volume and it sounds like the neck pickup may be microphonic. It squeals at high frequency. When tapping it the high string side sounds hollower and more sensitive to squeal than the lower string side. I suspect the Schallers are wax potted, maybe this one was not done that well though. I have a Seth Lover neck and Antique bridge pickup that I could put in the Heritage if I cannot get rid of the microphonics.

 

I double checked the case and it really does not have any labels or markings anywhere. A photo below.

 

Thanks again!!

 

 

 

Your case interior appears to be identical to the one that came with my 550, except that mine has the Heritage script on it. Same color, latches, fiber and interior box.

Who knows for sure why there is no name on the outside of yours. Maybe it was removed or it never had it. The most important thing is that it provides proper protection for your 550's 17" body.

 

As for pickups, Schallers are wax potted and not typically known to squeal. However, Seths are not potted and are very prone to squeal at higher volumes. That is something to be aware of before fishing out your current p'ups. My Schallers sound fantastic in my 550, but admittedly, I've not cranked up the volume or used overdrive on her...yet. I can only imagine what it would be like for that big body to start vibrating, howling with feedback and smoke coming out of the F-holes!

 

Come to think of it, I might enjoy that!!

 

Try lowering your neck pickup as low into the surround as possible. Then adjust the treble p'up so they are tonally balanced. I find that these pickups sound warmer when the magnets are farther away from the strings. Like HRW's, they have a sweet spot in archtops once adjusted for the specific instrument. You have a laminated top, not as prone to vibrate and feedback as easily as a solid wood archtop, but the pickup and screw adjustments will still have a major impact on your tone, especially since you play live...and with a bit more volume.

 

Hope that helps, and let us know what you find out after making a few simple (and free) adjustments.

 

Tim

[GrandpaLarry]

I don't have an H550, but my 2005 H535 came with a case that looks identical to yours; no "heritage" stenciled on it.

 

My 535 also has Schaller PuPs, and I like them a lot. To my ears they sound extremely smooth. If you play jazz you should be very pleased with the sound. I would characterize it as a "Cool, Downtown" sound.

 

One summer night in New York City, 1965, I listened to Charlie Mingus, Herbie Mann, and Dizzie, one after another at The Village Gate. Had I sounded that cool, I could have jumped on the bandstand and played with those cats.

 

Well... maybe if I had some real chops I could have. You get the idea.

 

By the way, that is one lovely axe. Congrats.

[jblues]

Thanks for the additional compliments gents, one reason why I bought this particular guitar was its looks

 

OK re case.

 

I was working on the neck PUP, it squeals with a clean amp and when strings muted too. Happened with my cranked silverface Vibro Champ as well. It is not regular feedback (when the whole guitar vibrates). It definitively is a microphonic pickup. Lowering it did not help. What helped but just little was lowering the pole piece screws by one turn and adjusting the pickup into a slight angle, neck side higher than the bridge side. I am assuming the latter forces the PUP to a physical contact with the pickup ring that may suppress the microphonic vibration some. Negative result from this can be it may lose some of tonal richness. I'll adjust it more to see if I can get it better.

 

Yeah, Seth Lovers are not wax-potted, they may be built somehow sturdier to minimize microphonics though. I have a set in my semihollow and never had problems. I also have a set of Gibson Burstbucker I & II (non wax potted as well) in my Epi SG, they could be an option in the Heritage too. Or 57 Classics from my Epi Joe Pass (I'll put GFS Mean 90s in the Joe Pass). I need to think what would be the best move on the Heritage. I have not given up with the Schallers yet, I have had the guitar less than 24 hours