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Out of 6, 2 of mine had off-set center seams! One was off by over 1/2 of an inch. I had sent that guitar to Stephen Holst and he even commented on it. "Why would they make such an incredible instrument and get something so fundamentally wrong?" But in the case of my eagle, it's barely noticeable and sounds better than the L5/Wes I had about 7 years ago.
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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10-25-2024 03:47 PM
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A 1/2” is a lot! Originally Posted by jzucker
Can’t wait to hear it Jack! Play and enjoy it!
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It's hard not to play it. It might be the best sounding guitar I've ever owned. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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That's AWESOME to hear! You've had a zillion guitars, it seems. So cool that you landed on this one serendipitously! Originally Posted by jzucker
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Wow, Jack, that's quite a compliment considering how many fine archtops you've laid hands on over the years! Originally Posted by jzucker
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May I ask what strings you have on her? Originally Posted by jzucker
This thread reminded me. Years ago in Anchorage when Down Home Guitar was still on Spenard Road they had a guitar in there with the dots on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th frets. No one could play it . . .
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Hmmm… let’s see. But to tell you the truth, I’d settle for Jack’s Eagle! Originally Posted by jim777
That blue Super Eagle, damn!! Any more pics of her?
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Thanks
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Thomastik JS112 Originally Posted by Betz
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For what? Originally Posted by jim777
Thanks
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I think he was thanking 2bornot2bop for the pics of the blue Super Eagle. Originally Posted by jzucker
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Yes, this exactly Originally Posted by GuitarJay
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Back in those days Heritage was pretty informal. I worked nearby the factory and stopped by to show them one-off instruments I got from time to time. Usually a few of the builders would look at the guitars and tell the back stories on the build. As I recall, the day in question I brought in a Florentine cutaway 16" hollowbody with beautiful spruce and highly figured maple. The inlays and bindings were that of a Super Eagle. It was built for a Nashville artist, but I don't recall whom. Originally Posted by wintermoon
You really brought a guitar back to the factory because of f hole buffing compound?
I guess that was the week after you threw the rags out
Three of the original Heritage guys, two owners and Ren Wall, looked at the instrument and shared their comments on wood sourcing and the neck carve. In this case they had the artist photocopy his hand and send the print to them. The artist specified the feel of the neck he wanted, like a C-D with little taper. He also wanted a grommet, which they had to find in the factory to complete the build. Marv Lamb did the neck. During that brief conversation I asked about the residual buffing compound because it seemed to me that a lot of attention was invested in the guitar yet they released it without cleaning the f holes. Bill Paige took it away and returned with clean f holes.
This is just a story of the informality of the factory then. Now the production area is essentially sealed off from visitors except in more formal tours. OSHA standards are in full force. Things are much more orderly.
A friend of mine is in charge of repairs there and is in design. He is a gifted luthier who embraces precision technology. The folksy airs of the old Heritage are now modernized. I have not visited the factory in years. If I did I would probably not get past the receptionist.
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How would you guys compare the tone and neck profile of a standard Eagle Classic compared to an L-5 ?
The reason I ask is I could get one right now for dirt cheap.
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The secret of its greatness is the custom back plates. It's a level beyond tap tuning called plate shifting. Originally Posted by jzucker
That's my theory at least.
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The L5 tone has more girth. The Eagle classic is in the same tonal ballpark but not quite as fat. It's a thinner body and the arch is not as convex as the L5's arch. Otherwise, I've found them pretty similar. The Eagle has a bit more of a focused tone while the L5 is a bit more tubby. For things like solo guitar, I think the L5 ultimately sounds better but on a gig, I like the Eagle's tone a little better because the reduced tubbyness contributes to a better group tone IMO, particularly if you play with electric bass. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
For me -- being 5'7" -- the L5 is just too big so even if I wanted one -- which I do, lol -- I'm not going to get one again.
Neck carve is hard to judge because both manufacturers have varied their necks a lot. But generalizing, I would say that heritage has a thin taper D profile whereas the l5 is a broader C profile. However, my eagle is closer to a C than D and has a fatter neck than any of the previous heritage archtops I've owned. Also, some of the '70s Gibson L5s have the thinner taper profile. I kind of wonder if the Heritage guys were involved in that design and carried it over?
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Thank you Jack.
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V, there aren’t many cheap Heritage arch tops anymore. If you’ve got access to a great buy, if it were me I’d be all over it. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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