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Well I think set up perfectly is to personal to be attainable. The key is can it be set up perfectly without fret work? This is where many fall flat.
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
I don’t know many here that expect any new guitar to be “set up perfectly out of the box.” It’s a guitar, and being a guitar it’s expected to be fiddled with. And even if it’s so called “perfect”, it won’t remain that way, for it’s a guitar.
Aren’t there luthiers in Italy?
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10-30-2024 02:34 PM
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Just my opinion, but the Heritage will hold the value a little better, plus the quality of build is a bit better.
Cheers,
Arnie...
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Between the 575 and the eagle I see that the fretboards are different, the 575 looks like a classical guitar, the eagle has the edges of another white material. Does all this have a meaning? Is it just aesthetics? Originally Posted by Rickco
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Aesthetics. You don't see this in the classical world, but often with archtops more expensive models come with more ornate binding, inlay, etc...but this isn't a hard rule-theres plenty of high end guitars with a simple, stripped down look and plenty of cheapies covered in bling... Originally Posted by Karlos
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Yep, back in the old days, a lot of bling on the guitar was seen as being luxurious and high-end. Big mother of pearl and/or abalone inlays, decirative inlays on the headstock, many layers of alternating black-and-white binding, etc. A luthier named Jimmy D'Aquisto, towards the end of his life, started making guitars with minimal decoration and that aesthetic has become more prominent: fingerboards without any inlay, reduced binding on the bodies, fewer inlays on the headstock, no binding around the soundholes, etc. The Sadowsky Jim Hall model exemplifies this and does look, as Karlos said, like a classical guitar. I happen to like that minimalist sort of aesthetic, but one of my favorite guitars is my Ibanez GB10- which is pretty blingy.
I think the choices between these two guitars are not going to be radically different. The biggest difference is that the Heritage 575 has a carved solid spruce top and carved maple back and sides*, whereas the LGB300 has a laminated top and back and sides. In terms of shape and ergonomics, the guitars don't seem to be radically different. Both are going to be very well-made instruments. I think going to YouTube and listening to as many examples as you can in a good set of headphones or through good speakers may lead you to which tonal profile you prefer. To be honest, I don't think you can go wrong with either instrument from the perspective of being a player; from the perspective of aesthetics, that's just a matter of personal preference.
* Heritage does custom orders on their instruments, so you may find examples of the 575 made with different combinations of wood and decoration; Ibanez does not do custom orders on the LGB300, so they will all be basically the same.
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The 575s have a 1 pc mahogany neck like the original 175. The difference is the earlier (pre'18?) models can vary in dimension as they were largely made to order. the scale is 24/3/4 same as 175. I have an older 175 with 3 pc mahogany (no volute).the multiple 575s Ive had and played all had 1 pc mahog necks all a little different but very similar to my 175 all very comfy and playable, personally Heritage necks are my favorite somehow regardless of small size differences they all play perfectly for me. The 575 I referenced in my post is unusual in that its a 5 piece neck built exactly like an "eagle etc) but 24/3/4 scale. Dimension wise its a bit thinner than the mohag ones I had but frankly after 5 minutes of playing I dont notice or think about it. Eagles vary by model and "heritage variation" the "white material" is binding which was a custom option on 575s and will depend on order and model whether its bound. I think "if the neck fits..wear it" Originally Posted by Karlos
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I respectfully disagree. The LGB300's quality rivals a Heritage if not better.
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With all due respect, you are incorrect about the LGB300 and you shoudn't comment about a guitar you dont know or own. The LGB300 is a flagship archtop with all solid woods.
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The LGB300 is a better guitar. If there's any comparison, perhaps a with Golden Eagle. The H575 is a lower tier guitar than the Eagle. A GE with Seth Loers sounds springy, brighter, acoustically more articulate. Whereas the LBG and its Super 58s has a more mellow warmer woody sound. The LGB's neck is noticeably flatter and wider.
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does the current Heritage company take custom orders though? I realize the previous owners did. Originally Posted by Cunamara
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Take into account the position of the mics related to the strings, and Ibanez is spruce top (not solid). 175 and 575 are maple tops.
Build quality? the japanese is unbeatable. Now: sound? I like USA brands. Unpainted parts on a 14k guitar like on every L-5 neck end? not acceptable for a japanese made guitar, even in a 3k guitar. Asians care about little details... too much sometimes.
About the LGB300 I tried it in a few stores in japan. As much as the PM200 (i had one for a while) these top of the lines japanese builds are 105% perfect. Attention to every single detail... tunning stability, it wont give you a headache in a millon years.
I didnt like the amplified sound, there was something related to the pickup. It felt a more solidr guitar than a Gibson Es-175, but i liked better the sound of the Gibson. Tuners were better on Ibanez than the Kluson style on 175.
I only played a Heritage and it had some chosmetic details, and i didnt like at all the sound of the floating pickup they use, only this. The ones with set pickup probably has the sound i would like and there are many examples of beautiful builds by this company.
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I've had my 575 Custom for a decade and it's a dream. As a Luthier, it's also the favorite of all my artist friens I've worked with . The GB is decent instrument . Play both
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When you get to that level of quality all alternatives are good.
I wouldnt want to put down that kind of coin without playing, cause eventually it will come down to preference.
The ibanez have a slightly slimmer neck front to back ime
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I tend to agree that the Ibanez just makes better instruments more consistently with impeccable attention to detail. But guitars in general are always an instrument by instrument basis. Though tone, vibe and spirit are something else - Heritage has made some great guitars over the years, particularly early on. Those are the ones to get for vibe and build quality, up to point IME. But respectfully, they have made plenty of well below average guitars with inconsistent QC. My last Heritage I bought, a brand new stunning custom blue H535 in 2021, the truss rod broke within a week. Guitar sounded like a pepper shaker. Company was great, they took care of me quickly, but they did not have a replacement as that custom run was gone. They sent me a beautiful two-tone H530, but I never did bond with it. As a buyer, I will generally always seek out vintage Japanese over vintage American, price aside. But a great a guitar is a great guitar whatever the brand name, you won't know till you play it.
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The fact that you had a broken trussrod has more to do with bad luck than Heritage building bad guitars ? When you say you didn't bond with your H530, sorry for that, maybe another player would have found it to be the best guitar ever..
As one said, at this level of instruments, there isn't a better than another. It's more a question of taste.
The LGB300 and H575 are very different guitars (l won't list the details). They're both archtops, but don't really have the same purposes if you want to use them in certain situations (laminate vs solid top).
If you search for your ultimate instrument, at this level of quality, nobody will be able to give you the secret sauce. Only yourself, with the guitar on your lap, will know.
I'm not saying it's a bad idea to ask on a forum, that's why we are here for.
(Joman50 you seem to be a bit offensed because you think some might find the LGB300 subpar compared to the Heritage? I don't anyone really thinks that. It's just opinions..)
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Respectfully, I appreciate your defense of Heritage and understand your point, but I did not say Heritage builds bad guitars. I said they have periods of inconsistent QC. I have had 100s of instruments and I understand when a guitar happens to get a bad part or a part is missed in QC. It happens and whether this was a result or not of poor QC, calling out my anecdotal and recent scenario from my post doesn't change my point. Experiences are worth mentioning and in all fairness it wasn't my first Heritage to have QC issues. I have owned 6 in total. Others have different experiences, that is just the nature of all of it. We are obviously on the same page when it comes to the fact that instruments are always individual. As for the H530, I don't understand the comment, but of course, I agree someone else will dig it - unfortunately I didn't and I also missed out a H535 that I really wanted. One full session and then snap. The 'at this level' argument is only relevant to a degree - 'at this level' has to include the build, fit, finish, QC and vibe for me. Context matters. There is a period of Heritage that I think is just truly excellent, and some truly iconic guitars I want to own, though modern Heritage builds I tend to move on to an alternative. In my experience Ibanez has far more consistent QC and high attention to detail. But they always have - Sound, tone and vibe on the other hand, that certainly is debatable though. Originally Posted by Jx30510
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Thanks for your insight. I never owned a Heritage. But I keep hearing Heritage is what Gibson should be today. I think it's the first time I read this on Heritage, so I was more surprised than trying to defend the brand.
As a matter of fact I 'm really on the fence buying a H530 Standard II, their latest iteration of the ES330. So your comment gets me a bit nervous. There is so much praise on Heritage, that your experience (you seem to know their history regarding "the good years") is quite interesting.
Are todays Heritages consistent ? Do they build them with more CNC these days? This brand isn't very keen on giving information.. I mean, their website is very simplistic. They don't even give the nutwidth of their instruments in the specs, which I find pretty awkward (isn't nutwidth very important ??)
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Cheers, all good. I wouldn't let my experiences make you nervous. I have only owned 6 over the years and three of those were solid body. I never regained the initial bond I had with the one-off blue 535. We all have brands/necks etc we tend to agree with. Plenty of experienced and respected players use Heritage and again a couple early years Heritage models are on my bucket list. Whether they are 'what Gibson should' be is a decades long forum debate, but both do what they do. Originally Posted by Jx30510
And I have heard Heritage QC improved with hardware changes and better systematized processes. I agree about the lack of specs on their site, a bit convoluted to navigate but they have been pushing a Chinese made line with the same model numbers.The Chinese made Heritage look nearly identical for a fraction of the cost, seems like a great way to get your hands on one in France.
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The 575 is thinner and lighter for starters, its all solid woods and hand carved, the LGB is fat and heavy which may or may not be an issue for the standing player. They dont sound or play anything like each other, If I was looking for an alternative to the LGB it would be a 175 which I have and yeah Ibanez is great and so is....to many to list. I would say to the OP many feel the Heritages built under the "old guard" were the best. To that end I was able to talk with Ren W about 3 of my my Heritages and he remembered them all, try that with Ibanez. There are many insane deals on preloved 575s but best to remember they do vary sample to sample. Sound is personal but the older 575s had Schallers that sounded great or HRWs. Occasionally you can find a 175 at a sane price, Id add that to my list, better for gigs.
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