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They are brothers but not identical quads. Each has a different quality.
The far left is one is a 1991, one of the earliest. It has a 12 pole pickup installed on a second pickguard Heritage made. It's 17" across and 3" deep. It weighs 5# 9 oz. It's in a natural finish.
Next to it is a 1992 rose natural with an 18" body and 3" depth. It is 6# 11 oz. It has a Floating #3.
The next one is a green burst 17" by 3" weighing 5# 14 oz with a Floating #3. This came from 1996.
Lastly, the antique natural is 6# 12 oz and also was made in 1996. It has a stock pickup. Its measurements are 18" by 3.25".
I don't know how many HJSs were made. Over the years I had a few others. I'm guessing there were a few hundred made, but I don't know. I doubt Heritage has records. Maybe.
There's an irony about this model. Johnny left Gibson because he was concerned about quality and consistency. He knew JP Moats from the Gibson building days and worked toward the design specs on the HJS. Johnny specifically wanted a custom finish they called rose natural to be an option along with the usual natural on his guitars. The first ones came out in 1989. It didn't take long for variants to emerge. This eventually led to Johnny leaving Heritage and eventually joining Guild. By 1996, Heritage built HJS with bodies ranging from 16-18" and various other finishes. The 16" guitars were not labeled HJS, but they were the same sort of build without inlays. I believe the quality remained high, and the Heritage workers confirmed that they treated HJS with special care. But the build specs were what was ordered, not necessarily what Johnny wanted.
I have a couple of Heritage ghost-built Gretsch Synchromatics built around the same time period, the early 1990s. It should be no surprise that their weight and dimensions are almost identical to the 18" HJS. The second pic shows how they line up. The main difference besides cosmetics is the nut is 1 3/4" on the HJS.
That's all I got for today.
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02-23-2025 12:06 AM
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Are they all 25” scale?
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Beautiful collection sir!
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If Johnny Smith was unhappy with Guild's way of doing the cutaway on his first signature model (which was the reason he went to Gibson), he could not have been very happy with 16 inch and 18 inch models bearing his name being made (which may have been part of his decision to move to Fender/Guild/Benedetto). Or maybe his final move was all about a better royalty payment? We can only guess.
Mark, you should have a coffee table book made about your collection. Have Greg come out from Seattle and do the photography as he is as skilled as any (and maybe he is better skilled than any?) in this area, and with your stories about Gibson/Heritage, the book would be a valuable preservation of the history of Kalamazoo guitar making.
You guys should do that while there are still Boomers and Gen Exers around to buy it. If nothing else, you would sell a bunch to us forum members.
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No collection would be complete without this one…it had a very odd color, almost as if it was a Cedar top, but it was Spruce.
Thx SS for the compliment!
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And Mark’s knowledge of Heritage guitars overall would be a very good read. He knows how to draw the reader into a story.
This was one of my favorites…as I was shooting it I thought, I should have bought it, as it was a truly rare Heritage hollow body.
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I am going to throw my Heritage JS into this thread with it played acoustically with my iphone only as cheap recording. I am telling this is guitar is one of the best guitars I have ever played period. It was originally made for Jay Wolfe, and it has it all. I was lucky got this from Big Mike on the sell out thank you Mike!
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So this raises the question “How many Heritage Johnny Smith guitars does it take to play Moonlight in Vermont” ? Lol!
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nice playing Deacon! How’s BM doing?
Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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Yes. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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BigMike is hanging in there.
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You are right about Greg's photo skills. Back in the day I worked as a medical photographer and spent countless hours in the darkroom. All of those skills are gone now. Greg's skills beat mine at my best. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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It only takes one plus a truckload of skill. Originally Posted by jads57
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Greg isn’t even a rookie. All self taught. The guy from England takes great shots. Archtop Guy or some username like that. Originally Posted by Marty Grass
He posts here occasionally. He’s in the process of building archtop’s. Nice guy!
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As I recall, there were two built. This was a H-530 tricked out with H-555 upgrades. The finish is a chestnut burst. Here are two more. This is maybe my favorite finish. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
And Mark’s knowledge of Heritage guitars overall would be a very good read. He knows how to draw the reader into a story.
This was one of my favorites…as I was shooting it I thought, I should have bought it, as it was a truly rare Heritage hollow body.
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Big Mike is doing ok he faithfully text me each Saturday Evening as he watches the Mass from Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. BM has deep faith, and he is not Catholic, but we will take him as he is for sure. I cannot get over how he manages to stay pretty upbeat.
Also, on the Heritage Johnny Smiths I have gone to really preferring 25-inch scale guitars. I certainly have no problems with the 25.5 like on L5's but when you really dig for those Smith chords that stretch out it simply makes it a bit more comfortable. If I had my choice, I love to have one of those 18-inch HJS's but I don't think anyone will part with there's. It is funny when you find the right combination it is like an experience of Almighty. You don't think you just play, no thought about any of the specifications you read about the guitar, it just plays with almost by itself. No one has to tell you it is just there!
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Beautiful guitars, both of them! I had a single Humbucker Sweet 16 that was finished in a dark Chestnut Sunburst. My all time favorite color from Heritage. Man, they could do some finishes! Originally Posted by Marty Grass
As I recall, there were two built. This was a H-530 tricked out with H-555 upgrades. The finish is a chestnut burst. Here are two more. This is maybe my favorite finish.
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I like their Brockburst finish (middle).
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Personally I'm a fan of those ghost built Gretsches and D'As. I think there's just something neat about them. I've seen one Heritage ghost built Epiphone out there too.
Good timing on this thread as I'm in Kalamazoo today to tour the Heritage factory.
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Here's a second pickguard with a Benedetto pickup that came with it. The last pic is Vince Lewis playing the HJS. He ordered the guitar to be built.
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My old 555 was Chesnut burst... Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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Speaking of Heritage…
Check out Buddy Blues opening tune on a Heritage H-530
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 02-25-2025 at 10:20 AM.
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It's magic. He's a great player.
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