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The back of this instrument (the resonant reflector) looks positively alive. I'll bet it sounds that way, too! Congratulations on a great guitar, a reminder of a great friendship!
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11-01-2015 10:08 PM
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c74, the 1st time I saw this guitar I held it with my left hand on the neck and let the strings rings ring. Then I held it out away from my body and listened and felt it. It felt like it had a motor in it. Patrick at first looked at me wondering what the hell I was doing and then he smiled after he figured it out. His guitars had to qualify to a high standard and he was extremely proud of all of them. I asked him why he didn't own a vintage D'Angelico. He told me really didn't want one. Then he grabbed the sunburst Heritage made DA's and placed it in his lap, classical style and played a sweet little chord run. The notes were full, big and elegant. Never once did we plug a guitar in. They were all great, au-naturale..
Originally Posted by citizenk74
The back of this instrument (the resonant reflector) looks positively alive. I'll bet it sounds that way, too! Congratulations on a great guitar, a reminder of a great friendship!
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I'll make that change when I get the original pickguard. I totally agree that the amber hats match well with the natural PG. Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
The pots on this guitar are 10 years old and needed cleaning- just normal maintenance. The pots were crackly and scratchy. I used DeOxit D5. StewMac makes an adapted that directs the spray down the shaft. It is worth the money.
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Maintenance/Pot_Cleaning_Cap.html
One can of DeOxit D5 will probably clean several hundred pots, so for most it is a once-in-a-life purchase.
One spray per pot is all it needs. Then you rotate the shaft of the pot for a minute to work it in. Wipe the guitar off and you're done. Now the pots on this baby are like brand new.
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Beautiful spruce top, and oh my, what a gorgeous backside. You're a lucky guy!
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The two WesMo GEs you posted about were my top picks among the P2 guitars. Oh well!
Enjoy them - they are gorgeous. Wonder how much they weigh, if you ever get around to checking. I don't think I ever asked Patrick.
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Here's the vintage wineburst. Patrick2 still has that one I believe. I don't know the weight. But I'll tell you what I know. Originally Posted by rpguitar
The two WesMo GEs you posted about were my top picks among the P2 guitars. Oh well! Enjoy them - they are gorgeous. Wonder how much they weigh, if you ever get around to checking. I don't think I ever asked Patrick.
This was made in 2011. I don't know the bracing style on it. Patrick got it new from Heritage. He did not design this one. I'm pretty sure it was a custom order that was canceled just before it was completed. If that's not the story, it's damned close.
The custom features include the L-5 type fretboard inlays and the ebony pickguard. Patrick did not like cloud inlays and maple pickguards, so this guitar would have caught his interest. He also didn't like the finger tailpieces that Heritage was and is still using. But Patrick planned on putting a different TP on it some day with an ebony inlay to match the PG.
I personally like the finger tailpiece but find it not important either way. The finger TP comes from Allparts, not from ABM. The latter charges an arm and a leg for one. Heritage is a frugal company. The Allparts TP is fine.
The vintage wineburst finish is the creation of Marv Lamb at Heritage. Marv shot the finish on this guitar, and it came out beautifully. Marv also carved the neck by hand.
I don't remember the pickup on this guitar. It may be a DiMarzio though.
If you want it, message Patrick2.
Last edited by Marty Grass; 11-02-2015 at 11:47 AM.
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You may wonder why I didn't get this one but got some others. The reason is simple. I had a rich history of sharing the others with Patrick, but not the vintage wineburst.
I never heard an unkind word about this guitar unless you hate finger tailpieces- I don't and you shouldn't. They are helpful is changing the break angle and balancing the string volumes when playing acoustically.
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One day. ONE DAY... I will find a 1996 SE at the same time I have the money free to get it.
What a glorious day that will be.
I know I have already said it, but I love this guitar. Really just done right.
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What's the story on the bridge base I wonder? A flying eagles swap for block inlays to match the fretboard inlays perhaps?
Originally Posted by Marty Grass
Here's the vintage wineburst. Patrick2 still has that one I believe. I don't know the weight. But I'll tell you what I know.
This was made in 2011. I don't know the bracing style on it. Patrick got it new from Heritage. He did not design this one. I'm pretty sure it was a custom order that was canceled just before it was completed. If that's not the story, it's damned close.
The custom features include the L-5 type fretboard inlays and the ebony pickguard. Patrick did not like cloud inlays and maple pickguards, so this guitar would have caught his interest. He also didn't like the finger tailpieces that Heritage was and is still using. But Patrick planned on putting a different TP on it some day with an ebony inlay to match the PG.
I personally like the finger tailpiece but find it not important either way. The finger TP comes from Allparts, not from ABM. The latter charges an arm and a leg for one. Heritage is a frugal company. The Allparts TP is fine.
The vintage wineburst finish is the creation of Marv Lamb at Heritage. Marv shot the finish on this guitar, and it came out beautifully. Marv also carved the neck by hand.
I don't remember the pickup on this guitar. It may be a DiMarzio though.
If you want it, message Patrick2.
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That wineburst is very pretty. Would look great on JD's wall right next to Booboo. :-)
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Marv sprayed a nice 'burst on that Heritage. Honestly, these days the only people who come close to the Heritage sunburst finishes, IMO, are the Custom Shop people in Nashville at Gibson. Go figure? The old Gibson guys and the new Gibson guys.
I would put the finishes that Floyd did at Heritage and before that at Gibson up against _anything_, ever. His finishes are sublime.
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That's a hard question. That may be a Gagnon bridge that Patrick had made. I'm pretty sure this is the guitar that Heritage supplied with a bridge with feet. Patrick had a cow over that and replaced it. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
BTW, there are smart people who disagree with the common view that the bridge base should have a large contact area. Some believe that footed bridges conduct a full spectrum of frequencies better due to the lower mass. Patrick was not one of them.
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Thanks Vin. But I would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to open my eyes AND not be able to pee in a downward direction because of all the crazy glue that would have been applied hours earlier by my sleeping partner.. Plus, I'm ok with what I got. Booboo and Wes are constantly arguing over who is better, Joe Pass or Johnny Smith.. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Last edited by Max405; 11-02-2015 at 09:53 PM.
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Leaving out the individual luthiers (D'Angelico through Benedetto), if I had to list the Companies that make/made great jazz guitars, the list would be:
Gibson
Epiphone
Guild
Ibanez
Heritage
While Fender, Martin, Gretsch, PRS, Levin, Aria, Hofner and Taylor have all competed in this area, I have been underwhelmed by most of their efforts.
Joe D.'s wall has guitars from three of the best....
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SS- I think most of us would actually pay good money just to SEE your wall..
I love all my babies though. Although, someday, I will strive for a more "individual" luthiers' presence on my wall.
One of these days..
Joe D.
2B- The other night I was reading John Basilone's biography and when I came to the part where his battalion was reduced to 2 and he was fighting 3,000 enemy forces. I looked at my wall and I smiled. I think John would have preferred my wall to what he was through. We visited Mr. Basilones statue. Him standing there holding a 100 pound 30 caliber Browning Heavy machine gun in his hands made me shiver. They don't make dudes like that anymore.
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I was in contact with the guy who originally sold me this guitar before I sold it to Patrick then bought it back. So I have a little more of the story.
So the guy I know bought it used from a man who had it custom built. It does have a thin top for better acoustic playing. That man injured his arm and could not play that large of a guitar. So he sold it to my friend and got a 16" guitar.
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Longtime lurker, first post.
Jazz guitar is pretty far down on the list of things I try to fake on occasion, but I've decided to mark an upcoming milestone birthday by upgrading my Hondo Fatboy to a big boy guitar.
In the process of unloading the Hondo I came across an '89 Heritage Super Eagle that seemed pretty hard to pass up at $2200, though it is in pretty rough shape. I have it at home on evaluation. It was pretty dirty so I gave it a good cleaning and setup. My biggest concern was an unusually large crack in the finish near the tailpiece. Sure enough it's a crack in the top, though it has been repaired and the repair looks pretty good. Gotta say, this thing is kind of growing on me already. It plays acceptably and I haven't seen anything comparable anywhere near this price. But I'm still wondering if the price is too high, now that I know about the repaired top. If I go back at the seller for a reduction, what should I aim for?
Here's my assessment:
Pretty dirty, heavy corrosion on hardware
Moderate finish checking, particularly on top
Moderate chips and dings throughout
Neck appears to have been reset, it's functionally fine but cosmetically poor refinish at neck/body interface
Moderate fret wear, lots of cracks in neck binding
Plays ok with medium-high action (a little high but acceptable for me)
Repaired crack in top
Bass/treble bars look good
Electronics functional, some pots are a bit dirty
Benedetto in the neck position, I assume a schaller in the bridge
All that said, it just seems to have some mojo that I'm vibing with. Don't see many of these for sale, particularly in this kind of condition. What do you guys think is a fair price?
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These should give the general idea. Crack is the dark streak near/along the tailpiece. Most sales I can find online are asking around 3500 give or take. Found one for 2500, very good condition but not the most attractive cosmetics, seems like an outlier.
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I don't know if I would go for that at 2200. That is close to the lower range of used super eagles and although I don't mind corrosion everything else doesn't sound great. Ultimately it is up to you but if it had a questionable neck reset then who knows how the crack was repaired, fret west means sinking more money into it to get it playing better and it doesn't sound like it was treated well so who knows what else will pop up. There is one on reverb for 2800 right now that is listed as near mint - I would much rather save up the extra 600 bucks for something like that.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Hi, Originally Posted by rio
I think the one on Reverb you're referring to is an Eagle Classic, not a Super Eagle.
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Depends, if you like the guitar go for it. I'd try to knock a few hundred off though. Personally I'd rather play a brand new $500-1000 archtop than something with that much deterioration though.
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Did the seller mention the neck reset? You write "appears to" have had one, as if he didn't mention it.
I wouldn't buy anything from a guy who neglected to mention that sort of fact.
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Your pictures do not show the guitar, just parts of the guitar. I do not see a "beater." Show the whole thing - back, front, top plate, back plate. What I do see is a 28 year-old Super Eagle that has clearly been played, with a very normal amount of finish checking, a properly repaired crack, and a few signs of age where they should be.
Seems like the $2,200 price appropriately reflects its condition, given that +/- $3,500 is a more typical price for one of these guitars.
If it plays well, sounds good and you like it, what's the problem?
What do you expect to pay for a Heritage Super Eagle?
Old hardware is easy to replace and is relatively inexpensive, if its appearance bothers you.
Cleaning a guitar is simply a matter of putting in some time and effort.Last edited by Hammertone; 03-25-2017 at 03:51 AM.
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I totally agree with Hammertone, I was wondering when you were going to show the full on front, back, neck and fingerboard of the instrument. Maybe you should have saved your money longer and bought a more pristine example. But I can't say what a guitar is worth or not worth without seeing more of it. I own more than my fair share of Heritage arch tops, Super Eagles especially. I think they're the best deal out there in American made guitars, made by the old guys from Gibson that decided to stay in Kalamazoo, made in the old Gibson factory. Doesn't get any better than a Heritage Super Eagle or Golden Eagle.
Show us what you got, not just these cheap shots.
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If it is playable and sounds good, I'd definitely consider keeping it.
The chances are that it will hold up more than a decade. So let's say that after 10 years you sell it for $500, which is just about worst case scenario. That would amount to paying about 50 cents a day to own it.
Frankly, I'd take it to a luthier and ask about the stability of the guitar.
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