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I do use the bridge pickup on my archtop guitars. I know and understand why jim doesn't need it but as a general purpose archtop the bridge pickup can be useful when your group plays more modern tunes or you need to use overdrive, etc. I like how Pat Metheny has used the bridge pickup sounds on some of his recordings too.
For example:
I also think the bridge pickup in the top changes the sound and reduces feedback. Other than solo playing, I can't imagine not having a bridge pickup though I just bought a guitar with only a neck pickup...
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02-06-2014 02:41 PM
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Shipped by FedEx Ground this morning!
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I can't wait to hear about what you think! I really like the color pallate you decided to use on this instrument.
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Like sands through the hourglass...
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If you were to post the tracking #, we could all follow it with you. Then you could do a live webcast of its arrival and opening
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7
Last edited by Woody Sound; 02-13-2014 at 04:42 PM.
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The bummer is you have to wait not only til it arrives but also let the guitar warm up to the air, so there's no finish checking!
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It doesn't work quite like that for me. Rather than having it delivered to me in Canada, I'm having it shipped to a private mail box in northern Washington and then I drive down to pick it up. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
If you were to post the tracking #, we could all follow it with you. Then you could do a live webcast of its arrival and opening
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On the truck for delivery to my mail box in northern Washington with delivery expected by around noon. I'm headed down to pick it up this afternoon and should have the first photos and maybe even a recording by this evening.
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Great! I would be worried about opening the case too soon in this weather.
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Weather? It's 44 degrees and sunny here
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Subscribed!
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Sorry for the delay. I got home quite late and had to deal with a few things before I could really get started. A few quick comments and then I;m going back to experimenting with it.
First the nailed all the specs. The neck is a very round C and a bit more of a handful than I normally would expect on a Heritage without being huge. No pickguard, no strap buttons, my tuners, pickup and knobs. Even my wiring kit.
The finish is exactly what I was hoping it would be: very reminiscent of the finish that Lloyd Loar used on the backs of his mandolins. It's a finish I've always loved and it's a really tough finish to get right. I thought they had it figured out but it's one thing to see it in photos and another to see it in person. It's probably the closest I've ever seen to the originals and it gives it a wonderfully vintage look. The Ivory binding on the body reinforces that perception. Coupled with a top that is beautifully figured in a very natural and somewhat random wide curl and it really does have the look of something off of Loar's bench. Big ups on all of that.
It feels very familiar to me in a lot of ways. The size and shape are almost identical to the Peerless Cremona 16 that I've been playing for the last few months and it's a joy to have the Hipshot locking tuners and the DiMarzio 36th Anniversary that I have on Soloway plank that's been my #1 guitar for the last couple years. I know exactly what to expect from both the tuners and pickup and they are a huge improvement over the Cremona.
The unbound fingerboard with the bound peg head probably looks a little odd to most people but I really prefer an unbound board. My vision is not all that great and the contrast with the white side markers is fabulous. I'll take function over fashion any day and this is really functional for me.
The one thing that wasn't at all what I'm used to was the set up. No one ever seems to believe me when I tell them how far from the strings I want the pickup and this was way to close. The result was that as son as I plugged it in and played a few notes the amp immediately went into overdrive and the whole room began to shake. A few quick turns with a screw driver and the 36th Anniversary sounded pretty much like I was hoping. The action was also to low so I've been working on the setup for about 20 minutes now and it's getting close.
I took a few photos when I first opened the case, but with no daylight, they aren't very good. I'll try to get some decent shots and recordings done in the morning but for now I'm just keep dialing it in and enjoy playing it for a while.
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you should find a nice, un-potted pickup to get some of the acoustic vibe of the instrument going. I was really shocked the first time i heard an unpotted pickup on an archtop. makes a huge diff.
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No thanks. I'm very happy with the 36th Anniversary. I really don't care for unpotted pickups (and I've payed lots of them). Originally Posted by jzucker
Last edited by Jim Soloway; 02-20-2014 at 10:50 AM.
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I also play lots of fingerstyle with nails and I just lower the pickup so my pick and/or fingers don't hit it. You're really missing out on some of the acoustic nuances of an archtop by using potted pickups.
Think about this. ALL the great tones of the '50s, '60s and '70s of guys like Benson, Wes, Martino, Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, etc., were all done using unpotted pickups.
I have found that even playing fusion with overdrive, I don't get squealing out of non potted pickups. The only time I get squealing is playing high gain with fuzz.
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Thanks Jack but given that I've had this guitar for less than one day, I think I'll just try to enjoy it the way it is for a while and leave thoughts about how to mod it for a later date.
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Jim how did you specify the neck details to Heritage when you ordered the guitar? I always find that most companies really mess up on that. Thanks!
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So glad you like the guitar.
I was wondering about shipping in the worst winter in 30 years but I guess it worked out.
So will the Cremona be sold off?
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Winter is not bad here. Once it crossed the mountains it was downright spring-like. When I picked it up yesterday is was 49 degrees and sunny. And I don't know what the future holds for the Cremona. Something has to go to help pay for this but I haven't made any decisions about what yet. It may be one of my two Soloway's (although not the blue one ... EVER). Originally Posted by DRS
Here are some first shots. More to come later along with some sound.
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That's pretty darn close to a perfect guitar, IMHO...gorgeous.
I'm not sure there's any "factory" (although I guess it's hard to really think of Heritage as that, but) that shades better.
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Jim, that is beautiful! Congrats, man. Would love to play or have one like it myself!
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Jim, those woods are some of the finest I've seen, ever. The Maple back, with its superb pattern, is just off the charts. I've not seen that choice of wood on a 575 before. Can't wait to hear how she sounds...My home audio system routes all computer sound, and I can't wait to fill my room with your playing via this new beauty. Congrats!!!
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I usually don't care for sunbursts, but, this one is superb.
Congrats Jim, you deserve that.
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I specified a mid to large round C with full shoulders; .860 at the first fret, .960 at the octave with any variation on that spec to err on the large side. Originally Posted by jads57
And here's the first recording. It's the intro to my current version of Little Wing. I thought it be a appropriate plea to start since it used the lowest notes in the C# tuning.
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Gorgeous Jim....That little piece shows how nice the bottom end is with that drop tuning as well as a sweet top end.
What a guitar.
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