Heritage 550 - 2 P90 Pickups

**dmorash** · 03-03-2014, 10:03 PM

Thought I would share this with you guys since my wife sometimes doesn't get what all the fuss is about getting a new guitar.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-03-2014, 10:05 PM

He'll yeah. That's flippin' sweet.

**marcwhy** · 03-03-2014, 10:11 PM

Nice! Congrats.

**50Hz** · 03-03-2014, 10:26 PM

Stunner, love the p90s idea too.

**Phil in London** · 03-04-2014, 04:40 AM

very cool...

**jalapeno** · 03-04-2014, 06:40 AM

Lovely !

**Jabberwocky** · 03-04-2014, 07:12 AM

Very nice. Love 'em P90s. They look better on a Gibson ES-175 though.....

**Little Jay** · 03-04-2014, 08:01 AM

Although I usually dislike the Heritage headstock and find their f-holes too large, I really must say I love the looks of this one! I bet she plays and sounds great too!

Congratulations!

**dmorash** · 03-04-2014, 09:03 AM

Thanks gents. This is my first real foray into P90 territory. The guitar came with light gauge round wounds and I like the round wounds on this but not the light gauge. I could not put the guitar down last night once I got it playing (there is some serious buzz on the open g and d strings and it looked like it took a fairly serious impact to the back of the neck somehow in shipping.

The p90's seem to allow a little more room for soft and loud playing compared to a humbucker - dynamic range might be the correct term? It does seem to be a little more difficult to get the top note or melody note of a chord loud enough but that may just be the light strings. I imagine I can cheat a bit by raising the pole pieces on the 1st and 2nd string if needed.

This is also my first Heritage. I was encouraged by the good experience that other member here had with their Heritage guitars - Jim Soloway, Frank Learns, Patrick etc. I'm very impressed. The playability, fret work is top notch. Just consistent all over the neck. The finish, wood figuring, fit and finish - just beautiful.

I'll need to get the neck damage looked at and a setup from someone with better setup skills than moi and I'll resist gushing more until I settle in a bit more with it.

**Franz 1997** · 03-04-2014, 09:13 AM

If you can't get sufficient top string volume by raising pole pieces, just try shimming the coil up slightly on the treble side - that usually does it.

Easy; just take off scratch plate, take out P90 attaching screw on treble side, loosen bass screw slightly too, insert a couple of rubber/ cotton washers under cover and under pickup bass plate to required height ( not much needed), screw back down through washers, retighten on bass side.

This method usually produces a fatter sound that via raising pole pieces

**jalapeno** · 03-04-2014, 09:44 AM

Neck might need a slight truss-rod adjustment after transit - give it a week or two to settle down first.

**Tom Karol** · 03-04-2014, 10:23 AM

Nice!
Looks like it has a Piezo system in the bridge too (side mounted control panel and battery compartment)?
And very good tip from Franz.
I've never had a guitar with P90's ... but I think I will sometime soon.
And by the way, I never tell my wife I got a new guitar unless she already knows I've sold an old one first!

**Encinitastubes** · 03-04-2014, 10:25 AM

Wow, beautiful guitar. The low notes on a P-90 hollowbody are things of beauty.

**Franz 1997** · 03-04-2014, 10:50 AM

agreed - the low string clarity is really something.

**Patrick2** · 03-04-2014, 11:06 AM

[QUOTE=Little Jay;404151]

Although I usually dislike the Heritage headstock

"Silence!!! I Kill you!!!"

**dmorash** · 03-04-2014, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

Nice!
Looks like it has a Piezo system in the bridge too (side mounted control panel and battery compartment)?
And very good tip from Franz.
I've never had a guitar with P90's ... but I think I will sometime soon.
And by the way, I never tell my wife I got a new guitar unless she already knows I've sold an old one first!

Tom, that guitar with the electronics on the side is a different guitar - a cheap Yamaha steel string that just happened to be in the picture. Funny about your wife - I didn't tell mine either but she found out through the grapevine.

**dmorash** · 03-04-2014, 01:02 PM

[QUOTE=jalapeno;404169]Neck might need a slight truss-rod adjustment after transit - give it a week or two to settle down first.[/QUOTE]

Thanks - I had loosened the truss rod but there is still buzz. I hope it 'settles down'. I'm planning on taking it in for a luthier to look at at this point.

**dmorash** · 03-04-2014, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by Franz 1997

If you can't get sufficient top string volume by raising pole pieces, just try shimming the coil up slightly on the treble side - that usually does it.

Easy; just take off scratch plate, take out P90 attaching screw on treble side, loosen bass screw slightly too, insert a couple of rubber/ cotton washers under cover and under pickup bass plate to required height ( not much needed), screw back down through washers, retighten on bass side.

This method usually produces a fatter sound that via raising pole pieces

Thanks Franz, that sounds like a good method to raise one side but not the other.

**Jabberwocky** · 03-04-2014, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by dmorash

...it looked like it took a fairly serious impact to the back of the neck somehow in shipping...

Dang. I hate it when that happens. Don't despair though. Give it some time to acclimate and settle down. It only buzzes in the open g and d positions? Does it also buzz when you fret it going up the neck? Did you check the pickguard bracket screws? It may be low g and d nut slots.

A visit to a luthier for any new guitar is highly recommended anyway, just to set it up right.

Don't worry, man. It might be a case of something working loose.

**Encinitastubes** · 03-05-2014, 01:59 AM

I had similar issues when I bought my ES-175 pictured above. I bought it used and it had 10s on it. Putting 12s or 13s seriously balanced out the volume between strings and up and down the neck.

**dmorash** · 03-05-2014, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Encinitastubes

I had similar issues when I bought my ES-175 pictured above. I bought it used and it had 10s on it. Putting 12s or 13s seriously balanced out the volume between strings and up and down the neck.

Yes, makes sense. The high E string in particular can be just too thin sounding. According to the previous owner the guitar has 11's and I expected a little more fight from them especially with the long scale. The ease of play on this thing is really something, makes me wonder if it was plek'd or something.

Funny some others have mentioned letting the guitar 'settle in'. The buzz from the 3rd string is gone now without any adjustments. I'm not sure what the science is behind it but I'll take it.

Loving the personality of these lollars too.