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Heritage is under new ownership.
Here's a link about the news. Please check out the video. This shows you how very old school Heritage is with guitar building. Note the humble environment of the factory. No masks are used in the spray room. I'm actually a little surprised they are using hearing protection. That may be just for the cameras.
New owners to take over Heritage Guitar in old Gibson Guitar factory | MLive.com
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04-05-2016 01:48 PM
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I feel that old school vibe every time I pick up my 575. It's like I'm part of a little club. It's cool to be a member.
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Great to see Duerloo, Page and Lamb still at work. Those guys all signed my SE.
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Really exciting stuff. I've probably never been happier with a guitar than I am with my Heritage so it's great to see them taking the steps they need to keep it going into the future.
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I toured the same building about 15 years ago during a visit with my mother who lives close by. From the pics it doesn't look like anything has changed. I don't recall them having formalized tours but they let me in and I spoke with them for about 30 minutes while looking at their latest solid bodies. I am not sure that they were producing many hollows back then.
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Improved site and some new models I wasn't aware of. I wish them much success!
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I like the sound of the company being bought by local investors committed to revitalizing and sustaining local businesses. That's clearly (IMO) better than some mega-corporation simply buying them out for who knows what purpose.
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The extraordinary talent at the Heritage Guitar Company built the guitar that always ends up in my hands, the Heritage D'Angelico New Yorker. As much as my D'Angelico Excel is my pride and joy, the HDA is the guitar I play the most often. When the brilliant luthiers at Heritage made guitars, they made them to be played. There is a warmth in Every Heritage I've played. When I read the above comments about Heritage Guitars from people I respect very highly, I know that I am not dreaming this up.
The folks at Heritage created magical guitars. I am glad its not over. I hope the investors keep the magic in the guitars, however it happens.
Joe D
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I can't believe those guys are spraying w/no respirator mask.
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Great video -- agree on the respirator but those fingers were getting pretty close to the sawblades too...still, everyone seemed to have their digits in place! Love the vibe and the history but I may be the only guy in the world who did not love his Heritage - my mid-90s 575 was about the only guitar I couldn't get to sing no matter what I did to the set up so traded it on. It just never sounded right to me. Still, the guitar world is richer for these guys continuing. Good luck to them.
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well not quite!!
Originally Posted by odel
spraying without a respirator!! shades of jimmy d'aquisto..not a good idea!!!...that factory be closed in 15 seconds in state of CA
cheers
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Hey guys,
At 4:10 on the video... which model is that?? I'm in love!!
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I dunno, maybe a Sweet Sixteen?
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Is the H tailpiece back or is that an old video?
seriously, it looks all good with the new owners and I hope that the company has a good future. Love their guitars and the sweet, lovely, genuine old school people who work there. Hope to be back there sometime when the stars align right.
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Originally Posted by Flat
I dunno, maybe a Sweet Sixteen?
Yep.
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"Archie Leech" is one of the owners as rumored in HOC. I don't know if it is a real person or a "John Doe" like anonymization.
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My $.02: Use this opportunity to announce a commitment to continue with the high quality that the Heritage brand has established by designing a new aesthetically pleasing headstock design and use it on all the archtops.
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The design of their peghead has absolutely no relevance to "the high quality that the Heritage brand has established". That quality is a function of their build methods, excellence in carving abilities, an ability to adapt their designs to almost any custom specifications, and skills in the paint booth that are equal to or superior to any one else in the industry. While not everyone's favorite design, their peghead is, in my opinion, functionally superior to the traditional Gibson design. Its aesthetics have absolutely no impact on my enjoyment of my Heritage guitar or on its functional value as a musical instrument. My Heritage is probably the best playing and sounding instrument I have ever owned and as far as I'm concerned, those are the only criteria they need to maintain moving forward. Originally Posted by B3l5tele
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Could not agree more. I love my Golden Eagle and am trying to find away to make a 535 happen in the near future. I hope the new owners don't try and cut cost and change their quality finish, wood, and hardware choices to save some money. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Best "jazz" sounding archtop I ever owned was from a Super Eagle...that's after owning a Super 400, a WesMo, and several L5CES'...headstock? Meh.
Good luck to the new owners...what about the building though? Is it true that property has been up for sell for several years?
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Here's another video.
Tradition set to continue at old Gibson guitar factory | Fox17
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from heritage guitar inc of kalamazoo fb
Geo Sindelar- Hope the quality will remain a priority over profit
Yesterday at 1:11pm
Heritage Guitar Inc. of Kalamazoo- It sure will!
Yesterday at 1:53pm
hopefully this transaction will make some people aware ..i see its getting press in various state news outlets...
ties in with the whole detroit/flint need for rebirth story as well...all good
cheers
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Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I have owned several Heritage guitars and have a great one now. However, I do not like the headstock design. But, the guitar plays and sounds great, the quality is excellent and the price was fair so I keep it anyway. What I am suggesting is that if they had a headstock design that I found to be graceful and aesthetically pleasing they would, in my opinion, have the whole package. What's wrong with that? I am glad you and others find the headstock to your liking. I just do not.
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MG,
Very cool.
We will see what happens in the years to come, but I am very happy that the tradition will continue. I'm hoping that just enough magic is left in Jim and Bill to bleed into the next generation of owners who are inhabiting those hallowed grounds.
To your knowledge, are there any younger upcoming guys still with the company who can carry the torch? I cant imagine only Marv, JP, Jim, Bill, Maudie, and Aaron were the only folks there with there hands on the product. People like; Craig Spink, Ray Noud, Mike Korpak, Patrick Whalen, Ted Beville, and of course the legendary Ren Wall (who's lineage supercedes all of them..), were also responsible for many things that made the guitars great.
Also, are they still sourcing the wood from the same spots? Spruce for the tops from Tebb and Sons in Washington State. And the curly maple from various sources in the Great Lakes area.
Its the combination of many ingredients that make the end result great. I hope this all stays intact. I hope the new owners are listening..
Joe D.
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There's nothing wrong with that but it is not, as you suggested in your previous post, an indication of a commitment to quality. A change in the design of the peghead might be more pleasing to you (and obviously many others) but the quality of a guitar is not reflected by a cosmetic design change any more than it is by a change in its color. Originally Posted by B3l5tele
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Like many of you, I'm very excited about the new ownership and direction of Heritage Guitars. My only concern is (not the headstock!), but the insatiable desire to own these wonderful hand-crafted instruments.
And for any headstock haters/detractors out there, keep in mind that you can custom order slight variations of their trademark design. For example, I've seen a slightly larger headstock with eagle inlay on a custom H157 that looks stellar. Also, you can order a slightly smaller headstock for their archtop models. And many find the simple addition of binding around the headstock greatly improves the design.
Finally, for those who simply cannot abide by the design in any iteration, that's cool. Simply buy another brand that pleases your eye. No big deal. They are only guitars...and for many, a luxury item. Life is too short as it is. Let's celebrate the good things in life. The changes at Heritage Guitars is a good thing in my opinion. Hand made musical works of art made right here in the USA is a challenge in today's global economy. And that is reason enough for me to cheer them on.
This photo of Marv (yes, he's really happy and proud of his work) holding my just sprayed H525 Custom is what its all about. Hand made, baby!!
And the finished product...An amazing hollow body 'new vintage' tone monster!
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Oh boy that's gorgeous!
And the neck looks more shallow than the 137/135 neck.
You did good. Who cares how Marv felt about it...
JD
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Hey Joe, that's Marv's happy face! Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
As for the neck carve, he followed my request for a thick '59 carve. Nailed it!!
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Kind of shines a light on the whole headstock argument. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Coming from a non guitar world to guitar I never understood the headstock noise as I always preferred to think of it. It's very simple to me. Either a guitar plays and sounds well, or it doesn't. From my perspective, if anything, the peghead design is a nod to an original Gibson design...it's as if some are against the Heritage brand because it doesn't say Gibson on the headstock...for clearly, viewing Gibson loyalists over the years, if Gibson created a modern reissue with a peghead there'd be a certain number of Gibson loyalists who'd be all over it. Which I understand as I'm a Gibson fan and I'm closed off to allowing myself to sample anything that doesn't say Gibson.
Jim, until you shared your technical expertise regarding the design reasons behind the Heritage headstock I hadn't a clue there was a very valid and strong case made for the reason behind the headstocks design. I never knew that. Thanks for clearing that up!
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A friend of mine bought a Sweet Sixteen when they first came out, because he didn't want to take his D'A out to gigs anymore.
I didn't like it at all, and wrote off Heritage ever since. It's too bad there aren't many places in NY that carry them, because I need a second jazz guitar, and don't buy guitars unless i play them first.
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Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Why ?
Thx
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"it's as if some are against the Heritage brand because it doesn't say Gibson on the headstock"
there are probably some, but not me. I just don't like the design. there are many other types of headstocks I like besides Gibson.
as I said earlier in the thread, if it had scalloped sides I think it'd look much better. as is, it looks kind of 'cheap' to me--no offense to Heritage owners intended, just my opinion. but as for the guitars themselves, if they're priced lower than an L-5 or Super 400 etc, and sound/play as good, that can only be a good thing for some folks.
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Less lateral pull makes it easier to prevent the string from binding in the nut. The smaller peghead makes it easier to build the neck from a single piece of wood without having to add glue-on "wings". It also adds less mass at the end of the neck making it less likely that their lighter hollow bodies will be head heavy. And on a purely speculative basis, I think the smaller peghead also helps prevent headstock and neck breaks that seem much more common on Gibsons. Originally Posted by Dennis D
And cosmetically, I think they would have been just fine if they had just made a less arbitrary design at the top end of the headstock. It would have been easy to do something that has a bit more flow to it. Would that have made everyone happy? Absolutely not because there are clearly a lot of people out there who would only have been happy with a Gibson peghead and it's not a Gibson guitar.Last edited by Jim Soloway; 04-07-2016 at 05:44 PM.
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Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Jim, excellent points. What about the 17 degree peghead pitch? Is that what you are referring to when you comment on "...less lateral pull...".?
If so, doesn't this more subtle peghead/headstock pitch also prevent some headstock breaks?
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I didn't go there because as I understand it some Gibsons are also 17 degree but I was referring to the straighter string path to the tuners on the Heritage that results form the tapered headstock. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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but yet, many of their semi-hollows *ARE* neck heavy. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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I'v never played one so I can't comment. What I do know is that with a 25.5" scale length and a guitar that weighs just a shade over 5 lbs, mine balances very well. Originally Posted by jzucker
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I wish that I owned a Heritage but I don't really have a pony in this race. However, I have never found the Heritage headstock designs unpleasant by any means. The only thing that may be unpleasant is the Heritage headstock design on their LP-like models, but only because there is the definitive original LP design to compare it to. However, IMHO the Heritage headstock design on those guitars looks just as good (and just as appropriate) as the Gibson design. For those that object to the Heritage headstock designs I would like to see their car rims (while wearing sunglasses, of course.)
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Yeah, I was wondrin' 'bout that. Maybe a labor cost cutting move? Originally Posted by Ol' Fret
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I guess if we removed the admittedly ' purely speculative ' and 'cosmetic' points, then the only structural reasons it may be superior to Gibson's ( as you said ) is the ' less lateral pull ' and also the fact that a more narrow allows for a no-wing headstock. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I believe that a 'less lateral pull is better ' argument would have to include a discussion of headstock angle.
You chose 'not to go there', but maybe that needs some discussion too.
Thx
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The "less lateral pull" benefit is to keep the string from catching in the nut when tuning or bending the string. To my knowledge, that's the whole story on that design. Aside from aesthetics, there is no reason to splay the strings over the headstock. Originally Posted by Dennis D
The 17 degree headstock angle evolved many decades ago to enhance string vibration transmission to the neck. Whether that matters on an electric guitar is unclear. The angle also firmly seats the string in the slot during hard play. Fender addresses this with a string tree. A potential downside of the 17 degree angling is that the string can catch in the nut slot during tuning and bends. This is where a good set of files and some skill comes to the rescue.
My belief is the headstock mass and the 17 degree angling contribute to neck breaks. That's the risk you take.
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I follow Jay's store page on Facebook. Being he is the largest Heritage dealer he shard the following message with anyone reading his page. I share it with you as a public service:
Recent changes at 225 Parsons Street-
Things rarely remain the same, and change is inevitable. The Heritage management are very intent on improving quality and have decided to somewhat limit model availability for a limited period. Beginning Feb. 1, 2018 only 6 models are being made: H137, H150, H530, H535, H575, Eagle Classic- all in several colors BUT no customization for the time being. Fortunately we have a fine selection of those popular models currently not being made- including- Super Eagle, Golden Eagle, Sweet 16, Spruce top H575, H575 Custom, H525, H555, H157, Millennium H155, etc.
Are any of the Company founders still there? Yes, including Jim, Bill and some of their long time employees like Ren, Pete Farmer & some others.
How’s the quality? Well, Heritage always made solid guitars that sound vintage & great. Their fit & finish & setups often varied from just ok to pretty darned awful. As their largest Dealer, we simply corrected the poor setups (old Gibson habits), and the finish glitches OR sent them back as simply unacceptable. Most Heritage fans were aware of this and OK with it to some degree or another. When Heritage changed hands a few years back, the new guys took time to listen to complaints and vowed to improve. They did, and fit, finish and setup has improved dramatically in the past few years. Some of the biggest improvements involve the old historical physical plant, which the Heritage guys struggled with for 3 decades- including improved HVAC, lighting, electrical, dust control, spray booth and so many other critical areas. The changes were remarkable costly and appreciated.
The new owners have now partnered with a large Global Distribution Company, who are charged with sales, marketing and Export distribution. Those folks have an even higher expectation & standard for QC, and it’s their intent to improve QC even more! We felt it was plenty fine as it was in 2016/2017 BUT we certainly support this impressive effort to improve further. We are excited for our future with Heritage Guitars and are keen to see & play 2018 models, with the focus on even finer QC. Improving an already great Guitar can’t be bad.
So, stay tuned, check out our inventory, and please keep the faith. Heritage and Wolfe Guitars appreciate your loyalty and business.
Sincerely, Jay Wolfe.
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Wow... really surprised that the Golden Eagle, Sweet 16 and several of the others will no longer be made, at least for a while.
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Interesting acknowledgement that Heritage QC was sometimes not always what it might have been. That was my experience the one and only time I've owned a Heritage (a 575 that was never quite right no matter what I tried). Would be happy to see them come out of this with a more consistent product. But is it true that many Heritage owners just accepted the poor set ups and finish? Most owners who talk of Heritage seem very happy and I've not heard dealers previously admit problems with the brand, but then maybe I was just not paying attention.
Last edited by odel; 02-02-2018 at 12:02 PM.
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it's over johnny
new ceo banking on the name, not the quality??
a few years down the line..heritage name be bounced around like all the rest!!! d'angelico, d'aquisto,etc etc
even gibby is reelin
hold on to your olde stock fellahs!!
cheers
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Oh man, I wonder why some of their heavy hitters aren’t on that list. That’s a shame but if it ultimately makes the company better in the long run then so be it. I wonder how this will affect the used market for the great archtops that aren’t being made for the time being. Might be kind of the opposite of the Gibson used market nose dive.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Will the 575 and Eagle still be carved? Everything else is pressed.
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Not surprising at all.
I'll bet that anyone who wants a lovely GE / SE / Sweet 16 can custom order one.
Heritage will be happy to take really a lot of your money to build you one.
Like, say, this one:Last edited by Hammertone; 02-02-2018 at 05:32 AM.
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Carved archtops are labor intensive, and probably not a money maker for Heritage,Gibson, these days. Also most of the old timers who coveted these instruments are passing on, and younger players are wanting different tools for their music.
Most of my generation are semi hollow and solid body guys playing Jazz or newer improvisational music. And I'm 60 years old,LOL! I think flat tops are also more in fashion as well. It's a shame, but the good news is there are boat load of fine luthiers making archtops. And the used market is better than ever.
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Long standing Heritage fanatic who has played and promoted my Heritage guitars around the world. But it seems like the title to this thread should be "game over".
I'm not some lunatic that thinks magic fairy dust will be lost if the plant is brought up to OSHA standards. But, it does seem like some fundamental Heritage DNA is being lost. The increase in costs for customization last year was understandable, but already a regrettable change to one of the key appeals of the company.
The Heritage catalogue has always been sprawling, I suspect due to the eagerness of the old crew to experiment, and cutting out modes that sold single digits over 30 years is definitely reasonable. But, this reduction seems excessive and extends to the company's most iconic models. Unlike other companies, with a million "reissue" or signature model variations, the arch tops have always been a core part of Heritage's identity.
Hope this is a temporary situation while they upgrade quality control and pass the torch. I had hoped Heritage would handle its transition like Benedetto, carefully maintaining not just quality but the spirit of the company through well trained an mentored apprentices. Otherwise, the options for a classic Gibson style arch top are going to be limited to vintage or waiting two years for a Campellone.
Finally, trying to sell change by suddenly publicly dumping on the old guys' attention to detail may be factually accurate, but is needlessly disrespectful to both one's business partners and customer base of the last 30 years.
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