Heritage 18" Johnny Smith

[Max405]

Awwwright! Joe , you deserve this magnificent guitar, and you will do it justice. Congratulations, and play the dickens out of it in good health!

Thank you c74. I certainly will!

Joe,
What a gorgeous guitar ! This forum certainly has an inner circle of terrific people as you noted.
There is something special about the voice of an 18" guitar - and your version of "My Romance " certainly brings out the best of this instrument .
Wishing you many hours of enjoyment - and to Mike and Marty.

Thank you Stevie. And you very much apart of the circle. it's really cool when you get a guitar that has a history. It kinda pulls you along. An 18" guitar does things only an 18" can do.

I loved all the videos and JS guitars you have had the courtesy to demonstrate here / on Youtube but let me tell you that no other JS guitar has nailed the JS sound as much as this one does. And your playing is just wonderful, you do it so much justice! It's like hearing Johnny play, absolutely incredible. Please never let that one go. Congrats & enjoy this guitar in good health!

Drifter, thanks for your great post. I hear what you are saying. This guitar has a special sound. I promise, I will learn it and do it more justice. Thanks buddy!

[Max405]

Joe, listen to what Drifter says.
I'm not sure this is exactly the JS tone, but it is one of them. And even if others dispute that, it sounds great- not really good, not monster- truly great as in historic.
I don't think your HJS sounds like your GJS. The HJS has more range in its tone. My point is that these guitars complement each other. It would be pointless if they were the same.

You are absolutely right MG. I've learned. The guitars I will continue to go after will bring something new to what I already have. This guitar was a slam dunk when you found it for me but I wanted it even more after I listened to the 18" HDA. It's nothing like what I had. Now it's a Keeper!

Thanks as always Joe.
There's always a kind word from you and then there's the good stories too.
There is much to be learned by paying attention to you.
Then of course there's your playing, and here again is another wonderful example of how these instruments were meant to be played.
Nice going Joe, and thanks again for your contributions here.
Dennis

Dennis, thank you buddy. Again, the pleasure is all mine. There some great people here. You are one of them. An absolute gentleman.

Thou shalt not lust after thy neighbor's guitar.
guess I'm going to hell.

Ha! Don't worry, guitars like this are only found in heaven.

There's the HJS, then there's the: 18" HJS!!
That guitar has tone as rich & smooth as melted French butter!
A hearty congratulations to you!
(I confess that I'm in love with 18" Heritage archtops). Your's sounds great!

Thank you Helios. I love seeing this passion about guitars. This instrument will never fade into the sunset. Guitars are amazing. Especially big ones.

[Max405]

Great to see you fell in love with it in person, you've been waxing poetic for the right HJS with a Rose for too long. It didn't seem right to me that I had what I was sure was the perfect foil to your GJS just sitting in my closet relatively unplayed. Glad it got there in one piece and that the romance is in full bloom...
Big

Joe,
I hope you found the TI GB12 flats and the GB picks he sent me in the case pocket.

It's a piece of art. But for me, I had to connect to it. I am so glad I did. It didn't take long.
Mike, I can't thank you enough. I couldn't have done it without you Mikey.
I will try the strings, but I wanted to feel the guitar with strings I am familiar with. The puck, like I told you yesterday, they went right into the display case.
You are the best Mikey!

[tonedeaf]

Wowwwwwwwwww! It must have been made an 18 incher simply to be big enough to hold all that gorgeousness.

[Max405]

WOW that axe has it all ! Gorgeous tone and looks.
Mikey your heart is bigger than the Grand Canyon !
Mark, Dick Tracy has nothing on you !
Thank you both for taking care of our boy !
Trust me behind that beautiful 18' maple back is another piece of wood.

Great post Vinny. I just cracked up after I figured out the last line.. very clever bro..

Hope in Elizabeth, NJ

"From the train
it’s a city of roses
and rose keepers,
bald men in spectacles
and torn shirts.
There are miles of roses
in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Backyard arbors
shadowed by refineries
and the turnpike,
jungles of scrap,
still brown water, and poisoned marsh.
None of this matters
to the rose keepers of Elizabeth.
From the backyards of row houses
they bring forth pink roses, yellow roses
and around a house on its own
green plot, a hedge of roses, in red and white.
Surely faith and charity
are fine, but the greatest of these
is roses."

And now...another Rose in NJ, none finer than yours bro! Congrats, you're already making some sweeet music with that rare 18" HJS!

2b, thanks buddy. I was thinking about you with the pics bro..

The Abalone on that axe is beyond beautiful. Holy Moly.

not quite a monster, but classy. Very classy bro.

Joe, reminds me of Bill Evans playing a ballad - His playing too was all from the heart. Beauty personified!

Thank you 2b. That is a beautiful thing you said. I mean it.

[Max405]

Joe,
Simply put--a wonderful marriage of guitar and guitarist. You make that guitar sound as it should. AND, it is a superb instrument.
Heritage had it all going on with this guitar. Congratulations.

GT, thank you buddy. They really did a great job on the guitar. And it's been appreciated for 21 years. Damn I feel lucky! I wonder if Don Dean was a Johnny fan??

Wowwwwwwwwww! It must have been made an 18 incher simply to be big enough to hold all that gorgeousness.

Ha! Even the Rose is bigger. It's a knock out!

[Jabberwocky]

Schwing! Max got a boner!

[nikotro]

What a beauty. Congrats!

[Stringswinger]

JD,

16 inch, 17 inch and 18 inch archtops all have a thing about them. Welcome back to the 18 inch club. We both have superb examples. I am truly happy for you bro!

[Max405]

Schwing! Max got a boner!

Look out baby!

What a beauty. Congrats!

Thanks!

JD,
16 inch, 17 inch and 18 inch archtops all have a thing about them. Welcome back to the 18 inch club. We both have superb examples. I am truly happy for you bro!

Listening to old clips of the 18" HDA is what made me really want another one. As it turns out, they are very different guitars. Top carve and neck. Also my JS has quite a pronounced widening on the back too. It has the deep carve at the hips too, like the Unity. It doesn't have very flamey rims either. It doesn't matter. I got a rose now!

[Greentone]

Joe,

Yeah, the pictures remind me of the carve of a Unity. I wonder if the folks at Parsons Street asked Aaron Cowles to put his two cents in?

[Max405]

GT, That would be cool right? Maybe Mark knows already.
what is the purpose of the thicker back and thinner hips? I want to take some pics of the inside of the guitar. See what makes it tick.
JD

Joe,

Yeah, the pictures remind me of the carve of a Unity. I wonder if the folks at Parsons Street asked Aaron Cowles to put his two cents in?

[GNAPPI]

Wow! What a stunning vision.

[Hammertone]

...Also my JS has quite a pronounced widening on the back too. It has the deep carve at the hips too, like the Unity. ...

what is the purpose of the thicker back and thinner hips?

I do not understand what this means. Please explain.

[GNAPPI]

GT, That would be cool right? Maybe Mark knows already.
what is the purpose of the thicker back and thinner hips?
JD

The fitment of a form fitting dress of course.

[Max405]

I do not understand what this means. Please explain.

The back is thicker than the front. More carved at the edges, especially in the hips. Guitar Thickness at the rim, 3-3/8 and the middle I'd have to guess 3-3/4??
i love the shape. Joe D

[neatomic]

wow wasn't expecting that!! slippin an hjs in!! haha...congrats

lovely tone/performance (per usual)..very clear articulate sound..love it

enjoy Joe D

cheers

[Marty Grass]

Bowl carve.

[Max405]

wow wasn't expecting that!! slippin an hjs in!! haha...congrats
lovely tone/performance (per usual)..very clear articulate sound..love it
enjoy Joe D

Thanks Neatomic. It's nice having this guitar, I gotta tell ya.

Bowl carve.

Thank you MG.
Do you know why they do that? One thing I am noticing. This guitar is certainly deeper than all my others. It's not just the volume. It's the way it produces notes. Like a D note - A string, 5th fret sounds like an octave (with a drop D). But just like a Vinny said, it's an older Cadillac. It has a nice ride.

[2bornot2bop]

Look out baby!


Thanks!

Listening to old clips of the 18" HDA is what made me really want another one. As it turns out, they are very different guitars. Top carve and neck. Also my JS has quite a pronounced widening on the back too. It has the deep carve at the hips too, like the Unity. It doesn't have very flamey rims either. It doesn't matter. I got a rose now!

There ain't nuthin' like an 18. Hey baby, I'm bringin' home a Rose honey!

Joe, would you be comfy playin' an 18 that's 3 7/8" at the rims?

[Max405]

Yes this guitar is becoming special me.
My playing on it kinda sucks because I've yet to find the range on it yet. But when I do, I will take advantage of the sounds it makes.
I was telling Vinny earlier. This guitar has fingerstyle built into it. It's the only way Don Dean played it for 18 years and he left something in there. I'm learning Joe Pass White Christmas in particular. Now all of a sudden I'm playing fingerstyle. I never really did but now it's just happening. Just 3-4 fingers but they are automatically plucking strings.

2b, I think a bigger guitar would be too much for me. This one is my max.
JD

[neatomic]

yes.. (even from the one brief/hummy vid), that guitar seems to have enough tonal definition, clarity, volume and nuance that it would be great for fingerstyle use!!!

makes complete sense...

fact that the previous owner dd used it that way..well..it's in the wood

explore!!


for me - fingers...what you lose in (single line) speed, you make up for in soul & texture

cheers

[Greentone]

All the 18s I have played have been very memorable. They are, if you will, the concert grand pianos of the guitar world. Even more than a well-made dreadnought guitar, e.g., Martin D-28 through D-45 of fine vintage, great 18" carved archtops are clear, even, authoritative, and exhibit a bass-to-treble timbre that the 16"-17" guitars just don't match.

Although the "18s" were originally carved to produce big volume to anchor big bands, they really excel in the George Van Eps/Johnny Smith solo guitar music arena.

You can see and hear this in Joe's clip, IMO.

If you ever get to play a D'Angelico, a vintage acoustic Super-400, an Epiphone Emperor, etc., you will "get it." This won't necessarily erase from your minds what it is that makes a 16" Gibson L-5 from the 20s so spectacular, or what makes a great acoustic 17" carved archtop just right. It will, however, let you know that--just as there exists a Stienway Model D, or a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand to push out the big repertoire--there exist big guitars to effortlessly ring out the authoritative bass along with the pure mids and trebles. It's a clear, dry, airy sound that says "this is quality."

Joe, do enjoy your 18" HJS.

[Cavalier]

It's a SpinalTap moment Joe, another 11 on the cool scale. And talk about big bottoms, between the 18 size and low end tone this baby's got em.

[2bornot2bop]

Yes this guitar is becoming special me.
My playing on it kinda sucks because I've yet to find the range on it yet. But when I do, I will take advantage of the sounds it makes.
I was telling Vinny earlier. This guitar has fingerstyle built into it. It's the only way Don Dean played it for 18 years and he left something in there. I'm learning Joe Pass White Christmas in particular. Now all of a sudden I'm playing fingerstyle. I never really did but now it's just happening. Just 3-4 fingers but they are automatically plucking strings.

2b, I think a bigger guitar would be too much for me. This one is my max.
JD

I can't believe you never played FS before. It's 90% of what I play. I can't wait to hear more. That guitar has an exceptional range. And finess...One can clearly hear that in your trial clip.

Joe, I couldn't be more happy you're now the owner of this really unique 1 off of a HJS!

All the 18s I have played have been very memorable. They are, if you will, the concert grand pianos of the guitar world. Even more than a well-made dreadnought guitar, e.g., Martin D-28 through D-45 of fine vintage, great 18" carved archtops are clear, even, authoritative, and exhibit a bass-to-treble timbre that the 16"-17" guitars just don't match.

Although the "18s" were originally carved to produce big volume to anchor big bands, they really excel in the George Van Eps/Johnny Smith solo guitar music arena.

You can see and hear this in Joe's clip, IMO.

If you ever get to play a D'Angelico, a vintage acoustic Super-400, an Epiphone Emperor, etc., you will "get it." This won't necessarily erase from your minds what it is that makes a 16" Gibson L-5 from the 20s so spectacular, or what makes a great acoustic 17" carved archtop just right. It will, however, let you know that--just as there exists a Stienway Model D, or a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand to push out the big repertoire--there exist big guitars to effortlessly ring out the authoritative bass along with the pure mids and trebles. It's a clear, dry, airy sound that says "this is quality."

Joe, do enjoy your 18" HJS.

After owning so many 18" SE's I've always wanted to own an acoustic Super 400. I came close to buying one w/a D1100 for $7k. Still, I'm hearing that Joe's specific 18 is very special. I'm guessing its larger 18" size, 3 3/8" depth, with a thicker back, would balance out any brightness of a thinner top.

It was brightness and lack of bass that caused me to sell a unique 17" HJS - w/a rose.