Heritage H-157

[Marty Grass]

I've had a few Heritages come through my hands lately. They play and sound fine. But I like how they look.

Here are two H-157s. Both are pretty light at about 9 lbs. The tops have the same finish but very different woods.

[Marty Grass]

Here's some H-555s.

Newer antique natural




Older (24 years old) natural. This was Vince Lewis's.






Sunset (Tri-) Burst

[rhoadsscholar]

Love the quilted 157 and Vince Lewis's 555. Especially what appears to be a one piece maple neck. Great collection

[Dedalus]

Took the words right out of my mouth. That quilted 157 is stunning.

I said it in another thread and I'll repeat it here: All these Heritage threads are giving me serious GAS. Unfortunately--or perhaps fortunately, depending on your perspective and the size of your wallet--you just don't see many here in NZ.

[Steven Herron]

Wow - talk about eye candy!

Those are some beautiful quilted backs and sides on those guitars!!

[Gitfiddler]

Holy Lucille, MG! Those are all drop dead gorgeous!

[Fred Archtop]

Incredibly figured ! Love the tri-burst.

Congrats MG.

[M-ster]

... Both are pretty light at about 9 lbs ...

Are we calling 9 lbs "light" these days?

[Marty Grass]

Are we calling 9 lbs "light" these days?

I am!!

Like the LP Customs of old, the Heritage H-157s used to be heavier, 10+ lbs. I owned a black quilted on with three pickups the was slightly over 12.5 lbs.

The very early LPs were even lighter often. I don't know if it was due to the type of mahogany or how dried it was.

It amused me years ago when rockers claimed that the heavier the guitar, the greater the tone and sustain. It was as if you had to physically suffer for your art, a noble and virtuous thought. If that were true, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters were slackers.

[GNAPPI]

Here's some H-555s.

Yours have a 555 neck variant I've never seen before, three piece striped maple. I've seen one piece maple, and mahogany but this is a new one. What do you think of the solid one piece and three piece maple necked versions?

[BigMikeinNJ]

Really nice stuff Marty.
if you and I don’t cool it aquiring Heritages were gonna be considered “dealers”

[Marty Grass]

Yours have a 555 neck variant I've never seen before, three piece striped maple. I've seen one piece maple, and mahogany but this is a new one. What do you think of the solid one piece and three piece maple necked versions?

Heritage makes various necks. The idea is that lamination strengthens the neck and allows for thinner carves. Personally, I haven't noticed a difference, but I'm not a luthier.

[joe2758]

Hey, could you guys take a look at this video at 3:00 mins? he says the radius and string spacing didn't seems right. Is that possible? It seems like it would be pretty standard to match that with the nut. I'm looking to acquire a new one of these and just want to make sure I won't need a new bridge right off that bat. Maybe it is just Rich's personal preference?

[BigMikeinNJ]

There's a lotta cats that like the Tal Farlow, the prefer playing a Gibson for a multitude of reasons. A lot of Tal Farlow fans want the Tan Farlow model... Now set that explanation on the back burner for a half minute.

The Tal Farlow is a laminated guitar. The Eagle (all the Eagle models) are solid wood, not laminates. Totally different response from each. I've seen this question asked here in the last week, was it you. Same answer: different build properties, different resonses, Heritage sort of did that with a lot of Gibson models (remember Heritage started out with the old Gibson guys staying behind in Kalamazoo and forming Heritage). They took guitars like the 335, the 175 and made their own versions of them - yeah the shape was basically the same, but Heritage used SOLID woods instead of laminates. So a H535 or H575 are different to the similar Gibson models in a lot of ways. I love the ES175, and one day I'll get a H575 when I find the one that really floats my boat...

That question is comparing apples to oranges. I won't tell you what you would prefer, I have no idea sonically what will appeal to you. I tend to be a floating pickup guy - most of my Eagles have floaters and I'm crazy about them. I have:

1 golden eagle single set pickup
1 golden eagle single set pickup that's a wine burst. Basically an attempt at a Wes Mo
1 golden eagle floating pickup
1 American Eagle floating pickup

I prefer the floating sound.

[Marty Grass]

The bridge saddles are bought in bulk by Heritage. The radius is 12".

Whether it saddle radius matches the fretboard depends on a few things. First, how deep are the notches? If they don't have a consistent relationship with the string diameter, for example a half, it won't match the fretboard. Second, the diameter of the strings need to match the slot of the saddle (see the first variable). Third, the elevation of the saddle on either the bass or treble sides will create a mismatch to the fretboard.

I'm no luthier, but I have files, and saddles are pretty cheap. As a rule I make my slots about half the diameter of the strings. That holds the strings in place well enough for me.

Rich is a master jazzman and educator. But note that he uses heavy tops, light bottoms. That has to be taken into consideration when slotting the saddle.

I believe Heritage slots for a "standard" set of round wound 12s.

If you're at Rich's level, you know how to tweak an excellent guitar into exactly what you want. Don't take his comment about the bridge saddle as a catastrophic failure. Most new guitars need a set up. Adjusting the slots is part of that.

If you order a new one, tell the Heritage dealer what set of strings you want the guitar to be set up with.

Maybe for your birthday or Christmas you could ask for a set of files and some bridge saddles. It's better than getting a sweater!

[joe2758]

Thanks man! funny thing is I literally just sold a set of gauged nut slot files to save for the guitar (i made one nut and never used since)! The other thing about Rich is he said he has the action lower on the bass side and higher on the treble...that plus his custom string set could have to do with the radius thing.

But yeah, If i get a new one i'll have them set it up with my 14s

[BigMikeinNJ]

Unless you’re ordering some crazy options you should really look at the used market. There are some really well cared for vintage pieces at terrific prices out there. Like getting a dog, why buy in a pet shop when a great shelter dog is dying to be your new best friend. Big

[Marty Grass]

This is a 1994 with a few custom features. It has abalone inlays, a belly cut, some extra binding, and what's called the VIP wiring for single coil, humbucker and phase reversal.





I put P-Rails in it. The toggles go from rails, to humbuckers, and to P-90s. I changed the hardware to gold since I was doing the rewiring. It sounds really great. I'm happy.

[Woody Sound]

Looks awesome. Now change the knobs to one master vol and one master tone, with two dummies, and you're all set.

[neatomic]

nice tweaks...the classic tune-a-matic bridge & stud tailpiece is a marked improvement..aesthetically, if nothing else...enjoy

cheers

[Gitfiddler]

Looks great! Plus adding one's personal touches to a guitar make it more enjoyable to own and play.

[neatomic]

ps- some good info regarding duncan p-rails...including mounting

Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickups | Vintage Guitar(R) magazine

cheers

[citizenk74]

Beautiful guitar, MG. We had a Heritage dealer in our Tri-City area. It is one of the regrets of my life that I could never afford one. It's good that most Heritage owners appreciate these fine instruments.