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GE's are super archtop's. I've owned 7 of them. I'd not hesitate to buy that GE if the price was right. And it's Spruce and Maple, not Mahogany. It's one of the first 1000, which had the registered serial number on the back.
Some of these came with D shaped necks. They weren't all skinny necks. Remember, each Heritage was ordered as a custom guitar.
I never bought a single one of the 100 or so arch tops I've owned out of a store. Nor did I know what size neck I'd prefer. I ordered all of those guitars online, not having an opportunity to play them until they arrived. I never got burned on a guitar. And yes, a Heritage is a much better guitar than an Eastman.
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10-21-2021 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by jads57
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Originally Posted by vcd33238
I've owned a few Heritage Golden Eagles and found that the quality can vary slightly - but a good Heritage is a very nice guitar - I'd feel comfortable buying the guitar provided you can return it if you don't like it -
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Bill: Have a look at the new thread titled Buscarino Prodigy. (Not a floating pickup, but a Buscarino.)
Though when advice comes from a Mr Campellone, or 2B with his vast experience in owning/playing, it’s safe to ignore anything else I say. ;-)
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Even the piano player in the crowd recognized that guitars issues were minimal. Criticism here is overrated.
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
The key to reducing that MOE is information. As I and most others lack your experience, I’d really appreciate your stretching this a bit further. My big concern is that these findings may be telling us that this guitar suffers from serious chronic dehydration. I’m assuming from personal experience with two such guitars that if this one is dried out and in need of rehydration and repair, that it would probably be evident from at least a few signs of similar shrinkage in body, bracing etc.
Is this a reasonable concern? If so, how would you go about determining if this or any guitar needs such attention? Are there measurements that might help? Would mirror inspection of bracing, kerfing etc provide you with useful information? Can you use a moisture meter to measure the state of hydration of a guitar?
Dehydration is a plague on guitars. I visited the Bozeman shop soon after Gibson was in full swing there, and they had huge problems from the dryness that affected even their new instruments. I think we’d all really appreciate knowing more about the issue, including what can be done to identify it as an occult problem in a potential purchase. Thanks!!
David
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So it’s off to see Lou in a couple weeks , buy him lunch and spend an afternoon playing some of these. Thanks again for the knowledge.Bill
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
While fingerboard binding cracks at the fret ends are typical of lateral wood shrinkage, cracks between the frets are more mysterious - they should not be caused by lateral shrinkage, and if the fingerboard had shrunk along its length (which I don't think I've ever seen), the binding would buckle rather than crack.
As for measuring wood moisture content of finished guitar, I have no experience with this. The only moisture meter I've ever used operates by inserting a pair of pins into the wood, and obviously you don't want to do this on a finished guitar - there are "pin-less" moisture meters, too, but having no experience with this type, I don't know how accurate they are - hopefully someone else can provide better information.
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
I bought a new ‘73 Les Paul Custom (in 1973), and the binding on the treble side of the neck started separating from the fingerboard within a few months despite good humidification. There were no binding cracks at all and the frets ends were imperceptible. It played very well and there was no twist or bend in the neck. I had it looked at by the repair tech at the authorized dealer from whom I bought it and he tried to reseat it with whatever glue they used back then. But the same small space (less than a mm wide and spanning the distance from the 2nd or third fret to the 5th or 6th) opened up again, so I left it alone and played it that way for years. I asked a fine local luthier to look at it and he told me the same thing. But I still have no idea why that happened, and neither did they.
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@Mark Campellone: can you explain what “corduroying” is/looks like? Thanks.
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Originally Posted by Mark M.
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Here is mine from 97 back in the years when I had one, like 10 years ago or so, and fumbling over I Hear A Rhapsody and Yesterdays.
Stream HGE demo 2 by Epistrophy | Listen online for free on SoundCloudLast edited by Epistrophy; 10-28-2021 at 09:11 AM.
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Originally Posted by Mark M.
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
This kind of knowledge is invaluable, Mark. Most guitarists I know have no concept of the work a luthier puts into even a seemingly simple repair. I hope your input here helps those who don’t do so come to value such skill and effort more appropriately. Too many fine instruments suffer when their owners ignore problems or try to get them fixed on the cheap.
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
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It’s another thing to look for when buying a used instrument.
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Just a thought for you: consider your amp.
I have a 1976 Aria PE-180, that I love, though admittedly mine is in particularly good condition. You're right about its unplugged acoustic tone being a bit dead (as you'd expect from a slightly overweight laminate Super V copy).
I just wanted to tell you that my Aria's tone jumped up to a whole 'nother level when I got my little 10" Mambo jazz amp recently.
I'm not sure if you said what amp you're using, but if you're not quite ready to buy the Eagle or somesuch, and planning on
doing some more hands-on research, I was thinking you might ease your GAS symptoms in the short term with a better/different amp. It'd still be an investment for when you get your new guitar.
Incidentally, with the Aria, I sometimes find myself switching from just neck pickup to both pickups. That can make it a bit more acousticy and balanced and less mid-rangey, which some nights can better fits with what I want. Worth a try perhaps.
Whatever you decide, be safe and enjoy the journey.
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Originally Posted by MCampellone
The technology sends an electromagnetic field into a fairly large cross-sectional area of the wood, not just the surface where a traditional pin type penetrates. The literature says it goes 3/4" into the wood, and you select the species. It seems to work.
Further dialing in the Ibanez AF95 ... I do like...
Today, 05:44 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos