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ugh, i had hoped the new administration would have improved problems...
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07-15-2023 07:56 AM
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Which brings me back to my long standing conclusion that most of the major companies, even aside guitar gear co's, post 1960's are just selling shit, not actually making a product worth bragging about. It's all about cost cutting without losing your customer base. Riding the brand name into the ground while the corporate heads ride into the sunset.
Originally Posted by jzucker
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i haven't played any of the new gibsons since they came back so I can't say definitively but Ibanez, yamaha, eastman and fender all have good quality control. The last new gibson I bought was a 335 around the time they were selling direct. It was a terrible instrument with bad fingerboard, fretwork and finish. Fortunately, I was able to return it for a refund. Originally Posted by DawgBone
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Going to opt to wait for a replacement before I judge Heritage too harshly. But this definitely should not have left the factory….
If I have issues with the next one I am able to return for a full refund and will look into other options.
this was my first proper archtop.. so I’m pretty bummed. I want to buy it right the first time… and play it into the grave.
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It shouldn't have left the factory. But it did.
It shouldn't have passed the 55 point inspection. But it did.
I'm seeing a trend of no one in the chain giving a shit despite the hype surrounding both Heritage and Sweetwater.
I have had these types of problems myself, and understand the frustration.
In the 90's I bought a custom shop American Classic strat. It came from the factory with a badly warped neck. The satin finish was lifting off everywhere. The shop gave me a korean loaner and it took Fender 5 months to bolt a new neck on and send it back. One month to find the screwdriver and a month to turn each screw in I guess. The replacement also had lifting finish over the dots but at least it was straight. I just ate it. Nowadays, if I want a Fender I just call warmoth.
Good luck. I hope you get it straightened out and get the guitar of your dreams.
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The sad reality is that there are millions of guitar players, most of whom are not very good at playing the instrument and who are generally happy with flawed instruments as they do not know any better. That said, it is against the interests of almost any large volume guitar maker or dealer to discard a flawed instrument. If a player can tell the difference, and gets a flawed instrument, refund his/her money or send them another one. Some ignorant player will be happy with the flawed one. Originally Posted by DawgBone
A boutique maker like Mark Campellone or a boutique dealer like Larry Wexer can be more picky in this regard and their clients expect this. If you buy a mass produced guitar from a large volume dealer, do not be surprised at this sort of thing, it happens. Complain and the large volume dealer will make it right for you and send the returned guitar to another, perhaps unwitting customer. That is life in the world of today, folks. Companies need to maximize profits to pay those outrageous executive salaries. If you happen to be one of those executives, all I can say is "nice work if you can get it". When it comes to executive pay vs. workers pay from a historical perspective, things are a little off kilter in the America of today, IMO.
To the OP, good luck in getting it sorted out. Sweetwater is one of the best and I am reasonably certain that they will make it right. I put all my online purchases on my Amex card. While I forego any cashback rewards doing so, I have peace of mind that if anything goes wrong, Amex will make it right for me.
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Jack, apparently you haven’t seen Fender’s more recent work. QC issues have been rampant, including custom shop guitars. Originally Posted by jzucker
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Good decision, they are fantastic guitars and should serve you well for as long as you play. Post a picture when you get her. Originally Posted by jeremiahzellers
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Is anyone else seeing these kinds of flaws with the new Heritage archtops? Just wondering. If it was mine I would ask for a full refund and use it towards an older H-575 made by the original Heritage luthiers. Buy it from a reputable dealer or private seller with a right of return policy and have your luthier inspect it.
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Good plan! Originally Posted by jeremiahzellers
I hope you get a great new H575 and that you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. (I own 2 older H575's).
They are wonderful playing and sounding archtops.
Good luck.
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Not too critical. I Just ordered a gibson 335 and the binding was so bad and fretwork terrible. I sent it back and they sent me another one free of charge and it was way worse. Sent it back and said “hey maybe Gibsons really do suck now”
i play Eastman and I suggest you check them out. Screw this bad guitar vibes from Gibson and heritage.
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I guess I have been lucky with the 5 Heritages I currently own. Golden Eagle, H575 Custom, H525, H535 and H150. All are at least 15 years old though.
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the 55 point inspection is likely done by someone with no guitar tech experience. I recently bought a sire bass. It's actually a terrific instrument at a price that so low that it's ridiculous. They also make 335, les paul, strat and tele series. A friend of mine tried their 335 and said it was amazing. Originally Posted by DawgBone
But, on my bass, the nut was cut in such a way that one of the strings is barely in it. As soon as I removed the instrument from the box, I could see it. How did the 55 point inspection miss that?
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The problem there is that the eastman guitars don't sound like gibsons. I recently bought their T484 guitar which is their version of a 339. Very bright without any bottom end. It's true that the quality control, setup, inspection were top notch but when I got my old Gibson 339 back, it was more than night and day. Of course the 339 is 2x as expensive and it's in the shop getting a fret level and pickup level (the pickup cutout was not quite right so the pickup hangs up on the cutout) . BUT THE SOUND. Originally Posted by Bryzdogg
If you want a gibson sound, GET A GIBSON.
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Thankfully I don't specifically want a Gibson sound (whatever that is, given that Gibsons aren't even consistent in this. ES-175s, L-5s, 335s, Les Pauls, etc., all sound different across decades and even from instrument to instrument- combined with endless stories about QC problems, it seems like pastures are greener elsewhere).
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Sure there are variations - for example, the mahogany body 175s and the maple neck 175s but by and large a 175 sounds like a 175. You can get the classic 175 sound out of any of them. Originally Posted by Cunamara
Same with L5s, Les Pauls, 335s.
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One day at a gig a few years ago I set my precious Gibson down in the middle of a set and picked up an Epiphone Sheraton II I had bought. None of the band guys even noticed until I mentioned it. Does it sound like a Gibson? Not exactly. Can you tell in a blind taste test where the amp is close mic'ed, you aren't listening to it over a band, and I demo the Gibson right before/after? Yes of course. Can you tell the difference with a band in a blind test live? I doubt most people could. The subtle nuances that differentiate them are too minor for it to matter in a club setting. It didn't matter to me in a club setting and I'm the guy playing it, lol. The Sheraton failed the "comfort on strap" test because it had big neck dive so it was sold. Originally Posted by jzucker
So, two years ago I bought an Edwards E-SA and sold the ES333. What I have now is equal in tone but superior in playability. Action height without buzz is lower. The neck is a lot more stable than a slim taper and tbh the poly finish takes a lot more beating. I use a metal fingerpick so I'm gonna be digging into the wood under the high E over time. I did throw a '57 in the bridge, the custom 5 was pretty hot and I already had a couple extra '57's. I kept t the SD jazz at the neck, it's pretty good. So, all factors considered, "only a knockoff is good enough" for me. It's a service instrument, not a religious icon.
I just think people make a big deal about what is essentially a mass produced guitar. Branding is very powerful on the psyche and these companies understand that. But you either get a good guitar or you don't and I find the name on the headstock has little or no relation to that.
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my preferences have nothing to do with branding. Admittedly, seventy seven, tokai, edwards, and even korean/chinese made epiphones have managed to overlap into the gibson sound. But just because a guitar plays well and has a good setup and quality control doesn't mean it sounds like a gibson.
I love my Ibanez GB10. No gibson sounds like it. And no tokai, edwards, eastman sound like it either. Like gibson, the ibanez axes have a very identifiable sound.
But gibson is an identifiable sound based on the amount of jazz, rock and blues recordings made with them. The sound isn't branding. It's a very specific sound.
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Maybe there is a generic "Gibson" sound but the claims that only a Gibson sounds like a Gibson wouldn't stand up tested in the blind because other companies have copied it closely enough. The majority here couldn't even tell which guitar was a flattop and what was the archtop in a blind test Vihar posted some months ago until he made the reveal and you could listen with your eyes. Originally Posted by jzucker
I have heard the "real 335's are laminate" arguments and claims they are very different from the copies. I have owned enough semi hollow 335 variants and they are all close enough to a Gibson to get the job done. Otherwise why would I have sold mine. Of course it is a great sound but it is no longer the sole possession of Gibson. It's not 1960 anymore. If were are going down this road then we are talking about every Gibson being slightly different from another Gibson of the same model and so certain non Gibson's could be closer to a Gibson than certain Gibsons. That argument is pointless.
Is there a Fender sound too? Yes, generically. But it's not 1960 anymore. Is a warmoth copy not gonna sound like a Fender? It does. The name on the headstock means mostly nothing except higher cost than another comparable instrument. Do different strats sound different from other strats? Of course. Gibson and Fender no longer have carte blanche. Branding is a powerful spell but it is a mind trick by manufacturers to keep their products selling and players at large convinced they don't have the real deal until it has that name on the headstock.
Regardless you gotta have confidence in what you are using or self doubt about gear will affect your mindset. If that means having a genuine Gibson then you better go get one. Just bring your American Express.
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No mass market laminate jazz box I’ve played sounds remotely like my 175 - except some other 175s. Maybe a Slaman, but that’s not mass market.
In some ways that’s not a bad thing. Some people might not get on with it. I haven’t always got on with it. My 175 is very determined to make a certain type of noise, will not be cajoled into making another type of noise and has been doing it for longer than I’ve been around.
So long as I respect the his boundaries we do just fine. But he is not going to play that modern rubbish. Kreisberg’s seems to have been talked into it, but that’s a slightly later guitar. Not all of them sound the same, but as Jack says they all do 175, which is a specific thing. I haven’t tried the instruments he’s mentioned, but I doubt any of them are as extreme as mine.
I bought it for well under market value. I think the price they are going for now….
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I think with laminated top archtops there is a Gibson sound that has proven difficult for other builders to replicate, but I think that’s much less true of the other styles of electric guitar they’ve made. Originally Posted by jzucker
So it might be true that to get the 175 sound (especially in your fairly particular sense of this) you’re best off with a 175. But not so much with a 335 or LP. Tons of great options for that. Gibson pioneered the Gibson rock sound(s) but others have figured it out.
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I thought this was about the op's heritage......?
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Not so sure about 335s. I would say there’s a midrange peak about 800 hz which I associate with Gibsons, but I wouldn’t like to say it’s unique because I haven’t played enough semis. But I have a 335 and it does that cutting through the mix thing.
Japanese guitars seem ‘flatter’ somehow. Not a bad thing just different.
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All roads lead to thunk. Originally Posted by Rickco
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My ears need that thunk or it’s junk. Originally Posted by John A.
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