Heritage Johnny Smith signed by everyone but JS?

**Max405** · 10-07-2023, 09:55 AM

Hi,
That is a nice guitar. It’s a shame about the lacquer issue.
Dead Bugs!?!? Yikes.
Our resident expert on all things Heritage, Mr Martygrass may need to chime in on all those signatures and the absence of Maudie Moore’s name. But that is a cavalcade serious talent on that sticker. I would personally have an issue with Johnnys name being absent from his “signature” model.
One thing I might point out..
That guitar is destined to sound prominent in the mid to high focus range. It will never have a deep sound. Either acoustically or plugged in. That top, from the vantage point of the pics provided, is VERY thin. It will feedback like crazy if a powerful pickup is used. And it will stay focused in the highs and mids. If that’s the Rambo pickup on there, keep it.
And WHY would anyone place a potentiometer in the middle of the (beautiful, I must say) pickguard? How the heck are you supposed to play a guitar when your picking hand keeps hitting a knob?
Whatever you do, you are in the right track. A Heritage Johnny Smith is an extraordinary guitar. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of owning 3 in my life. Good luck with your decision.
I am so happy that my Johnny is still so relevant these days.
Joe D

**Rickco** · 10-07-2023, 01:38 PM

Im not seeing the big deal with the lacquer lifting, this should be an easy fix for a competent finisher (i might wonder why it lifted) and personally the guitar was signed by everyone at heritage there could be many reasons JS didnt sign this one why does it matter. He didnt play and inspect many (any?) of the guitars he endorsed for Gibson Guild etc he signed the labels which he was paid for, doesnt make the guitar sound better. I got to meet him (several times in the '60s) while he was at my friends house playing guitars with my buds dad. One of the times he was delivering a Gibson JS he had picked out at the factory for my friends dad while he played his D'angelico. Im pretty sure neither one was signed. Im also a worshipper of the man but that doesnt effect the quality of his guitar at all. As far as the bugs... Imean if they werent termites or cockroaches or?
as long as their dead shake em out and get playing. If the price reflects these issues and it plays well (doesnt need reset) I wouldnt hesitate.
I might add that if I played like JD and had his guitars I might have a different opinion

**Max405** · 10-07-2023, 02:19 PM

Thanks for saying that.
It always meant something to me that Johnny at least signed the label on my HJS’s. It might not be a big deal for most and I understand. My wife even thinks my admiration for the man is a little creepy.. Although she has been asking me to go out to Joe Passes gravesite again soon because we can look after it. Or maybe, she just favors old Italian dudes..
I am glad all of the HJS’s I’ve owned are cherished by the fine people who now own them.
I’ve been actually thinking about how cool this guitar sounds with the piezo pickup.
Especially mixed with the electric sound.
JD