Not a Guild, but kinda nice just the same.

[Telenator]

I've been photographing my guitar collection over the past few weeks because there have a number of robberies in my neighborhood recently.

I work as a pro photographer for a motorcycle magazine and have a small studio to work in so the pictures come out pretty decent.

Here's the latest. It's about 10 years old. I bought it from Ed Roman when he was here in Connecticut. The guitar slightly smaller than a Starfire or ES335 and has a great, bluesy vibe. My wife bought it for me. I'm a lucky guy!

 

[Thunderface]

Gorgeous. I love the pickguard. Heritage? Isn't that the former GIbson employees from Kalamazoo who started up their company in the old Gibson factory when Gibson moved to Nashville?

 

[Telenator]

That would be the very same company.

In fact, because the guys who made my Heritage are the same guys who built the legendary Les Pauls and SG's my Heritage is arguably more Gibson than a Nashville Gibson.

I bought mine 10 years ago and wanted to get one while the original guys were still there. Those dudes are up there in years!

Pick up this guitar, close your eyes and you'd swear you're playing and old Gibson!

 

[mad dog]

Tele:

I've been lusting after heritage guitars, the 525 and 535 mainly. Which one is this? How do you find the rather flat fingerboard ... is it comfortable?

Thanks
MD

 

[Telenator]

Tele:

I've been lusting after heritage guitars, the 525 and 535 mainly. Which one is this? How do you find the rather flat fingerboard ... is it comfortable?

Thanks
MD

Mine is a Blues Deluxe and is most similar to the Prospect model. The main difference is, the Prospect has a solid block down the center of the body that is attached to the top but not the back. It has a deeper, jazzier tone. The center block on the Blues Deluxe is attached to the front and the back making it a little brighter and bluesier.

The Blues Deluxe is discontinued although they do turn up from time to time in the classifieds.

I'm not sure what the fret board radius is on this guitar but it feels like it's 12" or so.

 

[jazzercizer]

I've been photographing my guitar collection over the past few weeks because there have a number of robberies in my neighborhood recently.

I work as a pro photographer for a motorcycle magazine and have a small studio to work in so the pictures come out pretty decent.

Here's the latest. It's about 10 years old. I bought it from Ed Roman when he was here in Connecticut. The guitar slightly smaller than a Starfire or ES335 and has a great, bluesy vibe. My wife bought it for me. I'm a lucky guy!

Wonderful guitars! I have two of them...an H150CM (the Heritage "Les Paul Standard"), and a beautiful H575 Custom (archtop, similar to my X 170)...I'm also looking for a Millennium Ultra (check the website...http://www.heritageguitar.com/indexb.html)....

 

[Telenator]

That ultra is super sweet! Kinda like Heritages' answer to Gibson's ES336.

 

[Squawk]

I have a 575 - like a Gibson ES-175 more than an X-170 -- either way, a great guitar.

 

[alpep]

I loved every heritage I ever owned but they all went away

 

[Spectrum13]

Heritage is to gibson as Guild is to Epiphone. I have a few. check out the owners forum

 

[Squawk]

Heritage is to gibson as Guild is to Epiphone. I have a few. check out the owners forum

Not sure I understand the analogy. Are you saying Heritage is way superior to Gibson? I own 3 Epis that I must say are good values especially when compared to the Gibsons they copy.

 

[kitniyatran]

Heritage is to gibson as Guild is to Epiphone...

Not sure I understand the analogy...

Guild was started after Gibson closed the Epi factory, following their purchase of their #1 competitor, using former Epi employees. In the same way, when Gibson closed the Kalamazoo factory, former employees started Heritage in the same building.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Heritage is to gibson as Guild is to Epiphone. I have a few. check out the owners forum

Not sure I understand the analogy. Are you saying Heritage is way superior to Gibson? I own 3 Epis that I must say are good values especially when compared to the Gibsons they copy.

In other words, It's about direct ancestry... this is pretty old, but may help:
http://adirondackguitar.com/Guild Guitars/Adirondack Guitar-The Guild Story.htm

 

[Squawk]

OK - what confused me is that Gibson kept the Epi name for it's lower end line. So I was thinking the current Epi - not the old independent company.

 

[Spectrum13]

Eppi was used to market gibbons (heritage speak) models to non-gibbon dealers and the Eppiphone archtops of the 40-52s were not produced in Kzoo. McCarty wanted Eppi's line of basses and tooling. The talent left in NY formed Guild and used the production techniques and features like the MOP with Abalone position markers. Gibbons built the nashville plant for modern mass production and used Kzoo for their custom shop instruments. When they closed down Parsons street in 1983 plant supervisors like JP Moots, Jim Derloou and Marv Lamb stayed and formed Heritage in 1984 with Bill Paige (accounting) using the same tools and assembly methods JP, Jim and Marv learned when they started working at the plant in 1956, 1957 and 1958. Rem Wall answers the phone. He sarted working there in 1960. These guys learned from fellow employees who worked at the plant in the 20's and 30's under the old hands of master into the pupil methods used for centuries. They were the people that purchased the wood, made the pattens and set up the Nashville plant. Jim was the plant manager at Guild in the 1970s. Marv carved necks for the 1959 bursts. They build guitars today like they were taught in the 1950s. They make 1960 vintage brand new, custom features and cost half to a third of what a new custom shop Gibbons costs. Yes, they are that good I own four.

 

[yettoblaster]

Good reading. Thanks for that synopsis Spectrum13.

I once had a Kalamazoo made Casino, and a friend had a Riviera with mini-buckers that I thought was the most versatile guitar I had yet played ( c mid-seventies at the time).

Since then I've had a couple of The Heritage - Eagles and H-575's (and a H-550 Custom) jazz boxes. Count me a fan. I have liked their 555's etc too, but have never owned one.

I was actually in the market for another H-575 with HRW pickups (they're great), when I stumbled upon my used '06 Savoy for cheap (which ended the hunt abruptly). :idea:

Epiphones I never considered "lower end Gibsons" because I think they just used them to get into stores that couldn't carry Gibsons. While the ones made in New York were more unique and a worthy competitor to Gibson, I believe their "season" had pretty much ended with the demise of the BigBands. So I think Ted McCarty's Gibson (CMI) really saved the name (if not all the molds) from the same fate as Stromberg, Vega, et al.

I think Heritage needs a book! Hans?