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Post by ashaffer on Aug 26, 2004 5:33:08 GMT -5
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 25, 2004 14:51:11 GMT -5
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 24, 2004 14:28:55 GMT -5
I had John Thurston of Thurston Instrument Repairs in Catonsville MD do the work. He has worked on all of my guitars for years. I bought the pickup and pots from www.archtop.com and the Benedetto pieces from Stew Mac. One thing that I did was to have the output jack mounted under the finger rest instead of coming out of the end strap jack. I wanted to be able to remove the whole unit as a module and play the guitar as a total acoustic if I decided I wanted to. The pickup is a "real" Kent Armstrong vs. what I have heard is licensed offshore product with the Kent Armstrong label. You have the same pickup. I see you have a Steinberger too, really small world isn't it? I'll get a photo up to my website and then post a link, the guitar is the Antique Sunburst finish. -Al
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 23, 2004 15:12:20 GMT -5
Cool! I have the same basic setup - Heritage Golden Eagle with the Kent Armstrong floating PAF. I switched out the Heritage finger rest for a Benedetto and used the "steath" tone and vol pots. I replaced a Bartolini floating pickup that was mounted on the original Heritage finger rest.
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 23, 2004 14:56:21 GMT -5
Hi,
I am currently using the Thomastik-Infeld George Benson flatwounds (.014s) on both my Heritage Golden Eagle and the H-550. The really weird thing is that they feel very different on either guitar! I love them on the H-550 (laminated top, dual HBs mounted in the guitar). They are very smooth and give a great thud in the bass and are even across the fretboard. They feel thin on the Golden Eagle, almost like they were .012s instead of .014s. They do not seem as even tone wise either. I do not understand this at all. I am on my third set on the H-550 and as the Eagle is rather new to me they are the first strings that I have put on. One difference is that the Golden Eagle has a Benedetto tailpiece vs. the original metal tailpiece on the H-550. I do have a set of Pyramid Gold flatwounds (.013s) that I plan on using on one of my guitars in the near future. I have used .011s Pyramids (not flatwounds) on my Strat and LP and have a very good opinion of them. I previously used D'Adarrio .0105 on my "rock/blues" guitars. I keep going to bigger and bigger guage strings to get a solid tone that I like.
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 23, 2004 15:04:31 GMT -5
I have a 1986 GL-2S Steinberger and it is great for most types of music (jazz/blues/funk/rock/country). This is the original all composite graphite model, not the wooden bodied composite neck "Spirit" model. I have not played one of the Spirits, but have heard that the EMG Select pickups are pretty weak and if you play seriously that an entire electronics change out would be in order. They only cost around $300 though.
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Post by ashaffer on Aug 23, 2004 14:38:44 GMT -5
I agree that you cannot say a Heritage is "better" than a Gibson or any other guitar as a blanket statement. Each guitar has its own sound and build quality and these things are widely varied, especially on a handmade instrument. I have owned many hollow bodied Gibsons and played many others and they have varied from individual guitar within a specific model/type. I currently own 3 semi hollow or hollow bodied Heritage guitars both solid and laminate tops. I feel lucky to have three that are very nice player guitars, but would never say that any of them would necessarily be "better" than any other brand until I played the specific guitar in question. Just depends if the "magic" is there.
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