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Posted by: Mudbone Sep 24 2011, 06:34 PM

Back in the 80's Gibson moved all of their production from their original factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to their other factory in Tennessee. Many of the original workers didn't want to relocate, so they bought all the old equipment from Gibson and began making their own guitars, under the name "Heritage Guitars". These are the same workers and equipment that produced the original high quality instruments, unlike the current Gibsons, whose quality sometimes leaves little to be desired. Check out their website below.

http://www.heritageguitar.com/indexc.html

Posted by: Sinisa Cekic Sep 24 2011, 11:03 PM

I've heard of this brand! Cool sounding,thanks for share

Posted by: The Uncreator Sep 25 2011, 12:34 AM

The guitarist in my uncles band has one of these, had no idea it was made in that factory though. I'd have to say they sound better than a Gibson and feel better.

Posted by: fkalich Sep 25 2011, 01:31 AM

I have bought 5 new Gibsons, and have been satisfied with the quality. A 6th I bought used, produced about 8 or 9 years ago. All is fine with it, other than a few nicks I and the original owner put on it. From what I have heard, they did have some quality control issues a few decades back (Norlin era). They did some strange things at that time, such as a three piece maple top sometimes on a Les Paul, I have seen one of those. But those days are long gone. In my experience they have supported their products well, and have been very concerned about maintaining their reputation in a positive way. How many new Gibsons have you actually purchased?

Posted by: Mudbone Sep 25 2011, 10:19 PM

Even though I havent purchased any, I can still have an opinion of the ones I've played in showrooms Some of the ones I've played were in fact very nice, I'm not saying they're all bad. Some of the Les Pauls sound fantastic. But I have played more than a few Explorers and SGs whose build quality was less than Korean guitars that cost half as much. I came across one $1400 Explorer whose build quality upon initial inspection was far less than a $600 LTD that was right next to it. The fret job was poor, the urethane finish was messy, and the electronics were poorly fitted. It played okay, but not as nice as the LTDs. The LTD was less than half the price, but yet its twice the guitar.

Posted by: Adrian Figallo Sep 26 2011, 04:51 AM

lovely guitar, but looks like a very old fashioned company, i can't see where to buy or how much are they

Posted by: Mudbone Sep 26 2011, 05:03 AM

You would have to check their dealer page to see who offers the best price and selection, but here is one dealers list of the Heritage solid bodies.

http://www.bananasmusic.com/productlist2.asp/subcategoryid_35/subcategory_6-String-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitars

Posted by: fkalich Sep 26 2011, 05:18 AM

I figured that you never had bought one. Guys that say what you did about quality control typically never have owned owned one.

Posted by: Mudbone Sep 26 2011, 05:34 AM

So I take it a guitar that is of questionable quality suddenly morphs into a high quality guitar after I fork over $1400. If I spent that much on a sub-par quality guitar I'm sure I would have to justify that purchase to myself by changing my perception of it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not discrediting ALL Gibsons. I played a used one at Sam Ash not too long ago. It was from the 80's, not sure which year. But I can say one thing for sure: that Les Paul had MOJO

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 26 2011, 12:57 PM

Almost any Gibson I've played, and I've played many Gibson guitars - were well made instruments with tone that doesn't disappoint. I think quality control on Gibsons is very good, but I also think new Gibsons do NOT deserve the price they have. It's often too much.

I would like to try this brand, unfortunately I believe there is a huge number of small guitar makers that make quality guitars out there. Many of their guitars can match the quality of the big brands for affordable price. It would be great to own a couple of these. Again, then the search must be on, and you must know what you are looking for.

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 26 2011, 02:41 PM

As fkalich says Gibson did have a quality problem in the early/mid 80s that affected some of its output.

From memory Norlin tried to have Gibson make models that covered the a high end/custom guitar down to the lower priced mass market. In line with that they had the various factories concentrate on specific markets according to price range and moved some production out of the US. Around the same time some ex Gibson workers set up Heritage Guitars - I think part of the reason was that they were not happy with Gibson/Norlin's business strategy. At the time I think most/all of the Heritage range were semi-acoustics and jazz guitars that, at least to me, had a clear Gibson influence. I think also that the majority of the Heritage output was quite expensive - about the same price as say an equivalent USA Gibson.

Personally I've never had an issue with the quality of the Gibsons that I have and that I have played. I chose to buy my first, pre-Norlin, Gibson semi way back in the late70s despite having the chance to buy alternatives that cost less and arguably were as well made. That Gibson is now worth much more than I paid for it and still performs beautifully and still brings a smile to my face when I play her some 30 odd years after she was made. To me she represents great value for money albeit that VfM is a pretty subjective notion .

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 26 2011, 08:04 PM

Hm, if those guitars do cost the same as Gibsons, then Gibson would be still better investment. It's value will grow more quicker then the other brand, specially on some rare models.

But who knows, Stradivari made some violins back in the days too, and now they are worth millions. Perhaps something similar will happen in 200-300 years with these more "rarer" brands.