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I just received an email from Heritage announcing the release of a brand new archtop called the H-717. I'm glad to see that Heritage, currently the largest builder of USA made archtops, is continuing to invest in archtops and not abandoning them (like some other company we know). This new guitar is their premium, top-of-the-line instrument and is priced accordingly. It clearly is drawing inspiration from what Benedetto is doing.
I was at the Heritage factory in February and got to spend some time playing the prototype, but was sworn to secrecy. In my estimation, it compared favorably to the Benedetto Americana that a friend of mine has. They both do this seemingly counter intuitive thing where they have a good warm bop tone while still retaining a nice acoustic sound. 1-11/16" nut width on the Heritage with a small-medium neck profile (both of which suited me more than the Benedetto's 1-3/4" nut).
Product page:
Heritage Core Collection H-717 Electric Guitar | Heritage Guitars
Here's a demo with Henry Johnson:
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04-03-2025 10:22 AM
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Crazy! I made a post about this literally about 10 seconds before you. Yours is the better post. This is the one that should be followed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Hot dog! I checked to make sure that no one else had started a thread before I posted and I was racing to get my write up done, but it looks like you beat me to it. I was biting my tongue when they dropped a teaser video on Instagram on Monday (which, coincidentally, was the company's 40th anniversary).
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That looks like a delicious Citation! I like the new headstock.
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It looks like they have finally decided to redesign the headstock. I realize some people liked the way it was, but I wasn’t one of them.
Keith
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Kudos to the folks at Heritage. I am unsure how many guitars like this will be sold at these eye watering prices, but if it works for them, fantastic!
Gibson, are you paying attention? You might be missing out on some extra business.
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Stupid Question Time: What's with archtops being made with no fretboard inlays? Is there some sort of benefit to it? Part of me is thinking that of I'm going to drop $13k on a new Heritage, I might want some fancy inlay for my trouble?
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I agree with you completely. I asked the Heritage folks about that and they told me that inlays will be optional. I’m sure these guitars will be built-to-order, so if you want inlays, you can have ‘em.
Originally Posted by LesB3
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With so many great luthiers making fine archtops today,a 13K Heritage is not going to get me excited.
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I love Heritage guitars, but this is a design miss for me. The fretboard and finger rest a going for a sleek, modern look, and then they couple that with the gaudy laced Citation tailpiece...it just doesn't work for me.
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Gorgeous model with stellar appointments, but at 13K they're leaving a huge chunk of the market out. Glad to see that Heritage is at least shaking things up with new stuff for jazz musicians.
Cheers,
Arnie.
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I'm glad to see Heritage has brought a premium archtop to market.
This new model is a step up from their excellent, lower priced H575 and Eagle models.
The market for such a high end, tap tuned H-717 may be limited, but what a beautiful addition to the Heritage brand.
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You can get a Campellone Cameo for way cheaper and no sales tax.
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Beautiful instrument, simple design. Great to see from Heritage. I like the headstock. Agree that the tailpiece fights the simplicity of the rest of the design a bit, but it wouldn’t keep me from playing it. Very curious what the house-made pickups sound like up close. With the current price of used L-5s, etc., what they’re asking doesn’t seem out of line. I wish them success with this new model.
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From what little there was to hear sounded almost exactly like my '97 golden eagle, $13k is a lot of bread for a guitar and there are many many great choices for the same or less, that said if you consider their costs and the discount they sell to dealers for their not gonna make much on them. An independent luthier without the overhead and employer burden making the same thing could make a reasonable profit but would earn every dime. I take my hat off to them for continuing the fine archtop tradition in the most legendary guitar factory ever and continuing like guitar makers not just 21st century business managers.
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Yep. 10,500 for the Campy Cameo. I think I would go that way in front of the Heritage all day long and twice on Sunday! Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Great to see a new Archtop model from an American brand.
I think Heritage does a lot of things right.
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It's just a matter of personal preference. Do the fancy inlays help you play better? Originally Posted by LesB3
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If usually not a fan of the modern style but I like it, they kept it simple and the color suits.
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You can literally pull 2 Campellones off or Reverb for $13K and still take your Mrs. to dinner. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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That’s a complex question. Like many others who have posted about this, I do play with more confidence when I have simple, easily visible markers. I don’t stare at the board when I play, but I was surprised to find out how much I rely on seeing them in my peripheral vision. The little dots on the edge are not enough on a dark stage unless they’re big and contrast strongly with the board. Originally Posted by Doug B
It's just a matter of personal preference. Do the fancy inlays help you play better?
I’ve been a fret off on a few occasions when playing with an unmarked board on a dark stage. I’ve used dots or similar little markers since the late ‘90s when I came in a fret low while backing a wonderful singer by myself at a dark and intimate little club. I slid into the correct chord and got away with it. But she noticed, and it was one of the low points of my career.
But fancy inlays are a different story. When I visited the PRS factory in Maryland, they let me play one of the Dragons. The inlay was so extensive that it was worse than none.
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You need to pay them $8k less to get inlays.... Originally Posted by LesB3
Custom Shop Core Collection H-555 Electric Guitar, Translucent Cherry – Heritage Guitars
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I think it's an interesting development and I have several thoughts, even though I really have no dog in this fight:
-First and foremost, more than anything I'm just happy to see Heritage put out a major indicator of their continued commitment to the archtop guitar (Looking at their Instagram with nothing but single cut solid bodies, it's not hard to get worried!)
-I do find it strange to introduce a new model instead of bringing back classics like the Golden Eagle and Super Eagle. Maybe this is an indication of more good things to come?
-In terms of pricing: is it expensive? You betcha! Would I buy one? Nope. Now that we have that out of the way, comparing new gear to the used market isn't completely fair. The price of this guitar compares favorably with similar carved Benedettos.
-I agree that a Campellone Cameo is a heck of a lot of instrument for less money, but Campellone's wait list is long (if you can even get on it at all) and he won't be making them that much longer. Heritage can probably deliver one of these within a few months of order (faster than Benedetto too).
But if I was going to be purchasing a guitar in this price range, I'd be looking for a player grade D'Angelico.
Edited to add my favorite spec from their spec sheet: Nut Material ? Nut
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I got this for £350 with fancy inlays. It's an amazing guitar. Originally Posted by Mick-7
You need to pay them $8k less to get inlays....
Custom Shop Core Collection H-555 Electric Guitar, Translucent Cherry – Heritage Guitars
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I am glad they are doing this actually and yes maybe Gibson will be listening. My thoughts on the guitar are they yes, I want fretboard inlay. It actually does help me at times play and I like the look much better. The tailpiece is ok, but I sort of wish they might do something different than the citation. That said it is a whole lot of money for a guitar. But one last comment is I own 3 Heritage made guitars including 2 Johnny Smith Rose guitars in that bunch. The HJS have been much better than the 2 Gibson Johnny Smiths I owned previously. They simply are fantastic playing and sounding guitars. If Heritage can produce that kind of work and guitar today, I am all for them.
Certainly, at that price point many other options available but just glad to see a real American manufacture doing these guitars.
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