Product: Heritage H-162
Price Paid: ???uros 495
Submitted
10/06/2007
at
03:55am
by
Jacques
Features
:
9
Finish: red paint. Body Style: stratocaster. Bridge: Kahler Spyder Tremolo. Tuners: Grover black plastic like stuff? Locking-behind-the-nut. Maple neck with maple fretboard. 22 jumbo frets. 24 3/4 scale length. Made in 1988. One volume and one tone knob. Pickup selector and coil tap for bridge humbucker. Pickup configuration: SSH. Pickups made by Schaller. Body wood probably ash.
The shape of this axe was inspired by some Gibson attempts at entering the superstrat market in the early eighties. It also looks like those Charvel/Jackson superstrats. Check my site jacquesguitars.com for pictures.
It came with a matching case and they made me pay for it although Heritage guitars are supposed to come with a free case. Also the handle for the Kahler tremolo was missing. They offered to look for it, but as I expected I never heard from the shop again.
Sound
:
10
I found this baby in 2007 hanging in an Amsterdam guitar store since 1988. Because I like the other Heritage guitars so much I decided to give it a try.
At first it looked a bit like a one off proto type, but later it turned out a very decent super strat. After ordering some spare parts from the resurrected Kahler I have it up and going now and it is certainly no dissapointment! Unlike my MIM 70s Classic Fender strat it is almost noiseless and gives me the same sounds, including the bell like rythm and the other typical strat noises. The Schaller pickups are great for anything you can dream of. Using the Kahler trem and the bridge humbucker I feel like Jeff Beck.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
The guitar was set up reasonably well. The action isn't too low and I can't seem to figure out how to lower the saddles on the Kahler any further.... But it works fine for me.
This used to be a quite expensive guitar (I believe way over a 1000 dollars) and all the hardware is top class. The neck is beautifull too. A well made guitar from the old luthiers in Kalamazoo
Reliability/Durability
:
7
Like I said - very decent in all categories.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Even Heritage does not remember much about this guitar, so I won't bother them with my futile questions. All issues can be dealt with by any experienced luthier.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
I've been playing for 35 years and I own several Heritages and Fenders. Momentarily I always pick up this guitar because it is so much fun and so versatile.
