Guitarist

slow music

The other day I put the excellent new Robin Trower album, Coming Closer To The Day, on in the car. I found myself transported by Robin’s playing – unhurried phrases, played with consummate taste (see review, p38). It put me in mind of a topic some of us were debating in the Guitarist office recently, namely that most of the world’s greatest guitarists don’t spend an awful lot of time playing fast. Cover star David Gilmour (see p56) didn’t make Comfortably Numb famous by widdling over it, while Mark Knopfler told us a few years ago that playing fewer notes “usually says more”. That’s not an argument against technically dazzling players, whose work I have enjoyed, too. But all too often, as we develop as guitarists, we fixate on…

editor’s highlights

Soft Machinery It was brilliant to welcome the wonderful John Etheridge into the studio for a jazz-fusion masterclass in Soft Machine’s style p44 Pacific Boulevard Taylor takes a fresh look at classic old round-shouldered dreadnoughts with its country-voiced new Grand Pacific acoustics p98 Black Beauty Rod Brakes revisits the history and dark charisma of Gibson’s Les Paul Custom with help from David Davidson of the Songbirds Guitar Museum p76 …

the right stuff

At various points since 1985, Heritage has provided a very valid alternative to Gibson – building its guitars in a purchased space of Gibson’s historic Kalamazoo factory, and, originally, with some key senior ex-Gibson employees on the team. Its guitars have been a rare sight in the UK over the past decade, but new owners in 2016 signified a seemingly revitalised company, and now its streamlined range has proper distribution here, too.Now, as then, it’s that heritage that is the biggest pull for many. Somehow, guitars built in the same location as those of the 50s and 60s classics must be as good, if not better, than the Gibsons themselves. Ironically, at times the almost-ramshackle production facilities and original machinery proved just as variable in terms of quality…

first play

HERITAGE H-150 £2,459 WHAT IS IT? A Les Paul clone with the ‘wrong’ headstock and Seymour Duncan ’59 humbuckers HERITAGE H-535 £2,755 WHAT IS IT? A classic ES-335-style semi with the ‘wrong’ headstock and Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers…

heritage h-535

PRICE: £2,755 (inc case) ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Double-cutaway, centre-blocked semi BODY: Laminated maple top and back, solid maple sides, with maple centre block NECK: Mahogany,‘standard’ profile, glued-in SCALE LENGTH: 629mm (24.75”) NUT/WIDTH: Corian/43.3mm FINGERBOARD: Bound rosewood, trapezoid inlays FRETS: 22, Jescar medium jumbo HARDWARE: Nashville-style locking tune-o-matic bridge; locking stud tailpiece. Gotoh Rotomatic tuners – nickel-plated STRING SPACING/BRIDGE: 50.5mm ELECTRICS: Seymour Duncan Seth Lover at neck and bridge, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, individual pickup volume and tone controls WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.51/7.72 OPTIONS: None RANGE OPTIONS: The more ES-330-style H-530 (£2,849) is joined by the H-575 (£3,429), Heritage’s take on the ES-175. The Eagle Classic (£4,239) drops into classic archtop territory with solid Sitka spruce top construction LEFT-HANDERS: Not currently advertised FINISHES: Antique Natural (as reviewed), Original Sunburst,…

heritage h-150

PRICE: £2,459 (inc case) ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Single-cut, solidbody electric BODY: Carved maple top, mahogany back NECK: Mahogany,‘standard’ profile, glued-in SCALE LENGTH: 625mm (24.6”) NUT/WIDTH: Corian/42.46mm FINGERBOARD: Bound rosewood, trapezoid inlays FRETS: 22, Jescar medium jumbo HARDWARE: Nashville-style locking tune-o-matic bridge; locking stud tailpiece. Gotoh Rotomatic tuners – nickel-plated STRING SPACING/BRIDGE: 50.5mm ELECTRICS: Seymour Duncan covered ’59 at neck and bridge, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, individual pickup volume and tone controls WEIGHT (kg/lb): 4.14/9.1 OPTIONS: None RANGE OPTIONS: The other solidbody in the current range is the single-cut Les Paul Special-style H-137 (£1,869), in TV Yellow and Original Sunburst with dog-ear Lollar P-90s LEFT-HANDERS: Not currently advertised FINISHES: Dirty Lemon Burst, Original Sunburst, Vintage Cherry Sunburst, Ebony (as reviewed) – gloss nitrocellulose Westside Distribution 0844 326 2000…