TRM is excited to present this early example of an archtop made by Heritage Guitars soon after the establishment of the company following Gibson leaving Kalamazoo. The Golden Eagle is the Heritage archtop made to fill the level of the legendary Gibson L-5 in their lineup with the same specs of a 17-inch lower bout, solid carved spruce top, solid maple sides, solid carved maple back, multi-ply maple neck, and ebony fretboard.
This is the fourth Golden Eagle ever made, as designated by the #4 in the in the inlay on the back of the headstock. The interior label is also an early version which is signed by Heritage Guitars founders (Jim Deurloo, Marvin Lamb, JP Moats, and Bill Paige).
This Golden Eagle is in all orginal condition with little wear on the frets and a fresh fret level. The guitar plays wonderfully. The acoustic voice seems a bit tight, not surprisingly as the guitar had not been played for quite some time. The original Heritage designed, floating, full-size humbucker sounds great and is wired with a volume pot in the pickguard and to an endpin jack. The guitar is currently strung with a 12s set of Martin Retro monel strings which give a great sound both acoustically and with the magnetic pickup.
There is some light denting of the finish with impressions into the wood under the strings under the picking area and in an area on the back (both areas pictured). These do not penetrate the finish. There is also a few areas of finish checking, as is often seen in a guitar of this age. I would consider using a different bridge than original. While the original functions generally well, the design of it with an arched center cutout causes the end of the feet to lift off of the body slightly with the strings under tension. This appears to be a flaw in the design of the bridge which fits perfectly when not under tension.
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The guitar comes with the original hardshell case.
Ships free in the United States and for reasonable rates worldwide.