Heartfields

[BloodRose]

heartfields and Talons any good? friend of mine is looking at one.. I recall they were supposed to be good, but did they do low lines too? this one is MIJ so I assume its good

[idsnowdog]

Re: Heartfields

The Heartfields were a line extension from Ibanez. They tried some different shapes, control placements and pickup configurations. It's hard to judge them independently from the Ibanez design trends from 1989 -1994. After Ibanez the RG and JEM design team went to Yamaha and designed the RGZ and Pacifica models. They are ergonomically well designed and they embodied evolutionary design elements, but they were an abortive venture.

If you had to chart the evolution of guitar ergonomics it might be Fender > Kramer > Charvel/Jackson > Ibanez > Yamaha/Heartfield/Aria. Then there was a regression back to Kramer, Charvel/Jackson. Fender incorporated simple ergonomic refinements that wouldn't effect mass production and so did Kramer/Charvel/Jackson/Yamaha/Aria. All had a simple goal, reshape but remain compatible. It made sense from a mass production standpoint.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Heartfields

The Heartfields were a line extension from Ibanez.

I thought that Heartfield was a Fender deal or am I mistaken?

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Heartfields

^^ Yes, they were made by Fender in Japan to compete with Ibanez, the Talon model specifically. Never played one or seen one in a shop but on paper it seems a decent shreddy guitar. Website devoted to them: http://www.heartfield-central.com/. Quite like the look of the EX1, bit like an Ibz Radius.

Buckethead used a Talon (II or III) in his early days loaded with X2Ns. I think it was a midnight blue one.

[idsnowdog]

Re: Heartfields

I thought they were an Ibanez spin off? It might have been the same Ibanez design team? Just the same it was an attempt to incorporate new design elements in a peripheral brand that wouldn't detract from established product lines.

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Heartfields

I thought they were an Ibanez spin off? It might have been the same Ibanez design team? Just the same it was an attempt to incorporate new design elements in a peripheral brand that wouldn't detract from established product lines.

Wouldnt suprise me if it was the same design team. Seems like there are only a couple factories in japan anyways and a lot of brands wind up being made side by side.

But you are right it was a way for Fender to get a piece of the shredder market Ibanez had without dilluting their already established market stance

[BloodRose]

Re: Heartfields

No, they were def Fender, but they were a direct competitor to Ibanez. I remember Vinnie Moore playing/endorsing them. thanks for the site, Ill check it out

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Heartfields

Here's the story.

Heartfield guitars were introduced in 1989 and were produced up to 1993 (approximately). They were produced in the high-profile Fujigen Gakki factory in Japan, which also made the high-end Ibanez guitars. Fender used the Heartfield brand name and started producing guitars for the Japanese market there. This resulted in guitars labelled "Heartfield", "Heartfield by Fender" and even "Fender". There is no chronology or any discernible logic in the branding types.
FujiGen has 3 factories: The Omachi factory in Nagano, the Hirooka factory in Nagano and the Matsumoto head office factory in Nagano. Heartfield-related bolt-on neck guitars were manufactured in the Matsumoto factory. Set-neck and through-neck instrument were built in the Hirooka one. They are still making deluxe Elan-type instruments under their own Fujigen name in the Hirooka.

[BloodRose]

Re: Heartfields

Good info Joe! That factory is known for good stuff. Ive seen one that looked cheaper that said Fender Talon on the hs. The old ones in the Vinnie Moore ads said Heartfield Talon by Fender

[idsnowdog]

Re: Heartfields

It was the same design team and the same factories. They were roughly contemporary with the Fender HM series, which gave Fender the permission to add humbuckers, floyd rose tremolos and bridge tone controls to strats. Heartfield was the mine shaft canary!

[appar111]

Re: Heartfields

I thought they were an Ibanez spin off? It might have been the same Ibanez design team? Just the same it was an attempt to incorporate new design elements in a peripheral brand that wouldn't detract from established product lines.

Are you thinking of Starfield Guitars? I believe that was Ibanez's sort of retro/fender type spinoff company. Short lived, but they made some interesting looking stuff.

[appar111]

Re: Heartfields

Here's the story.

Heartfield guitars were introduced in 1989 and were produced up to 1993 (approximately). They were produced in the high-profile Fujigen Gakki factory in Japan, which also made the high-end Ibanez guitars. Fender used the Heartfield brand name and started producing guitars for the Japanese market there. This resulted in guitars labelled "Heartfield", "Heartfield by Fender" and even "Fender". There is no chronology or any discernible logic in the branding types.
FujiGen has 3 factories: The Omachi factory in Nagano, the Hirooka factory in Nagano and the Matsumoto head office factory in Nagano. Heartfield-related bolt-on neck guitars were manufactured in the Matsumoto factory. Set-neck and through-neck instrument were built in the Hirooka one. They are still making deluxe Elan-type instruments under their own Fujigen name in the Hirooka.

That's cool, I didn't know that-- you learn somethin' every day here on SDUGF.

[idsnowdog]

Re: Heartfields

Are you thinking of Starfield Guitars?

Probably.

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Heartfields

I have an RR49, and it's a very good instrument. The Ibanez connection is obvious, it has a freaking Iceman headstock and truss rod cover. The guitars themselves are awesome, the stock goofy electronics are not so awesome, but that's easily fixed.

[JHN]

Re: Heartfields

I have a frost red Talon II which is quite similar to an Ibanez rg550 only more expensively equipped.Made in Fujigen Gakki,Japan(same as Ibanez of the era and prestige and upper range of today),came stock with Floyd rose original,black pickuard,Dimarzio Super 3 bridge,Fender single middle and Dimarzio Pafpro neck,plus a tbx tone thing.Auto splits in position 2 and 4 but both humbuckers in parallel in position 3.They shipped in the molded cases that fender used in the days,and had Heartfield written on.The scale is 25.1 inches,so generally has a somewhat softer feel than my 550,and has a maple 24 fret neck and rosewood fingerboard.Basswood body too.I consider it a better hardware rg guitar,akin more to the Jems in terms of pickups.
That said the neck feels a (tiny) little fatter than the first Wizard ones.
You can't go wrong with them if you like this kind of guitars.