RIP Herc Fede
 

It would appear that he has passed away due to a heart attack. Really sad news because his work was incredible.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

OMG this would be very, very sad. Do we have confirmation (so as not to spread false reports)? :cry:

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Wow, that is truly sad. I knew he has been in poor health for a very long time. Where did you hear about this, Stealth? (link?)

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Nevermind - I googled. http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lut...herc-fede.html

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Sad news indeed, he wasn't a very old guy. My thoughts to his family.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Poor Herc

He was ill from painting and clear coating over the years.
I'm sure that played part in his death.

He did some great work.
I'm lucky enough to have two of his pieces.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

sad sad news. Thoughts & prayers to the family. R.I.P.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Sad news, condolences to any family and friends that may happen to read this site. I feel particularly lucky to have gotten some of his work a few months ago. Man......what to say....

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

R.I.P. Great guy, great swirls.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I didn't know him, but i did know of his amazing painting ability. condolences to his loved ones.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

That really sucks, my condolences to his family. In my opinion, Herc was the best in the business. We should make a remembrance thread with a collection of his work that we have.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Really sorry to hear this. R I P, Herc :(

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Wow, very sad news. I feel lucky to have some of his work and I was really glad how pleased he was with how the assembled guitar turned out.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

RIP Herc. :( Did one of the most amazing, unique swirls I have ever seen!!

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I just checked that link and the guy who posted that story has 4 posts, joined the Seven String forum in June 2014 and has a quote a SS Regular.......a horrible thing to do if this is not true.

If this is true then: Wow, what a spin out! As many have said, really sad news news and condolences to his family. The guy was a swirl master and up there as one of the very best. R.I.P.

I will gladly amend the first part of my post when / if further information is obtained to confirm the news - I sincerely hope that I am wrong and apologies in advance if I have caused any distress or undue controversy.

-Wolfram

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

That's too bad. I've always admired his work, especially his PMC swirls. RIP.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I believe he actually has passed away. It is likely that guy posted there just to let the news get out.

http://www.hollingerfuneralhome.com/....php?id=481357

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

He was only 45 years old…that is way too young to leave…very sad indeed…RIP

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I did not realize he was THAT young. Makes me sad. :(

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Thank you - much appreciated. And again apologies if I caused or added any confusion around the notification.

RIP Herc Fede.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

R.I.P. & condolences to family & friends. This is so sad but also brings the realization that the community lost a true artist :(

I remember first communicating with Herc based on an "ad" he posted on Usenet back in the 90s where he advertised swirling. ATD wasn't really taking work (Darren briefly sold his swirls at a very high cost thru a (local?) middleman at the long-ago repurposed greenjem.com which was a nightmare in terms of customer relations, probably due to Darren's unreliability as we all now know).

So Herc was a godsend in this regard, a gentleman and craftsman and true artist striving to learn and improve... not an prima-donna.

I remember (ATD still MIA) he swirled a mini-JEM for Vai with some donated parts myself and a few others put together and he was like a kid on Christmas morning trying to get it to him (it was stunning of course). Vai did the DNA a little while later.

As many know I have his first JEM swirl a DY i sent him. Back then 3 of us on Jemsite (Ken B., Worth and myself i believe) sent him bodies to "test swirl" and from the start you can tell he had a passion for his craft & really wanted to please his customers. Maybe to a fault as some customers have very unrealistic expectations. For example Ken wanted a GMC UV swirl and rejected the first one expecting the catalog GMC i guess. I'm sure along the way Herc must have been annoyed and felt lost confidence dealing with "guitarists" who are not the easiest "customers" to please lets be honest.

My 777 swirl was great as i had no preconceived ideas just wanting it to be colorful. The axe plays itself today and everyone of all ages just loves it. That is a testament to the artist.

Of course his work improved and he really laid it all out for my second Herc swirl the GC Custom abalone blue or whatever it was called (can't seem to find the links on jemsite to these axes). I met him in a guitar show outside Philly to pick it up, this was pre "cell phone" and my only time to meet this swirl master in person.

His memories and "art" will last a lifetime and more. His passing is a true loss. R.I.P.

.. glen

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Great story - thanks for relaying this.

Really nice to hear of these experiences with Herc, the community has lost a respected member indeed. RIP.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I know people talked about posting some pics of his work so I wanted to post my Herc guitar. This is a body I bought from Herc that he had already swirled, I just did the assembly and added the missing parts. Herc told me that his favorite guitarist was Joe Satriani and he had made this for his personal guitar, but never finished the project and decided to sell it off. His inspriation was an early pic of Joe where he's holding a while '87 540P.

http://home.comcast.net/~takinaride/...erc540p-05.jpg

I've tried to stay as faithful to this vision as possible. Since I've assembled the guitar, I've added a Backstop and have recently acquired an '87 Roadstar Series RG420 neck with the straight headstock that Joe would have used.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I'm not a swirl guy but this man did awesome work!
RIP!

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

What a shame to go so young. I remember Herc posting in the first forum here asking [like 100's have since] about information on how to swirl, and within a couple months, had it all figured out and was swirling for dough. In time he became one of the true artists of the genre.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

that is one of the classiest swirls I've ever seen - awesome - he was an artist

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Omg that's horrible.
Herc tought me a lot and was very cool.
He told me just the other day that his dad had died and he was going through a very tough year.

I cant believe im just finding out.
a true swirl king has gone.
r.i.p. mr. multicolor guru.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

This is personal but it is the last thing herc said to me.
I want to post it so I will never lose it and so others can see what a great guy he was.





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Dear andrewsfury,

Andrew,

2013 was a hard year for everyone, including me. :(

I just got back last night from a long emotional week with family. I buried my father last Wednesday.

I've seen your swirls and work. You do really nice work. Carve your own path and don't worry about what everyone else does. Find something you're passionate about that hasn't been done a million times. The whole "Vai" thing has been so overdone that no one even appreciates it anymore...the market for the niche thing is super-saturated.

I've got two kids and a wife to support and the economy is C-R-A-P. I feel your pain and frustration....people just don't have extra money to spend.

I wish I could help more. The one piece of advice I can give you is to follow your gut / intuition, not others'. I followed my own intuition to get where I am. And I'm always learning and discovering new things.

Hang in there....and remember, carve your own path (locally if possible so they can see your work in person).

Best to you and your family,
Herc

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

also a news paper article about his swirls.
http://www.southphillyreview.com/new...nts=1&showAll=

http://www.southphillyreview.com/new...nts=1&showAll=

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Great find on those articles and a really poignant message from him. Really sad story. Do you know if he'd been suffering from health problems for a while?

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Wow, Andrew. What a story. He sounds like a really great person. Good advice, too.

:(

Takin' a Ride. I believe he did. He retired a few times, to varying degrees IIRC - remember when I started to sell his technique? I seem to remember that - as an earlier post said - and I could be wrong, that all the work with the paint really hurt him. Same for Al, I think. Somebody correct me, if I am off.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Wow. I never had any contact with him but I have seen his work and it is amazing. Truly great.

Any of you who have any of his work- you have a part of his mastery for yourself. Take care of it and cherish it because it is the very last, and it's a part of life now that has become limited even more. Think of it more as a part of the artist, because you really only share it with them.

I don't know why but this bothered me, I didn't even know him but still. Anything like someone passing away no matter who it is just gets me.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

My sincere condolances to his family. Herc was a great person and extremely nice. I have 3 of his pieces and they are all fantastic. I feel honored to have them. Rest in peace my friend...

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Yeah Sebastian said that, but I don't know if that was speculation or if he'd actually heard that from Herc? I believe he was in contact with him from time to time.

I know AI had basically hung it up as well but I didn't know that was possibly why. I can see the temptation to not use proper respiration equipment when working with paint, since it seems like you're only exposed to it for a few minutes at a time.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

He did some work for me about 16 years ago and we talked on the phone here and there.
We also Emailed on and off over the years.

I don't know if it was related to his death, but the paint and the clear for sure, hurt his health a lot.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Wow, sad news indeed, I just found out last night. I have a pink vine VSK neck on a black, pink and green swirl that Herc did. I had found a VSK body and was trying to effect a trade, when the guy told me about Herc. I'm now thinking I will not restore the VSK to original, but rather keep the VSK neck on Herc's swirl, sort of as a tribute and respect for his artistry, craftsmanship and ingenuity. God Speed Herc Fede....

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Attachment 4439

Attachment 4440

Attachment 4441
If Herc really has passed, this is possibly one of the last swirls he did. I just got this back in early June. He had an auction on Ebay for a swirl job. This is an 89 RG570 that I cut the Monkey Grip into. I gave him free reign on what he wanted to do with it and this is what I got. Guitar is beautiful. He'll be sorely missed in our community.
Bilbo

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

Sadly, Herc has passed bilbo.......there is no doubt of this.

Herc's obit: http://www.hollingerfuneralhome.com/....php?id=481357

@Andrew- PLEASE follow Herc's advice to you. You have an incredible vision and a style that's all your own. There will soon be a day that you will share in the fame that Herc, Darren, and Al have known. Keep yourself safe at all times though...... it would be a tragedy to see you go the same route as other swirlers have healthwise.

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

I am from Taiwan and I am new to this community.

Herc is such a kind man that he tried to offer me his best swirled work a couple years ago. He is a true artist undoubtedly, and he has influenced so many others to follow his steps to swirl art. His swirl artwork has made me so happy since the first day I received my swirled JEM DNA body, and I know there are so many people around the world who are happy as well because of Herc's work. We really should post Herc's wonderful artwork somewhere to honor this great artist.

Thanks Herc for making this world colorful!! You will be so missed!!

Tony

Re: RIP Herc Fede
 

A Great friend an artist passed away.We will remember you Herc.Thank you.