Heritage H-535

you know them well.

es-335 all the way. woody, honk, suave. I have played several, and they all had "it". I was severly dissapointed after having recently gone through 3 es-335 dots (figured) via musicians buddy mail order- all of which had some sort of defect... real obvious stuff that shouldn't have gotten past Gibson's QC. shame. my 61 re-issue SG is light years above the memphis 335's they were sending me. so i gave up and went in search for a heritage h-535, so as to give it a whirl. let me tell you, these things are more 335 than any modern production gibson es-335.

superb! just be careful as they are hard to find... and when you find one it's usually been sitting in some shop, having been molested by men who neglect to remove the wedding ring before they jingle jangle about the neck. Fit and finish are as you would expect from a guitar twice the price (but you won't find on a gibson es-335). Lovely tops, great fret work... all top notch stuff.

solid.

have e-mailed back and forth with Heritage, and they're quick to answer any questions. They seem willing to do whatever it takes to make a customer happy.

save some money, and buy the Heritage. It may not say Gibson on the headstock, but it's heart oozes authentic 335 mojo.

2006, Semi-Hollow Body, Double Cutaway (335-style),
2 Humbucking Schaller pickups,
Grover tuners,
Nicely-figured, laminate Maple body,
One-piece Mahogany 24.75"-Scale Neck.
TOM-style bridge and tailpiece.
Nice, black hardshell "Heritage" case.

Commentary:
Not a lot of features, gizmos, switches, widgets or gadgets- just the way i like.
Nice, light-weight body and EXCELLENT fretwork.
Perfectly straight neck and every last fret is perfectly shaped.

I had to adjust the truss rod a little and set the guitar up the way i like one to play. No biggie. I live in TN, and the guitar was made in Michigan. I know how to set one up for myself.

It came via Fed Ex. I was a little worried about that- but it arrived safely. Thanks, Wolfe Guitars, for loosening the strings before sending it.
and thanks for double-boxing it.
Again- not a lot of features, but the ones it has are well-executed, and I give high marks for that.

The sound is more.
MORE.
More of what you would buy a 335 for.
more honk-y.
more wood-y.
more squirt-y.
more snappy.
more 'meat'.
dang-it sounds good!
I grew up loving a 335 through a Boogie amp.
That "hollow yet punchy' sound ala Carlton's first 2 albums or Robben Ford's tone on "Inside Story" (without that weird doubling thing he used). anyway....
I owned a '67 ES-335 for 20 years and this guitar has a much more acoustic, snappy, woody tone. I hated the TINY neck on that guitar. absolutely tiny- almost like a mandolin.
I bought this style of guitar because i wanted a guitar that had the basic sound of a hollowbody jazz guitar, but one that i could still play at loud volumes.
KILLER wood-y, fat, hollowbody, jazz sound.
I also wanted a guitar that i could play when i'm 83. I might look a little foolish playing a Flying V when I'm 83.

The electronics work perfectly- and quiet. no scratchy pots or switching noises. And the tone pots have a pleasant, usable range of timbres.

Schaller pickups- which i like very much.
They have a broad range- more bass than my Gibson LP's or Guilds and more treble too. Some people claim that they are 'muddy' or 'bright'...
maybe they are used to hearing pickups that have no bass- or treble?
Listen for yourself...
I like them.

Handmade.
That means it wasnt cranked out by some series of machines.
I like the idea of an AMERICAN guy sweating over the details in some shop somewhere to make me a musical instrument that i will cherish until i hand it down to my son. Do you feel me on that?
I'll pay good money for that.

You always forget what you pay for something anyway- and you either enjoy it, or not.

The 'machine work' part of this guitar that i DO like is the PLEK fret dressing. DANG! It has to be felt to be appreciated. I think i read that its "accurate to .00039 inches". No guitar has ever played this good. in every position.

I dont know about the Reliability yet.
We'll see~

I sent an email and got a response within an hour or so.

And let me just say- their website says "we appreciate your support".
Thats a little thing- 'thank you'....but let me ask you, what other ARROGANT guitar company has ever uttered those words?

these guys are still making them like they USED TO.
and guess what; they are making them in the same FACTORY that they used to. and its the same guys that used to make them like they used to.

thats kind of a no-brainer to me....

Ive been playing the guitar for 33 years.

Ive built my own guitars and studied guitar-building and different types of guitars and why they sound the way they do.

I bought the Heritage H535 because i wanted a semi-hollow body sound.
I compared different models and companies and chose Heritage for their workmanship, design, reputation, integrity, customer service and last(and least)of all; price.

I bought the guitar i wanted and got more than i expected. and THAT my friends is a rare occurance.

Heritage H-535. Made in 2001. ES-335 style semi-acoustic electric with solid maple back and sides and nicely flamed laminated maple top with mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and MOP dot markers. The finish is Heritage?s very fine almond sunburst. Tune-O-matic bridge and stop tailpiece and solid quality tuners ? most likely made by Schaller. Has optional Seymour-Duncan pickups, (rather than the standard Schallers); Jazz neck and JB bridge. Cream binding on body, fretboard and headstock. It came with a substantial tolex Heritage case. All the features you need really.

I study jazz, although admittedly on a glacial timescale, but like blues and other styles as well. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and sometimes use a Boss delay or Boss chorus. I?m using 10 gauge strings with a wound G and this guitar is very quiet with a rich, well rounded tone from the neck pickup. Neck and bridge pickups together have a pleasant although less precise tone and the bridge alone with a little overdrive gives a classic blues tone. The tone controls give a sufficiently wide range of sounds. The upmarket heritage H-555 has a maple neck and ebony fret board which may sound a little more bright. However, I?m perfectly happy with the tone of this guitar.

Bought the guitar second hand over from an internet supplier who imports second hand guitars from the united States. The nut had been substantially damaged by the previous owner so I had a professional setup done by Fretco, in Adelaide, South Australia who do a great job and I couldn?t be happier with the result. Relatively low action with a very comfortable, wide, older style Gibson neck. Good hardware, with no annoying rattles from the tune-O-matic bridge, unlike with the Ibanez AS80 that this guitar replaces. The construction is rock solid and the almond sunburst finish is superb. Heritage have quite a fine take on the sunburst style, with a subtle graduation from light to dark.

Rock solid, and dependable it should last a lifetime.

This guitar was purchased sight unseen because Heritage guitars are relatively rare in Australia and quite a bit less expensive than an older style Gibson. I contacted Heritage Guitars in Kalamazoo, Michigan several times regarding the pickups. I wasn?t very enthusiastic about Schaller pickups which are standard appointments on Heritage H-535?s as I?ve had Schaller single coil sized blade pickups on a Godin ST-IV and really didn?t like them. Ren from Heritage answered my questions promptly and checked out a photo, from the suppliers website, that I?d sent him to confirm that the guitar had Seymour Duncan pickups. Peter from North Coast guitars (3000 km from Adelaide) was helpful and straight forward in his comments and sold me the guitar on condition I could send it back and be refunded it if I wasn?t happy.

Been playing for years but have taken formal jazz lessons over the last 5 years. My favourite features are the comfortable mahogany neck, fine tone and high quality finishing. This has been a significant improvement in tone and playability from my Ibanez AS80 (SD jazz pickup in neck, Super 58 in bridge). I also have a Fender American Standard Stratocaster that is an excellent guitar as well. Between the Stratocaster and the Heritage I really don?t need much else ? although a Heritage or Gibson 157 style guitar does have it?s own appeal. In the unlikely event that the guitar is out of my sight long enough to get stolen I would replace it ? although with a relatively expensive purchase like this it would not be any time soon.

heritage is a lot like Burger King, in that you can have it your way. They are willing to do basically anything physically possible, as long as you are willing to pay for it. I wanted mine to look like the 335 in Back to the Future, and besides the headstock, it does. Here are the specs:
Faded Cherry
Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers
Ebony fretboard
Sperzel locking tuners
real MOP block inlays (perfect!)
Vintage hardware and pickguard

the only thing I would change is that it is laminate, not solid wood. Very hard to find solid wood semi-hollows now, so I can get passed this. But, to be completely vintage, it should be solid.

The fact that I could choose anything I could imagine (even if my imagination was limited in this case) is worth the 10 rating. The mega shops can't provide this level of flexibility, the private lutiers can't afford to offer the options without compromising value.

Flat out the best guitar I have ever played (keep in mind I have not played many). When searching for a 335 type, I tried everything from the Gibson 335(sounds ok, but level of craftsmenship just isn't there) to a Washburn (nice value for the money, but seriously, at $400 it just couldn't compete). I chose the Heritage for a few reasons, they sound as good or better then the Gibsons I played, the build quality is outstanding, the customer service is better, the value is much greater (about half the cost for a better guitar, no brainer). Graham at Wolfe guitars said my guitar is one of the best Heritages he has seen come through their doors (they sell more than any other dealer). He said he would have bought it if I didn't...it had the mojo! Keep in mind, I had already paid for it, so he wasn't trying to sell me! This thing sings through my Mesa Boogie Studio 22. Able to do whatever I can, and most importantly, makes my play sound better. Awesome all around, jazz, blues, rock, etc. Thick, creamy, juicey tone with plenty to spare. I play alt rock and church songs, but I got this so I can begin to branch into Jazz and Blues...so far, it has inspired me to practice. One flaw, if you want to play really dirty or metal, this is certainly not the choice. Even when I overdrive my amp, it has subtle and sophisticated phrasing, almost orchestral. You simply cannot make this guitar sound like garbage (the tone, not the band)

A qualified 8. When I opened the case the lighting in the room made the guitar look orange. I almost died (it was a custom, so I didn't see it until it was shipped to me). I took it to a different room with better light, and it was in fact red. The finish is superb, feels and looks excellent. It had not been played by gobs of grubby handed kids at the local guitar big box store (part of the reason I wanted a custom) so it doesn't have dings, sratches, or fingerprints on it. The cream binding is perfect. I should have specified to have the headstock bound too, but I didn't, so it isn't. I also forgot to specify the volume and tone knobs, and so I got the gold colored vintage look. Jury is still out on these, and I may end up changing them to black. The inlays make the look. Dots are ok, but the blocks take it to the house! I realize that inlays do not make the guitar sound better, but the beauty makes this an important upgrade. A must for my 535. Wolfe offers set-up with purchase, so it arrived at my office after a cross country UPS journey ready to play. Opened it up, adjusted the tuning (every string was a half step high) and it was ready to go. Would be a 10 if I had specifed, and if it didn't have the orangey look under certain lighht.

I had Wolfe put straplocks on it, and together with a great leather strap, it shouldn't go anywhere while played. It seems very sturdy, but I would not want to drop it or wack it against a wall. To put it another way, if you are the sort of musician who likes to destroy your instrument at the end of a show, this would provide less theatrics, because one good wack and it would bust open. however, I am of the opinion that as long as you take good care of it, it will withstand minor jarring. You don't have to baby it, but treat it as you would an acoustic.

No question customer support alone would sell many a guitar for Heritage. They ar awesome guys to talk to, and that's right, you can actually talk to them. No outsourced help-line, just the real guys who had the dream one cold night in kalamazoo. In fact, I had a special request to have them do something they stop doing a few years ago, and they said they would be more than happy to oblige. You expect this type of service at Tiffany&Co and the four seasons, but I was floored by the service and willingness to help that I found with Hertage. As an aside, the service at Wolfe's was also quite good, and I would definately purchase another Heritage there. Jay Wolfe has the best prices, and all the insider clout one could ask for from a dealer. I trusted him the whole way, even though I never met him personally, and he does business in florida and I live in CA. He gets the best prices for new Heritage instruments because he sells the most. Just check out how many times he is listed on the heritage website. He should be on their payroll!

I've been playing for 5 years, and this is my first high quality electric guitar. I play a Taylor acoustic, which I also really like. I have played a few other electrics of merit ( a custom Gibson LP, a couple of American Strats, etc) but so far this is my favorite. It can play almost anything you would want, the company is top notch, the options are almost limitless, and the value is phenominal. Unless you are a brand whore and you will not settle for less than an inferior guitar that costs twice as much with a better marketing department and name recognition, you should consider this the best semi-hollow being built today. Lost or stolen? I would cry...and then I would order another from Wolfe and wait the 3 months it took to have it made. No regrets...I plan on keeping this one for life.

Used Heritage 535 in classic cherry, Seymour Duncan 59's, bound headstock w/inlaid logo and upgraded sperzel tuners, vintage hardware, wooden pickguard, etc. The wood has an absolutely beautiful grain and deep flame finish.

I play through a Fender Deluxe Reverb ReIssue, with a a Keeley modded, Boss Blues Driver 2. My Heritage 150 (think Les Paul) has a beautiful clean and heavenly overdriven tone. This guitar has a more articulate, almost accoustic tone. My 535 sings like an angel, screams like a beast and like its 150 cousin...sustains FOREVER!

Funny thing, I bought it used from Jay Wolfe of Wolfe Guitars. Jay, I'm sure went over it carefully. As a a result, everything was to my liking, including set up, pick up adjustments, nut, etc. He even gave me a brand new hardshell case at no extra charge.

Very solid and well made axe. Assuming I take care of it...it will last forever.

I love everything about the guitar except one thing...the controls were reversed. Apparently, the original owner specified the toggle switch to be set up with the bridge pup (treble) "up" and the neck pup (bass) "down". The tone controls also co-incided with the toggle switch.

I called Heritage directly, spoke to one of the owners and told him of my situation. The bottom line is that they will be correcting the toggle/tone controls situation essentially FREE of charge. Try getting the owner of a major axe manufacturer on the phone, let alone having them bend over backwards to accommodate you.

Here's an update to my story. Yesterday, Rendell, one of the luthiers/artisians at Heritage called me...twice.

When I spoke to him today, he conveyed to me that yesterday, he received my guitar and that the controls were already corrected and that it would be sent out today. FREE!

In addition, he wanted to know if there was anything else he could do for me?

He thanked me for my business and told me to call him directly if he could be of any additional service to me. He was sincere.

Please keep in mind, I'm the second owner and the guitar is out of warrenty...by several years!

Personally, assuming the product is equal, even superior in the case of Heritage, customer service inspires more loyalty than brand recognition.

Please do yourself a favor, if you are in the market for a world class, vintage vibe 335 style guitar, contact Jay Wolfe or Graham Zebedee of Wolfe Guitars...and play a Heritage 535.

Ok, you know what you are getting for this one. 355 styling, basically a Gibson with a different headstock. Mine had some extras on it, which include:

Gold Schaller locking tuners (not factory)
Seymour Duncan '59 pickups (factory)
Real mother-of-pearl crown style inlays (simply gorgeous!)
Factory Stopbar tail piece
Extra curley maple package (awe inspiring)
Extra cream binding around the headstock and f-holes (like H-555)

Thats it. I give mine an 8, because its got some nice extra touches over the stock H-535, but its nothing spectacular (as if I had the D-VIP switching and coil taps).

My gear:
guitar-->Peterson Strobostomp-->BSM Fuzzbender-->BSM RM treble booster (Rangemaster)-->Xotic Effects BB preamp-->Boss CE-2 (vintage, black label)-->amp
I have only used this guitar with my Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, but I just bought a Dr. Z KT-45 but haven't gotten a chance to use it thouroughly yet, so this review is for playing through the Fender.


Being a solid-body player for most of my life, this guitar was interesting. As most may know, semi-hollows are natrually louder than solids. Well it was quite a surprise; I bought this for jazz and blues, plugged it in, and found that it rocked louder and harder than my Les Paul! It was a trip.

Everything played out of it just sounds huge. I play Classic Rock (tonally think Led Zep, Cream, and Free) and all kinds of Blues (Chicago/British/Texas/Delta), and I aspire to get into Jazz.

The sound is much deeper than anything I own. Another way to describe the tone is reall thick. For what I play, it does wonderfully. I really love the neck pickup sound on this, although it needs a bit more definition for chording with some drive. Not to think the bridge postion is lacking, for it also sounds great for good ol' 60s/70s rock not to mention nice early BB King tones into a cranked fender. It sounds amazing on clean (think Peter Green, sans out-of-phase), and with drive on my BB preamp the sustain is huge. I have to be a bit wary though about feedback with too much drive, but that's ok. It's worth it for the tone. Sounds fantastic with the CE-2 as well, particularly in the neck position.

I plan in the future to try some Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays, which I heard are amazing for sweet PAF tone, with a phase switch. But the SDs in there right now are wonderful. A 9, for a bit of room for improvement.

Simply Brilliant. The Almond Sunburst finish is top top notch, and the wood figuring is stunning, especially under stage lighting. The original owner ordered the nicer wood package, and it definitely shows (I am infact its third owner). This is one of the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen, and I have seen many of them.

The neck is by far my favorite--it is that in-between contour from the '59 shape and the very thin 60s shape (my Les Paul is the 60s style, and I am finding it way to thin since playing this guitar). Add to this some very huge jumbo frets, making bends much more smooth than I have ever felt before. I used to play with GHS Boomers Thin/Thick, but for this guitar I didn't want to use uneven string tensions, so I put on DR 11s, and lo and behold, it's easier to bend the 11s on my Heritage than the 10s on all my other guitars! For some strange reason, heavier strings feel notably lighter on this guitar. I may move up to 12s someday. I also love high action, and this guitar adjusted to my setup very well.

The guy before me put the Schallers on there. I usually dislike them, because I think they are ugly and add too much weight on the peghead. But, they look really nice on this headstock shape and they work remarkibly well for tuning. I wouldn't put them on any of my other guitars, but I am keeping them on this one. I put the old Govers on my Les Paul, which really needed a tuner upgrade anyway.

The only thing I don't like is the Schaller roller bridge. It's ugly and it can get the spacing all messed up when you throw on new strings. I will get it replaced with a Tune-o-matic with Detemple Titanium saddles for more string to string definition and a bit more sustain and note purity. An ebony fretboard would have been nice too.

I know that some guys here got some bad examples, but my guess is mine got a little bit of extra attention, and it shows.

It's been reliable for regular playing and gigging for about five months now. But it's no solid-body, so you have to be careful with the body and finish and whatnot. The strap buttons on it are huge, so strap worries are nonexistant. I have technically never gigged without a backup, because I always brings two guitars for tonal reasons, but I would gig with just this guitar as long as I don't worry about strings breaking. Thus far, none have. To be fair, I give it an 8 because of its semi-hollow construction.

Never had to deal with them, hope I never will have to!

I am typically a Gibson kind of guy (I currently own a '96 Les Paul Standard and a real-deal '63 Firebird III), and I was inspired to get this style guitar from Clapton and his work in Cream. I actually first heard of Heritage by freak accident; I was digging around the local Sam Ash (before I knew any better lol) and I saw one used hanging on the wall. I played it, and was amazed. But for $1400 it was a no go. It had this humbucking sized P-90 in the neck with wide pole pieces that just sounded amazing.

Fast foward a couple years, and I saw this beauty and I snatched her up. I knew one of this quality doesn't come around too often. I believe I got a steal, for even used ES-335s are going for $2k, and they aren't nearly as beautiful, feel as good, or dare I say sound as good as mine does. The only thing I would want that this doesn't have is an ebony fretboard; I plan eventually remedy this by getting a Heritage H-555 with a Bigsby, block inlays, and HRW pickups with the D-VIP switching. If it got stolen, I would be quite livid. I would replace it with my H-555 idea, which would hopefully cure those tonal blues. This is my favorite guitar feel-wise, while my 'bird gets the prize for best vibe. But that's because it's vintage :-).

Made in 2001and purchased new in 2005. Vintage natural finish, standard pick ups. Everything basically stock which is why it gets a 9 - no add on elecronics or switches - too many choices distracts me from focusing on playing the thing anyway.

Sound is truly great. I compared this one with standard pick ups to the 535 classic model with the seymour duncans and the standard pick ups suit me better. This guitar is loaded with personality. I can dial in a very warm jazz tone, country chicken pickin' tones with neck pu only or a variety of classic rock/blues tones by mixing the neck and bridge pu's. I play alternative, rock, country blues and jazz and a bunch stuff I can't really categorize and it covers all these styles with ease.

The fit and finish are excellent. There is one very small nick on the headstock only a new guitar buyr would notice, probably happened while being taken down from the hanger on the wall of the shop. The top is not evenly flamed, but to me that adds to the character of the guitar.
The shop must have had it set up as it has 11's on it with very low action. The intonation is spot on and the fret work is excellent (I think this one was made before Heritage bought their PLEK machine)the neck is straight as an arrow (bummer for Big Lou) and the finish is flawless. Construction and finish is leaps and bound better than any of the ES 335's I've seen in the last couple of years

It's a semi hollow body so it is a bit more fragile than a solid body, but I see no reason why it would not hold up well. It's the only electric I currently own and given the range of tones it's the only one I need. Since guitars aren't particularly rare I think I could find one in the event of something happening to this one, but short of a hurricane or fire I should be ok

Heritage is very responsive when emailed a question

I've ben playing 15 years, mainly acoustics. I play through a fender blues jr. around the house and it is a good combination. I really like the feel and tone of this particular guitar. Neck plays very fast, the balance is great, the body is a little thinner than the ES 335's which adds to the comfort. My favorite feature is the ability to create a wide range of tones and that fact that acoustically it sounds great.
It would be nice to have a 1 3/4" nut but that would have to be custom ordered and the issue is not really specific to this guitar. It's really only 1st position that is a little tight so I just play up the neck where it's a bit wider. I'm not one to own or buy and sell a bunch of gear as I tend to find what I like and stick with it so the 1 11/16" nut on this one will be fine for 10 years or so.

As value goes, Heritage has it all over a number of other manufactureres including Gibson. It seems Gibson's production has been slipping over the past few years. There are great ones out there being made to today, but you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find one. I played 5 or 6 different 535's and 555's before I settled on the one I ultimately purchased, but they were all arguably great, just different.

The only other negative about Heritage is their dealers do not carry much inventory indiviually. I visited 3 or 4 dealers over the course of a year or so until i found the one I purchased

ES-335 style, Natural Finish, Ebony Fretboard, HRW pickups, DVIP electronics, Mahogany neck (originally - more later), Laminated maple body, Grover tuners, custom-built to my specifications 2002

This guitar sounds very nice plugged in; however, acoustically it has a few buzzes.

This was horrible from the start. The neck was warped and would not stay in adjustment for more than a week. The neck binding split at the frets after two months (I keep my house at a uniform temperature 65-70 deg. F., and relative humidity of about 50%. In addition, I own several jazz boxes, Guild, Gibson, and Epiphone, and have no problems with them - at all!) Everything regarding the set-up of this guitar was/is completely unacceptable. Two expert guitar techs examined it and indicated that (i) that fingerboard had a significant rise at the body and (ii) the neck was "rubbery", probably due to green wood. Because of the neck problems, I sent it back to the factory. (Actually, I sent it back twice, the first time was shortly after delivery to fix the neck binding, the second time for the neck stability issue.) For the neck, Heritage had the guitar for seven months. We decided to replace the neck; the tech at Heritage indicated to me that the neck was "rubbery". It was replaced with a maple neck. they shipped the guitar back to me, but when it arrived, I found that electronics had been mis-wired. I sent it back again. It seems OK now; I'm allowing the neck to settle in.

I haven't played out with this guitar. I plan to sell/trade it in. Because of all of the difficulties, I cannot keep it - I feel betrayed!!!! I have no desire to bond with it. I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A GIBSON.

I feel badly about this review because Heritage is owned/operated by a really nice bunch of people.

The guitar looks nice, but played poorly. I will not buy a new Heritage again. Again, I should have bought a Gibson.

Don't misuderstad why I rated this a 7!!! I say 7 simply becasue it is not loaded with gimmicky features--but it is amazingly made!!! Perfectly hade-crafted! Typlical 335 construction with 22 frets, laminated top and back (solid flamed maple rim), two schaller humbuckers w/ 2 tome/volume and typical 3-way swich. This guitar is not loaded with all sorts of nifty gadgets and what not--but it is made well--very well. I have had several guitars and this is by far the best instrument I have ever owned. The quality of materials is great.It really resonates well and has a thick sound. The notes ring clear acoustically and are not muddy.

My playing style varies but I range between old style bebop (Pat Martino/Barney Kessel to Scofield and Kurt Rosenwinkle style jazz guitar) and so far this guitar covers those tones very well. I got it with a guage 10 set of strings but I had it set up with 12's round wound and aparently there was some buzzing on the frets so I had the guys at 30th Street Guitars (NYC) do a fret crowning adjustment and now the guitar is like butter! I am amazed by it--infact, my brother who also plays and has always been a strict strat man fell in love with it and now wants to get one himself. He couldn't believe that I had 12's on it! He thought it was so easy to play and was just so blown away! At the moment I am without an amp but I was playing it trhough an old fender blackface and it had such a warm and creamy tone. No buzzing or cracking when switching tyhrough pickups.

I got this thing through a frined who's dad had a music store when I was in high-school. He had never sold some of this merchandise and this H-535 sat unused since 1995. So when I got it the neck was out a bit and again the strings were 10's and I wanted to put something heavier on. But once set up and adjusted, this thing purs like a kitten! It is amazing! The wood is flamed nicely--not too outrageous but very pretty. The flamed maple pickguard is a great touch!

Everything about this guitar seems like it will have no trouble holding up. Seems very sturdy.

Since I didn't buy this through a dealer I didn't really have to deal with the company, but I did write to them to let them know how much I loved the guitar and I asked them about their line of tube amps and within a week or 2 they wrote a very nice responce and sent me a cataloge for there guitar line and amp line. They also told me that I could date the guitar on the website!

I have been playing for about 15 years and my style has changed through the years from metal to classic rock, to blues to new-age, to jazz and bebop! This guitar is great! It matches my current style but can hold up for almost any style. I would defintly try to get another if my current H535 was stolen or broken. I couldn't be to picky about the guitar becasue it was already set up that this is what I was getting (a blessed circumstance) but I am glad that this is what I got--I have played 335's and I just feel like this guitar is better--it stays in tune better, seems to be made much better and is just very georgeous! I also am aware that there are so many options when buying new that Gibson doesn't offer--Heritage guitars are really a cut above ther rest in my humble opinion!

A have a 2004 Heritage 535 in Almondburst(like a 335). Mahogany neck. Rosewood fingerboard. Gibson-style tailpiece. Two stock Heritage PAF pickups. Grover Tuners. Two tone controls, two volume controls, three way selector....ya know...
For me and my use of the guitar the features are perfect. Nothing less or more is needed for me.

I love the way this guitar sounds. I have played my friend's 335 and this sounds similar, though some might disagree. It has a very warm, round, and thick sound. I am sorry I can't describe it much better than using those vague words. You just gotta play one! I actually prefer this to my friend's Gibson. Besides, his 335 came in the mail brand new with cosmetic flaws from the factory. I couldn't believe it from a guitar that expensive. Not to rip on Gibson or anything-they make fine guitars for the most part. But I have seen some consistency issues from Gibson in the past.

It came to be with the truss rod to tight. I could just be the humidty difference and it was no big deal to fix. It play pefect now. I noticed no cosmetic flaw whatsoever. It is a well made guitar for sure!

Fine so far.

Haven't dealt with them

I love the way this guitar sounds! It is the sound I have been missing. I would write more but I am too busy playing it!