Heritage H-535

Made in 2001, USA Kalamazoo, Michigan. Made by the REAL Vintage Gibson guitar makers. 22 frets CURLY laminated body guitar, with almond burst finish, HRW pups, and factory Bigsby. The action on this guitar is beyond reproach, butter slick and LOW! Maple box with mahogany neck. Simple dot inlay. These guitars do not have Indian rosewood on the neck. It is the much closer grained Brazilian stuff,which makes for a more stable fret holding surface, and a smoother playing guitar. The hand work can be visible if you look very closely, the attention to detail sticks out like a sore thumb.

The pups are infinitely adjustable. No noise. Period. You can dial in any type of sound you want. I like everything so far. Only dislike ( which I found quickly ) was a burr on the high e tuner peg, which caused broken first strings. Gently smoothed with 400 sand paper. Heck, ain't nobody perfect..Customer service is the greatest. When you call, a real person ( involved with building these guitars ) will answer the phone. They will take the time that is necessary to make you an informed person on their guitar line. Very informative. No secretaries, no shipping department, simple hand bending and fitting of fine woods to make an individual instrument. No cnc machines, just super fine craftsmanship, hand applied real lacquer finishes, and no inflated prices. The two I have ordered have been beyond competition, at half the price of the big G!!!!!

Finish 10 Adjustments 10 Only downside was a small burr on the E tuner, causing easily broken string.

built like a mid 60"s gibson, will play it anywhere without backup. Rendal Wall does the wiring, and it is set up to last thru an earthquake.

Super fast, informative, Since they are a self maintained warranty station, I am sure their service will be top grade. They don't wimp around with your concerns....

Been playing for 29 years, don't want to list my other gear. I would replace this in a heartbeat. Chose this because it is AMERICAN made, and the quality was top notch, with a real world price.

This 335 type, is different from Gibson several ways: the body is much thinner (more comfortable and probably lighter), stop tailpiece is heavier with swiveling inserts that grip the strings and allow you to load stings from the top, and the bridge has roller pieces that allow to to adjust string spacing, a feature that I like. The two humbucking pickups are probably Schaller on this particular guitar since it is an '88 model. One piece maple top, solid sides, all are pretty figured. Grover tuners, rosewood fingerboard, medium frets, great shaped mahogany one piece neck, etc.

This guitar is a player. I just sold a pristine '85 Gibson custom shop 335 natural that was not as good a guitar as this one. It had the widest jumbo frets that needed crowning. It also was very heavy and I didn't like the neck shape--it was really tiring to play. This Heritage plays as they say "like butter". It sounds great, the pickups are probably adequate for jazz, they have "the sound" when you play those Wes Montgomery octaves. I will probably try some other pickups to get a little more punch. I have owned 5 or 6 Gibson 335's, one 345 (I bought new in '76), I even bought a new Les Paul Signature (a 335 variation). Of all these, totally the Heritage is a better guitar.

This guitar has a "2" stamped on back which means that it is a second.
If there was a flaw, I can't find it. I am curious why this guitar was considered a second. Hardware is great on this 14 year old. Six inches away, I see very minute straight line cracks in the finish on the lower bout where the edge binding joins the body. Other than that the finish compares to my PRS McCarty which is to say, outstanding. This guitar had some awful and completely dead big flat-wound strings on it and it played terribly. I almost turned it down because of the way it sounded and played. I put some 10's through 46 on it, adjusted the action and intonated the bridge and it made it a different guitar. It probably was originally set up for 10's. For the wide variety of music that I play, this guage is the best overall. It has an outstanding neck shape--not to thin and not to big, that is comfortable to play four hour gigs.

Solid as a rock--but I don't recommend that anyone who plays professionally to not have a backup ax.

Never had to deal with this company, but I have heard that they actually will listen and respond.

I have been playing for 45 years and still am playing in two bands, a MOR band and a blues/rock band. I buy and sell guitars for profit, but I also use them as tools. I have owned hundreds but have used probably 10 as performance instruments: '57 Strat and several other Strats, 330, 335,345 model Gibsons, several Les Pauls (one for 25 years), currently a PRS McCarty and the Heritage 535. I think that I can use almost any brand that is set up properly and has good (to my ears) pickups. Some inspire me to play better-- both the PRS and the Heritage do this. This Heritage sounds more like a good 335 than 90% of the 335's I have had. But it's basically your ear and what you think sounds right for you In 1955, when I was 11 I was inspired by a cheap Kalamazoo acoustic. Whatever flops your mop, go for it. Try out as many as you can before you buy, and remember, they don't sound the same on the job as they do in the store. One more thing: these guitar will be a LOT cheaper than a comparable Gibson.

Typical 335 Features. Upgraded Duncan 59s (highly recomended) Antique Natural finish over maple with little flame. Bound neck and body, mahogony neck and standerd Grover tuners. Simple dot inlays on the neck. This is a strange category, with guitars what you see is what you get. I also got a really nice leather Gibson case in the deal (all for $999) it's very plush with a blanket that covers the whole guitar. Why are these cases always hot pink on the inside????

I play blues, classic Rock as well as some original pop rock stuff. This guitar just sings no matter what I play. I really bought it for Blues playing but I've been really surprised at how good this guitar sounds when the distortion is cranked. There is no problem with unwanted feedback, but it's always there if you want it just face the amp and lean into it a little. The Duncans sound SO MUCH BETTER than the stock Heritage pick ups. I have a 140 with standard pickups and loved it until i got the 535. Chord deffinition is really clear regardless of distortion levels. The clean sounds are just gorgous. I can't stop playing this guitar. I play through a 10 year old Peavy Classic 50. That's it. No effects necesary. I feel like I've spent the last 10 years breaking in my amp for this guitar. The neck pick-up is really creamy and warm, not at all muddy. The bridge pick-up is sharp and clear with out being thin or britlle sounding. The tone controls are very usable and create a ton of usable sounds right down to all out Jazz tones.

My guitar was set up by the local shop for my playing style. The action was set a little high with a set of 11 gauge strings. I play hard so this is how I like it. The binding and finish are flawless. My only gripe is that on all of the Heritage guitars I looked at, you could see sanding marks on the fingerboard and it looked like it could use some oil. I oiled the neck and it looks a lot nicer, but I was a little disapointed with the finish

I use this guitar Live and it's fine. I never play woth out a back up because I bend strings a lot and often break them. The finish seems really durable, but that's not a concern really. I've never payed any special attention to the finish on my guitars and they all still look great. This guitar is more sensitive to temp changes then my solid guitars, so I am more careful with it. But that's the nature of the Hollow Beast.

I didn't deal with Heritage for this guitar, I bought it from Robbies Music Barn in NJ. I'd give Robbies a 10. I did have issues with my older Heritage 140 and found them to be really awful. They botched a fret job, lost my guitar for months and wouldn't return my calls. By the time I got it back it had lost it's original tail piece and had extra strap buttons rolling around in the case. Plus the fret job had to be done again, it was just awful. My 140 has never been the same. I think that Heritage buildes great guitars, after that you're on your own.

Affter playing every thin line hollow body I could find (Hamer, Guild, Gibson, Epiphone, and Heritage) this guitar was by far the best sounding, best playing guitar I came across for less than $3000. The only guitars that came close to it's price were not American Made, were poorly put together and didn't sound as good. I played some older Gibsons that were of the same quality, but they were 3 to 4 thousand dollars and not as pretty. The newer Gibsons just didn't sound as good. I'm a big fan of Heritage. Why do Fender and Gibsons cost so much?? It's all advertising and bullsh*t. If you don't mind playing a guitar that not everybody will recognize you can do much better with something like a Heritage. The Hamers were also really nice, but their tone wasn't classic enough for what I was looking for. They would have been my second choice.

Features typical of this type of guitar, nothing fancy

Sounds OK,This is objective

Finish is always good.Action is terrible on ANY Guitar when new.All heritages need a fret leveling, crowning and polish,nut work to play right. this is subjective as to the players preferences of strings and action.This work is automatic so cant deduct from it

This is up to the owner, a little bit of care is all it needs

Heritage as well as ED Roman are easy to deal with and want you to be happy. If you are an Asshole like the guys who bitch to the dealer then expect it in return

If you are stupid enough to buy one somewhere else, just send me the extra hundreds your flushing

I'd give this guitar a "10" on features myself, because it has everything I want, but I wanted to be fair to "fully equipped guitars". This is, I think, a brand new 2001 model (it's at least a 2000). I bought it new, anyhow. The neck and headstock are very plain (simply dots and a Heritage logo). The body, however, has a very spectacular bookmatched flame maple top and back (with a strip of mahogany sandwiched inbetween, with some nice binding to boot). It's one of the darker sunburst finishes that they made, but not too dark. I wish I could get one exactly like this every time.

It has the stock schaller pickups and also the VIP (Variphase) system, and though I love the sound of out of phase pickups on occasion, I don't like this phase sound (very thin and a severe volume drop). However, they are handy because it also has a coil-tap function, which I use frequently. In fact, I'm thinking of getting two-way switches put in instead of the 3-way ones that are here (one for each pickup). The reasoning is that so I can more easily activate the taps live (on the 3-ways, you have to be careful not to go from single to phase if you're trying to activate the humbucker mode; HB mode is center, coil-split mode is up, phase is down).

It also has the stock schaller bridge and tailpiece, which I like the tailpiece, but not the bridge (roller saddles, they're okay, but they make it feel like I'm hurting the guitar a little when I make a wild bend - I know I'm not, but still). I still love the way the guitar plays and feels, but I think eventually this bridge will be replaced by a Gibson tune-o-matic. I had roller saddles on a Gretsch I used to own, and those were pretty problematic - BUT, I think it says something about this guitar when I didn't notice that the bridge had roller saddles. In fact, I didn't notice them until I changed strings.

My style runs the gamut from rock, blues, jazz, and certain aspects of everything else. This guitar comes alive, and can cover just about anything I want to do. It helps that three of my main influences (Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford) regularly use a 335, or 335-style guitar. I've played this guitar through all manner of amps, Matchless, Carr, Bruno, old Fender, etc. There isn't an amp I've hit this with that hasn't performed superbly (well, one that wasn't going to sound bad anyway). Let me also say that even though I'm using the stock Schaller pickups that come with most unspecified orders, they still sound spectacular. I'd probably be dissapointed with them if they were in a solidbody, but then again, I don't really know. Just hit a note on this guitar and it'll sing, through just about anything. Using the neck pickup (full humbucker) through a Fender Super Reverb, it almost sounds like an archtop (and I've played Heritage jazz guitars too - and they're all jazz, love it). And on most of the lead on the album I'm finishing up, I played it through a Carr Hammerhead, which you really ought to hear on tape. And live, I've never had a problem with feedback, even with a super burning lead sound (well, unless you leaned over to the amp, and forgot to turn the guitar volume down). But, on the plus side, you get lots of optional, CONTROLABLE feedback. Gotta love that!

Well, the finish is top notch, the action is second to none when setup right, BUT... I had nut problems with this guitar, which lended to fretted-out notes on a couple of spots, so I had to get that worked on. Now it's been fixed a while with no problems, really, except that, at a couple of different spots, it keeps acting like it wants to fret out (it's getting somewhat sitar-like around the 15th fret on the A string). I may have to eventually have this thing worked on AGAIN, which kills me, because there's a couple of guys in town that work on these and are GOOD, they just take for freakin ever to work on them (or rather, when they get to your guitar). I was hoping I could find another Heritage before it started to maybe mess up again, so if it was in the shop anymore I'd have a backup, but oh well. I just get withdrawals while this is in the shop. I can't imagine it's a fret problem because I just got the guitar new THIS YEAR. So, I give it a seven here simply over the psychological stress of having this guitar in the shop for what is (unfortunately) usually months at a time, which kills me, because it only takes a few days at most to correct these problems.

It seems like a sturdy enough guitar, but I try to never play anything without a backup (because you never know, and the show must go on). I try to have backups for guitars and amps live. And since it's semi-hollow, it's especially susceptible to weather conditions, so take precautions.

The shop where I bought it has been pretty helpful, even though they're in Iowa and I'm in Dallas (got it at the Dallas Guitar Show this past March). There just aren't any dealers for Heritage guitars here in Dallas, which is one of the biggest crimes of society. There are a few listed in the area on the Heritage page, but most are out of business. The few that weren't, when you get there, it's "Oh, we don't have any in stock - but you can order one." Hell, I can order one from the factory, and NOT have to go through a middle man. But the trick is, with guitars, I really need to actually PLAY them before I buy, ESPECIALLY middle to high end stuff like Heritage, because, like any other guitar, you have to find THE ONE, which you then can bend and twist the fabric of the sound matrix and create your own sonic reality... I'd be very embarassed, and feeling somewhat chagrined, if I spend boucoups of bucks on a special order, and the only thing wrong is that it just don't resonate and feel right. But, I've never dealt with Heritage directly, so I can't really give a rating here.

Oh, and did you notice that this guitar was bought for less than half of what you'd pay for a new dot-neck 335 from Gibson. It's about 1/3 or less of what you'd pay for one with this kind of flame top and back. And I'd rather have this guitar. Actually, I'd rather have a Heritage in just about any instance over a newer Gibson. I've been playing for 11 years, and owned more guitars over the years than I really care to think about. I've got four pieces right now that I really love; this Heritage, A custom G&L ASAT (w/Strat-style single in the middle and 5-way switch, ala Nashville Tele, except better), A Fender Flame (or, pre-Robben Ford model), and a Strings & Things Custom / St. Blues Strat-like axe w/Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge. These, and about three different amps I like to use live (want to try using them as a two-amp rig, with the other for backup). I just can't say enough about Heritage guitars in general. So I guess I better stop there.

My 535 is standard, with no upgrades. Standard pickups and bridge (which are the most common changes). I got what I paid for, though. Coil taps, vari-phase, transducer, etc. are options, but when I found this guitar, I didn't think about those things. This was just the right guitar.

Tone controls are well-voiced. I play second guitar in a blues band with two saxes. I'm able to keep out of the horns' way, as well as the other guitar and bass, mostly by using my tone controls. Usually, I can just dime the neck pickup volume and tone to jump out enough to solo.

The sound on this guitar is perfect. I played about a dozen of these throughout Michigan, and I never had any problems with noisy pickups or switches. Nor have any of the other guys in town -- I live and play in Kalamazoo, and nearly every player in town either has one Heritage or soon will, except for the guys who have the other guitar made here in town, those great old Gibsons.

It sounds just like a ES-335. In fact, it sounds more like a 335 than the new Gibsons. I get a nice dark jazzy neck/tone-down sound that works great with a little amp tremolo for comping behind a soloist. Then for solos, simply turning up the volume and tone lets the guitar sing and the notes ring. Great sustain, easy-to-control feedback.

It is the quintessential 335-type sound.

The guitar is a factory second, bought here in Kalamazoo at a independent retailer. The finish has a slight flaw on the top right below the neck joint. I knew it when I bought it and didn't care.

Otherwise, the finish is spectacular. There is a section of the top that isn't flamed as muc has the rest of the top, but my arm covers it when I play. This isn't a collector's guitar, it's for playing.

Set-up is good. I was trained to do my own set-ups by a friend who works over at the Heritage factory. He showed me how the factory does set-ups, and that's my starting point for set-ups.

I'm not sure what I'll do about the bridge. It's fine, but only fine. I do break my first string more often on this guitar than my Strat, so there might be an issue there.

The fit and construction is solid. There is, however, a section on the side where the binding seems to be separating a touch form the side. I need to get over to the factory and talk to someone about that.

I play this guitar 3-5 nights a week. The guitar is solid. I bring a Strat, but only as a back-up for broken strings, or for some funk-type stuff. The 535 does the funk, but a Strat is better.

Another reviewer mentioned concerns about strap-buttons. I didn't understand that. I have trouble getting my strap off the buttons, so I just leave it on.

The tuners are solid. The only retuning I do is a result of temperature change. Once it's set, it's set for the gig.

I'm lucky. If I have a problem I can drive over to the factory, or to any of the 4 or 5 former Gibson builders who have shops in town, and ask my questions. In fact, most of my work isn't done by Heritage, it's done by an area guy who used to build Gibsons.

The word around town, though is that support is good.

I've been playing since I was a kid, but only seriously for about ten years. I also play an '89 Strat. I play through a '94 Fender Blues Deluxe, a '72 Bassman 20, and a Fender Vibro Champ (80?). The 535 just sings through each of these amps. For effects, I use Danelectro stuff -- an overdrive, a tremolo, and a 7-band EQ.

When I was first looking for a thinline, I played Gibsons, Guilds, Epiphones, everything I could find. When I had pretty much decided on a Heritage, I played about 12-15 of them -- Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw, Grand Rapids. When I picked this one up, it was different. I knew it was the guitar I'd buy. I ran home to get my amp, and Picked it up the next day. I played it at the Kalamazoo BluesFest three days later.

My band runs a jam session. When die-hard Gibson guys come in and pick it up, the most common comment is that it feels like an old Gibson. When I played the new 335's I thought that they were near unplayable. Now I'm spoiled. I might buy and old 335 someday, but I'll never buy one of those new ones.

The next guitar will probably be a custom Heritage 555, with all the bells and whistles. It would be nice to have some options on the gig. But I can't imagine recording a blues-burner solo on another guitar. This sounds like it's supposed to sound.

mines an 89'so its a good example of heritage's earlier work. i cant complain at all...i mean, this guitar is just great. its got a beautiful natural finish, grover tuners, schaller p/u, schaller tailpiece and roller bridge. however, when i got the guitar home, i put on a gibson bridge and stop tailpiece. i think the schaller bridge setup is a big waste of tone. this one has a mahogany neck also. i have seen and played some with maple necks, but i prefer mahogany.

i play in a jazz/fusion quartet, and this guitar has a great sound for what i do. i can get tone anywhere from grant green, to john scofield. i usually use a little boogie studio .22, through a pro co. rat. this axe also never makes any kind of noise (other than when you are givin it some love!) you know...never experienced any kind of controls crackling or anything..im planning on changing the pick ups...the schallers just arent cutting it. but, they dont sound bad at all...i just have a particular sound in mind.

i got the guitar used, but it played pretty damn good when i picked it up. this ones got flame to the max too...top and back are beautiful. the guitar does have a headstock flaw...it seems to be a tiny bit unevenwhere it arches out above the nut, but you can only notice by lookin closely. but then again, that just goes to show that its a hand made instrument.

i play out every weekend, but i usually take this guitar somewhere everyday. weather it be to a gig, a jam session, or just anywhere...the hardware it sturdy, good chrome, the finish seems to be thin, but i like that, it will age nicely, and the guitar has a great "natural" sound. i have brought this guitar to gigs with no back up axe, and never, ever has it failed me. this is probably the best and most favorite guitar ive ever owned. very dependable.

i called heritage once to find out the year on it...a real live human actually answered the phone! i couldnt believe it!i was actually so suprised, i forgot for a second why i had called them. i gave him just the first number of the serial # and he was like "oh, thats an 89' and if im not mistaken, its a natural one?" i was in awe. good company, great, kind people. i plan on buying many more heritage guitars.

ive been playing for 9 years, and recently graduated from berklee college of music, in boston, ma. besides my 535, i own a h-575(like a es 175). i love both of my heritage guitars, and have a deep personal relationship with them. if they were lost or stolen, i would buy one exactly like it.

2001 standard H-535 semi-hollow body. Georgeous 3 tone bust with some of the nicest coloration I've ever seen in a burst. I picked this on out of a few at Wolfe guitars (great to deal with!!) in Jupiter, Florida and all of them showed eye popping tone.Mine came with a Gibson tune-o-matic bridge only because I am used to them but on second may have prefered the Schaller setup due to the sharp angle comming off the tune-o-matic to the stop bar. As expected, the tuners are Schaller as well as the pickups. The Schaller "Golden 50's" pickupshave been updated according to Heritage specs and this was a plsant sprise. I was fully expecting to upgrade to my favorite pickup (Duncan's) but playing both type of pickups in different 535's, I felt is was not needed especially at the price of the base model. Guitar comes wth HSC.

Quite rich with good punch and attack. Nice-n-airy with an edge. Guiter is dead quiet. Neck pickup is sustaining and full sounding. Bridge is rocking with nice clarity and cut without being harsh. Very balanced with tone to spare. That is the bottom line.

The guitar is flawed but in a good way as it shows evidence of lots of handwork. You can visably see where the binding was scraped after finishing. You can clearly point out a binding flaw or two in the cutaway...again, more evidence of handwork that gives the instrument alot of character. If you want a cookie cutter but an import.

The finish and coloration are breathtaking. My burst goes from a very dark red to a rich cherry to the amber middle section. The dark vintage burst, amber, cherry and burnt amber 535's I looked over and played were superb too. The selection of maple looks "vintage" i.e. just enough figuring to make the guitar look attractive and interesting. Body binding is THICK! Fretwork and the quality of rosewoo is superb. Nice touches include vintage amber Les Paul knobs, and bound maple pickguard.

Action: I had to do alot of work to make this closer to my preferences. First, I had to raise the stop bar to clear the tune-o-matic. Next, the truss rod had to be adjusted and bridge raised. It took a while to dial out the buzz. Action is still a bit high but plays like it is lower than it is. The neck angle may be a 1 or two degrees too steep to get the action any lower. I also filed the nut slots a bit on the bass strings to prevent tune creaking and settle 'em into their slots a bit more. These are things that personalized the guitar to my preferences and took an hour or two while watching T.V.

Looks good!

Been plaing about 15 years. I appreciate quality instruments and workmanship and the tone that is the byproduct. I recently bought my dream guitar in a 2001 '58 Les Paul Historic and I also own Customshop Fenders, Musicman Axis, guild D-55 etc. Probably owned over 50 guitars over the years and I have a good indication of what is good and what's not. The heritage 535 guitars are consistant tone wise and it is not hard to find the "good one" and most of them are just that and better. Although I am not primarly a "semi hollow" player, it is easy to learn to be at these prices without sacrificing quality or tone. While the alnico-2 Schaller PAF style pickups are not the best humbuckers I've ever owned, they are pretty good and indeed much better than expected and voiced VERY well to this guitar. The Duncans sound great as expected. Good job and probably not a better deal at this price.

Props to Wolfe Guitars for great customer service and selection as Jay Wolfe is the nation's largest volume Heritage dealer. He operates a website with lots of pictures and vey competive pricing.

2001 Model, Seymour Duncan pickups, Tune-O-Matic bridge, pretty close to a Gibson 335, comes with a HSC included in the price

The sound is what really makes this guitar stand above all others I've played. I love the rich, full sound of the neck pickup, and the aggressive sound of the bridge pickup. A very versatile guitar.

The action from the factory just needed a very minor setup to be perfect. The cord jack was a little loose. Well finished frets. Perfect finish and fit except for the minor looseness of the cord jack.

This is a professional quality instrument and I'm sure it will last for a long time with just a little care.

I called Heritage before I bought my guitar and talked to the guy that that designed their new pickup and he was very helpful and friendly.

If my guitar was stolen I'd buy another just like it. I have never owned a semi-solidbody before and thought it might be to big, but it is actually very comfortable, standing or sitting down. Heritage makes some beautiful sunburst finishes, mine is Antique Sunburst.

Mine is a 1998 made in Kalamazoo and in antique natural. All-maple construction, except the neck, which is mahogany with a rosewood board.
Mine has the Duncan pickups.
It is the usual 335 thing, but better finished than any Gibson 335 I have seen for quite a while. Can with Hard Case.
The finaish was beautiful..no pings anywhere (it was made to order, may make a difference). The set up was great...may be due to Elderly instruments, I told them what type of strings and gauge and it arrived just so...GREAT people to deal with).

Sound is fantastic now and will be even better as it ages. The sound is slighlty brighter than I was expecting, but there is a lot of variation available. Very quiet electrically, and good detail for a humbucker guitar. Sounds good when played soft, too.

Absolutely perfect.
When Elderly got it, the pickup covers had tiny scratches, so they sent them back and fitted new "We weren't about to let you get it in anything other than perfect condition").
The antique maple finish is so georgeous!

No problems so far, except a minor bit of noise on one of the volume pots. (Thanks goodness for switchcleaner). This thing is built to last the distance.

See above. I did ring them to thank them for it and ask a question. They were just wonderful.

The only problem with it is that it is so nice, I hate to play it, since I'd hate to put a ding in it! I might not buy another semi if it was lost, but if I did, this would be it.It plays like butter and is my most playable guitarand I 've owned a few (30 years a player).
The big body size is a bit disconcerting at first, but you get used to it. It does feel like a real guitar! It is also built like a real guitar, not one of those mass-produced ones 9we all own em and play em, but they aren't the same). A top class instrument, made possible by people who want their product to be their advertisement.