Heritage H-535

This guitar was a custom order completed in January '99. It is a semi-hollow body (think Gibson 335). The guitar is beautifully finished in Heritages Almond (Ice Tea) Sunburst. Like a 335 it has two humbucking pcikups, two volume and two tone controls. The tuners are Grover and the bridge and tailpiece are Schaller. I had some upgrades done to my guitar including: select flame maple - the standard Heritage is beautifull this is stunning. Trapeziod inlays ala Les Paul standard. Bound peg head and F holes. Deeper neck profile. Duncan Seth Lover pickups.

The sound is gorgeous. The guitar is very resonant and almost sounds like and accoustic when not plugged in and of course really comes alive when pluged in. The sustain is is great, as good as if not better than my Les Paul. The neck pickup is full and warm without being muddy. The bridge pickup is bright and crisp and punchy without being peircing. The middle position is magic - just blend the two volumes to yeild a million sublte variations. Middle postion into my '66 Super Reverb on 3 equalls the ryhthm tone of doom. It soounds equally as killer through my '69 Marshall small box 50 head.

Out of the box the neck was dead straight. I had to loosen the truss rod about 1/4 turn to add some relief to the neck. Also, like Gibson, Heritage files the tops of the frets flat. I had mine crowned and polished to round them out a bit and this improved the playability immensly. The finish is simply gorgeous. If you've never seen Heritages Almond Sunburst, well it's their best finish by far imho. It really shows of the grain of the wood beautifully. I give this category an 8 because of the neck relief and fret crowning/polishing.

There are still plenty of old '50s and '60s Gibson 335 around, I don't see any reason whay this guitar shouldn't last at least as long as it was made in the orginal Gibson factory buy original Gibson employees. This finish is nitro and so will continue to dry with age. This may lead to some checking, but this should be minimal if the guitar is well cared for (and it is). I can't wait for the finish to yellow a little.

You can call Heritage directly and speak with the president Bill Paige. I custom ordered mine from Heritages largest dealer, Jay Wolfe. Both Jay and Heritage were very pleasent to deal with.

I've been playing guitar for over 25 years. I've onwed Les Pauls, Melody Makers, Strats, Teles, PRS Custom, Anderson Classic, Suhr Classic. This is currently my main electric guitar. The tone and playabilty are just superb. The only thing wrong with this guitar is it doesn't say Gibson on the peg head. Much more guitar for much less $ than the current Gibson offerings imho.

1998 model, USA made 335 style, dual humbuckers, bound rosewood board, Grover tuners, 3 way selector switch, 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Nice vintage orange color, laminated bound maple top and back, medium large frets. Schaller bridge and tailpiece. Pretty basic stuff.

Easy to get a workable clean sound, a little harder to obtain a fat, sustained blues tone, but its certainly there, just requires careful EQing, and the right P/U splitting volume/tone combination. Quite a variety of clean sounds are in this guitar, but higher gain/overdrive playing results mostly in feedback. This guitar has quite a bit of bass response and somewhat thick mids, so you need to be able to EQ this out if its bothersome. Overall a great warm sustained tone, but requires some work to obtain, both with the amp EQ, and guitar setup (more on setup below).

Fit & finish are quite good overall, the only significant flaw is a thin 1/2 inch split in the top under the tailpiece by the stud hole. Not too visible with the tailpiece in place, I only hope it stays small. Action as delivered was poor, with much buzzing on lower frets on the low E string, and some dead spots up the neck. I assume the neck flattened somewhat during shipping with the strings loosened. The action was a little stiff with the stock 10-46 strings, and the acoustic tone was a little cold as well, so I stepped up a string guage to 11-49, tuned down a half step, backed the truss rod off a quarter turn, raised the bridge a tad, set the intonation, and the guitar came to life. Hate to lose satndard tuning, but the guitar really was too stiff for comfortable bending even a whole tone at standard pitch, and the heavier strings have helped the tone.

Overall quite high quality build with good materials, although the finish is a little soft, so you need to be careful with belts, etc. Its a set neck semi-hollow so don't expect it to endure a lot of abuse or rough handling, but with reasonable care it should give many many years of service. Heavy chrome on bridge and tailpiece should resist corrosion, the pickup covers look a little thin in the finish though, so I'm expecting some premature aging from them. Nice deep strap buttons.

The guys at Heritage enjoy a good reputation for service, and the people at Murch Music have been great as well, so I feel well covered for support if needed.

I've been playing for 25 or so years, and have the usual amount of gear that accumulates over that period of time. I bought this guitar without playing it, as there is no local stocking Heritage dealer. Have played a number of 335 type guitars, and this one compares favorably. Reconize the guitars strenghts and limitations, work within them, and it should keep you smiling.

Here is the tale (Setting for review) ... I was in the market for a 335 (or nice clone) as I have been a big BB King fan (tone and player's style) for some time. I tried out a BUNCH of Gibson 335's and they were nice, had the tone but just did not seem worth the price compared to the competition (Epi, Washburn, Samick and others). I was about to go in one of several ways ... perhaps abandon the quest for the 335 like guitar outright. I tried every clone I could fine (I never did encounter the Ibenez) Epi, Samick, DeArmond, Washburn, etc. Of those I tested the Washburn was the best, it seemed to me, better sounding pickups (I would have changed them anyway) and better fretwire (Taller that is) than the others. The quality of the various brands were comparable and reasonably consistent ... reasonably. I was considering abandoning the quest entirely for a Hamer 25th Ann. Artist (still may one day).
Then I stumbled into the Heritage line ... I had not really heard of them before. New stock 335 clone (535) was ~$1200 to the door with hardshell. As it is a Gibson 335 for all practical purposes (or better) I will not re-tell the factory history here www.heritageguitar.com/). I played one with the stock Shaller's into a Bassman RI and very impressed ... ordered it and after a little bout with poison ivy have been enjoying it (and setting it up).
Materials, Construction (9.5 due to fretwork, 10 otherwise) & Playability Issues (Setup was not great 8 ... 10 after I set it up):
It is a set neck 24 3/4 inch scale semi-hollow. One piece solid mahogany neck (I don't know what the nut material is). It has the maple laminate top and back (like the 335) with a maple (I believe) center block. Unlike the 335's the 535 has SOLID maple sides. Cream binding on body and neck but not headstock. It is identical in dimensions to a 335 except for the headstock shape (duh) and the angle back is vintage 335 not modern 335 in spec's. It has a rosewood fretboard with dot inlays. Unlike the 335 (plastic) it has a bound flame maple pickguard. It uses the Shaller stoptail setup (roller adjustable for intonation and string spread) with Grover tuners. It has a single action truss rod (at least that is what it appears to have). It has the golden colored (same as Gibson's) plastic high hat knobs I think look cheesy on any guitar (I will have to change those!). Two tone and two volume controls and 3 way switch. Heritage can be ordered with ANY S Duncan pickups (new LP-like models come with SD 59's stock now I think) and a variety of wiring setups from the factory (phase changes, splitting, varitone type circuits etc.) for a VERY reasonable fee.

Somedays 10 others 6:
The Shaller pickups have been criticized most consistently for not being clean enough on the low end. Personally, I can't decide what I think about them. They have a more Seth Lover tone to them ... brighter than my Classic 57/57+ (500K pots but a .05 cap so they are darker than many 57's). Some days I love them other days I do not find them so attractive (not sure why yet). I did have to lower them substantially, and found that for me a raise in the string pole pieces for the G and D strings (most with some slight elevations on B and A) corrected almost all my early concerns. Or, a boost the mids some on the eq also seems to bring it in line. I do find I tend to have the tone knob on 10 a lot with these though and that should tell me something. They do not seem to muddy any faster than the Gibsons when clean, but do seem to do so faster when chorus or reverb are used during rhythm work (yeah I know your not supposed to do that). I like a jazzy-midrange feel and would probably go to a SD Jazz in the neck and JB in the bridge if I were to change them ... but so far I have not found it enough that I have found it necessary (I may play with cap changes before I go all out for pickup changing though as it would be a lot easier on 335 styled guitars).

Appearance (9.9... pickguard perfect and it would have been a 10+):
I ordered mine with an Almond Sunburst and chrome hardware. It is gorgeous! It is far more flamed than a standard 335 from Gibson. Much prettier than any standard issue 335 I have seen to date.
The construction quality (10) Factory Setup (6)
Quality seems better than most of the 335's I looked at, and worse than none I found. There are a couple of places on binding of the pickguard that there was some sloppy finish work. No orange peel on the guitar, and there were no flaws anywhere else.
Fretwork is the one area I am VERY hard to please. I have never encountered a production guitar (and not a lot of customs) that I have like the fretwork on ... well, two exceptions ... Carvin and Hamer USA. Folks who build guitars could learn from these folks ... esp. Carvin (yes Carvin has spoiled-sold me in this area). The 535 fretwork was pretty good. Better than Gibsons (and I like Gibsons), but there are a couple of places where the fretwork could have been a little better. A couple of very slightly high frets, and not a perfect (but pretty good) job with the fretwork (crown and polish). After playing it a while I find that, with my wild vibratos and sloppy double stop slides on the high E and B strings, I occasionally slide the high E off the edge of the fretboard. I reset the width at the bridge some as it was easy, and it helped but I still find myself dropping of the edge now and again (but I do with any 335). Speaking of setup issues, the setup from the factory was not great ... OK but not great. The action was fairly high and there was a great deal of unneeded relief. I took out some of the relief and lowered the action (5/64 on low E and 1/16 on high E). This gives a touch of fret buzz when I play aggressively in a couple of places (slightly higher frets but no so much I am ready to do a fret level at this point!).
In reading the reviews of the Heritage line there were 2 areas where there was criticism ... the Shaller roller adjustable Tune-O-Matic and the Shaller Golden 50's pickups. The roller adjustable has been criticized for it having more moving parts and therefore reducing sustain over the traditional adjustable. If it does (I am sure it must ... at least in theory) it is not enough that I can tell it comparing them side by side to one another. Even then they are a simple matter of switching them (~$40 stew mac) if you wanted to do so.

It is as sound as any of the semi-hollow guitars I have tried. AS it has a lac. finish and not poly it is a little more easily damaged, but it is the "desired" finsih sothe extra care is worth it.
Hardware seems great. Stap buttons were solid and durable, though I put Shaller locking ones one (I install either Shaller or Dulops on all guitars).
I would not gig without a backup ... not cool planning at all. But, I would trust it as much as ANY guitar I have owned.

Never spoke with HEritage directly. I spoke with my dealer and he was great.

Review In A Nutshell (By a Nut) ...
Things I love ...
1.) 335 tone, feel (playability) and construction. 2.) Appearance and Finish 3.) Price
Things I liked (but not loved) ...
1.) Fretwork 2.) Shaller pickups
Things I didn't like ...
1.) Setup 2.) Gold high hat speed knobs for tone and volume.
Final Comments ....
I see no reason (other than name appeal) to spend the money on a 335 from Gibson with the 535's out there. I am looking at their Jazz boxes, and LP styled guitars now. Great guitar company. I feel they are an improved Gibson by the old Gibson pro's.

Made in Kalamazoo, MI, by the orininal Gibson employees of the fifties, using the original building and machinery of the old Gibson factory. Semi-hollow body, 335-style guitar, set-neck, beautifully flamed one-piece maple top and back in a 3-tone sunburst nitrocellulouse finish("sunset burst", according to the Heritage color guide), gorgeous wooden pickguard in same sunburst finish, unique trapezoidal headstock with "The Heritage" logo silk-screened on, rosewood fretboard,dot markers, c-shaped slim taper neck a'la post '60 Gibson, chrome non-locking grover tuners, chrome upgraded gibson-style hardware(more on this later), 2 passive chrome humbuckers of unknown origin, cloth-covered wire, unbound f-holes, basic gibson control layout--2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way toggle switch, basically a classic, vintage-looking and sounding instrument with minor refinements/improvements. I give it a 10 'cause this is all any good guitar player needs. Oh yeah.....it's left-handed.

My only amp is a 1970 small box 4-input 50 watt Marshall going into a re-issue cab with 4 greenbacks. I don't like effects. I like pure tone. The only pedals I use are a Vox wah and a TS-9. I play chicago blues, blues/rock, 60's psych, pop, brit-rock, folk, a little jazz(still learning), basically anything that tickles my fancy. And for all those styles, my Heritage will perform time and again. This is an amazing sounding guitar, and contrary to other posts, the stock pick-ups are up to par with any P.A.F. type humbucker that I've heard. The neck pu is smooth and full, not muddy, while the bridge screams in the creamiest way. Maybe the pups were upgraded before I purchased the guitar...I don't know. Anyway, clean, you'll get Wes Montgomery. Overdriven, you'll get Cream-era Clapton. Distorted, you'll get Zeppelin. You won't come close, you'll NAIL these sounds. Of course, it's not the most versatile guitar--you're not going to get single-coil sounds, but you'll get FAAAAAAAAT tone.

As I mentioned earlier everything about this axe is superb. The 10's were set up beautifully by Southpaw, is where I got this thing. The only quibble is a hairline that is the result of the two pieces of wood not properly sanded under the headstock veneer. But, that's really scrutinizing. Knowing Heritage's reputation for top quality, they should have been more careful. Because of that I'll give it a....

Well, it's a semi-hollow guitar, so don't expect to walk away playing in tune after you ram it head-first into your stack. But take care of it, and it'll take care of you.

Haven't dealt with them, but reading the other posts, I'm sure I won't have a problem if anything goes wrong. It comes with a one year warranty.

Being a lefty in a righty world, it's damn near impoosible to find a high-quality guitar at a reasonable price. Heritage is the only company that can measure up. They hand build each axe, which is a piece of mind, in my opinion. WAY better than a Gibson--I own a Historic '57 gold-top and a '98 SG. I'd buy this guitar again in a second. For half the price of a Gibson at twice the quality, why wouldn't I?

I ordered this guitar (new) from a local dealer in the Virginia. I believe this guitar was made in January 99. For those unfamilar, the H535 is your standard dual cutaway, semi-hollow electric guitar. Essentially the H535 is a copy of a Gibson ES-335, with a few minor variations. For those unfamiliar, the H535 features dual Schaller humbuckers, non-locking Grover or Schaller tuners (I can't remember), & what I belive is a tune-o-matic bridge (Heritage's version). The scale length is short, 24 3/4, but certainly not unbearable. I think the frets are jumbo. The purchase also included a really nice hard shell case from Heritage.

The sound from this guitar is fantastic. To my ears, it's extremely rich & full. The sustain is fantastic. Very balanced as well. I'm primarily interested in jazz, & think this guitar is setup nicely for that. I currently play through a Fender HR Deluxe (& my guitar instructors' Polytone Mini-Brute). I have little difficulty getting a warm & thick jazz tone (& I'm still using the stock light strings). It's simply a matter of rolling off some tone (& lots of bass on the amp). I don't think think this guitar is limited to jazz exclusively. It could be used for just about any genre of music, especially blues. Use the three pickup selector switch & you should be able to get just about any tone. Be assured that none of them will be thin or harsh. Unfortunately, when using the neck HB, the bass can be a little heavy times & I'm not entirely sure where to attribute this. Maybe someone else can tell me if this is a normal characteristic of a semihollow guitar or a HR Deluxe?

I spent the extra $$ & got the non-standard amber finish. The amber body & cream colored binding is stunning to say the least. The finish seems flawless. No blemishes discovered yet. The action seems a bit lower than my Strat, which makes it considerably easier to play. Keep in mind that if you currently play a different style guitar (ie. Strat or Tele), it may take a little longer to get used to the H535's wider body. I do have at least one complaint about this guitar. Currently, I've got a buzz on the second fret on the A,G, & B strings. I'm hopping that it's simply a matter of redressing a fret or two. I'd like to think that the fret problem happened in the midst of shipping from the factory. As a result of the fret problem, I'm giving the H535 a lower rating for this category. I'll post a follow-up concerning the fret problem in the very near future.

I think the H535 is a pretty solid guitar. All the essential components seem to be of high quality. This one reason why I elected not to go with an Epiphone Sheraton. Hopefully, this H535 will be around for quite sometime. I don't think any of the chrome covered material will wear prematurely. Obviously, I can't really answer this since I've only had the guitar in my possesion litle over a week. I wouldn't gig with this guitar. Not that it's fragile; I'd hate to see anything damage the phenomenal finish. I think under normal circumstances, the guitar would hold up nicely. I initially thought about getting strap locks, but will hold off for right now. The buttons seem to do an adequate job of holding the strap. I don't gig & as a result don't concern myself with having a backup. If anything happened to this guitar, I would lie, cheat, or steal to get another one.

I'm a bit perturbed at the dealer I ordered this guitar from. There are a lot of things Heritage will do to customize a guitar. Unfortunately, I wasn't made aware of them until well after I ordered the guitar. Basically, I was interested in a thicker neck, & a different color pickguard (similar to that of a Gibson ES335). When I spoke to both the factory & dealer inquiring about a thicker neck for my H535, I was basically told it was too late. At that point the guitar had already been assembled. The custom pickguard I ordered, is yet to arrive. Had I been willing to wait a couple of additional months, I probably could've requested the factory start another guitar for me; unfortunately patience has never been a virtue. Still, it would've been nice to know about the custom stuff well in advance. As for the fret problem, I will probably take the guitar to a local shop for assessment. I'd hate to ship the guitar back to the factory for what I suspect/hope is a very minor problem. The bottom line: I'm quite impressed at Heritage's quality products, but would probably seek out another Heritage dealer if I ever ordered a guitar from them in the future.

I've been playing for about four years now. I presently own a Fender Lone Star Strat, HR Deluxe, & a couple Boss fx pedals. To be perfectly honest, It would've been nice to known in advance all the options Heritage is willing to do. If in doubt about something special you might like on your guitar, call the factory. They are all pretty helpful. As stated previously, I'd certainly replace this guitar in a heartbeat if ever stolen or seriously damaged. It might take sometime getting used to the "boxy" feeling of the H535. Not a big deal. You'll really love the guitar once you start playing it. Overall, the H535 is a terrific guitar for the $$. Check out the Epiphone DOT, Sheraton, Washburn HB35, & then check out a Heritage H535. You'll see the difference is night & day. If you're seriously contemplating an Epiphone Sheraton, check out the H535. When you consider the cost of swapping pickups, the H535 isn't all that steep in price.

Mine was an early 90s model. Lam top, 22 frets, standard es335 controls, I think the pickups are by Bill lawrence. A lot of people don't like the stock pickups on Heritage guitars, but I thought they were fine. Maple top sides, back (laminated, though) Mahogany neck, Grover tuners, AWFUL bridge (which I replaced with a wooden one - YEAH, it sounds better than metal in my opinion)It doesn't have tons of features. It just has the ones you need for a 335 style guitar

Sound is great, but I decided after a couple years I needed a bigger, more airy sound, which I got out of another heritage, a 565 I believe. Figure it will sound like a 335, or like a les paul with air in it.

Guitar was set well at the factory. I got a fret job after a couple years, cause one or two of the frets started "rising", but then it got heavy play and I use low action due to my light touch (mostly fingers). One pain in the butt. On both my heritages the switch is lame. It intermittently cuts out and you have to jiggle the switch. A new switch is cheap, so just go buy one. Finish is flawless, all joints are awesome

I think the rising frets had nothing to do with fit and finish. I used this guitar live for lots of gigs. The hardware did not even START to corrode, but then I don't have real acidy hands, and I am always changing strings, plus, of course, I put a wooden bridge on it. I replaced the strap buttons with locking Dunlops, as I do on all my electrics except my dano. The finish never started to wear. I depended on this guitar and it never let me down. I even only broke one string live...ever. I'd actually use this guitar live with no backup.

Never dealt with them.

This is nearly identical to a Gibson 335 (semi-hollow, thinline, double cutaway). This is a left hand model made by Heritage in Michigan. Almond Sunburst finish - absolutely beautiful. I ordered and paid for an upgraded top, but I'm not sure if it is since stock tops look great too. The grain of the wood stands out nicely. Schaller humbuckers with the "Vari-Phase" option (highly recommended). Rosewood fretboard. Grover tuners. Laminated maple top. Schaller rolling type bridge. Case was included but it's not a Heritage case. Price indicated includes shipping.

This guitar sounds fantastic. The "Vari-phase" option increases the versatility. I play through a Pevey Classic 30. In the normal mode it sounds like a 335, warm, fat and sweet. With the "Vari-phase" you can dial-in the sound of a Fender, as well as other sounds. I play mostly blues but this guitar can cover a wide range of styles. The pick-ups sound great, but at times I would like a little more punch. The cost of the "Vari-phase" option (about $150) is a bit steep. In fact, I almost canceled this option after I learned the price. However, after having played it (couldn't find one in a store prior to purchase) I absolutely love it. It was a great investment and I wouldn't order a Heritage without it.

Perfect setup out of the box. As I said before the finish is fantastic. There is a minor finish flaw (looks like a hairline finish crack, I think) at the base of the neck, not noticeable unless you really look hard. I am told by uninvolved parties it is nothing. It plays like a dream - just right for me. A very high quality hand-made instrument. The action is higher than a Les Paul Custom, but then again, most are. I much prefer the action on the Heritage.

I have only had the guitar for 5 months but so far no problems at all. Everything is solid and I am confident it will last a long time - which is good because I never plan on giving it up. I currently have a Fender Strat, Gibson Les Paul Custom and an SG copy. If I could only have one guitar this would be the one.

I have only had two occasions to deal with the Company. The first was when I called to ask about the "Vari-phase" option. I spoke with the man who invented it. He was very enthusiastic and a great help. I also called about the "minor finish flaw". I spoke with the person who made the guitar. They offered to have me to send it in to be checked out. I declined since it is so minor. Great People - a pleasure to deal with. Nothing like Gibson or Fender.

I've been playing on and off for over 20 years. Been taking many breaks due to kids and other family things. I love to play and I have been searching for the "right" guitar - this is it. This is the guitar I reach for 9 out of 10 times. It looks, sounds and plays great. If lost I would buy another in a second, and in fact may buy one anyway. I thought the size might be intimidating but it is far easier to play and hold than the Les Paul. As indicated, I play left-hand. I wanted a left-hand 355 style guitar. Both Gibson and Guild (now Fender) were of no help. Their attitude was we'll make them when we feel like it. Gibson was borderline obnoxious. Heritage is very accommodating and will make just about anything you want. This guitar was nearly $1,000 less than the Gibson. Fantastic guitar, and for the money it can't be beat. In my opinion it's better than the Gibson. Great guitar, great people and a great price. If you decide on this guitar consider the "Vari Phase", I think it's an excellent option.

This guitar was made by Heritage in Kalamazoo, MI in 1993. It's basically a slightly thinner Gibson 335, the only real difference is that it has solid (instead of laminated) maple sides. Comes with a lamintated maple top and back. Has two humbuckers, Grover tuners, and a factory installed "Vari-Phase" which does some really neat coil tap deals that can make the guitar sound very "Fender-ish" as well as nailing the 335 vibe perfectly. The "Vari-Phase" controls are three mini toggles that take up the place where the normal neck pick-up tone control would be located. There are three rotary controls as well, one tone and two volumes. The fretboard is bounded dark rosewood and there is binding on the front and back of the guitar. The laminated maple top and back have a fair amount of grain. Like the Gibson 335, this guitar has a solid block of maple runing down the inside middle of the guitar. The bridge has the typical Heritage "tune-o-matic" with a very nice rolling bridge feature that allows for individual string placement on the bridge. It, like the 335, has a stop tailpiece. With the "Vari-Phase" controls, what you have here is a guitar that has the identical sound of the Gibson 335, AND also can do some very convincing Fender sounds as well. Came with OHSC. Finish is a Tobacco Sunburst color.

How can you complain about a guitar that nails the classic 335 sound AND can do some Fender sounds as well??? I have never played one of the Heritage 535's without the Vari-Phase, so I guess that those guitars would just sound like a great Gibson 335. I play all kinds of music, and this is the guitar I always reach for (out of several). It sounds outstanding --- very warm and fat on the normal 335 settings --- with the coil taps in the "Vari-Phase" position, the sound is very Fender-y, but somewhat "weaker" sound wise (not as loud).

No complaints at all --- a very solid piece. Great woods -- very grainy -- very nice to look at. Great set up -- esp. for used guitar. I have "tens" strings on the guiar and it plays very smooth --- like butter.

I would use this as my ONLY guitar for the next ten years -- no back up necessary.

I called Heritage and spoke to a guy who might have made the guitar. He told me the year it was made and advised me about the "Vari-Tone" feature ("....man, I wouldn't buy a 535 without it..."). Seemed to really like what he was doing --- Very cool.

I own around 17 guitars, and this is my all time favorite. I played a $2,500.00 Gibson 335 (new) and it felt like I was playing a brick (very stiff feel to it). This guitar smokes -- I will NEVER sell it and I'm currently looking at another used one at another store just for the heck of it. Highly recommended. It's USA made, sounds and plays great, and the Gibson version is a good $1,000.00 more (new). Everything about this guitar screams GREAT QUALITY -- At the price they are getting (new and used) it's also a great value.

Basically, It's a Gibson 335, but, of course, it's made by Heritage. Heritage guitars usually comes with Schaller Golden 50s pickups, which are decent, but not like a good Duncans. Hard shell case. Mine is a Antique Smoke-Burst color. As far as features, it has just enough.

Great for Jazz, blues, prog. rock. Quite frankly, I use it for all but Real heavy music. Sounds great. In my opinion, sound better than the Gibson 335.

Perfect setup. Only flaw was some "orange peeling" on the neck. A little sand paper fixed that. This guitar was set up and finished 10 times better that the 3 Gibson 335s I tried out. 2 of the Gibsons I tried had cracking on the finish - And these were new! Not only that, the Gibsons had the action too low (much buzz) and the pickups were too high. The Heritage - perfect action, perfect pickup height.

Perfect. Never a problem in 4 years.

Haven't tried to contact the company.

I've bought 4 other Heritages since. MUCH better than Gibson!! The only complain I have about Heritage is their choice of stock pickups. I think Heritage should just outfit all their axes stock with Duncans or some other premium pickup.

1997 model. Antique Sunburst finish: Gorgeous with flamey top & back; 2 stock (Schaller I'm told) HB pickups; laminated maple top, back & sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard. Schaller bridge; 24 3/4" scale, incl. hardshell case, made in Michigan, USA. 2 volume, 2 tone controls (tone controls wired to give overdrive effect when both pickups are selected.)

Excellent acoustic tone means big full sound through the amp; gets compliments for its fat tone; decent snap on bridge pickup but not as much as on a Gibson 175 or 335 (optional Seymour Duncan pickups may get you there). Very quiet, not a noisy guitar, great tone on neck pickup. When both p/u's are selected the two volume controls work together to vary between clean and overdriven sounds. Used with Fender Blues Jr., or Vibrolux Reverb (reissue) this guitar sounds great (sounds great with every amp I've tried).

Excellent factory setup; bridge pickup needed slight height adjustment; top is gorgeous; everything lines up right, a very high quality instrument for a very reasonable price.

Through 1 year incl. ~20 blues jams, holding up very well. Stays in tune, solid construction.

My favorite 'player' of my several guitars including a couple of vintage ones. Would get another in a second, it was an easy choice for $900 less than a Gibson ES-335.