Heritage H-555

Made in 2000. Chestnut burst. 22 frets.

Body -
Double cutaway semi-hollow body with laminated arch curly maple top and back; multiple white bound top and white bound back; solid curly maple rim; single white bound pickguard; with f-holes.

Fingerboard -
24 3/4" scale ebony single white bound fingerboard with 22 frets; mother of pearl and abalone inlays.

Neck -
17 degree peghead pitch; one-piece curly maple neck; single white bound mother of pearl and abalone inlaid head veneer. 1 11/16" nut.

Electronics -
Two gold humbucking pickups; with two volume and two tone controls; selector switch.

Hardware -
Individual gold plated machine heads; gold plated stop bar tailpiece and adjustable bridge.

It is almost too good looking.

From cool and clean to kick you in the ass and everything in between. Tone is on the darker side of the spectrum. Great for jazz and blues. Can get some really good rock tones too. Neck pickup is super-duper warm and full of bass, sometimes too much. No bright, chiming sounds here... not that it was meant for that though. One rating point knocked off here for that just because I am a hard-ass about giving out perfect 10's.

Sweet as could be. I did have to widen the nut slots to accomodate .011 - .049 gauge strings. Had to tweak the truss rod a hair when I changed string gauge, but what guitar do you not need to do that to?

Only problem with the guitar is the neck and fingerboard has a slight rise starting about the 5th fret and on up through where it meets the body. Detracting three rating points for this.

Built Kalamazoo tough. Some slight and very minor finsh blemishes here and there and a tiny flaw in the routing off one inlay. But I am the only one looking that closely anyways... no one in an audience will ever see it.

Minus 1 point.

Emailed the company with a pickup question and Ren hit me back in an hour or so and told me where to find the answer. I did give him the serial # in my initial email so he could have gone through the records and told me the answer, which would have been nice, but then again... those boys should be utilizing their time making guitars and not answering questions from some yahoo west coast guitarist who bought the thing used off craigslist.

I would have given a 10 if they had answered me directly instead of telling me how to find the answer. I am still very pleased though and I learned a thing or two finding the answer.

This is a bad-ass mofro.
People gasp when I pull this thing out of the case and then they murmur things like: "look at that guy's guitar" and "it's so beautiful" and "oh my god" and "wow".

I wish my playing would elicit the same responses, but at least they applaud at the end of most of the songs. Maybe it's only because the guitar sounds so damn good.

In about 26 years of playing a multitude of different instruments, this is undoubtedly the finest instrument I have ever played. I have to say I think Heritage guitars represent the finest value available in a hand-crafted, American made instrument. Go buy one right now!

2006 Custom Heritage H-555, handmade by old Gibson masters in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Several of its features are downgraded to 535 standards in order to imitate a classic ES-335. Heritage is fantastic for letting you custom-choose your features if you go through the right dealer. I purchased this instrument through Jay Wolfe, Wolfe Guitars, Jupiter, Florida. Gorgeously flamed laminated maple body with wine-red translucent finish, nickel Schaller hardware including stop tailpiece and tuners(not standard w/the 555), mahogany neck (ditto), rosewood fingerboard (ditto), block MOP inlays (ditto), H-157-style inlay on the bound peghead (ditto), deluxe binding on the body, unbound f-holes (not standard!), 22 frets, black vintage pickguard (not standard), two Duncan '59 humbucker pickups, treble and bass volume and tone pots, TRL case. A beautiful instrument. Very similar to the 335 Marty McFly played in Back to the Future, but a darker, nearly maroon red.

I play the 555 through a Vox 30-Watt Valvetronix amp (sorry, I'm relatively new to playing) with chorus and reverb effects through the AC-30 setting, although I often put it on the Boutique clean or tweed settings with the amp effects shut off and pipe it through a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, a Keeley 4-knob Compressor, a Jacques Meistersinger Analog Chorus, and a Line 6 Verbzilla. Since it's a semi-acoustic, of course I don't stand with it inches from my amp lest I be vibrated apart by feedback, but it's really not that bad in those terms. This guitar produces a beautifully warm, shimmering jazz tone on clean with the tone pots dialed down, a a dazzlingly gorgeous bright Rickenbacker-ish ring (but fatter) a la Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground's eponymous lp on clean with the neck and bridge blended with the tone dialed up, does a phenomenal imitation of a Les Paul with a warmer, growling ambience (and a lot less mud) with distortion dialed up on the neck pickup, and has a great, stingingly growling lead sound with the bridge distorted. The versatility is absolutely fantastic - IMHO, the 335 style crushes all comers for versatility in terms of doing nearly absolutely everything very, very well - and I love the tone this baby produces on every setting even more (I also believe that the warm, woody semiacoustic sound of the 335 style is the best out of all guitar options for its basic sound and various tones). You can't go wrong with the 335 style, and from my limited playing perspective Heritage is certainly the way to go. I often go to bed at night savoring the sound of this instrument as I drift off.

This H-555 was my second Heritage (I sold an H140CM, since I was getting a little guitar-overloaded at the time), and I was pretty happy all around with these aspects. The wine-red finish is just heartbreakingly beautiful - great color, great lustre, consistently applied. There were a few problems with the action/fit - the dealer evidently raised the action a tad, so I had to have it lowered. Over time, I also detected some buzzing on the middle strings, exacerbated when the action was lowered. My luthier informed me that the fourth fret was jutting up due to some natural swelling since I received the instrument. Heritage put it back on the PLEK machine and redid the setup, so it plays great now. I have to be a little careful fretting the high E, as it does have that notorious Heritage tendency to slip off the board. Overall, however, after the repair, I'm quite pleased with the way this guitar plays as well as how it sounds. I would give it an 8 if the repair hadn't been necessary.

It seems reasonably durable, although I wouldn't want to treat a semi-acoustic 555 with its fairly delicate f-hole curly-cues as if it was a Les Paul. Sure, the strap buttons are solid (no cracks around them), but I'm getting strap locks installed to ensure it never slips off, as I'm sure that would more or less be the end of it. That considered, it seems to be pretty darn solidly made. I've had the guitar for five months, and I'm very careful to baby the finish by either wearing a long-sleeved shirt or putting a cloth over the rim where my right hand rests, and to wipe it down after playing it. With a finish as awesome as this one is, you don't want to lose it! The pickguard tends to pick up smudges to an obnoxious extent and needs beaucoup babying. I haven't experienced any failures in the electronics or anything like that, and have a pretty high level of confidence that the Heritage workmanship will last for years to come.

When the fret problem arose (pun intended), I called up Jay Wolfe in Jupiter, Fla. He listened carefully to the situation, suggested solutions, and finally concluded that this was a job for Heritage. I dealt with Rendall Wall at Heritage. He was very helpful in assuaging my concerns. I especially appreciated his instructions on how to protect the finish of the guitar for winter shipping. I shipped the 555 back to Heritage (it hurt both to have to part with it for a time and to have to trust a shipping service with it). They got to work on it right away. Mr. Wall was originally a little skeptical about the seriousness of the problem, which I didn't care much for as I trust my luthier, but once he saw the guitar, he acknowledged the issues and got them well taken care of. I had it back in great shape in about 10 days. These are guys who stand behind their product and want to make sure the customer is happy - certainly the advantage of a small company. Jay gets a 9.5 (friendly, takes time he doesn't necessarily have with you over the phone, and was very helpful to me as a relatively new electric player - I do, however, recommend calling over e-mailing), Heritage gets a 9. If I have any further problems in the next seven months, I know these gents will take care of it.

I am relatively new to electric guitar playing (a little over a year), but I've been a connoisseur of electric guitar sound since the age of 4 (I'm 35). I own a Ric 330/6 and a 360/12 (the latter will be replaced by a 660/12, since I can't play the #$%@ 360/12 with its Kafkaesquely narrow neck) as well as the 555. I decided I had to have a 335-style guitar for the reasons stated above in the sound discussion. I did quite a bit of research, especially here, on Heritage vs. Gibson and other manufacturers before purchasing. Hundreds of players have been bit in the hind end by Gibson's quality control (or more precisely abject absence thereof) given the price. Heritage does produce the rare lemon, but they're less expensive, handmade rather than machine-done, and their quality on the average is far higher/more consistent. Why pay for a name on a headstock? I am quite confident that, in choosing a Heritage, I have chosen a "real Gibson."

My only regret with this instrument is that I do sometimes wonder if I should have ordered it with a Bigsby. I chose to avoid the tuning problems that can accompany that. And, while I am pleased enough to have the Heritage name on my headstock, the Heritage headstock cut is horrendously ugly. The deluxe veneer, binding, and inlays I chose cover it up pretty well, but Heritage would do well to look into redesigning their headstocks.

If my 555 was lost, busted, or stolen, I would lament in sackcloth and ashes for several days, but even before that, I would be on the phone with Jay to put Heritage to work on a replacement. I love the instrument itself, its gorgeous looks and its even more glorious tone(s), but the cherry on top is that this is *my* guitar, with the options and appointments I chose. Of course, the downside was that I had no way of playing the instrument in the shop, etc. and had to trust Heritage and Wolfe Guitars. No worries. I most highly recommend both. I have already had talks with Jay about my next Heritage, which I plan to put them to work on next November (chuckles nefariously).

2006 Custom Heritage H-555, handmade by old Gibson masters in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Several of its features are downgraded to 535 standards in order to imitate a classic ES-335. Heritage is fantastic for letting you custom-choose your features if you go through the right dealer. I purchased this instrument through Jay Wolfe, Wolfe Guitars, Jupiter, Florida. Gorgeously flamed laminated maple body with wine-red translucent finish, nickel Schaller hardware including stop tailpiece and tuners(not standard w/the 555), mahogany neck (ditto), rosewood fingerboard (ditto), block MOP inlays (ditto), H-157-style inlay on the bound peghead (ditto), deluxe binding on the body, unbound f-holes (not standard!), 22 frets, black vintage pickguard (not standard), two Duncan '59 humbucker pickups, treble and bass volume and tone pots, TRL case. A beautiful instrument. Very similar to the 335 Marty McFly played in Back to the Future, but a darker, nearly maroon red.

I play the 555 through a Vox 30-Watt Valvetronix amp (sorry, I'm relatively new to playing) with chorus and reverb effects through the AC-30 setting, although I often put it on the Boutique clean or tweed settings with the amp effects shut off and pipe it through a Keeley-modded Blues Driver, a Keeley 4-knob Compressor, a Jacques Meistersinger Analog Chorus, and a Line 6 Verbzilla. Since it's a semi-acoustic, of course I don't stand with it inches from my amp lest I be vibrated apart by feedback, but it's really not that bad in those terms. This guitar produces a beautifully warm, shimmering jazz tone on clean with the tone pots dialed down, a a dazzlingly gorgeous bright Rickenbacker-ish ring (but fatter) a la Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground's eponymous lp on clean with the neck and bridge blended with the tone dialed up, does a phenomenal imitation of a Les Paul with a warmer, growling ambience (and a lot less mud) with distortion dialed up on the neck pickup, and has a great, stingingly growling lead sound with the bridge distorted. The versatility is absolutely fantastic - IMHO, the 335 style crushes all comers for versatility in terms of doing nearly absolutely everything very, very well - and I love the tone this baby produces on every setting even more (I also believe that the warm, woody semiacoustic sound of the 335 style is the best out of all guitar options for its basic sound and various tones). You can't go wrong with the 335 style, and from my limited playing perspective Heritage is certainly the way to go. I often go to bed at night savoring the sound of this instrument as I drift off.

This H-555 was my second Heritage (I sold an H140CM, since I was getting a little guitar-overloaded at the time), and I was pretty happy all around with these aspects. The wine-red finish is just heartbreakingly beautiful - great color, great lustre, consistently applied. There were a few problems with the action/fit - the dealer evidently raised the action a tad, so I had to have it lowered. Over time, I also detected some buzzing on the middle strings, exacerbated when the action was lowered. My luthier informed me that the fourth fret was jutting up due to some natural swelling since I received the instrument. Heritage put it back on the PLEK machine and redid the setup, so it plays great now. I have to be a little careful fretting the high E, as it does have that notorious Heritage tendency to slip off the board. Overall, however, after the repair, I'm quite pleased with the way this guitar plays as well as how it sounds. I would give it an 8 if the repair hadn't been necessary.

It seems reasonably durable, although I wouldn't want to treat a semi-acoustic 555 with its fairly delicate f-hole curly-cues as if it was a Les Paul. Sure, the strap buttons are solid (no cracks around them), but I'm getting strap locks installed to ensure it never slips off, as I'm sure that would more or less be the end of it. That considered, it seems to be pretty darn solidly made. I've had the guitar for five months, and I'm very careful to baby the finish by either wearing a long-sleeved shirt or putting a cloth over the rim where my right hand rests, and to wipe it down after playing it. With a finish as awesome as this one is, you don't want to lose it! The pickguard tends to pick up smudges to an obnoxious extent and needs beaucoup babying. I haven't experienced any failures in the electronics or anything like that, and have a pretty high level of confidence that the Heritage workmanship will last for years to come.

When the fret problem arose (pun intended), I called up Jay Wolfe in Jupiter, Fla. He listened carefully to the situation, suggested solutions, and finally concluded that this was a job for Heritage. I dealt with Rendall Wall at Heritage. He was very helpful in assuaging my concerns. I especially appreciated his instructions on how to protect the finish of the guitar for winter shipping. I shipped the 555 back to Heritage (it hurt both to have to part with it for a time and to have to trust a shipping service with it). They got to work on it right away. Mr. Wall was originally a little skeptical about the seriousness of the problem, which I didn't care much for as I trust my luthier, but once he saw the guitar, he acknowledged the issues and got them well taken care of. I had it back in great shape in about 10 days. These are guys who stand behind their product and want to make sure the customer is happy - certainly the advantage of a small company. Jay gets a 9.5 (friendly, takes time he doesn't necessarily have with you over the phone, and was very helpful to me as a relatively new electric player - I do, however, recommend calling over e-mailing), Heritage gets a 9. If I have any further problems in the next seven months, I know these gents will take care of it.

I am relatively new to electric guitar playing (a little over a year), but I've been a connoisseur of electric guitar sound since the age of 4 (I'm 35). I own a Ric 330/6 and a 360/12 (the latter will be replaced by a 660/12, since I can't play the #$%@ 360/12 with its Kafkaesquely narrow neck) as well as the 555. I decided I had to have a 335-style guitar for the reasons stated above in the sound discussion. I did quite a bit of research, especially here, on Heritage vs. Gibson and other manufacturers before purchasing. Hundreds of players have been bit in the hind end by Gibson's quality control (or more precisely abject absence thereof) given the price. Heritage does produce the rare lemon, but they're less expensive, handmade rather than machine-done, and their quality on the average is far higher/more consistent. Why pay for a name on a headstock? I am quite confident that, in choosing a Heritage, I have chosen a "real Gibson."

My only regret with this instrument is that I do sometimes wonder if I should have ordered it with a Bigsby. I chose to avoid the tuning problems that can accompany that. And, while I am pleased enough to have the Heritage name on my headstock, the Heritage headstock cut is horrendously ugly. The deluxe veneer, binding, and inlays I chose cover it up pretty well, but Heritage would do well to look into redesigning their headstocks.

If my 555 was lost, busted, or stolen, I would lament in sackcloth and ashes for several days, but even before that, I would be on the phone with Jay to put Heritage to work on a replacement. I love the instrument itself, its gorgeous looks and its even more glorious tone(s), but the cherry on top is that this is *my* guitar, with the options and appointments I chose. Of course, the downside was that I had no way of playing the instrument in the shop, etc. and had to trust Heritage and Wolfe Guitars. No worries. I most highly recommend both. I have already had talks with Jay about my next Heritage, which I plan to put them to work on next November (chuckles nefariously).

My H-555 is from 1995. I ordered it from Southpaw Guitars in Houston from Jimmy - good guy. He got me a sweet deal and steered me clear of Gibbo to Heritage instead. I'm really glad I went with Heritage. Mine has a solid top, back, and sides (wood upgrade package) instead of laminated maple. Antique natural finish, Grover tuners (which I love), Schaller bridge and tailpiece (which I hated) and Schaller pickups (no HRW available in '95).

I play classic rock rhythm guitar. This guitar, with all this maple and an ebony board, has a hard, sharp, bright, cutting tone. Very open and big, but bright. I play it straight through, no effects, to a '65 Deluxe and a '68 Super Reverb. I never liked the sound of humbuckers through Blackface Fenders. I replaced these Schaller pickups with Gibson Classic '57s, and they were just horrible. Literally sounded like putting a blanket over the amps. After surfing the Gretsch website and seeing that almost all of their guitars are made with maple bodies, maple necks, and ebony fretboards, I took the plunge and dropped 250 bucks on TV Jones TV 'Tron Plus (bridge)and TV 'Tron (neck), which are Gretsch Filtertrons (mini humbuckers)sized for a humbucker route and a Torres Bluesbucker wiring harness (1 meg pots, push/pull tone slope change). Now the sound is much more open and jangly. These pickups do indeed sound somewhere between single coils and humbuckers, with more of a leaning towards single coils.

This guitar has the most outrageous flamed maple I have ever seen. The back of the damn neck has more and better flame than most any guitar top I've ever seen. I was very unhappy with the cheap Schaller bridge and tailpiece. A guitar this nice needs decent hardware, just a simple tune-o-matic brige and stop tailpiece, so I put a set from Tone Pros (locking) on. I hated the way the Schaller tailpiece had this pivoting mechanism that secured the ball end of the string and the way the bridge saddles were adjustable on a threaded piece the way they were, it made for a very loose, not solid feel. Way too much energy transfer lost between the strings and the top. Also, the inlay work on the fretboard was horrid. Tons of filler around each inlay. The nut does indeed look like it was installed by a blind guy, as an earlier reviewer noted. I've had real intonation problems with this guitar. Also, the frets have worn the fastest of any guitar I've owned, including my '82 Ibanez Artist. The materials and workmanship of the body and neck (inlays notwithstanding) are awsome, but almost everything else except the tuners needed upgrading.

Damn solid, no worries here. I've banged her around accidentally in the 10 years I've had her, but there is nary a scratch on her. I notice that the finish can take some banging and not chip, which makes me suspicious if it is really a lacquer finish as I keep reading here. I think that, judging by the durability and non-coloration after all these years, this is a polyurethane finish. My Ibanez has a true lacquer finish that has yellowed considerably over the years and is extremely brittle.

Don't know, never needed them. I was really pissed this arrived from the factory not set up. The damn strings weren't even tightened, let alone tuned. I am glad they make their guitars available to lefties for a small upcharge (I payed 100 bucks extra).

I was really looking for an H-535/ES-335 when I shopped for this guitars, but got swept up in an "upgrade" fever and ended up with a completely differemt guitar. I held off posting a review on this for years because I thought I was the only one who thought this neck EXTREMELY narrow. Nobody else has ever mentioned this before WIHE. If you are into fatback or boatback neck contours, you will hate this guitar. This is a true finesse instrument, no bashing here. After playing it for this long I am used to the neck, but I wish it was more substantial. I do love the tone of this guitar now that I've dropped a small fortune on hardware/electronics upgrades, but I lost a lot of the savings I originally gained by going this route. I think the newer Heritages with the HRW pickups/PLEK machine, and it looks like they arrive with setups may be even better than my guitar. Looks like they are paying better attention to quality.

This is a 2004 modell,custom made for me.From where to start first of all this is a helluva nice guitar very very beatifull...!!! maple top, back and sides.Is made by 1 piece the cover and the back instead of the 2 pieces that Gibson is using (including the custom shop).The quality of the maple top is TOP10 as well as the back and the sides.The binding is perfect and is everywhere,the electronics are gold colour as well as the stop tail and the bridge.All the guitar is made by maple except the neck which is mahogany (custom feature)the standard is maple and the fretboard which is made by Ebony.

The stop tail and the bridge are both aluminium made (custom feature) as well the bridge is a tune-o-matic(custom feature) instead of the standard bridge from Heritage.Scale length is 24,75/22 frets.The Pickguard is made by flamemaple (try this with Gibson).

The tuners are the classic ones from Sperzel,P/Ups are the HRW from Heritage(no jelousy at all for the T.Holmes..!!)

Their inlays at the neck are very beatifull and unique made by REAL mother pearl and abalone.Inlays at the Headstock YES... the Brand and another very beatifull inlay (check their website) both made by abalone.
The combination price/quality is unbeatable try this combination with custom shop of Gibson and start thinking of selling your Porche or even your House.... (hah-hahaha)

Is unbeatable for what is designed for....Is better than any 335 Gibson i have tried and is by far a better looking guitar....!!!This baby (i'm sure you all know this is designed for Jazz/Blues/POP music even for light Rock but not for a lot of Gain as it wiil give a lot of feedback...!!!Is just perfect for what is made for.....!!!!

I'm using it mainly with a Framus Ruby Riot(a class,point to point amp)

PERFECT>>>>>>>This is the 3rd Heritage i own and i have allways been very satisfied with this brand.They've had a problem for years but know they do have a plek machine.

This is A GUITAR for ever....!!!Based at my expierence with other Heritage's it will die a lot after me...

Years ago it wasnt a dealer in Athens Greece where i'm located and i asked them few Q regarding a 2nd hand one which i bought from the ebay and the next day i've had a reply.That's positive isnt'it.The Greek dealer is Fine allways there to assist (no need so far!!!)

I have been playing in and out for more than 25 years i've had and still own some of the best guitars ever made.This one is one of them a keaper.....!!!!!!!.Do ineed to say more...!!!Give it a try and you wont regret.

Update to my previous review.

Regarding the high E string spacing so close to the end of the frets.

I ordered a new bridge from Heritage and had it notched on the centers. I also had the neck pickup adjusted so the strings aligned with the pickup poles.

I am happy to say that the guitar is now perfect in every way. It sounds and plays wonderfully. The first string doesn't slide off the fret anymore unless I want it to (and I never do!). It measures out to almost the same string spacing as my 335.

Why they couldn't do this at the factory is beyond me. The original bride is cut in a different spot on four of the six saddles.

I emailed Heritage on a Sunday afternoon and got a reply from Rendall Wall in about thirty minutes. We exchanged two emails that afternoon about the problem and the fix. Problem solved : ))

Try to get that kind of response from Fender or Gibson or even your local music store (unless you're related to the owner). Amazing customer support.

Ordered new from the factory in summer of 2005. Took exactly seven weeks from start to delivery. Won't go into the technical details as they are the same specs as previous reviews. The only options I got were the HRW pickups and a matching wood pickguard. The guitar was ordered in the Amber finish. As features go, the 555 is beautiful. Excellent inlays on fretboard and headstock. Better wood than a 535 - very nice maple grain. Nice ebony fretboard. Gibson ABR-1 bridge (not that roller thing they used to use). All-in-all, a very impressive instrument to look at and to play. (with only one gripe about the neck I'll get to later).

Sound - wow. The HRW pickups are the loudest I've ever owned. These guys pump it out. They blow away every other guitar I own (about eleven at the moment). I actually had to lower the neck pickup. It was too strong for the jazz standards I like to play. Sustains like a siren too.
The guitar sounds very nice unplugged too.

Fit and finish were excellent. Absolulety no complaints - only the highest compliments to the guys at Heritage. The new fret machine they have does a perfect job.
Action - well it was set up a little high like most new guitars are but I dropped it a bit and it's now perfect for me. Everything was great with one exception. The fingerboard stays very narrow all the way up the neck. I did some comparison measurements with a Gibson 335. The Gibson gets a little wider as you go up the neck. The E-strings are about a 1/16th of an inch farther away from the fretboard edge than the 555. The Heritage changes very little and only has about 1/32nd spacing to the edge. So, it is a very unforgiving player. The E-strings slide right off the frets and make a "thwank" sound on the binding which sounds pretty bad in the middle of a otherwise perfect arpeggio. It's more like an ARGH-peggio. You have to come straight down on the string or it will slide right off. Makes you want to always play on the inner strings. The only other guitar I've ever had that would do that as easily is a Gibson Byrdland which also has a tiny, narrow neck. None of my other guitars will do it unless I deliberately pull the string off the fretboard.
So that's my only gripe. It does kind of tarnish my feelings about an otherwise terrific intsrument. So I'll give it a 8 for the action.

No problems. It's a bit lighter than a Gibson 335 or Les Paul. But it isn't fragile and will last a very long time with a little care. The nitrocellulose finish is no more or less sensitive than a Gibson's finish. Needs the same care. No big temperature changes, etc.

They are almost a custom shop when it comes to talking directly with their customers or their dealers. You can email or call anytime and they will answer promptly and completely.

Been playing for 47 years but only about 20 semi-seriously. If it were lost or stolen - first I would have a cow - but after that, I would probably not replace it. I do like it very much. It's beautiful to look at and has an incredible sound. But, the narrow neck bothers me enough that I wouldn't order another one. I would try a Gibson Pat Martino custom or just stick with my trusty 335.

My H555 is nine years old, made in 1996. Much of it's features are already covered, so I will be brief. The body is a beautiful natural maple which is aging wonderfully, it's no longer 'white' but a lovely light honey colour. It's between flamed and quilted maple. The neck is Tiger maple with an exquisite ebony board with beautifully crafted inlays, not a speck of filler. I don't like the perfectly acceptable TP6 type stop piece, but that is a purely personal point of view and does not mean it is not excellent in its functional design, I just don't like it. The case is a genuine Heritage case, just like a 335 case only the name is different.

The guitar sustains beautifully with w natuaral resonance you can hear and feel when played accousticly. I only have a small 15 watt practice amp just now, but when played through a friends vintage fender valve amo the tones were wonderful, clear and mellow. It plays Jazz beautifully, great for blues and can handle any of the rock genres. However, I don't play rock on this guitar.

I bought this guitar used. It was set up nicely, no fret buzz etc. The gold plating is just begining to show signs of wear, but there's nothing wrong in that. I will probably have the guitar tweaked to my own preferance at some future point, but it is fine as it is. The wood is exquisite, somewhere between flamed and quilted.

This guitar is well capable of live gigging, but I have bought it to learn jazz on and for my home use, I have two other guitars i GIG WITH. As my jazz playing improves I will use it for jazz gigs, it can certainly handle a gig on it's own. All hardware is A1 and solid as a rock.

I have e mailed Heritage a couple of times, these guys are just excellent, they really do have the 'customer first' ethos. I have had no need for any warrenty work, just infprmation.

I have been playing since I was about fifteen, but am nowhere near as good as I should be for my thirty years of guitar owning. I have no regrets about buying this guitar at all, I dread to think about it being stolen and I would replace it instantly, if I could find one in the UK. I love the shape and build of high quality semi's, I find them very comfortable. I was wanting a Gibson 335 but they kept escalating in price out of my budget. I couldn't believe my luck when I got this guitar, particularly for the price and I will buy a Heritage H150 [les paul] in time. I don't want to slate Gibsons, but when you look at what the Heritage gives you, particularly used value, there is no comparrison. I feel thaty these guitars will increase in value when the old guys who used to build the gibson's retire, but that is just a personal thought, I did not buy this guitar as a finacial investment. I bought it as an investment in my own playing and I am so glad I didn't pass up the opportunity to own it. My other guitars are an '88 fender USA strat with Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pick ups and a '96 Les Paul special with 2 P90's. My son owns a Fender Aerodyne Telecaster with p90 And standard bridge pick up configuration which I enjoy playing. I don't own a decent amp just now, I am keeping an open mind on what is available and when the right one presents itself I will buy it.

Model 555 Heritage made in Kalamazoo , MI. 2004 USA, Laminated super curly maple. solid super curly maple neck, with ebony fingerboard. Standard 2 pickup guitar controls. 335 style, only better...Hrw pups, hot! Standard style finger rest, ebony, and bound. Tune o matic taile, and bridge. Medium jumbo frets, flawlessly finished and leveled.

To play rockabilly, and old stuff I like, there is no better. It is not for heavy metal, or grunge. Pups are quiet, sound is rich. No dislikes here.

The Nitro finish is just about flawless. The real mother of pearl and abalone inlays are superb. They look as if they were born with the ebony fingerboard, no gaps or visible filler. Saddle and nut were right on the money. They also have a new laser fret dress and polish machine, and the guitars they turn out now show the difference....

This is a true nitro finish, so it will require some common sense handling. No sudden temperature changes, wipe down with a dry guitar chamois when finished, use only true non-silicone polish....etc..Hardware is lifetime, so is build quality. I don't use the strap buttons anymore, so I can't answer if they are good. Since it is my my main axe, I do use it without a backup.

They are always friendly, supportive, and answer straight questions with straight dope. No neon rainbows, but simple , atraight forward, truthful data...I am not sure of the warranty, but I suspect that if you have a problem due to their stuff, they will take care of it.

I have been playing for 32 years....

2002 custom order from Kalamazoo. 22 frets, laminated maple top semi-hollow thin archtop. The details are in other reviews, and on the Heritage website. D-VIP option so it has 1 master volume, 1 master tone, and a variable phase pot for each pickup. Three way switch for the two HRW pickups, plus two three way micro switchs for the D-VIP (more on that later).
Maple body and three piece maple neck, ebony finger board. The finish is transparent black, and with the choice woods upgrade (flame everywhere, and I mean everywhere) it is visually stunning. The stock setup has the master vulume, that I use constantly, located out near the rim, and the D-VIP control, that will be adjusted occasionally, next to the bridge, and that didn't make sense to me. I had the master vulume and tone pots located closer to the action, with the vari-phase pots out near the rim. I didn't like the stock roller bridge/tailpiece, so I opted for a T.O.M/string thru tailpiece. Knowing what the standard gold hardware would look like in one year, I chose nickel. Grover Imperial tuners, multi-ply binding on the pick guard, MOP headstock logo inlay, choice woods upgrade, and the wiring are the other custom features.

I play jazz, fusion, funk, blues, and good old R&R, and this guitar is perfect for all of it. The HRW pickups have the clarity and bite of vintage P-90's, without the noise, with the warmth of humbuckers. And they're very powerful...I had to reset all the gains on my MKIV for it. The sound is bright from all the maple, but it is rich and warm at the same time. The D-VIP system gives a huge range of sounds, along with a substantial drop in volume when activated. I found this disappointing at first, but after working with it for a while, that is now an advantage. I use the VIP knob like a preset rhythm volume control. I get very clean and bright sounds for chording the funk tunes, and can choose to use the pickup selector switch between solo/rhythm pickups, or using the D-VIP micro switch if I want to use the same pickup for solo and chording. I have the graphic EQ on the MKIV set with just enough boost (slightly more in the lows)and engage it to make up for the volulme drop when using the split coil position on the micro switchs. That setup gives my favorite sound for cleans. The full humbucking position fattens everything up, and the HRW's never get muddy or shrill. For most of what I do, (can't beat a carved archtop for quiet jazz), this is the best sounding guitar I've ever played.

When I brought it home for the first time and opened the case, my wife gasped, it's that beautiful. The build is flawless, the binding perfect, and that finish! The only spot without shimmering flame is the black headstock face. I first thought that the black tint was too light, but under stage lighting it's perfect. The Schaller hardware is solid, and their version of the Tune-O-Matic beats Gibsons hands down.
The factory setup was terrible. I think the slots in the nut were cut by a blind person...different spacing between each pair of adjacent strings, and wildly varying string height. And the truss rod cover is off center. I can't understand how they can build such an outstanding instrument, and screw up the easy part. That's why I'm giving them an 8.

This guitar is built like a rock. It's a semi, so a little more care is in order. The Schaller/Grover hardware is excellent, no concerns there. The nitro finish will get all the care it needs. The strap buttons are fine, but I immediately replaced the one at the neck heel with a straplock. I always bring a backup, but I don't think it will ever come out of the case. This is a real workhorse of a guitar.

Before I ordered it, I called Heritage to ask about the custom features. My call was answered by none other than Rendal Wall, who was great to deal with. He spent about 45 minutes with me going over my ideas, liked some of them, and talked me out of a couple. Subsequent calls were answered by either him or one of the owners. Imagine that happening at Gibson!!

I've been playing almost 40 years. My other guitars are a 1966 Strat, a 1966 Epiphone Casino, and a 1965 Gibson Byrdland. The H-555 really rounds out my collection. If it were stolen or lost I would replace it without hesitation. Other than that stupid nut/trussrod cover, this guitar is a real work of art. I looked at 335's but couldn't find a good used one for a good price. I had the use of a Lucille for a few weeks, so I knew I didn't wont one of those (great guitar, but I didn't want to deal with the weight). The H-555 is better sounding and playing, and weighs only slightly more than my alder bodied Strat.
As has been stated in previous reviews, it's the small details that get in the way of this being one of the all time great guitars. Having said that, I still give the H-555 my highest recomendation if you're considering this type of guitar. I don't think there's a better value out there.

2003 Custom order through Jay Wolfe of Wolfe Guitars, Jupiter, Florida. For those of you contemplating a Heritage guitar, I strongly recommend contacting Jay Wolfe for the best deal around HANDS DOWN, and a guaranteed commitment to customer service. (See commentary below).

Standard Features include: 3-piece Maple neck; Ebony fretboard; Old Style Sunburst finish; AAA Flamed maple top, back, sides (& back of NECK!); Gold Hardware throughout. One Master Volume and One Master Tone Control; Standard 3-way pickup switch; Heritage hardshell case.

Custom ordered features include: Old Style Sunburse Finish, Abalone block fretboard inlays (vs. standard diamonds); Abalone "Heritage" logo inlayed on headstock (vs. standard silk screen); Heritage "HRW" humbucker pickups (vs. standard Schaller); "Gibson" Style Tunomatic Bridge w/Stopbar tailpiece (vs. standard Schaller rollerbridge & tailpiece); Double-Varitone (D-ViP) coil-tap mini-switches (one for each humbucker); One Master Tone Control for each D-ViP mini-switch.

All Heritage guitars are 90% handcrafted by the old Gibson guitar luthiers who decided to remain behind in Kalamazoo, MI., after Gibson moved their production facilities to Nashville, TN. In my case, this is a top-notch quality instrument that completely blows away any Gibson 335 produced!

I currently play jazz-influenced blues and rock (i.e., Steely Dan, Toto, Robbin Ford, etc.) These Heritage HRW pickups are great for all these musical variations and have amazing tonal range, clarity and punch. And the D-ViP electronics are exceptionally well suited for my custom set-up, allowing me to split the humbuckers individually into single-coil twang (up position), out-of-phase "half-tone" (down position), standard full humbucker (mid position), or any combination/mix thereof. Its like having four different guitars in one!

I play her through a Gibson GA-15RV, (15W Class "A" Tube Amp), of which this guitar can really make SING! My effect chain is: > Boss TU-2 Tuner > T-Rex Mudhoney > Carl Martin Boost Kick > Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus > Boss DD-20 TwinPedal Delay > Gibson Amp. She's absolutely noise free and really cranks up nicely without muddying up chord structures, even with the T-Rex on full distortion. Overall amazing variety of tones. I can't say enough good things about these HRW pickups!

My only gripe comes with the volume control when the D-Vip Electronics are used. It seemed that the volume dropped way too quickly on roll-off of the Master Volume knob. I contacted Heritage directly via e-mail and they assisted me on fixing the problem. (See Customer Support below). Although this problem has been corrected, I still give them an 8 rating because of the minor hassle this created in the beginning. But even then, an 8 testifies to this guitar's high level of quality craftsmanship.

Once the guitar was completed, I had it shipped to Jay Wolfe first for initial inspection and set-up. He kept me fully apprised via e-mail from the moment the guitar was ordered until it was finally shipped out of his shop to me. (NOTE: I work/live in Japan and Jay Wolfe's shop is in Jupiter, Florida). Jay wound her up with John Pearce strings (.011's), and made the appropriate neck/bridge/pickup adjustments. Then he packed her up like precious porcelin and shipped her to me via UPS. The overall care and attention to detail that was taken by Jay Wolfe throughout my order was absolutely amazing. Almost as if this was HIS guitar. He's truly an amazing professional in all respects.

The Old Style Sunburst finish on AAA flamed maple is an absolute vision of beauty. It's not too dark around the edges, so the tips of the flame go all the way to the edge. No flaws found anywhere, and believe me, I've looked everywhere! Especially since this was a custom-order on my part. The front is so well done that it looks like one solid sheet of flamed maple, and the back actually IS one solid sheet of flamed maple! (i.e., no electronic covers needed, as the electronics can be accessed via the "f" holes up front). The finish is so deep and rich that the flame almost has a 3D effect under stage lights. Gorgeous!

The action on her is "like but'tah", thanks to Jay Wolfe's careful set-up. She almost plays herself, its so well done.

I've had her now for about a month, and have actually gigged with her 3 times to date. No problems other than other Players wanting to pick her up and give her a test run. Most are players with whom I hold mutual respect, so they're okay. It's those intoxicated, "I'm a better player when I'm drunk" kind of guys that tend to weigh on my patience. But then again, if you're seen with a beauty like this one, I guess it comes with the territory.

The hardware is gold plated and looks like it's going to last a lifetime. But then again, I take extra special care to wipe her down completely after each gig, and then reinspect her when I get home just in case I missed a spot. Afterall, if you're going to invest in a custom-ordered guitar, you'd better take the extra time needed to care for her!

Although I do have a backup guitar, I haven't had a need to open up the case for that one. This Heritage is so well built, I doubt I'm ever gonna have to! Although I do plan to sell my current backup so I can custom-order another Heritage model!

As noted on my "Sound" rating above, I had a problem with a sudden volume drop using the Master Volume knob when the D-ViP switches were used. I contacted Jay Wolfe for initial assistance and he referred my issue directly to Heritage for response. Next thing I know, I received an e-mail from Mr. Rendall Wall, who is the creator of the Heritage HRW pickups and D-ViP system! He apologized for the dissapointment this minor flaw created for me and stated his intent to find a fix immediately. We both went back and forth in great detail via e-mail on my situation, which he immediately identified as a design flaw in the Volume Pot used in my guitar. For the next two weeks, he sent me e-mail updates on his progress to find a fix, until he finally solved what I described as the problem. He then CUSTOM-BUILT and shipped a replacement 500K ohm LINEAR volume control to replace the one shipped with my guitar! How's that for superior customer service? This guy is on the Executive Board of Directors for Heritage, and he was working with me DIRECTLY to fix a minor problem. WOW! You just can't beat that level of pride in ownership anymore! Not only do I have a custom-built guitar, but now I also have a custom-built volume control specifically designed for my needs! And it was absolutely FREE!! These guys have got a customer for life in me!

I've been playing overall for about 20 years, although the last 10 years have been at a semi-professional/gigging level. I bought this guitar based on my previous ownership of a Heritage Classic Eagle jazz body guitar back in 1997. I was STUPID to let that guitar go and totally regret selling it to this day. But as with many of us musicians, I needed the cash at the time! Ultimately however, I couldn't be happier with my recent purchase. This is my ultimate dream machine and has made me sell off other guitars to pay for another custom-ordered model through Jay Wolfe. I've played Gibson LPs & 335s, Ibanez 335 types, and currently own a Brian Moore i2.13 LP. None of which can hold a candle to my new H-555 custom.

Again, for those of you looking for a great deal on either a custom-ordered Heritage, or any assortment of Heritage guitars currently in stock,... you owe it to yourself to contact Jay Wolfe in Jupiter, Florida. He's got honest-to-goodness Christian prices and a solid reputation for Outstanding customer service. Trust me!!

I have a 2000 model, Almond-Burst. Laminated maple top/back/sides, maple neck, ebony fretboard, bound all over, semi-hollow, analogous to the Gibson 355 model. H/H pickup configuration. I got the stock ones (i think schaller). Wonderful flame on ALL sides including the neck. Absolutely stunning. Schaller roller bridge...sometimes I wish is was a tunomatic, as the heavy-gauge strings sometimes won't fit inside the slots at the ball-end. Incredible binding on the neck and body. Heritage case was included...kind of a loose fit on the case though.

I play jazz, use Thomastik Infield flat-wound benson series 12-gauge strings. Play through a fender blues-jr, and sometimes through a Polytone MiniBrute III. The sound is damn good for traditional jazz with the neck pickup and the tone rolled to around 5. Despite the fact that its not a true hollow archtop it sounds very convincing. One thing I'd change: the neck pickup breaks up a little too early, even with the Polytone...this may be good for rock, but in jazz cleanliness is king. I'm considing switching the pickup to something like a Duncan seth lover or a Duncan Jazz. I see now that Heritage is offering a new pickup called the HRW that looks to be exactly what I'm looking for, except that its a different mounting system so I couldn't put that on my H-555. I've used the guitar periodically in a rock band. With the bridge configured properly (not lowered too much so as to stop the top from vibrating), the right strings, and good thick distortion, it sustains forever and a day...its almost uncanny how long I can make an open G ring out with my Sansamp PSA-1/Mesa-Boogie 50/50 rig...it'll feedback beautifully too if the room will allow it.

Finish is breathtaking. Craftsmanship seems flawless. Couldn't find a flaw on it. The action and playability are just wonderful. This is the guitar that has killed my urge to buy lots more guitars, as I doubt they would look and feel as wonderful as this one does.

She's a little tempermental with the weather, as most semi-hollow bodies can be. I live in chicago where the weather can be 102 with 100% humidity or wind-chills of 80 below, and I've seen her shift around some with dramatic weather/temperature changes. Particularly the intonation has gotten a little squirrelly at the major season changes. Some dead-spots have shown up too. I'm not sure what could be done to improve stability on this type of guitar. Taking it in for a setup twice a year (late spring, late fall) has solved this problem completely. Mine seems to be much happier (and sound better) with 12 or 13 gauge strings. The guy I bought it from shipped it to me with 9's, and the neck pulled way back from lack of tension. I suppose a truss rod adjustment could make 9's work...but the second I put 12's on there it seems to settle right to perfect, with action so low I actually raised it out of annoyance.

Haven't needed them yet. Hopefully I won't.

The closest I've ever seen to perfection, but some room for improvement, i.e. stability, annoying bridge, better pickup.

I have the 2001 model in a beautiful Almond Sunburst finish.
All Heritage guitars are made in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The top is laminated, but I defy anyone to see a seam in either the front or the back; they both appear to be solid sheet of beautifully flamed maple.
Two humbucking pickups, each with separate tone and volume controls and controlled by a 3-way selector.
I don't know why I like semi-hollow bodies, but I just do. This is a beautiful and durable specimen.
Comes with a hard case.
The only other thing I might have gotten on this guitar would be a tremolo bar. I made a decision not to get one, though it was available.

This guitar is convincing whether I'm playing "Sweet Child o' Mine" by Guns 'n' Roses through the boost channel of my Marshall JTM-60 with the 15-inch speaker or "You Do Something to Me" by Chet Atkins, through the clean channel.

First, the bad part. This is the first quality electric guitar that I've owned so, when it wouldn't stay in tune, I figured that it was my fault. After all, every other $200 electric guitar I had owned sounded like cats in heat. So while I was disappointed that a much more expensive guitar didn't sound much better, I convinced myself that this was just how electric guitars were, and regretted that I hadn't gone acoustic. My guitar coach told me, however, that it was not supposed to be like that, and convinced me to call the factory to complain to the customer-service representative. When I did, the representative told me that of all the thousands of customers who have bought this model, I was one of only two who had this complaint. He then went on to tell me that the other customer didn't know how to put the strings on correctly and told me that I probably needed to learn more about putting strings on, too. What a crock! It turns out that even when you buy a guitar for nearly $2,000, the quality control at the factory leaves something to be desired.

The next week, my guitar coach and I tuned it as well as humanly possible, and then he painstakingly showed me how it was not in tune when I played my little Chet Atkins pieces at several places up the neck. He then recommended that I take it to Bill's Music House in Catonsville, Maryland, for a super-tune. Ron, the guitar technician there, took just a few days to do a really super job for $58. Now the guitar sounds like I hoped my first real guitar would. Ron said that, whether you pay $200 or $2,000, more and more factories are delivering guitars that do not meet the manufacturers' own specifications for harmonics.

The finish is lush and should last forever if I store it at the correct humidity. I purposely sought out gold hardware for its superior durability. This guitar holds the strap well and feels solidly anchored to my body. I would play it without a backup, something I could not say for my other guitar.

I'll try to get the company to pay for the super-tune under the 1-year warranty. I'm not encouraged by the customer-service representative's initial reaction to my plea for help and advice, though. They seem to be too busy building guitars to be helpful in servicing them. The warranty says that you have to send the guitar to an authorized service center, but until I got it serviced, I couln't even be sure what the problem was.

Before I recently bought a new electric guitar, I had narrowed my choice to two: the Gibson "Super Lucille" and the Heritage H-555. Both share features that I was seeking: durable gold-plated hardware, semi-hollow bodies with a double-cutaway to allow me to play up to the twenty-second fret, and ebony fingerboards, enabling my fingers to glide over the neck. Both have two pickups, with separate volume and tone controls and a selector that allows me to play solo on one and accompaniment on the other. Finally, both cost about $1,800. What made me choose the H-555, however, was the combination of appearance and craftsmanship. "Super Lucille" comes in only black, while the H-555 comes in many finishes, including my choice, "Almond Sunburst". "Super Lucille" looks rather plain with her solid top, while attractive white binding trims the f-holes on the H-555. "Lucille" has a knob for varying tone. While the H-55 does not have that feature, most amplifiers do. Finally, because "Super Lucille" has a solid top, access to the electronics inside the guitar is through a poorly made panel on the back of the guitar that does not seat correctly. The f-holes on the H-555 not only allow access to the electronics, but also allow the back of the guitar to be a single sheet of brilliantly flamed maple.

Despite all the problems I had in the beginning, this guitar is a great value! I would definitely buy this model again if it were stolen or destroyed. This time though, I would ask if the store where I bought it also services it, and insist that it be set up correctly.

The guitar is beautiful, even hanging next to a D'Angelico. After I tried this at the store, all other guitars were lacking.

2002 Semi-hollow body. Similar to an ES-335, but with more candy. More like a Gibson ES-355. Laminated maple body, Ebony fiingerboard, mother of pearl and abalone inlay, binding everywhere. Mine has the Gibson style tune o matic and stop tailpiece. Schaller pickups. Grover tuners. Neck is three piece maple/mahogany/maple configuration. Made in Kalamazoo.

I'm mainly a Jazz/blues player. Using a Holland Gibb Droll. Very crisp yet full sound. Perfect for Jazz and blues, and not too bad for rock either. I really like the Schaller pickups; clear, no mud, yet rich. Perfect guitar for me. I'm suprised more jazzers don't go the semi route.

It's weird to rate a setup, because one persons bliss is another's hell. Here's how it came from the factory: No relief!, 3 and 5 64ths respectively, and the pickups almost touching the strings when playing on the upper frets. The three piece neck that this guitar has is very strong. When strung with 10's the most relief I can get out of it is .006. A luthier friend of mine told me that it MIGHT loosen up a little over time, but don't count on it. My option is to either live with it, or put on heavier strings.

Everything about the guitar is nearly perfect. I went over it with a magnifying glass and there is a slight rough spot in one section of the binding. As with almost any new guitar, a fret dressing is required, but the frets aren't bad at all.

Hardware, wood, inlay, elctronics... all top notch. This is really a stunningly beautiful guitar.

It's about as heavy duty as you can get for this style guitar. Laminated body: strong. Three piece maple neck: strong. Finish and everything else looks tough. I always gig WITHOUT a backup. Call me dumb, but I've never ran into a problem, and I don't have to worry about getting ripped off quite as much. Many years ago I was at a Howard Roberts concert when his oval hole signature model stopped working. He ended up borrowing a Les Paul from some kid in the crowd who had one in his car. I guess if it's good enough for Howard...

Heritage is truly a great company. Knowledgeable, friendly and glad to chat. These guys love what they do and it shows in both the product and helpfulness.

Heritage only has a one year warranty. Suprising considering the heavy duty construction. Of course if you don't have a problem in the first year, it's doubtful that you would ever need warranty work later.

Purchased at Dave's Guitar in LaCrosse, WI, the holy mecca of guitar stores. Make the effort and head to LaCrosse. Incredible selection, prices and staff. Dave's personal collection of vintage instruments is on display for you to check out. I could vacation in Lacrosse just to go to Dave's. Make sure you have a look at their web site, but remember that it doesn't do justice to the size and selection of guitars of Dave's.

Been "playing" for 35 years. Some of the other instruments I own or have owned: various Les Pauls, SG standard, SG Custom, Epiphone Sheraton, Strats of all varieties, Telecasters, Gibson Country Gentleman, and accoustics by Guild, Gibson and others. This is by far the best sounding, best built and most ornate instrument I've ever owned. A comparable Gibson would probablly be $5 grand or more. Highly recomended.

This was the first Guitar made just for me. I called Heritage about an Alvin Lee signature model they made and spoke directly to Rendal Wall who designed the current VIP electronics and pickups. I'ts great to talk to the man making your guitar. A wood upgrade option brought me a magnificent solid maple top and back with a zebra stripe neck. Solid ebony tuning keys and smoothe as silk machines. The grain of the top and back is clearly one piece. Gold hahdware and a roler type bridge so side to side and intonation is easily adjusted.
The pickups are a Heritage design (Rendall Wall, who together with his father were Gibson makers for years at the plant) twinned with VIP (vairyably in Phase) system can function as single coil, humbucker, and any degree of single coil operation. A single volume and single tone control add to the ease of operation. Each pickup can be in any position desired. The sound from this beauty can be as crisp as a morning cardinal or as rock as Ted Nugents Birdland. The ebony fingerboard and inlays are flawless. Binding arround f holes as well as the entire instrument is perfect! Wood pickguard has binding and the grain of the wood is grand. I own a custom shop es345 and prefer the smoothness of the 555. The neck is about the same as the 345 and thumb E and A string sets are easy and clean. A completion date of 120 days from april 2002 was right on time. I met Ted Nugent in Columbus Ohio during a book signing in August and have pictures of him pickin it as well as his autograph on it. He claimed it played great. (His Birdlands were made in the same house in the 60's when Gibson owned the place)

I am a blues tunes kinda guy with Freddie King at the wheel. Bending steps are smoothe and tunning remains constant. Together with a Zoom 505II unlimited clairity and push are possible. A marshall Bluesbreaker reissue blows the curtains out the window and feedback is very controlable and useable! From glistening clean to Marshall roar Clapton would be proud! This HRW/VIP combination is fantastic!

No adjustments have been made and straight as an arrow neck proove bending strings like butter. Overall finish is beautiful and no flaws can be found. Binding perfect and fit solid top and back great!

I cannot speak high enough of this guitar. Talking to the guys at the plant made this a very personal experience. Allways eager to talk to me and helpfull in my selection. Very solid electrically and I would depend on its reliabillity over and over. The roler type bridge takes a lot of stress off of the strings from the constant bending I so love. They will set up your guitar with any set of strings you send them, so setup is to your preference not theirs.

As I laid out above, the support from German Village Guitar Shop has been great and the factory guys in particular Rendall Wall is outstanding. Haven't needed repairs and don't plan to but I feel it would be the utmost conceern of Heritage.

I have been playen over 30 years and have a Les Paul Florintine, 59 Flametop, 56 strat (time Machine series)NOS, 97 Clapton Strat, 68 quilted LP custom, an 86 LP Custom and a 2000 ebony ES 345. A 12 string yamaha and a Dobro. There are always new tones from the 69 Super lead Marshall ichin ta get out there. The 345 rates towards the top but for crisp and clean fullness I gotta give this honey top marks!

Standard 555 features. I was considering the HRW pickups but went with the standard Shallers. Beautiful Almond Sunburst finish. Gold hardware. Ebony neck. Shaller tuners. Hard shell case. Shaller bridge and tailpiece. Wooden pick guard. See the Heritage website for more details.

I play mainly straight ahead jazz, duo and trio. I traded in a Gibson ES-175 for this guitar. I prefer the thin body and resistance to feedback. I also own an old gibson ES-340. This guitar has a much less "muddy" sound than the Gibsons via the neck pickup. I use .013 Thomastik flatwounds and the sound is warm and clean. I play through a Polytone Minibrute with just reverb. I don't use the bridge pickup much at all.

The action for this guitar is fair. It came with .010s which I changed immediately to .013s. I adjusted the truss rod but found at least 3 high frets which cause buzzing when the action is lowered. Let me say I like very low action. I had to apply some relief to the neck to accomodate this. I may have the frets leveled but I want to break in the guitar first. I do agree with the other reviewer that the low E string tends to slip off the neck. I found one fret marker on the side of the neck sloppily painted. The ebony fretboard is beautiful. If you use a heavy low E string it is difficult to squeeze it into the tailpiece.

The guitar is really a quality instrument. I've played and owned brand new Gibsons costing more that had lousy pots, rattling pickups, awful tuners and all in all cheap hardware. There is not a rattle to be heard. Everything is well made and well put together. All the hardware used seems to be high quality, unlike the ES-175 I had before. The finish is gorgeous, one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

I dealt directly with Jay Wolfe who seems like a stand up guy. No complaints.

This has to be the best quality 335 type guitar I've ever played. I've owned Gibsons all my life but I think they are now way over priced and the workmanship is not great. If the headstock said Gibson this would be selling in the $3000-$4000 range. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this guitar again. While the pickups are good for me, if you are looking for the standard Gibson humbucking sound you might consider changing them. Great for jazz as is. I wish the fret work was a little better so I could give it a 10.

2001 USA made, thin profile, double cutaway, semi hollow body with laminated curly maple top and bottom, solid curly maple rims. Chestnut burst finish on body and pickguard. Glossy nitro-cellulose finish. Multiple bound rims and F-holes. Curly maple short scale neck, bound ebony fingerboard with abalone and pearl bracketed diamond markers. Plastic nut. 17 degree pitched bound headstock with ebony veneer. Logo and bracketed diamond design in abalone on headstock. Gold plated Grover tuners, Schaller roller bridge and stop bar. Two gold plated HRW humbucker pickups. Volume and tone pots for each p'up and 3-way switch. Came with a good hard shell case. The only thing missing was a splitter for the 'buckers but I could have ordered them if I had wanted.

I'm pretty eclectic in my music...classic rock, blues, country, and recently jazz, so I was looking for something versatile. I play through a Blues Jr. and Delux Reverb with no effects. I've got to say this is the most versatile electric guitar I've ever played. I can coax just about anything out of this guitar except 2nd and 4th position strat "quack". Rich, full, warm neck p'up sounds for blues. Turn the tone pot to 2 and you'll get wonderful woody jazz box tone. The bridge is a little too harsh for me but just roll the tone off a tad and you're in Rockabilly City. The best sound, however is in the middle position. There is a complex, warm, liquid tone that I've never really heard in other 'bucker equipped axes (semi or solid bodies). You can spend days dialing the p'up tone and volume pots in this middle position to get an infinite palate of sounds. Turn the volume up and the sustain is flat amazing. The Heritage sounds as good when overdriven too.

Turn off the amp and the tone quite pleasant; punchy and even. I used to drive the wife nuts with the "tinkley" sound of my unplugged strats. She says of the Heritage,"Now that sounds like a guitar!"

I was well aware of Heritage's problem with set ups so I was ready to have the Buffalo Bros. tweak it when it arrived. No such luck. The action was a tad high but nothing to complain about. I might fool with it when I change strings. It came with 10's and it was still in tune right out of the box!

The wood and finish on this instument are better than any other electric guitar I've ever seen. The chestnut burst on Heritage's Web page does not do justice to the real thing; dark brown edges working to a warm reddish brown in the middle. Think Stradivarius. The neck and headstock were also given a burst. The wood is figured perfectly in my opinion; a lot stronger than Gibsons but less than PRS. Just enough to know its there but not looking like cheesy wallpaper. The Heritage uses a wood pickguard that sets them apart from other "ES-335" style instruments. On other models I've seen, they are finished in dark blue, purple or black and look fairly bad. Mine is chestnut burst that is gorgeous...I wouldn't change it for the world.

The binding, however, on this guitar was disapointing. The body binding is bright white (I hope is will age to cream) and quite thick. I agree with the other reviewer; too much of a good thing. The binding around the f-holes and pickguard was not sanded prior to finishing so there is dirt and paint dust at the joints and along the edges. Just kinda sloppy. The nut was poorly cut on two strings (pings when you tune) and you can see file marks that should have been sanded or polished out. Again, sloppy. I fixed the nut slots when I changed the strings. The binding on the neck also has some rough edges and file marks. The nibs at the ends of the frets also seem unfinished (I'll definitely get rid of these when I get a fret job).

The frets are typical Gibson style; wide, tall and squarish. They are not polished to a high sheen but there are no file marks. I will definitely have them crowned and polished to see if that smooths the action. If it doesn't, I may refret the whole board anyway to get rid of the @#$&ing nibs.

The high and low E's tend to slip off the board fairly easily, which is something I've noticed on ES-335's also. The Gibson's problem is with bridge alignment (big deal problem) whereas the Heritage seems to be a tapering of the frets near the binding. The Heritage has a sweet answer with the Schaller bridge as you can adjust the string spacing (no can do with the Tune-O-Matic). The more you play, however, the less this is a problem as you become used to the quirk.

Bottom line: on first glance and to the audience the Heritage H-555 is a 10+; the gold hardware and chestnut burst really go well with each other. To the player though, the little things add up.

This is a tough one for me. The instrument looks so good it seems like it should be really fragile but I think its tougher than it looks. The gold and nitro-cellulose finish require wipe downs after every session. (I'll wipe it down a couple of times while gigging if I'm sweating too much). The gold plating seems very thick. I keep it in the case most of the time (too bad 'cause it looks so good). I baby the Heritage whereas I don't even think about hurting my Strats.
I haven't broken any strings and the thing never seems to go out of tune.

I've not delt with Heritage but the Buffalo Bros'. sing their praises. They told me it would take at least 5 months to build the guitar so I expected 6-8. It only took 5.5. I should probably bring the guitar back to fix the binding flubs but it's not worth the hassle. All of the Heritages have the same fret design, so that's not something to complain about.

Got to plug Buffalo Brothers. They have a fairly good selection of mostly used electric guitars but an unbelievable selection of acoustics. You've got to see it to believe it. Buffalobrosguitars.com

I've been playing for 35 years and currently own a Martin 000-28EC, Yamaha 12-string, American Standard Strat. I've also owned a Les Paul Studio and a Samick L5 knockoff. I was looking for a versatile humbucker sound that could dial a better jazz tone than I got from the Strat. I tried alot of 335-style guitars including Gibson but I wanted an ebony board. That left me with a Scofield, Gibson Custom Shop or Heritage. I didn't like the Scofield (not as versatile as a Gibby or Heritage). The Gibson would have been $4-6K new (I spent a year trying to find a used one) and most of the cheaper Dots I saw had finish and playability problems. I played alot of H-535's and liked them so I ordered up the H-555.

I've got mixed feelings about this guitar. It looks great, sounds even better (the HRW is magnificent)and is very affordable (compared to Gibson). But I will spend a couple of hours sanding and refinishing the binding. And then there are another couple of days crowning and polishing the frets. Its just the little things that keep this from being the best 335-style out there. A $4K (list price) guitar should not have these problems but for $2K its ok? Still, I would buy one again in a flash.

If you read all of the reviews and comments of anything Heritage and pay close attention to Heritages you can find to play, you will see a common thread. A very good instrument that can be made into the best with a small to moderate investment to fine tune it after you buy.

This is an "upscale" version of Heritage's H-535 - basically a Gibson ES-335. The added appointments mainly consist of a lot of extra binding, abalone inlay, and gold hardware. Here are the specs from the Heritage Website:
Finish: Almond SB, ASB or Natural (mine is the Almond SB - I'd like some red in it as in a Cherry sunburst, but it is still a handsome finish).
Neck: 17-degree peghead pitch; 1-piece curly maple neck.
Head Veneer: Bound, inlaid with mother of pearl and abalone.
Fingerboard: 24-3/4" scale, bound ebony board with mother of pearl abalone inlays.
Body: 16-inch semi hollow body; laminated curly maple top and back; bound f-holes; solid curly maple rim; multiple bound top; single white bound back; 1-1/2 inch body thickness.
Hardware: Individual gold plated machine heads; gold platedstop bar tailpiece and adjustable bridge; bound curly maple pickguard.
Electronics: Two gold plated humbucking pickups; two volume and two tone controls and selector switch.
This is a beautiful guitar that after trying many vintage and newer Gibson ES-335's, beats the Gibsons on playability handsdown. Add in the price differential and the picture becomes all that more clear that Heritage simply does not have the market power of Gibson or other manufacturers. There is no way that Heritage's craftsmanship would be overlooked if it were not for the fact that their marketing department and budget is (likely of necessity) extremely small. These guys are some of Gibson's finest craftsmen from the old-days. You owe it to yourself to give their instruments a listen - they are as fine as any instruments on the market today for any price below the $5,000 mark. I give the features mark only a "6" because it is such a standard setup.

I'm an 80's kid that never liked Prince or U2, but was into Led Zeppelin and BB King - and Stevie Ray was my hero. So now a decade later, I play mostly blues and fusion/jazz music at home and with a few jam sessions per month thrown in with other musicians.
This guitar plays really superb: the action is low, chords are accesible in all positions, and the neck is almost "Strat-like" in that it has a fairly oval profile. The ebony fingerboard really is refreshing to play over "sticky" gloss-finish maple or rough rosewood.
The only real surprise that I had to get used to was that the humbuckers are fairly hot - not like a PRS, but they will push a Fender Deluxe, Fender Super Reverb, or other Fender small wattage amps into the distorted zone very quickly. There is little clean headroom. However, I found that if I kept the pickup selector in the middle position and adjusted the volumes, I was able to get a great blues tone for either rythym or lead. The Rock tones (such as Neil Young early years) had to rely mainly on the bridge pickup.
Otherwise, this guitar is a really great bargain for a high quality semi-hollowbody tone. There is nothing like a hollowbody or semi-hollowbody to add some dimension to your playing. Again, the Heritage series guitars are of the highest quality (versus Gibson especially) and offer greater playability and looks for the buck than anything else out there (ok, check out Guild too!).

The finish on this guitar is excellent and really fits in that vintage "understated" category as far as figuring, etc. goes. Personally, I really dislike heavily figured guitars like PRS or Hamer, as I think that they are just way too flashy and take away from the overall aesthetics of the guitar. Heritage really strikes a fine balance between way too much and boring in the finish category. I'm not really a fan of their figured wood pickguards or of the extreme binding on this guitar - the binding is about 3/4" thick top and bottom on the guitar and is a bit sloppy in the sharp curves. Too much with the binding in my opinion.
Action is smooth as can be with a set of 10's or 11's - I mean really good versus the Gibsons as this is why I bought the guitar.

I do not doubt that this guitar will likely last me a lifetime and may be a strong candidate for a future heirloom...excellent work.

I tried to raise Heirtage on e-mail to get a year of manufacture of this guitar - no response. I doubt this is any sign of lack of support as they must get thousands of e-mails per day and probably do not have the resources to respond to them all. Keep spending the money on building great guitars!

I have been playing for around 14 years now and have owned only one guitar for the first 12 years - a 1970 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe. However, over the last two years I have had the opportunity to own about a dozen other guitars ranging from Gibson, Fender, PRS, Parker, EB/Musicman, Guild, etc. and the Heritage guitars are the best playing and looking for the money. They play better than 90% of the Gibsons currently available and only lack more money for marketing before they really catch on. I really urge you to try a Heritage if you are looking for a fine instrument at a value price that is only rivaled by Guild guitars (but I still like the Heritage's better).
I would definitely buy another Heirtage again. I have also indicated that Guild guitars are also a great value - I did not buy one because I do not like the small frets that most Guilds come equipped with. Some may find this great though and I also urge you to try a Guild.