Heritage H535

[dr.barlo]

I am thinking to get one by next summer. In fact, ES335 type guitars (semihollows) is what I miss. I haven't owned one, and didn't play one long enough to form an opinion. All I know is I liked the few times I checked them in guitar shops; and I LOVE Warren's tone on Hitting the Note (he uses a 60-61??? Gibson dot ES335 on that recording).

I am thinking of getting one through Wolfe's guitar shop. It'd be a custom order, because I want to get it with an aly stop tail (pigtail would be great), and 59 LP neck contour (hence the dot) not with a 60's slim taper neck. Having some flame on the maple wouldn't hurt too. Does anybody know the price?

Ok here is the one-million dollar question: Does anybody know how it would compare to a Gibson ES335 and/or Gibson Historic ES335 59 Reissue. I think the price difference between the latter and heritage H535 is gonna be at least $1000.00. Is the difference in their tone worth a grand? Any other suggestions? Remember I am looking for a player's guitar (not a display item, and am not a collector :duh: ) with great tone, and possibly good looks. But tone comes first!

Sure heritage headstocks suck in terms of the looks, but still if the difference in tone does not justify a difference of a grand, well the hell with the historic. (For example for me the extra $'s (like 500-600) spent on R7 LP's is worth every penny. But I think that's not the case for R9s.)

I hope somebody could help. (Scott_F ??? U around?)

Thanks fellas, take care.

B

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Heritage H535

I've seen some total 'giveaways' on Heritage guitars, only because the name brand holds less value than Gibson. If you buy a new one, you'll be laying out the price of a used Gibson. If you buy a used Heritage, you're laying down the price of a new Epiphone. I guess I'd have to spend some time A'B'ing an average ES-335 dotneck against the Heritage 535, then make a final decision. I'd pay as much as $1300 for a used 335, but only up to $850-900 for the Heritage......at those prices they won't depreciate or appreciate, just stay the same, should I decide to sell it later.

If you want to spend much less, don't overlook the Washburn HB-35. They're Korean made out of pretty nice woods and contruction, but are surprisingly really good and will only set you back $570.....NEW! Pop in some Seths, and you're done. Those even have the Buzz Feiten tuning system built in. I've A/Bed those against Gibson, and they're the best bang for buck guitar I've ever picked up. They blow away the Epi's and Ibanez semihollows.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Heritage H535

I have nothing against heritage but try and get one used if you can. There re-sale value is relatively weak considering they are a highline USA made guitar.

Scott_F owns one and would be a good person to ask. The 2 or 3 I've played were nice but they had very thin necks also I didn't measure but I ampretty sure the bodies are a bit thinner than the Gibson as well.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Heritage H535

Hey go heritage man. I've played a 535 at a guitar store, w/o duncans of course, and it just had the mojo like my old Gibson 330 has. I was a bit skeptical myself and I finally bought a 150 (LP) (for $800) and it is so much better than any production Gibson made in the last 20 years. I've never played an R9 but I have played an R8 and I honestly think mine will hold its ground. The contruction techniques are like the old ones and improved in some ways. The jack is on the rim so you don't have to worry about taking a chunk out of the guitar face. The fretwork is good as is the finish. The stock wood is very nice as well and if you pay the dough for the better tops they deliver. There are more options and colors and they are friendly on the pocket. The headstock is smaller yes and it is different but it kind of grows on you. I looks to me more akin to a PRS headstock than a Gibson.

Luke

 

[hacker]

Re: Heritage H535

I don't think you can buy a finer 335 style guitar than the Heritage H535-they sound awesome. I A/B'd one in a store for a few hours with 2 Gibsons 335s-one a historic model, and the Heritage was noticeably warmer. Killer Maple top also. I also had a nice Heritage H-140 CM, which was a killer player as well. The necks may be a little thin for some people, but the workmanship and tone are unbeatable.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Heritage H535

resale is a real bummer...but thats good for you. I have NEVERT played a Heritage that was a bad guitar...I also dislike the headstocks, but it is all about tone right? The 535's look a little different that a 335, and along with the headstocks, I don't care for the guardplates or bridges on some of their guitars, but they play like a dream and sound like a million bucks!

 

[Curly]

Re: Heritage H535

the headstock doesn't bother me, but I think the horns look just a bit different in proportion

I love semi hollows, and I'd love to have a 335. My first two electrics were semis with Bigsbys - one a Silvertone, the other a Martin.

anyway, both Scott's and Chip's Heritage guitars look great

red guitars aren't really my thing, but here's a nice used Heritage 535 with Antiquities:
red 535
(3rd one down)

 

[Fatty]

Re: Heritage H535

I've never played the 535 model, but I've been gassin' for a Heritage for a while now. I dropped by the factory a few years back (I used to live in Kalamazoo) and was nothing but impressed by the wood shop and the guys working there.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Heritage H535

Doc - I'm not the greatest player by far, but I have dabbled with building parts guitars and have reasonably good ears. I was jonesing big time for an ES-335 last year until I toured Gibson's factory in Memphis. Boy was I unimpressed. They might as well have been making steel furniture or basketballs for all they cared about music.

I played some $4,000 plus version of the ES-335 at the factory and it didn't hold a candle to the tone from my Heritage 535. Basically, the old farts in Kalamazoo who just couldn't stop making guitars are making Heritages now (instead of Gibsons), and they're doing it right IMHO.

I hear what everyone's saying about getting a used Heritage, but you said you wanted a guitar customized for your playing. Call Jay Wolfe and you won't need to look back. BTW binding on the headstock is a BIG improvement visually.

Of course, if you want to cough up the $$$ for a 20-year or older ES-335, I doubt you can go wrong. (They were made by the same old farts, only a bit younger then )

When was the last time Gibson sold a guitar that looked like that and came with Seymour Duncan Antiquities for $1,700 ???

BTW it's a "535 Custom" from Wolfe Guitars with full binding on the body, neck & headstock, TOM bridge instead of Schaller, Sperzel tuners, inlaid logo, wood pickguard, and top grade flame.

Chip

 

[Curly]

Re: Heritage H535

that's a nice guitar, Chip ... one that I don't get tired of seeing

very nice details - the tuners look cool, especially with that binding. I'm going to have to check a couple out.

 

[RiffRaff]

Re: Heritage H535

I picked up my 535 at Buffalo Bros in Carlsbad CA. Fully flamed maple top, classic sunburst, stop tailpiece and gibson style tune o matic bridge, two SD 59's. I hear people say the resale isn't good on a Heritage, I paid $1300 out the door and see them on ebay selling for around a grand. Any used Gibson 335 with a similar offering would sale new for about three grand and would fetch between 1800 and 2k used - doesn't sound like the gibbys are holding their value all that much to me! I didn't like the pickguard so I took it off - looks good without it. As for the headstock, it's not ornate but it serves it's purpose - the flames on the body make up for the rather plain headstock. The neck on mine is the thin profile, normally I prefer a more "C" shaped neck but the neck on this guitar works for me really well. Earlier models had some fret issues but the new guitars are all set up using a Plek machine with really dials in the frets and polishes them out nicely. The guitar sounds great, plays great and looks awesome - and all for significantly less than a used 335 equivelent.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Heritage H535

I love mine. It's a gold top with a Bigsby and the roller bridge (which is mandatory for a Bigsby). After a lot of tweaking, the Bigsby holds tune pretty well now. I don't go nuts on it. But I love it just the same.

The back on mine was less than stellar, but acceptable. I've got Seth Lovers in mine and couldn't be happier. THe quality of this guitar exceeds my 1958 Reissue Les Paul. Not that the LP is got any problems or anything, but the fit and finish, tiny stuff really, is just better on the Heritage. The neck is just so smooth on the 535.

I've toyed with selling it a time or two and getting a fancier one, but this one plays so well, I will probably never sell it.

I got mine from Jay as well. He's a good guy. I've known him for a while. I trust him. His prices are slightly higher than some other dealers, but he special orders a lot of unique Heritage's to his specs. His selection is the best I've seen anywhere. He also gave the guitar an amazing set up for me.

Jay takes such pride in his set up, he actually signs the tag along next to all the workers at Heritage that signed the tag. His set up made the guitar perfect for me. I told him what strings I wanted and he did it. I think I paid around 1250 or 1300 shipped. I'm a sucker for a goldtop with a bigsby.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Heritage H535

Vow thanks guys, very cool information. Mighty cool.

It looks like I am gonna get one after all. With all that info from people whose ears and conclusions I trust I think it is safe to conclude that H535 is the one I gotta get.

Of course the ideal situation is to get a used one which has the stuff I need. I gotta get a 59 taper neck, cause 60's slim taper ones aren't for me. In fact I'd love to get one in between the baseball bat necks and the thinner 59 contour. I also would look for one with a stop tail. Pickups aren't the biggest deal, as I can change them (fishing!! ). And I hear when I order the guitar from Jay pickups come with a considerable discount. Seths or covered PGs are the ones I am thinking of.

I think I am gonna be watching ebay for a while. If I cannot find one after a while (like February next year) am gonna contact Jay to get one to my specs. The decrease in the resale value is bummer sure, yet I seriously am thinking of keeping it.

Thanks again for the great information you guys supplied.

Best,

Barlo

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Heritage H535

Well, I had an issue with the resale value at first. Then I really started to think about it. If you buy any guitar new, they will not hold the price you generally pay for them. The always go down by a certain percentage the minute you can't send them back any longer.

The way I see it, my Heritage depreciated the same amount as my Gibson or my PRS. My 58RI is probably worth about 2500 on today's Ebay market. But my top is less than perfect so maybe it goes for more of the plaintop price. (Dave's sold it to me at the plain top price because the figuring is so weird, but I love the weirdness) So, I'm out a couple of hundred bucks. But maybe mine doesn't go for 2500 because I've got a few nicks in it and a solder glob burn through the nitro on the back and some of the die has bled through the neck binding up near the headstock, etc.,. So, I end up taking a 10-15% loss perhaps.

My Brazillian McCarty is worse. I paid about $3100 for it. I've been seeing them go for sub-2500 consistently used. That's a 20% hickey.

Well, my Heritage ran me something like 1300. If I take 15% off, I come up with about 200 bucks loss. I'm betting with the Bigsby and the Seths I could get 1100 for it. I would have paid 200 bucks for the pleasure of buying a brand spankin' new guitar that is a joy to play. If I buy it for $1100 used, I end up with someone else's pecker tracks, so to speak.

It's funny, but my main four guitars were all purchased new.
58RI Les Paul
PRS BLE McCarty w/ Rosewood neck
Heritage 535
Martin D15

Most of my ebay guitars or other used sources don't end up being keepers. Not because they aren't good or great, just not my style and I probably would have passed if I had a chance to play them first or to send them back. New means you get an approval period. That in itself was worth the 200 bucks. Let's say I bought my 535 for 1100 used and didn't like it. Now I've got a 3% paypal fee plus original shipping fees plus the ebay fees. Now we're up to 100 bucks for the right to play it used. For an extra hundred, I bought myself insurance.

Now in your case, you want some special modifications which Heritage is great at. The neck on my 535 is just a tad smaller than my 58 RI Lester. Very close to the same neck shape on my McCarty PRS. It's infintely playable for its style. Like I said the Bigsby took a while to get settled in and Jay worked with me on that, even going so far as to put me in touch with Brian Setzers guitar tech. How's that for service?

So my point is that Heritage takes a bad rap on resale value for no apparent reason to me. If you choose your Heritage wisely to start with, you're not going to lose too much if you sell it. Besides, if it's not a custom order, you've got that return insurance with Jay. 48 or 72 hours or something. He even offered to extend that for me when I had the Bigsby trouble. He's a very devote Christian and the way he runs his business is consistent with his beliefs. That's refreshing.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Heritage H535

Scott, your speaking so highly of Jay speaks VOLUMES! Where is this guy located? I still am wanting a 535 maybe when my wife gets her new job......

As far as the horns on the 535 not looking the same I've only seen the ones that looked identical. My tech said he thought the 150's had different cutaways until he saw mine so maybe someone is taking bad pictures?? And the neck on mine is somewhere between a 60's taper and a 59. It's thinner than my tech's 58 maybe wider I'd have to play it again. I think the neck is fantastic though

Luke

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Heritage H535

Wolfe Guitars

I was very anxious about buying a guitar sight unseen, but I wouldn't hesitate for a second in buying another guitar from Jay. He's one of Heritage's biggest dealers (if not the biggest), so he seems to get especially good service from them.

Chip

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Heritage H535

Thanks Chip!!

So did he put the hardware on and the pups in himself or did it come from heritage like that. I'm thinking a set of A2P's or A2P and a CC. But I don't want a pickguard at all and I REALLY like that binding job on the headstock could I order one with the crest on the headstock like on the 150 custom model?

Luke

 

[casblah]

Re: Heritage H535

Doc- if you want a new one by next summer, order now. I'm on the tail end of a 4-month wait for my Heritage. I ordered it with some bells & whistles, so I guess that'll add into the delay factor. :2:

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Heritage H535

Jay's website blows. I was working with him for a brief time to redo his site for a nice below cost axe, but we never could work it out.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Heritage H535

Scott_F, thanks. That makes sense, and as I said I am not that concerned about the resale value, because I intend to keep this guitar. Nevertheless, knowing the drop in the resale value (in %'s) ain't that bad is very cool.

Casblah, cool I was aware of the waiting period, and as you say I gotta be ordering it like 4-5 months ahead. By the way, would I pay upfront or when the guitar arrives to Jay's store before shipment?

Guys, I really appreciate the info and your time. :bigok:

B