535 or 555 for a Dual Purpose Rock and Jazz Guitar

[Halowords]

I did read the H-535/555 comparison thread. I'm guessing either can do whatever style I'd want to play. That said, is one better suited for playing Rock? I tend to like to play with a nice warm, overdriven sound. I am going to try and learn at least some Jazz and Classical mannerisms and just to expand my range as a guitarist, but I do like to just run my guitars through my Marshall, sometimes my Fulltone OCD, and just push the amp into overdrive.

 

As for the differences, I'm wondering if the features of either model (535 vs. 555, any specific years, etc.), specific wood choices (I'm thinking Mahogany neck w/ Rosewood fretboard, but I'd hear arguments for the Maple Neck & Ebony fretboard), pickups (HRW, Seth's, etc.) to consider or that might have notable pro's or con's, or other features I might not think of that could be important or just available options (e.g. neck shape/size*, splittable pickups, etc.).

 

Any thoughts are welcome. I'm more or less just trying to get some smooth & warm jazz sounds, and some nice crunchy rock sounds, contemporary and classic (ala. The Cure, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, B.B. King, U2, Prog Rock, Post Rock, etc.).

 

-Cheers

 

*Just an example. I prefer medium necks, but am pretty flexible.

[schundog]

I'd say the good news is, it's hard to go wrong with either! I love my 535 through a Fulltone OCD into any amp I have, Deluxe Reverb, Traynor YCV40, Classic 30, Heavily modded Blues Junior. My 535 has the sometimes derided Schaller pickups, but it rocks just fine for me. Would I turn down a great deal on a 555?! No way, although, for me, the ebony board, while looking great, has a different feel to it than the rosewood I'm more accustomed to. I have ebony on my H155, and it looks great, especially with those big honkin' block inlays, but I'm just more used to feeling rosewood and dots under my fingers, I guess. YMMV.

[Horace]

If you like that body size and shape then don't forget to consider the H-530. The P-90 pick-ups give a good Grant Green jazz tone and a T-Bone Walker blues tone ( among many other celestial artists ). It has the advantage of being lighter and therefore more comfortable due to the hollow body construction which is not like the semi-hollow construction 535 / 555 models.

 

Tal

[Halowords]

If you like that body size and shape then don't forget to consider the H-530. The P-90 pick-ups give a good Grant Green jazz tone and a T-Bone Walker blues tone ( among many other celestial artists ). It has the advantage of being lighter and therefore more comfortable due to the hollow body construction which is not like the semi-hollow construction 535 / 555 models.

 

Tal

 

Hey Tal, good call. There are really only two reasons I was not heavily considering an H-530. First, feedback. Just my impression that I could control it better with a semi-hollow and do more without it howling like a banshee. Second, I've never had a P-90 guitar. I mean, I'd really, really like to try one but I was thinking of getting P-Rails or some humbucker-sized P-90. More or less as a just-in-case, so if I didn't totally love them I could switch them out to a standard humbucker (or with the P-Rails switch to a single-coil or humbucker setting). If you wanted a third, it would also give me an excuse for a full-on hollow body Jazzbox down the road.

 

Still, not an entirely poor suggestion by any stretch. I just wanted to sorta explain my line of thought, so if you see any holes in my logic I'm all ears.

 

-Cheers

[Patrick]

Halowords . . . I own both the H555 model and the H535 model guitars. I agree with schundog that either guitar is very versatile. However, there is something to be said for . . . vibe!! If you're going to be more into the rock and contemporary style stuff you referenced, then IMO the H535 is definitely the way to go. I have my '63 RI ES335 and one of my H535s strung up with .010 round wounds. That 535 has SD '59s and the ES335 has classic '57s. I don't know which I love more . . . but I love them both. I have my other H535 and my H555 strung up with .011 flat wounds. That 535 has Schaller Golden 50s and the 555 has Schaller HRWs. While they are obviously different from each other, I couldn't ask for a better jazz sound from either of them. But, even if I had round wounds on my 555, it just would have that . . . . rock/rock n roll or blues vibe, for me.

[ingeneri]

I'm an archtop guy, not a semi guy. But, I think your bigger problem getting a guitar that can do it all will be strings and not the guitar. I can't see a reason why either a 535 or a 555 wouldn't do (though I'd prefer a 530, and especially a 525 myself). We all have heard the story of the guy who sounded just like Wes playing a pink Ibanez shredder. However, in general, youre going to need thicker strings for a good well articulated and strong jazz tone. So there go your bends.

 

Also, lots of jazz guys use round wounds (Joe Pass, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Bruno, etc..). But, the sound you're describing above will likely mean you'll want flats for the jazz sound. Flats are great, I use them pretty much exclusively. But they'll suck tone from any rock or even most blues playing.

 

Finally, you'll probably want to switch to a smaller and stiffer pick for the jazz stuff. I don't know if this may affect your rock playing, but I find the standard pick size to get a bit awkward when executing fast bop runs and the light weight picks just don't produce a thick enough tone. Personally, I use Dunlop Jazz IIIs, but there are other brands with the same concept.

[smurph1]

hi Halo..sounds like you need a BUNCH of Heritages..i have a H-535 with Seths that is awesome..GREAT blues and rock tone..Clean or dirty, it does it all!!I think maybe next time around I might get a Prospect..They sound cool..a "floating" center block and a smaller size would probably be cool..Just my thoughts..Your Mileage May Vary..rock on!!

[Patrick]

hi Halo..sounds like you need a BUNCH of Heritages..i have a H-535 with Seths that is awesome..GREAT blues and rock tone..Clean or dirty, it does it all!!I think maybe next time around I might get a Prospect..They sound cool..a "floating" center block and a smaller size would probably be cool..Just my thoughts..Your Mileage May Vary..rock on!!

 

Just a quick comment on having a bunch of Heritage guitars. It won't help. If you do get a bunch . . . you'll just want a bunch more . . . and so on . . . and so on.

[jrfreed]

Ingereri made great suggestions to get a solid jazz tone from a 535/555.

 

I use a 530 100% for jazz and couldnt be happier with the perfomance. I use 11 "ground-rounds" with a very heavy pick to give a bit of that "thud" at attack. Couple that with the p90's, thinline hollowbody construction and tube amp...gives a very unique jazz tone. I know people are concerned with the feedback of a 530 & 525, but I have no trouble with feedback even playing with a big band. BUT I PLAY 100% CLEAN When I need to play with drive, i go to a solidbody (strat ot tele)

 

For one setup to rule them all? Jazz, blues, R&B, rock?

 

535 + Lollar Imperials + 10 roundwounds (11's if you can bend them) + Fender tube amp

[Halowords]

hi Halo..sounds like you need a BUNCH of Heritages..

 

Shhhhh! Keep that up and my wife will revoke my HOC privileges. I would like a few more guitars, but that can wait. I just want one more for now until my daughter gets old enough to let me sneak down into the basement a/o find some guys to jam with a bit more frequently.

 

Hey yeah, I could stand to have a few more.

 

i have a H-535 with Seths that is awesome..GREAT blues and rock tone..Clean or dirty, it does it all!!I think maybe next time around I might get a Prospect..They sound cool..a "floating" center block and a smaller size would probably be cool..Just my thoughts..Your Mileage May Vary..rock on!!

 

The Prospect . . . You got me interested. I just read about them here:

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8810-h535-vs-prospect-vs-millenium-dc/page__p__102941__hl__prospect__fromsearch__1#entry102941

And here:

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/index.php?/topic/7825-prospect-vs-535/page__p__92297__hl__prospect__fromsearch__1#entry92297

 

My two concerns (if you want to call them that):

 

1) Feedback. I'm not going to be doing high-gain metal with an ES-style guitar, but it's still a consideration. I'm not sure how much putting a strip of sponge between the block and the back alleviates that, or how hard it is to get it in there. I'd be keen to hear what level of noise/gain actually drives the Prospect to howl with feedback.

 

2) Size Effect on Sound. I generally just like the sound of full-sized instruments. Just a general impression, but I like fuller (boomier sounding perhaps?) sounding instruments with that rich kind of airy sound. My initial thought is the 535 would HAVE to have those traits. On the other hand, tulk1's review sort of debunks that, and the smaller size & less weight might help comfort long-term.

 

I would still lean toward the 535, it just seems like it would be a better fit for my intended style/usage and I was able to play a full-sized Agile Jazzbox that I had for a while. I would be open to hearing (and reading) more on the Prospect, particularly if any of my conclusions are at all wrong. It is a compelling instrument.

 

-Cheers

[Halowords]

Ingereri made great suggestions to get a solid jazz tone from a 535/555.

 

I use a 530 100% for jazz and couldnt be happier with the perfomance. I use 11 "ground-rounds" with a very heavy pick to give a bit of that "thud" at attack. Couple that with the p90's, thinline hollowbody construction and tube amp...gives a very unique jazz tone. I know people are concerned with the feedback of a 530 & 525, but I have no trouble with feedback even playing with a big band. BUT I PLAY 100% CLEAN When I need to play with drive, i go to a solidbody (strat ot tele)

 

I like the sound of a semi- or full-hollow body when pushed into drive and made to break up and get dirty sounding. Of course, I also like my H-150 and a nice solid body can sound nice.

 

For one setup to rule them all? Jazz, blues, R&B, rock?

 

535 + Lollar Imperials + 10 roundwounds (11's if you can bend them) + Fender tube amp

 

Yeah, I'd be using roundwounds, and I tend to like thicker strings so I wouldn't mind just building up the finger strength and using 11's or 12's (SRV used .13's I believe on a Fender, I'm no SRV, just sayin' 11's on a Gibson-scale should be pretty slinky).

 

-Cheers

[Halowords]

One more on the Prospect. In addition to how hard you have to push it to make it feedback and to what extent, how different is the acoustic tone of the 535 and the Prospect, both unplugged and getting semi/sorta acoustic-like guitar sounds? I have a cheap acoustic, but I might be in the baby stroller biz again and the ability to have somewhat decent tones unplugged might be kind of helpful. This is not going to be my main consideration, I'll eventually get a full-on hollow archtop Jazz guitar or similar a/o better acoustic, and I also like to play my H-150 acoustic whenever I want to inconspicuously play, so it's not like I need totally jaw-dropping acoustics from it as a pretend acoustic. Still, I thought it would be worth asking since I'm weighing my options.

 

-Cheers

[DC Ron]

Here's what I did to get to where you want to be:

535 with ebony fingerboard

Seth Lover pickups

Half round strings

I'm a big box jazz guy, but for blues-to-rock-jazzy sounds, can't beat this combination. Of course your results may differ.

[jackmusic]

Here's my 2 cents worth: I've had a 535 for several years and it took me a while to get used to it (I used to play a Strat), but now I am in love with it. It is very comfortable to play and I don't find it heavy at all. Strung with GHS 10/46 Boomers it can crunch, it can wail, and it can sing softly. I found that getting the right strings made a huge difference. I run it through a Princeton 65 and it sounds great. My guitar teacher has an ES 335 and both guitars are outstanding, but I think the Heritage is very well-made; sometimes Gibson's quality is not up to snuff.

 

Jackmusic

[iim7v7im7]

My $.02...

 

Given a choice, get a 535. Mahogany + rosewood is the more versatile combination for an instrument used for both rock and jazz. Strings are a personal choice, but can enhance an instrument's feel and tone. I play both types of music, and use very different strings to play each, but I certainly can play jazz using my instruments set up to play rock & blues.

 

Good luck

[TalismanRich]

I think both the 535 and 555 will do the deal. They do great at the type of sound that you mentioned with the warm overdrive sound. I've done whole practices with my semis (535 and Starfire IV) and done everything from Stray Cat Strut to Black Magic Woman to Little Wing. Just don't expect to do a real strat sound (maybe with coil taps.. what say ye, Tulk?)

 

Ingeneri made a good point about the pick. When I first started playing again, I was amazed at the difference a pick made. My cases now have about 4 or 5 different types, from Fender thin mando picks to heavy standard types. A thick pick will mellow out the sounds a LOT, as much as changing strings, and you can do it in 2 seconds!

[tulk1]

I think both the 535 and 555 will do the deal. They do great at the type of sound that you mentioned with the warm overdrive sound. I've done whole practices with my semis (535 and Starfire IV) and done everything from Stray Cat Strut to Black Magic Woman to Little Wing. Just don't expect to do a real strat sound (maybe with coil taps.. what say ye, Tulk?)

The PSPIII White H555 with HRW's/coil tap is the closest thing to a single coil I've heard from a humbucker in a non-fendery guitar. Close is about it.