535 and 555

[zookroo1]

Hi everybody.  This is a great forum!  I've always been interested in the 355 style semi-hollows.  I've recently found Heritage from searching on various sites and the 535/555 seems like just what I'm after.  I don't have the funds quite yet, but I like to research a lot anyway.  I really like the different bursts on these models.  Is the 555 basically a fancy version of the 535?  Any significant difference besides appearance?  I'm in Florida, but not very close to Wolfe.  One day when I'm closer to being able to actually get one, I'll get over there.  I'd eventually like pick up a nice used one (unless I come into money, then maybe a new one!)  Any recommendations on different years or things to look for in the pre-owned market?  Thanks for the info!

 

 

Brian

[chico]

Hey Brian, welcome to the group.  You'd do well finding a H535.  Used finds them around $1200, give or take a few. 

 

The 555 like you said, is just a fancier 535, it has all the appointments.

 

I hope to add a 535 to my colletion someday.

 

pickups are varied, so that is something to consider when looking at the used market.  check out the bay watch board, lots of 535s come up for sale.  after a while at looking at the ads, you start to see a pattern--most common colors, pickups, etc. 

 

just my .02

[zydecosoultrain]

Hello Brian,

 

You live in a beautiful part of the world, I spent a month driving around Florida many years ago, what a great place!

 

I bought a used 2001 H535 Custom with Seymour Duncan jazz in the neck and a JB in the bridge and it is an absolutely superb guitar, well worth the money I had to spend to have it tidied up, damage to the nut etc. (I think that "Custom" means binding on the headstock and SD pickups) The SD jazz sounds terrific. I had an Ibanez AS80 335 clone with the same SD jazz pickup and, while a nice guitar, it seemed more like a solidbody compared to the Heritage, the Heritage is immensely more toneful and more comfortable to play.

 

I almost bought a H555 on e-bay and the main difference from the H535 seemed to be the fancy block inlays and an ebony fretboard. However, it had the standard Schaller pickups which a lot of people seem to replace with either SD pickups or the Heritage HRW's, judging from some of posts here and on Harmony-Central.

 

I also have now a H575 with the heritage HRW pickups and like those pickups also - I think they are as good as the SD jazz, they certainly suit the H575.

 

Anyway, the H535 is such a versatile guitar, I'd certainly recommend getting one. I bought both guitars second hand and over the internet so I emailed Ren Wall at Heritage to ask questions so I knew what I was getting.  Having my questions about pickups, bridges etc answered by Ren (I sent him a photo before I bought the guitar) and all the information from the enthusiastic and knowledgeable people on the HOC was a great help.

 

Chico's comments are right on the money. Good Luck finding a H535 that you like,

Z

[GuitArtMan]

The 535 has a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard; the 555 has a maple neck with ebony fingerboard.  This makes the 555 a tad brighter in my taste tests.  This becomes more apparent when add overdrive/distortion to the mix.

[Kuz]

The 535 has a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard; the 555 has a maple neck with ebony fingerboard.  This makes the 555 a tad brighter in my taste tests.  This becomes more apparent when add overdrive/distortion to the mix.

 

This is the key differences in a nut shell.

 

I have had both a 555 & 535, and I like the warmth of rosewood over the brightness of ebony. So to complicate things, I wanted the look of the 555 but the sweetness of the 535, so I ordered a Custom 555 with the inlays of a 555 but a Mahogany neck & rosewood fingerboard.

Click to enlarge

[Thundersteel]

Welcome, Brian! We're glad you found us!

 

I'm in Florida, but not very close to Wolfe. 

 

I'm in the same boat. I'm in the panhandle; technically, it's Florida, but it's really lower Alabama!

[Bluzman54]

  I'm in Florida, but not very close to Wolfe. 

 

Which part of Florida? 

 

I am in the West Palm Beach area.

 

Jim C

[zookroo1]

Beautiful guitars Kuz!  That's the kind of finish I could look at all day! 

 

I'm in Sarasota.  On the west coast, south of Tampa.

 

So the pickups options are:

-Schallers

-HRWs

-Seymour Duncans

-Seth Lovers

 

Does that pretty well cover it?  The Heritage website is a bit confusing sometimes, but I think that the new 535s come with the HRWs, correct?  Are the Schallers definitely the least desirable?  What would you go with for a nice Blues tone (probably just a matter of preference, but I thought I'd ask.)

 

Thanks!

 

 

Brian

[Paul P]

I have had both a 555 & 535, and I like the warmth of rosewood over the brightness of ebony. So to complicate things, I wanted the look of the 555 but the sweetness of the 535, so I ordered a Custom 555 with the inlays of a 555 but a Mahogany neck & rosewood fingerboard.

 

I did the opposite, I had a 535 built with an ebony fingerboard.  I did it for the higher

resistance to wear.  My acoustic guitar's rosewood fingerboard shows sings of wear

after only a few years and I wanted my Heritage to last a bit longer.  I doubt I could

hear the difference between the two woods.

[Paul P]

Are the Schallers definitely the least desirable?  What would you go with for a nice Blues tone (probably just

a matter of preference, but I thought I'd ask.)

 

I seem to be in a minority but I have no complaints with the Schallers.  I can get any sound

I want out of them from thick and muddy to piercing crystal by playing with the controls

and the amp (the speaker can make a huge difference as well).  I think they're great for blues.

 

Why not save some money up front and go with the Schallers.  Play the guitar for a while and

if you then feel like you just have to change the pickups you'll at least have a better idea of

what kind of change you want.

[Kuz]

I would get the more premium pickups now and get the credit from the schallers, verse having to sell the schallers or absorb the cost later.

 

For example it may cost $250 for HRWs and shipping to get the HRWs six months from now, verses a $100 credit and only pay a $100 upcharge for the HRWs now.

 

I don't know if that is the exact difference but you get the idea.

 

Also don't forget that Throbak pickups are a Heritage option. They are expensive but the finest PAF pup I have played.

 

Oh, Lollars are Heritage options as well, VERY good pups as well.

[Wolfi]

The 535 has a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard; the 555 has a maple neck with ebony fingerboard.  This makes the 555 a tad brighter in my taste tests.  This becomes more apparent when add overdrive/distortion to the mix.

 

First of all: Hi Brian, welcome to the club !!

 

GuitArtMan is absolutely right. You must knwo the 535 and 555 are different guitars, even though they nearly look the same (beside inlays, hardware etc.). The 535 is a very versatile lady (my one came with SD 59ers). It can give you a really warm jazzy tone if you use the neck pup and turn the tone down. It gives you a bluesy tone as well (clean and with a little bit of crunch), plus that beast can scream as well (and as hell ). You can even use it for country licks with the bridge pup, tone full up.

 

My 555 came with Schaller Golden 50's (not with the cheap Schallers). It really sounds a bit brighter: Funny to say, but in some way it comes soundwise a bit closer to a Les Paul. The bridge pick up is a real killer (never had such a powerful bridge pick up before). It really screams!! Really fantastic.

But to mention the G brand guitars. A 335 sounds different from a 355, too.

 

If I had to make a choice between these two brilliant guitars, I would go for the 535. (Let's hope my 555 didn't hear this  

 

Best regards

 

Wolf

[pro-fusion]

I'm pretty sure the 555 comes standard with the HRW pickups--mine has them and sounds fantastic!

 

I'd second the 555 being a little bit brighter.  Not as much so as a 150/157, obviously, but the 555 makes a great rock guitar.  Mine nails the sound that Alex Lifeson was getting from his ES-355 back in the late '70s.  Very thick and rich on high-gain settings, but with lots of bite and punch.  We all know that B.B. King favors a 355 to get that trebly, stabbing sound of his.  If you're looking for mellow, I suspect the 535 is the better option.

[Wolfi]

I'm pretty sure the 555 comes standard with the HRW pickups--mine has them and sounds fantastic!

 

 

I am a little bit confused about the pickups of my 555. When I took them out of my guitar, it was written "Schaller" at the bottom of the pickups. Til today I thought they are Schaller Golden 50's. Today I was told that Schaller produced the HRW's for Heritage some years ago. My 555 was built in 2001.

The fact that especially the bridge pickup sounds that great (never heard such a great brigde pickup), could mean it's a HRW. Can somebody help me ?

Thanks in advance !

 

Best

 

Wolf

[brentrocks]

I am a little bit confused about the pickups of my 555. When I took them out of my guitar, it was written "Schaller" at the bottom of the pickups. Til today I thought they are Schaller Golden 50's. Today I was told that Schaller produced the HRW's for Heritage some years ago. My 555 was built in 2001.

The fact that especially the bridge pickup sounds that great (never heard such a great brigde pickup), could mean it's a HRW. Can somebody help me ?

Thanks in advance !

 

Best

 

Wolf

 

on the bottom of the pups there would be a sticker saying "Heritage Rendal Wall pickups"  a gold sticker

[Wolfi]

on the bottom of the pups there would be a sticker saying "Heritage Rendal Wall pickups"  a gold sticker

 

Thanks a lot. I will check that again. I hope I can post some pics of my guitars next week.

[brentrocks]

Thanks a lot. I will check that again. I hope I can post some pics of my guitars next week.

 

that would be cool man!!!

[Paul P]

was built in 2001.

The fact that especially the bridge pickup sounds that great (never heard such a great brigde pickup),

could mean it's a HRW. Can somebody help me ?

 

I think you have the standard Schallers and I agree, they sound great 

[Wolfi]

I think you have the standard Schallers and I agree, they sound great 

 

Yes, at least the bridge pickup is fantastic. I'm still not sure about the neck pickup. I will check that after changing the roller bridge and the Schaller tailpiece. 

[Dick Seacup]

Yes, at least the bridge pickup is fantastic. I'm still not sure about the neck pickup. I will check that after changing the roller bridge and the Schaller tailpiece. 

 

Maybe you've already mentioned it, but I've found that neck pickups are sensitive to height adjustments, more so than bridge pickups for some reason. If you're not happy with it, try moving it a little farther away, or a little closer, depending on where it's starting at.

[Wolfi]

Maybe you've already mentioned it, but I've found that neck pickups are sensitive to height adjustments, more so than bridge pickups for some reason. If you're not happy with it, try moving it a little farther away, or a little closer, depending on where it's starting at.

 

Ok, thanks a lot. I will check that out !

[SofaPlayer]

Now that's an interesting thread because I'm thinking of going for one of the two. Unfortunately there's no Heritage dealer far and wide, so I would order online with a good return policy. But that still makes it impossible to compare. So I'd appreciate a few comments on my questions, everything helps.

 

First I wonder why all the real Jazz boxes (Eagles, H550, S16...) have a maple neck with ebony fingerboard. I'd expect every possible feature in those guitars resulting in a sound as warm as possible. So how comes they all have the brighter sounding neck? It's just the H575 that comes with mahogany / rosewood.

 

Second, is it the mahogany neck or the rosewood fingerboard that is more important for the warmth in the sound? As Kuz, I also prefer the H555 inlays but I want the sound to be as warm as possible. And now I might be able to lay my hands on a Custom H555 with mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard (might be a mistake in the advertisement though)... would that sound more like a H535 or a H555?

 

Ghee, it's hard to decide if you can't play them...

[smurph1]

Yes, at least the bridge pickup is fantastic. I'm still not sure about the neck pickup. I will check that after changing the roller bridge and the Schaller tailpiece. 

Can I ask why so many people change out the Schaller hardware? Does a Nashville, or T.O.M intonate better? My 140 is completely stock, and I like it fine, but you guys have me wondering if there is greener grass on the other side of the fence..As in replacing the Schaller hardware with a more Gibbon style tailpiece, bridge and saddles..A little help?

[shook494]

Can I ask why so many people change out the Schaller hardware? Does a Nashville, or T.O.M intonate better? My 140 is completely stock, and I like it fine, but you guys have me wondering if there is greener grass on the other side of the fence..As in replacing the Schaller hardware with a more Gibbon style tailpiece, bridge and saddles..A little help?

 

It's more look for me than anything else. I loke the look of the stop tail better. I can't tell the difference in sound. I also love the Schaller pups. They work great for rock/metal IMHOP. I think if you like the Schaller stuff, you should keep it.

[smurph1]

It's more look for me than anything else. I loke the look of the stop tail better. I can't tell the difference in sound. I also love the Schaller pups. They work great for rock/metal IMHOP. I think if you like the Schaller stuff, you should keep it.

Thanks for that..Everyone who has played or heard it just love it, for the deep blues tone..It doesn't do metal, (but neither do I)..So I guess the ol girl will just stay the way she is..