My first Heritage is in the mail...

[tRagerEffects]

So I made a trade on thegearpage this weekend and now I have a new H555 on the way. To be honest, I had never heard of Heritage guitars before I was offered this guitar, but after seeing it, and then doing some research, I just had to have it. Plus I was able to trade up for it (2 for 1 deal). I am excited about playing my first Heritage. Anything special I need to know about the H555? Here are some pics I got from the previous owner.

[FredZepp]

Welcome tRagerEffects to the HOC...

 

That is an awesome 555 with an incredible 3 pc Flamed neck....

And .... What you need to know is....

Once you have the Heritage experience , they can be addictive and you must have more...more...

 

enjoy the new axe and pics and reviews of new ones are always eagerly awaited by HOCers....

[schundog]

Welcome to the HOC, and congrats on the new 555! I'm relatively new, too, and recently purchased a used 535. The only advice I can give you is get some strap locks on that bad boy, ASAP, and then play the crap out of it! It's beautiful.

[BlindDogWillie]

Wow, that is one hot 555 geetar, ruff!

 

Great advice, get some strap locks, that's the first thing I did before playing my 150CM.

[brentrocks]

Thats a good way to start...WELCOME!!!!

[Kuz]

One thing you need to know..... be ready for some serious TONE!!!!!

[big bob]

I think you will be quite pleased!

[tulk1]

Beautiful guitar. Good nab! Thats a real Nitro finish on that guitar. You'll need a non-reactive stand. Otherwise you'll get burn marks after prolonged standage.

[tRagerEffects]

That is good to know...any stands you would recommend?

 

I also know that the guitar comes with the HRW pickups in it. There isn't a lot of information out on them, but from the little I have read on them I am sure I will be pleased.

[schundog]

As far as stands go, definitely avoid the surgical tubing material; it WILL burn through the finish in a matter of days. I learned the hard way on my then brand new Fender American Deluxe neck; went to pick it up after it had sat in one of those stands for a few days, and the stand came with it! Oooey, Gooey, mess. It had to be repeatedly sanded down, and it still has the visual scar to always remind me to not be a bonehead like that ever again. Even on stands of different material, I now always put a rag or old tshirt between the neck and the stand and the body and the stand. Poly finishes like Epis and Fenders don't need this attention, but the nitro ones sure do!

[Patrick]

That's a great guitar with some nice upgrades. As you noted, the pick up selector toggle switch has the little white dot on the tip, indicating HRW pups. The 3 piece neck is also a nice upgrade and I my opinion more stable than a one piece mahogany neck. I recently bought a very similar H555. The only difference I can see between yours and mine is the hardware. Mine has nickel and yours has the gold. If yours plays and sounds anything mine, and I'm sure it will, your gonna love it, as I do mine. (if not just post it here and you'll have at least 5 guys fightin' over it) Regarding stands; I have all of my guitars sittin' pretty on "On Stage . . . Flip It" stands. Just google On Stage Guitar Stands. Very safe and "foam" wrapped. You'll never get that dreaded "nitro burn". Their only about $23. Good luck and enjoy your new guitar. It's a winner!!!

[Hfan]

Congratulations, she's beautiful. Welcome to the club as well.

 

I see yours has Schaller hardware (bridge and tailpiece). I just bought a used Heritage with the same and have been doing some old thread searches here on info. Watch the roller bridge, when tensioning the strings (like after a string change) they can rotate a little and result in altered tring spacing. Some guys don't mind the Schaller hardware, some swap them out for tone pros or similar. There is also various opinions on the roller bridge causing decreased sustain. I'm undecided as of yet. The side to side adjustment is nice I suppose in that it offers the opportunity to fine tune the string spacing, but I'm no expert.

 

Any way great looking guitar, you'll soon be hooked, one Heritage is not enough in my experience anyway.

[Gitfiddler]

Congratulations on your first Heritage. As stated above, the only concern is the addiction that sets in afterwards.

 

Also, HRW's can sound very different, depending on p'up height and screw height. I like mine set low in the ring and raise the individual screws to balance string-to-sting output. Keep adjusting them until you find the sweet spot for your style of playing and you will be grinning each time you plug that baby in, guaranteed.

 

You've purchased an extremely high quality instrument with beautiful upgrades. Enjoy!

[212Mavguy]

My guitar stand has black rubber on the instrument contacts, so I wrapped all rubber surfaces with a covering of Gaffer's tape so there is no way any rubber at any time on that stand is gonna touch my Heritage guitars...

[tRagerEffects]

Thanks for all the advice. I will keep you guys updated once it arrives. It should get here on Wednesday and I will probably take my own pictures and give my first impressions of it.

[Dick Seacup]

Congrats on scoring a sweet looking 555. Those multi-piece necks are something to behold; wish I had one. Welcome to Club!

[ronalr]

Congratulations on a beautiful guitar...and welcome to the HOC.....pictures and a review as soon as you can!!!!

[smurph1]

absolutely Gorgeous!! Welcome to the club..May you have many more!!

[tRagerEffects]

So the H555 arrived this morning as I was headed to take one of my finals. I was almost tempted to just skip the final and stay home and play the H555, but I decided against it. I haven't really had too much time to play it, but my first impressions are good. The neck is a tad bit beefier than I am used to, but it still feels comfortable in my small hands. The quality is great, a few minor finish flaws here and there, but nothing you see without getting 6 inches from it. My wife was blow away by its beauty, it is now her favorite guitar (based on looks of course). I was able to snap a few pictures of it and here are just a few. The full album is at http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii205/c...bontrager/H555/

 

 

 

 

[brentrocks]

YEAH BABY!!!!

[TalismanRich]

 

That one's nothing but pure CLASS.

[tRagerEffects]

Thanks, it is one of the classiest guitars I have owned.

[tRagerEffects]

Here is the same picture, but with a little photoshop done to it...

 

[FredZepp]

Truly a beautiful example of Heritage handmade Quality...

 

Those pics speak volumes... really nice.

 

A stunner that will convince any sane person that sees it... Finest Handmade American Instruments..... period.

[jjkrause84]

Terribly jealous!

 

Looks like you got a real winner there....