MartyGrass

I have a H-530 that is just great. Part of it is how it feels. It's very light. Acoustically it's louder with resonance I can literally feel. Mine has humbuckers, which is fine with me. The H-576 is a very nice model. They tend to be stunning and have a nice feel to them.

Thanks so much for the answer, Rich. I purchased their Ascent+ model earlier this year, and the playability of that guitar, especially considering the price, is so good, I now want to upgrade to a Standard as a Christmas present to myself. You sound like me. My wife would say that since I like the Ascent+ so much, I should stick with it and shut up!

I recall the classics had Seth Lovers and a stop tailpiece and ABR bridge. That was Jay Wolf's baby. In another few decades the HRWs may approach the value of the PAF. HRWs do sound different than the SD 59s and Seths. Some really like them. I have a set on a H-555 with a Bigsby. I've had several other sets over the years. The bridge pickup seems bright but can be managed. The neck pickup is very nice in an archtop. I do recommend that anyone who is in the guitar sales world get a scope. They are not expensive. It can make a big difference, especially with archtops and flattops. You can see things that are hard to capture with a mirror plus pics are a cinch. I recently got a Heritage Johnny Smith from a reputable dealer. I scoped it and found a cleat for a minor crack. The dealer didn't know about it. The guitar is so great that I accepted a discount to keep it. In semihollows you can usually find a way to the back of the pickups through the f hole. You'll see the HRW sticker easily if it's there. Sellers/buyers can also see the electronics.

That means it left the factory with HRWs usually. I've put HRWs into guitars and had the switch tips drilled and and sidemarker dot glued in, which is what Heritage did in the factory. Bob is right that the dot is a good indicator.

I wonder how much free publicity and advertising they get from the existence of HOC.

Well, one thing is that they do sound different than the Schallers they once were. It's hard to put that difference into words. The bridge pickup seems brighter. You can get a dental mirror for a few bucks if you don't want to pull the pickup. The truth is that it is faster to loosen the strings and look for the sticker on the back than it is to get a mirror and futz around with it and a flashlight. I recommend getting a fiberoptic scope. It comes in handy for all sorts of things. https://www.amazon.com/Endoscope-Borescope-Semi-Rigid-Smartphones-KEEMIKA/dp/B0F2PQTT1G/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.2da95b6c-f59a-4699-bc43-d0ff036c6388%3Aamzn1.sym.2da95b6c-f59a-4699-bc43-d0ff036c6388&cv_ct_cx=Fiber%2BOptic%2BEndoscope&keywords=Fiber%2BOptic%2BEndoscope&pd_rd_i=B0F2PQTT1G&pd_rd_r=ebd8a8ea-c575-4304-8839-bbacb633b3ed&pd_rd_w=t4eyH&pd_rd_wg=jWuCz&pf_rd_p=2da95b6c-f59a-4699-bc43-d0ff036c6388&pf_rd_r=YFHZAEV3BGXF2SCBWR0E&qid=1749560793&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-4-6024b2a3-78e4-4fed-8fed-e1613be3bcce-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

My recollection about the classics is that these were ordered by Jay Wolfe and had Gibson-like bridges and tailpieces. I also think they had SD pickups. The maple neck was common back then but inconsistently done. I've had a one piece, two piece, and three piece on H-555s made in that era. Custom select could mean anything, but the select probably refers to the woods. They probably charged extra money for each of those two words. Currently those words are custom core.

I do remember this when it came out. I never saw it in person.