2002 H-555 Custom Select?

[HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER]

OK, need an interpretation.  If a 2002 H-555 says  "Classic" on the internal sticker but on the certificate (which matches the Serial #) it says "Custom Select".  What the heck does that mean? It appears to have 3 piece maple neck.  Other than that it appears to be a normal H-555.  Any insights would be appreciated.

[MartyGrass]

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.

 

 

 

[HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER]

Thanks, in fact, the certificate is signed by Wolfe.  Do you know is there anyway to determine if it has HRW pups without looking at the back of the pup?

Edited June 8 by HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER

[MartyGrass]

On 6/8/2025 at 10:20 AM, HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER said:

Thanks, in fact, the certificate is signed by Wolfe.  Do you know is there anyway to determine if it has HRW pups without looking at the back of the pup?

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

 

[big bob]

On 6/8/2025 at 10:20 AM, HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER said:

Thanks, in fact, the certificate is signed by Wolfe.  Do you know is there anyway to determine if it has HRW pups without looking at the back of the pup?

Black dot on the switch tip. 

[MartyGrass]

7 hours ago, big bob said:

Black dot on the switch tip. 

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.  

[pressure]

If the pickup has 2 height adjustment screws in the pickup ring on both sides of the pickup instead of just 1 adjustment screw on each side they are probably HRWs.

[big bob]

555 classic’s usually had three piece necks and shipped with Seth lover pickups. 

[HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER]

Heck Big Bob, I thought you were joking about the dot until Marty Grass chimed in.  Was there a year range that they used HRW's?  Could a 1996 have them?

[skydog52]

1 hour ago, HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER said:

Heck Big Bob, I thought you were joking about the dot until Marty Grass chimed in.  Was there a year range that they used HRW's?  Could a 1996 have them?

I had a 2002 with HRWs, so yes. Pull the pickups they are marked.

[HELPnoEMAILconfirmEVER]

Hey Sky Dog52, it's not mine yet but I'm gonna see if he'll take a look for me.

[MartyGrass]

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.

 

 

[DetroitBlues]

Have any pics?  From what I remember, reworked Schaller pickups converted to HRW's have a sticker on the back of the pickup that says HRW on them.  HRW short for Heritage-Ren Wall. As Mr. Wall did the hand-wind of the pickups.

I also believe those were done on one of the original Gibson pickup winding machines.  However, I think the story goes, Heritage sold those winders to Throbak in Grand Rapids.

I could be wrong, but Heritage stopped winding pickups until the last few years when the Custom Core lineup was created.

[nuke]

I have a 2001 H535, with HRW's. The switch tip has a black dot (and black tips have a white or cream dot). The pickups have the double height adjust screws, as do the regular Schaller humbuckers. (HRW's are made with the same hardware from Schaller).  They are also marked on the back of the pickups as HRW in ink. 

 

 

[MartyGrass]

Here is what I know about the famous HRWs.  I have discussed them and other inventions attributed to Ren with Ren.  Some things he's very open about.  The HRWs he's not.

He had a hand in the tailpiece with fine tuners on it.  I'm not sure if he just liked it or he influenced it.  He did explain that using it is a more precise way to tune.

Another project of his is the balanced string sets.  He took several commercials sets and noticed the pull for the string to be in tune required varying poundage for each spring.  He showed me how he tested this by hanging weights on each string until it achieved pitch.  He worried that the unbalanced strings would cause neck twists.  The string maker in Battle Creek, GHS, created "balanced sets" for Heritage and may have begun this for Gibson since Ren was innovative at Gibson also.

Yet another project is the 4 mount pickup bezel.  This lifted the mount off the wood by small washers under the corner screws.  That purportedly freed the top to vibrate more freely.

The HRW remains shrouded in secrecy.  It does sound different than the parent Schaller pickup.  The best explanation is that a Schaller coil and magnet is emptied from the casing and placed in liquid nitrogen.  It then is put back in its case and soldered.  If true, the HRW is not the first cryo treated pickup.  The toggle switch is drilled with the same bit used for neck side holes, and the same dot is put in place.  The dot is sanded down and buffed.  That I have watched being made.

AFAIK, there is not patenting to cryo treatment.

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/is_it_cool_or_not_cryogenically_frozen_gear_explained-108422

https://www.guitar-list.com/guitar-science/cryogenic-pickups