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 Sunday at 02:33 PM 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.