In 1985, Heritage Guitars continued on with the storied tradition of guitar building in Kalamazoo, Michigan. All in the historic factory on Parsons Street—the same building where some of the finest American instruments were built and refined. With familiar design elements and an old-school approach, Heritage still finds a way to introduce their own flair and finesse into each guitar.
This Heritage H-575 was made in the historic Kalamazoo factory at 225 Parsons Street in 1991. The H-575 model is essentially a 16" archtop constructed of stunning Flame Maple (top, back and sides). It has a 24-3/4" scale and a florentine cutaway, and it features two humbucker pickups with the traditional '50s wiring harness (3-way switch, two volume, two tone). This 1991 H-575 sports Heritage's gorgeous Antique Sunburst finish, which looks sharp accented by simple cream binding. The pickguard is also constructed of Flame Maple and the finished in matching Antique Sunburst—a refined, yet tasteful reminder that this is a top-quality archtop guitar.
In 2005, the previous owner sent this 1991 H-575 back to Heritage to swap out the original Schaller pickups for Heritage-made HRW pickups. The HRW pickups are hot, and make this guitar feel wide open and touch sensitive. The new pickups are marked March of 2005 and were wound by Rendal Wall. Because of the parallel tone-bar archtop construction, this H-575 feels alive and powerful, and the volume/tone controls give you plenty of flexibility to dial in the right sound. The original Schaller pickups are included, and they're both dated 1990. When they swapped the pickups, Heritage also offered a modern "H" tailpiece, which is included in the sale although the guitar is currently set up with the original plain tailpiece. The original rosewood bridge still does the trick, and the intonation is best with a nickel-wound 3rd string.
This 1991 Heritage H-575 is setup with nice, low action, and fret wear is a nonissue. The nut measures 1-5/8", and the neck profile is a medium carve—fast but still something to hold onto. Plus, there's a stinger on the headstock. Despite some tarnished metal parts, this 1991 finds us in nice condition (see photos). There is play wear in all the obvious places and some finish checking from age. The center seam is visible underneath the tailpiece. The edges of the headstock are a little scuffed, and there are some noticeable bumps on the back of the neck as well as the back of the body.
When the Heritage folks swapped the pickups, they installed the new ones with RCA jacks, so it will be easy to swap pickups again in the future. The HRW pickups sound fantastic, but this is an added plus for anyone prone to experimentation. There is a button for a Dunlop-style strap lock installed on the heel at the cutaway. This 1991 Heritage H-575 ASB includes an Alvarez-branded hardshell case.