? Heritage guitars was started in 1985. Located at? 225 Parsons St Kalamazoo Michigan this is hollowed ground. Many of the finest Gibsons ever produced were made in this factory. After Gibson closed shop and moved to Nashville a small group of experienced craftsman bought the equipment and the factory and started Heritage guitars. Their goal at the time was to build guitars the best they could in the spirit of the great Gibson tradition and add some modern touches to make them even better. Yes the folks that built the great “real” Gibsons are these guys! They feel the same and sound just like the golden era guitars.

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? The Heritage model range is not as far ranging as the current or past Gibson line, they just stay focused on making a limited line great, without trying to make many different models and all the problems in trying to be all things to all people. They make custom carved hollow bodies, semi hollow bodies and solid body guitars. They still make the real 335 style guitars and Les Pauls, although they call them different names. They also make the best Jazz boxes many can buy.

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? It seems from day one they have only been concerned with great guitar building and making the classics the right way. Long neck tenons, excellent quality tonewoods and great finishes are the norm, not the exception. I personally feel their basic model line is superior to Gibsons custom shop models and for far less money. EVERY stock guitar has upgraded hardware. Pickups, tuners, bridges, tone pots and wiring are ALL better than the current custom shop Gibson line, they even PLEK EVERY guitar for excellent playability with no buzzy uneven frets and with proper nut cuts. It is amazing the quality and build you can get for less money than the standard Gibson line of products. These are one of the best deals in a pro guitar and the only Mfr. that is in Heritages league is PRS, but their product line is very different. These are a better alternative if you’re fed up with the Gibson sliding quality control.

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?In a way almost all their guitars are custom built. You can order your choice of hardware and pickups, some of these?changes have slight upcharges and some of the items don’t. Custom color options are only a minimal upgrade and FAR less than what Gibson would charge.

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Bottom line is this: ?These are great guitars and to me the “real” Gibsons. The product line is much closer to the original Gibson speced guitars than the current standard Gibson line. ?So if you’re fed up with the current Gibson state do yourself a favor and really look into a Heritage, it’ll save you some money too. First class all the way. These guys get my vote for the BEST mfr. In the upper end guitar market that’s still “under the radar”

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Guitar Guru