Heritage 535

This is a nice knock-off of the Gibson 335. It has the same solid block down the middle and almost identical dimensions. The hardware is a little different, but the setup is pretty much the same.

The finish is called "antique natural" and it looks pretty good. Nicely figured maple. The fingerboard is rosewood, simple and functional. Love those wood pickguards.

Like all good semi-hollow electrics, this is a real versatile instrument. Great for playing hard, but also with nice clean sounds. I've finally got the action set up decently--it took a little work.

I used this for some of the solos on the Listening Room CD, and it records well. I've also started using it live and I've really enjoyed the way the humbuckers kick in with some crunch when you hit it hard. Because it's basically a solid instrument, it works well for outdoor gigs at higher volumes, and doesn't seem to mind a little excess humidity (or the heat).