Heritage

Heritage Electric Guitars — Built Where It All Began

There is an address in Kalamazoo, Michigan that changed the course of American music: 225 Parsons Street. For nearly seventy years it was home to one of the most celebrated guitar factories in the world. When that factory closed its doors in 1984 and production moved to Nashville, a small group of veteran craftsmen refused to leave.

In the spring of 1985, founders Jim Deurloo, Marv Lamb, and JP Moats purchased the factory space along with its original equipment, bringing a combined 84 years of guitar-building experience with them, and Heritage Guitars was born. Not a tribute act. Not a reissue company. A continuation, carried forward by the same hands, on the same machines, in the same building.

That factory on Parsons Street is still where every Heritage guitar is made today.

The Tradition Continues

Heritage builds electric guitars the way they have always been built in Kalamazoo: by hand, with premium tonewoods, and with an uncompromising attention to playability and tone. Mahogany necks, rosewood fingerboards, nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, and carefully selected tops are standard across the lineup, paired with electronics from Seymour Duncan and Heritage's own custom pickup designs.

The result is a guitar that carries the DNA of the golden era of American lutherie while standing entirely on its own merits. These are not vintage reproductions. They are original instruments built by craftsmen who helped define what a great electric guitar should be.

The Collections

Standard Collection — The entry point into the Heritage family, and an extraordinary instrument in its own right. The Standard Collection brings Heritage's handbuilt craftsmanship to players at a more accessible price point, with the same dedication to tone, resonance, and playability that runs through every guitar that leaves Parsons Street.

Standard II Collection — An evolution of the Standard series that blends Heritage classics with modern enhancements, featuring Heritage's own pickups and the unmistakable feel of a guitar built in Kalamazoo. Four models, each one a testament to forty years of accumulated craft.

Custom Core Collection — The bridge between the Standard lineup and the Custom Shop. Custom Core guitars are built to tighter tolerances, with more carefully selected tonewoods and a higher level of hand finishing throughout. These are instruments for players who want a Custom Shop experience without a fully bespoke commission, and they deliver on that promise in every way that matters.

Heritage Custom Shop — The pinnacle of what Heritage does, and one of the finest custom guitar programs available anywhere in the world. Custom Shop instruments are built to exact specifications by Heritage's most experienced artisans, with your choice of woods, finishes, hardware, and appointments. If you can imagine it, the Custom Shop can build it.

The Models

H-150 — Heritage's flagship solid body and the model most closely associated with the brand's identity. Built with a mahogany body, select maple top, mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard, the H-150 delivers the full-bodied warmth, sustain, and harmonic richness that players have chased for decades. Available in finishes including Dirty Lemon Burst, Tobacco Sunburst, Trans Cherry, Dark Cherry Sunburst, and Gold Top across the Standard, Custom Core, and Custom Shop tiers.

H-535 — Heritage's iconic semi-hollow body, featuring a solid center block and laminated figured maple construction that balances the warmth and resonance of a hollowbody with the feedback resistance a working player needs. Fitted with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers that deliver authentic vintage tones, the H-535 is a versatile workhorse equally at home in jazz, blues, and rock.

H-530 — A fully hollow archtop that represents Heritage's most traditional side. The H-530 pairs a maple body with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard, producing the warm, open, and expressive tone that has defined jazz guitar for generations. Available in finishes including Antique Natural and Dark Cherry Sunburst.

H-575 — The premium hollowbody in the Heritage lineup, with a spruce top, maple back and sides, and ebony fingerboard that elevate it to a higher tier of refinement and sonic complexity. The H-575 is the choice for players who want a truly exceptional archtop instrument built in the American tradition.

Forty Years of Excellence

In 2025, Heritage celebrated its fortieth anniversary, marking four decades of uninterrupted guitar building at 225 Parsons Street. Through ownership changes, industry shifts, and the passage of time, the commitment to handcrafted quality in Kalamazoo has never wavered. Every Heritage guitar that leaves that factory carries that history with it.

Browse our full selection of Heritage electric guitars below, and reach out if you'd like guidance on finding the right model or exploring a Custom Shop commission.