Heritage H-150CM Classic

If you're reading this, then you probably already know about the Heritage H150. Basically, it's similar to a Gibson Les Paul Standard, but with better materials (REAL mother-of-pearl inlays, Grover tuners), less cost (probably $500- $1,000 less, depending on model), and are over 90% hand made (they don't use CNC machines). They're still made in Kalamazoo, MI, by the SAME people that used to make Gibson Les Pauls before Gibson moved to Nashville.

Sounds like a Les Paul... on steroids! The previously owner upgraded some the stock parts. Installed was a graphite nut, Tone Pros locking bridge and tailpiece, and a set of Rio Grande pickups. That combination really improves the sound!

Some of the inlays are crooked. I know these are mostly hand-made, but come on! How hard is it to line up an inlay? Also, where the neck meets the body, on the bass side, there is a slight gouge on the body that runs parallel to the neck. An overzealous buffer, maybe? Other than that, it's basically flawless.

This thing is very well built, and will no doubt last a lifetime.

I bought it used, so the warranty no longer applies. However, new Heritages come with only a one year warranty--I wonder why?

I've been playing off-and-on for about 30 years. I'm primarily a Gibson man (currently own a Les Paul Custom and an SG Supreme). I was looking for another Les Paul, but then did some research and found out about Heritage. I decided to give them a try, and found a used one on Ebay. My H150 is isn't perfect, but if it was lost or stolen, I'd probably get another one.

2004- 22 frets, flame maple top, HRW pickups, top of the line tune o matic and stop tailpiece,grover tuners,custom bone nut, with Heritage case.

I play classic rock and run the guitar through a Line 6 flextone III amp. what a great sound with these HRW pickup. I have a Hamer with SD 59 and JB but these HRW pick ups blow them away. Nice rich full sound and the guitar plays like butta.

The action came nice and low like I like it. No noticable flaws.

Nice and heavy. Everything looks like it should last for ages. I did change out the strap buttons for some schaller strap locks. I would never gig without a back up since the only thing that could break are the strings.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

Been playing for several years but I have gone through my share of guitars. This is one that I will not be selling. This is a keeper. I was looking at Gibsons but this for the money is the best deal out there. This guitar is an example of outstanding craftsmanship and playability. This is one fine guitar. If you every get the chance, look into them, you will not be disappointed.

USA Handmade, 22 fret, 2-Humbuckers (came with SD59s, but I dropped in Seth Lovers immediately; I believe that is a "standard" option), Maple cap, Mahogany body, Mahogany neck, Gold top, Single cutaway, Tune-o-matic, stop tailpiece, Shaller tuners 24-3/4" scale, with a very nice case. I give it 10 on features, because it had exactly what I wanted!

The sound is fantastic. The body is lightweight (about 9-ish lbs.) for this type of guitar, and the most resonant I've ever played. The sound is pure rock and roll into one of my amps (I build my own). No dislikes.

I don't know about the factory setup, but when I unpacked it from Wolfe's shipping box, it just needed to be tuned up and it was ready to gig. No problems with ANYTHING!

This guitar will easily outlive me. I believe the top will age nicely from the shimmering gold to a nice patina. I could easily use it at a gig without a backup, except that for classic rock you also need a strat. No one guitar does it all.

I've called them many times when I was setting up my order, and they were always very friendly and helpful. I believe the warrenty is 25 years, but I doubt I'll ever need it.

I have been playing 20 years. I own a 1987 PRS Custom that I bought brand new in 1987, a Fender American Standard Strat, a Warmoth/Precision Guitars(Arizona) Strat, a Heritage H-170CM, a Dean American Cadillac. This Heritage H150 is the best sounding guitar I have right now. It nails all classic rock tones that were played on Les Pauls, and does it at a very reasonable price.

If it were stolen or lost, I'd get another from Jay.

New 2004 Model. Two Duncan 59's. Standard Les Paul Type Features including two volume and tone controls. The body and neck are mahogany and there is a BEAUTIFUL flamed maple top. This guitar looks exactly like a 59 Custom Shop model-No Joke. That's partly why I bought it.

There is so much to say about the sound of this instrument. The Duncan 59's are a perfect compliment to the natural characteristics of the guitar. I tried EVERY Les Paul model out there and none of them compare to this. The sustain is incredible clean or overdriven. The clean sound is awesome, the distorted tone is amazing. I wish everyone had the chance to hear or play this instrument. This is the one, I don't even want to look at another guitar.

Here is where the attention to detail comes into play. The guitar was perfectly set up to my taste by Jay Wolfe from Wolfe Guitars. The finish is second to none. I can't tell you how many compliments I get on the DETAILS of this instrument. The mother of pearl inlay, the flamed maple top, the matching cream binding and pickups. The list goes on. Like I said, there is no other guitar for me.

As far as reliability goes, the guitar will stay as nice as I keep it, just like anything else. Would you go and thrash around your 1970 Chevelle SS. I didn't think so, I treat this guitar like one of my most prized possessions. Do I play it live? Absolutely. Would I gig without a backup. Definitely.

I can't comment on the Heritage customer support, but I can say that Jay Wolfe is the man. I e-mailed him with what I wanted and he REALLY took care of me. I have never purchased a guitar without playing it first, so I took a gamble. Bottom line is after Jay sent me pictures I had to have this. He has some beautiful custom guitars. Go and check them out!

I have been playing for fifteen years. I have always wanted that special Les Paul, but I was dissapointed in Gibson (I'm sorry, I also own a 1946 ES-150). The Heritage guitars are the hands down winners in every aspect. Don't take my word for it, find some place to try one out and you will see. Take advantage of the fact you can get exactly what you want with these, not the same old production line crap that's on the shelves everywhere else.

The caption " nut slot cut to deep by PLEK machine" is inaccurate. The PLEK BASIC does not have the ability to cut the slots at present.
this is still done by the tech.Is it possible to correct your opening line, Heritage has greatly benefitted from haveing the PLEK BASIC as a R@D tool , as the frettwork is simply no longer an issue with PLEK and other diagnostic capabilities, Heritage guitars now shine.Looks and sound are somewhat subjective , but how they play and feel are somewhat universal. rodney d millar @yahoo.com

Received 12-06-03. Gibson Les Paul style guitar. Mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, 24 3/4 inch scale, 22 frets, two piece maple top, Antique Cherry Sunburst finish, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 3-way pickup selector switch, Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover Model passive humbucker pickups, Schaller STM bridge and Schaller SH fine-tuning tailpiece, Grover tuners, and TKL hardshell case. All the best of the best.

I've been playing African-American gospel music, CCM, C&W, Pop, R&B, and R&R for 24 years. I use DR Strings (.010-.050), Fulltone effects, Planet Wave cables, and a Peavey Classic 50/212 (retubed with JJ Electronic tubes: www.eurotubes.com). I've never owned a better sounding electric guitar.

My guitar tech couldn't find anything wrong with the guitar's wood, construction or finish, or with the hardware. The guitar was delivered with high string action (for travel). When I first tried the pickups they sounded fine, though I'm sure he fine tuned them later. Problem 1: Schaller STM bridge couldn't be cut to lower guitar strings to match neck radius. (This bridge has rollers). Solution: replace with Schaller GTM bridge (GB 0540-010 Nashville Tunematic Chrome, $40.00). Problem 2: Guitar nut cut too deep by Plek machine. (Plek machines dress, crown, polish, and level all of the guitar's frets to within .001 of an inch, and cut the nut slots for correct string spacing. Heritage Guitars is now using their plek machine on all the guitars they are making. Mine was one of the first to be plekked). Solution: cap nut. Problem 3: First 4 frets needed to be dressed. Solution: Dress 'em. Now the guitar is looking more and more beautiful everyday, plays flawlessly, and sounds unbelievable. (Note: I'm rating action, fit, and finish "9" only because the Schaller STM bridge doesn't belong on this instrument: the Schaller GTM bridge is what completes this work of art).

Will this guitar withstand live playing? I can't predict what's going to happen at a gig: I keep my guitar in it's case between sets. Does the hardware seem like it will last? Yes, it's all first class. Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? No, I think it will last. Are the strap buttons solid? Yes, extremely. I'm going to replace them with strap locks, though, for my own peace of mind. Can I depend on it? It's worked perfectly so far... Would I use it on a gig without a backup? No.

The only contact I've had with the Heritage company is through my dealer and via email. They've come across as extremely nice people who will bend over backwards to do anything they can to help a customer.

My guitar is an 11 on a scale of 1-10: I've been incredibly blessed. If it were stolen or lost, would I buy it again or get something else? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. :)

2003 H-150CM Classic. Beautiful AA flame maple top over Almond Sunburst finish. Grover tuners, REAL Mother of Pearl inlays in the neck, very nice Schaller roller bridge and tailpiece, and two Seymour Duncan 59's. In a word, AWESOME!!

This is the second Heritage that I have purchased (the other is a H-150CM ULTRA w/HRW pickups) and I love this guitar just as much or more than the first one. Very resonant body, can feel the strings vibrate through the wood even when unplugged. The Duncans sound awesome clean, very full and jangly sounding. I have no problem with note articulation with these pickups, they are nice and clear. Distorted or overdriven, this guitar has all the guts and sustain that made the originals famous back in the day. Excellent sustain, and nice crunch. I play mostly blues influenced classic rock, and will occasionally play some metal, and this guitar does both well for me. I love the way the guitar sounds, it sounds great through everything. I used to own some Les Pauls, and they sounded like mud compared to both of my Heritage 150s. No comparison, Ive owned both, and the Heritage wins hands down. I play through various Fender Tube amps, and use a Visual Sound Ultimate Overdrive as my main dirt box. The guitar makes a wide enough variety of sounds to suit me. Sounds full and bright clean, and fat and crunchy overdriven. Thats all I really need. I cant stress this enough, both of my Heritage guitars have that special "something" in the tone that I have never had with any other guitar. I credit this to top notch woods, Duncan pickups, and careful construction. If your into TONE, check one out!!

The fit and finish on this guitar for the most part is excellent - MUCH nicer than a Gibson. The flame maple top on this thing is amazing, almost has a quilted look, and just glows when light hits it. Perfectly bookmatched, and great wood selection. The mahogany back has a beautiful "caramel" color to it, and you can see through it, its very rich looking. All joints and seams are nicely done, with no excess glue showing. The only gripe I have is some slight fret buzz, the frets could probably stand to be leveled/polished, but its not a major issue. Overall, very nicely done, and hand finished. Try getting that on a Gibson for less than $2500.

Solid, weighs a ton, well made. I take care of my things, so I dont expect any problems.

Been playing for 8 years now. I also own a Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean that I received from my Grandfather. I have owned guitars made by Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Guild, Ibanez, and Charvel. Other than my Gretsch, I can honestly say that my Heritage guitars are the best guitars that I have ever come across. So much tone and value for the money. You can order any color with a Heritage and you can upgrade/choose your own pickups. You have the freedom to custom tailor your instrument to your needs. I can say this, I will NEVER go back to purchase a Gibson, they are simply inferior. I have one more Heritage H-150CM on order right now, this one will be Antique Cherry Sunburst with zebra coil Duncans (Pearly Gates in the neck, JB in the bridge). Will post a review on that one as soon as it arrives, I cant wait!!

This guitar is basically the les paul style: two humbuckers, two tone and two volume knobs and three way toggle. The guitar has a curly
maple top, a set mahogany neck, but I believe the back is not mahogany, but rather ash. I have shown it to several persons that know woods rather well and they agree. It's brick heavy, but it is
smooth.
The neck is narrow feeling and quite round. It is a neck that just
about any person would find it a player. But it is heavy, so gigging, you might want to bring along an SG.

I have been playing for about twenty-five years, but it's just a hobby. But, I have played many a Les Paul style and this guitar has great sustain and and is the smoothest guitar I have ever played.
I have a duncan 59 in the neck and a Gibson 500T at the bridge.
It came with a 59 in the bridge, but I like the 500T, because working the tone knob creates a wide range of treble to bass.
You can roll back the tone about half-way, run it through my Ultimate Chorus(solid state}and get the Steve Jones roar sound perfect. But roll it back up and get that SG type sting, but smoother and more clear. This is definely a pro studio guitar. I have 13, but only this guitar would make the cut for recording.

I bought the guitar used in a Nashville pawnshop for 500.oo. The best purchase in a guitar I have ever made. However, it does have a
slight bit of fret buzz on the 5th and 6th string. Later on, I am going to have someone fix that.
The top is stunning. Very similar to the top of the Gary Moore signature model Gibson sold a few years ago. Yellow. Not a cherry burst or vintage. You can take a lamp at night, put the guitar on a stand, bring out those stripes and slowly drift into dreamland.
The only flaw is on the top, which is simply a black spot. It's hidden with a Heritage pick cover, but I replace that with a Gibson type pearloid cover and the spot is revealed. So what! It still looks
good, real good!

This guitar is going to be at it's best when I'm long gone. It's tough. I put a Gibson bridge and stop bar, because the Shaller actually hid to much of the top.Is this thing durable? Well, if we fight WWIIIII with guitars, this is the axe I'd sure want to be swinging.
It is very dependable. But, gigging, I think it would be wise to bring along the best guitar you could find,as a backup, because when you switch, you don't want the crowd to get out of hand. They'll know the difference

I really haven't contacted heritage, because at least for now, I have had no problems, except the fret buzz. It is a 96 model. They
gave me that piece of information, so I guess the customer support was good.

I have been playing about twenty-five years(as a minimalist-punk).
Rather than ask than ask a salesman, just play it and offer low dollar, because Heritage is a great sub for a Les Paul. It doesn't have the resale a Gibson has, but you, the saavy buyer knows it was
built buy those old guys that built the 50's true vintage Pauls.
The only thing I hate about it, is the weight. But, I have played
some Les Paul Customs that were heavier. If stolen and I caught the
the thief, I would not contact the police, but rather handle the problem in ways that are too violent to express here. Particuarily if the guitar was out of tune or intonation.
Heritage guitars are good professional instruments as good as anything out there. I have two and play them as much as my Gibsons and Ibanez guitars. But this particuar guitar is studio quality. It just has that quality, likely due to the woods.

The other reviewer highlighted the features pretty well - nothing to add here

best way to decribe the sound of this thing is: rich and full. Alot of body and character with either pickup that i just couldn't get with my Les Paul custom shop classic. Does the clean channel quite well - again, full and rich with some character. in a high gain application this thing comes alive. buttery smooth in the neck and fat and thick in the bridge. sustain lasts forever.

can get jazzy clean sounds out of the neck and real good hard rock sounds as well..can effectvitely dial down the tone and volume control to get a wider range of sounds - particulaly in the clean channel

had to sent this thing back to heritage because a tuner was loose and overall the intonation just wasn't right. not 100% sure they fixed all the tuners to my satisfaction considering they had it for about 2 months. the turnaround was not acceptible at all. my dealer (Wolfe Guitars) was as happy with it as i was. i am not sure if i got lost in the shuffle or not but this is still a sore point for me...due to this long turnaround, i felt that they should have absorbed some of my costs associated with shipping but they did not - still a sore spot for me...they don't score well in this catagory for me

based on the previous catagory i can't give a good rating here either..i hate to imagine if i have to send this back to the factory for any other work...
the reasons i bought this guitar were the customer support i would recive from a smaller guitar company... my experience has told me that this may not be the case
regretably a poor rating here as well

i think i have covered my thoughts about the factory here. I do want to mention that my dealer Jay Wolfe (Wolfe Guitars) is in my opinion a notch above most others that i have dealt with in the past... he is attentive and repsonsive - unfortunately he doesn;t run heritage guitars.. i fell that the turnaround on my repairs would have happened on a much timelier basis (8 weeks is rediculous)....i have been serously considering an archtop or semi-hollow body guitar....i would have to give it some serious soul-searching to pick up another heritage at this point due to my previous experiences... i regret to say that because i do typically enjoy doing business with smaller companies and would like to give Wolfe another chance before making a final decision. just based on my opinion of Jay Wolfe does this rating make it as high as it does

This review is a perfect example how poor customer service has resulted in a low rating for a product that should otherwise reach high marks....
the dealer is the only reason i could give it a rating that is this high.
I would like to think that other individuals should expect better service that i did

This 1995 Les Paul-style guitar was made in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by former long-time Gibson craftsmen. It has a mahogany body and neck with a bookmatched flamed maple top. The Classic version substitutes two Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers for the stock humbuckers. The style of the guitar is very similar to a Gibson Les Paul, with a slightly thinner body width (maybe 1/4" thinner). Traditional stop tailpiece with a Sperzel bridge. The bridge is adjustable both for intonation (forward/back) as well as laterally (for string spacing). Standard Grover nickel tuners. Heritage HSC included.

I play a variety of rock and blues and this guitar is a perfect compliment to my Strat Plus as a humbucker LP-style guitar. I use it with a variety of Fender tube amps, a few floor effects (modified TS-9, Cry Baby, etc.) as well as a tube Echoplex. Classic bridge/neck humbucker sound, rich and full, but with nice clarity across the fretboard. Excellent sustain--beautiful singing lead tone.

When I bought the guitar from a guitar show in early 1996, it was set up for .010 gauge strings. When I restrung it with my preferred D'Addario .011's, the action rose a bit more than I wanted. I decided to send it back to the factory to have the action adjusted, since it was a new guitar. When I called the factory, it turned out that the guy who answered the phone would be doing the work! They nailed it--got the action just like I wanted--under warranty. All it cost was about $10 to ship the guitar to the factory. EXCELLENT customer service.
Other than that, the fit and finish on this guitar was outstanding. Well-finished frets, bindings, etc.; everything was just as it should be.

The one problem I've had with this guitar is the Carvin-style 1/4" low-profile output jack, a long threaded tube with enclosed contacts. When the contacts in these jacks start to get loose, there's no way to get to them to tighten them. I replaced that jack with a standard Les Paul-type jack plate and standard Switchcraft jack--no problems since. (I did have to slightly enlarge the jack hole in the body to accomplish this.) Although I'd always be nervous about taking only one guitar to a gig, if there was room in the car for only one, this would be it.

Excellent, excellent customer service (see above). Took time with me on the phone to get a feel for what I wanted--and they nailed it.

I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 guitars (tend to lose count!) and this one and my Strat Plus are the ones that stay out of their cases continuously. The one feature I'd like to add is a coil split switch for the neck pickup, just to have the option of a single coil in the neck. I may do that mod sometime. In general, this is a seriously fine bang-for-the-buck Les Paul style guitar.