Heritage H-150CM

2005 Heritage 150 goldtop. Seymour Duncan 59s pickups, Sperzel iveroid tuners, MOP inlays and nitro finish that weighs about 9 lbs.

First, please allow me to preface that in my search for a top quality Les Paul style guitar, I had, until recently, never heard of Heritage. As a result, I initially play tested Gibson?s. In fact, I probably played over 30+ Les Paul?s, including Standards, Customs, Classics, etc.

I found most, if not all of the Gibson?s to be very heavy and poorly balanced, and with the fit and finish not congruent with a product priced at $2,000 or above. My bottom line was that I was extremely disappointed with Gibson product(s) and could not cost justify their price points.

As a result of speaking with my guitar teacher, I was referred to Jay Wolfe in Jupiter, Florida (www.wolfeguitars.com).

When I first went to meet Jay, I played several Heritage 150 CMs. There were ALL much lighter than the Gibson?s and perfectly balanced. The reason, I found out, is that Jay has Heritage make his guitars with South American Mahogany, a lighter, harder and more expensive wood. I also found out that Heritage guitars are available with a wide range of pick-ups, including Seymour Duncan 59's, Pearly Gates, etc.

In addition, I appreciate the fact that Heritage performs classic upgrades on their guitars, including installing a vintage tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar and aged iveroid button Sperzel premium tuners to name a few.

TONE MONSTER.

Presently, I play through a Fender Deluxe Reverb ReIssue with a Keeley modded, Boss Blues Driver 2. Sounds like 1959 Les Paul. Beautiful clean and heavenly overdriven tone. That said, this guitar sings and sustains...FOREVER!

I have NEVER played a guitar that sounds as good period. Game over.

I noticed that every Heritage I played had top quality materials, fit and finish, and even real mother of pearl inlays. Each had a beautiful nitro-cellulose lacquer finish that looked like glass. Jay Wolfe and Graham Zebedee personally set up each and every guitar that enters their shop. Personally, I found their set-ups, in a word, PERFECT.

Built like a tank. Will last forever. That said, I would never gig without a backup.

From the perspective of dealer service and support, I so very much appreciate the fact that Jay personally inspects and sets up each guitar before it leaves the shop. To that end, every guitar I played was perfect. Jay will also tweak, adjust and set-up his customer?s guitar, as long as they own it FREE! How's that for service!

On a personal note, every time I have visited Jay, he has always allowed me to play to my heart?s content, answered ALL of my questions patiently and never rushed me. He is truly a rare, invaluable and professional asset for Heritage.

I am a fan of world-class guitars and professional service. Personally, I have NEVER played a finer guitar than a Heritage, nor have I EVER met a more outstanding dealer than Jay Wolfe.

1988 H-150CM, 1/4" Tiger-Flamed Maple top, ONE-PIECE Mahoghany back,Mahoghany neck, Rosewood fretboard, M.O.P. Trapezoid in-lay, Grover tuners, Nitro finish, Schaller PUPS and bridge/tailpeice, Rectangular Hardshell Case. Cherry Sunburst

This is the first year of issue for the CM-150. The body shape,cutaway and pickguard are identical to its neighbor in Nashville. Very heavy woods, yet there is a good resonating sound throughout the body. Typical rich humbucker sound, sustains for days. The Schallers are good PUPS despite what you here about them. I've done some comparisons and they are a tad more wide frequency than others. It all depends on what YOU like and not what some marketer says or who is playing what. My experience is the sound resides mostly in your skills. Good equipment only supports this. This guitar is one of those links in that chain.

You can feel the handmade craftsmanship in this guitar. That alone is inspiration when playing this guitar. Those guys at Kalamazoo have still got what it takes in this area. I have'nt had any problems with this guitar. Neither did the previous owner who has gone on to be with JESUS. The neck is very easy playing, intonation, playability ,etc. are excellent.

So far so good. I have had a couple of Les Pauls in my time and played other peoples. This reminds me of the old good ones that you come across occasionally. Its a nitro finish (not plastic) so it will break in. That's not a bad thing because it actually gives the guitar character and sound improvement throughout it's life.

Don't know, haven't needed them. I did email them once and they responded quickly.

I've been playing 35 years. I've had and got lots of stuff. Too much to list out. This guitar has to rate as one of the best

Features are typical for a LP type guitar- except Heritage do it right with Honduras mahogany, nitro-lacquer & Mother of pearl instead of that goofy plastic Gib. use. Dealer- Wolfe Guitars, special order these with the good pickups (Duncan 59's) & vintage type bridge & stop bar. Has Grover tuners that are real smooth & standard LP controls. Nothing new , just better parts.

I love this guitar. It's my 3'rd Heritage & its inspirational. I play a wide variety of stuff in a wedding/ party group & Jazz trio/vocal gig. I play it through a Holland L'l Jimi 1 x 12 & sometimes my Rivera 45 watt combo. I carry use seldom - Chorus/ OD/ Tremolo pedals. The combination of this guitar with the Duncans just does it all with a full, lush & very traditional vintage Les Paul sound.

The guitar came well setup from Wolfe's. I have tweaked it a little bit over the past 10 months, but surprisingly little was needed. Heritage true the frets with a plek machine now, and the results are really good. Intonates perfectly & my action is med. low with no issues whatsoever.

This things built to outlast me, and I'm sure it will. The strap buttons are a bit cheesy, but I replaced with straplocks anyway. I like the finish & its improved with several polishings. I'm gonna scratch it some. No way around it.

No factory contact for this one. I had a minor thing with my 1'st Heritage about 10 trs. ago, and they were really good to work with. I like those guys. Bit old fashioned, but they seem to care.

Been playing 25+ yrs. & have owned many guitars. Before I bought this 150, I bought a new Gibson LP Standard. What a nightmare! had to ship it back twice before I sold it at a huge loss. It was gone more than here. Learned my lesson, if you want a really fine LP, get a Heritage.
The Heritage has better parts, is lighter, made better, plays way better & sounds like a LP "should". If it were stolen, I'd call Wolfe & get another like it.

USA MADE SOLID MAHOGANY W FLAME MAPLE TOP L.P. STYLE SINGLE CUTAWAY, SEYMORE DUNCAN 59's PHASE REVERSABLE PICK-UPS BINDING ON BODY AND NECK GROVER TUNERS.

I LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS GUITAR! ITS A LITTLE BRIGHTER THAN MOST HUMBUCKER LOADED GUITARS I'VE PLAYED. I DON'T USE THE PHASE TAP VERY OFTEN, BUT ITS NICE TO HAVE IT. THE TAPS ARE SET UP ON THE VOLUME AND TONE CONTROLS SO THERE ARE NO EXTRA SWITCHES, WHICH I LIKE. I PLAY ABOUT 80% BLUES, AND MISC. OTHER MUSIC. I PLAY IT THROUGH A MARSHALL PLEXI HEAD(50 WATT) AND A MARSHALL 1936 2 12 CAB. I ALSO RUN IT THROUGH A CRATE VC3112 CLASS A AMP. IT SOUNDS GREAT ON BOTH. THE REASON I RATE THE SOUND A 10, IS BECAUSE UNLIKE SPINAL TAP, IT DOSN'T GO TO 11.

PURCHASED THE GUITAR USED OVER A YEAR AGO, IT IS A 1997 MODEL. THE SET UP HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE, AND WAS THE WAY I LIKE IT. THE TOP HAS MILD TO MED. FLAME. I CHANGED THE BRIDGE AND TAIL PIECE TI A TUNE-O-MATIC AND STOP BAR. I DIDN'T CARE FOR THE SCHALLER HDW, I ALSO DID THIS ON MY HERITAGE H-555.

THIS GUITAR IS BUILT VERY WELL, I HAVE USED IT TO PLAY OUT AND WILL CONTINUE TO. AS FOR USING IT WITHOUT A BACK-UP, I HAVE TO MANY GUITARS TO NOT TAKE MORE THEN ONE (I MUST JUSTIFY HAVING THEM.).

I HAD TO DEAL WITH HERITAGE ON TWO OTHER GUITARS, (H-170 AND H-555) AND WAS PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS. ALSO, BUFFALO BROS WERE VERY GOOD TO DEAL WITH. I WILL BE BUYING A HERITAGE H-157CM AS SOON AS MY FUNDS ALLOW. AND IT WILL BE FROM THEM.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING (OFF AND ON) FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS. I ALSO OWN A HERITAGE H-555, A USA MADE EPIPHONE CASINO, A G&L LEGACY, A MARTIN 00-16DBR, A HERMANOS CONDE CLASSICAL, I'V HAD A LES PAUL DELUXE, YEARS AGO. I ALSO HAD A HERITAGE H-170. I HAVE A FEW AMPS. I USE THIS GUITAR AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE THEN ANY ONE OF THE OTHERS. I WOULD DEFINITLY REPLACE IT IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN. WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY, IT'S A GREAT GUITAR.

I just received delivery earlier today on a Heritage 150 CM made in Kalamazoo.

It has the 22 fret neck, solid body, nicely grained and finished top, two volume and tone controls and three way switch.

The dual humbuckers are Seymour Duncan '59s. Finish is nitrocellulose, they tell me. Naturally it has the body style derived from, if not identical to the Gibson Les Paul Standard. (I'd be curious how that licensing works since PRS came up short on this issue.)

Tuners are grovers. Neck is thinner than a baseball bat and fatter than my '84 strat.

It came with a case and strings.

It has all the features I wanted and expected and all are of the quality I was expecting.

Since I am not an "expert" on all these items, but have learned alittle bit over the years, I think I can say this area is quite good, if not absolutely top notch, so I give it a ten.

If there is a short coming it is that people who should be buying this guitar are guitar nuts who might want to know about wood types, construction, neck history, and such guitar geek details, which are not included. can't really complain, tho.

It took me a little bit, like maybe ten minutes, to fiddle with amp and guitar settings, before I was happy. I have only used the 150 plugged straight into two different amps; a vintage '64 twin reverb, and a pretty new Peavey Vintage 30 with Eurotubes and an Eminence V12 speaker.

Both deliver very nice sounds, and the V12/Peavey, being "darker" is almost too dark, and probably would be for some people. The Fender delivers sounds that make the hair on your neck stand up. Clean is crisp and bright, fully cranked is... well.... fully cranked and what you dream it might be if the universe smiles on you.

I ran it through both amps in all possible settings, and loved each.

I will say the humbuckers made more noise than I expected, and seemed to change as I rotated i my seat, but it made me wonder if maybe there was a grounding issue, or polarity issue with the amp. I'll figure this out. Heck the amp was on 10.

No more noise than my strat tho.

I think its the Fender amp.

What's not to like?

A gibson freak might tell you that the fretless wonders, the reissues, the historics, the customs, the standards, the specials or the latest, greatest custom shop page/moore/wylde/ziggy/slash/vern signature model has better intonation/action/playability/tonewoods/grain structure/ROI/ or chickcatcher value, but I'll leave that to them, as an experienced amatuer that has spent a year looking for the right "les paul" I'll take this and my extra couple grand and be gone.

Set-up, probably due in part to Wolfe Guitars efforts, is perfect for me.

The wood is lovely, nice tiger strip and nice almond burst finish, and not a flaw I can find in finish and workmanship.

Damned if I know. It hasn't left the living room in the 12 hours I have owned it.

It looksplenty solid, but I wouldn't let my teenager take it to the prom.

Great reputation, but I hope I never have to call them.

First, Jay at Wolfe Guitars was friendly, helpful and speedy. (www.wolfeguitars.com)

For a year I annoyed every Guitar Center, little mom & pop, L&M, and ebay listing asking questions and checking prices. He made the sale because he had a product with a great reputation, at a price that seemed more than fair (A bargain, in fact), and his shop's reputation seemed excellent. And Iiked the look and the electronics.

Everyone I had contact with was very helpful, at every vendor, and I especially like the guys at L&M who have been friendly and helpful, which is appropriate since they sell a product that usually is a $2,500 to $3,200 item.

At the end of the day, price just made Gibsons look too expensive compared to the Heritage.

That I got this guitar at this price still makes me wonder.

Yes, I would buy another. In fact, I'd rather have three of these than one '59 reissue from Gibson. Then I could have assorted pickups and finishes and all that.

I think the Gibson's are lovely in every way, don't get me wrong. But at the cost differential I just can't see it. If you are a millionaire, or major artist, then go ahead. If you are a working stiff, I suggest this route.

Great guitar, great price.

02 MODELL,22 FRETS,24.75 SCALE LENGTH.NECK P/U IS SD59, BRIDGE SD PEARLY GATES.CORINA BACK,MAPLE TOP,REAL MOTHER PEARL INLAYS

FROM THE FACTORY AT THE BRIDGE THEY HAD HAVE A SD 59 BUT THE SOUND WAS WEAK IS BEEN REPLASED WITH THE PEARLY GATES AND NOW IT SINGS LIKE BIRD.THE SOUND OF THIS BABY IS AS A VINTAGE GIBBY VERY GOOD FOR CLASSIC ROCK & BLUES/JAZZ NOT FOR A MODERN ROCK(WITH THEESE P/U'S).AT MY OPINION THIS GUITAR CAN BE COMPARED(IF) ONLY WITH THE HIGH END GIBSON'S FROM THE CUSTOM SHOP.I'M USING IT WITH THE RUBY RIOT FRAMUS AMP'S ,CLASS A 30 WATT'S POINT TO POINT.

BY FAR SUPERIOR THAN ANY GISON

ITS A LESPAUL NO PROBLEMS

PRAY TO GOD NO DEALER IN GREECE.

MY OPINION IS BASED IN ALLMOST 25 YEARS OF PLAYING IN AND OUT AS A SEMIPRO.I DID AND STILL OWN SOME OF THE BEST GUITARS EVER MADE.THIS GUITAR IS TOP NOTCH FOR CLASSIC ROCK ALA BILLY GIBBONS

Wow, where to start?! This American made beauty is the Les Paul body as it was intended to be before Gibson moved to Nashville to fire up the guitar making machines. It comes packed with features. You know all of the standard Les Paul selectors, they are all here.
Grover Imperial,Tuners, Tone Pro Bridge,Korina neck and body, stunning flame maple top that looks like you could stick your hand in it. The neck is ebony, replete with real mother of pearl, not the mother of plastic that Gibson is using. Premium HRW Pickups.

This guitar is 90% hand made by the original luthiers of Gibson who stayed behind in Michigan when Gibson went south to Nashville. And you can tell. The finish is simply amazing. My wife liked it so much, she hung it on the wall in our den, called it a piece of art, and recommended that I get a couple more of them, making them part of the artistic decor of our home. Yea, tough life when your wife is telling you to buy more guitars.... :-) I don't want to let her down, so I will be buying at least two more of this same guitar. It is that good.

Because this guitar is handmade, you can imagine that the overall construction is top notch; and you would be correct. You cannot feel the seams at any point in the guitar. Heritage guitars are made by true craftsmen.

This things sounds absolutley amazing. I bought it with the intention of putting in the Zakk Wylde set up being sold by EMG, but after getting this and playing, it; I'm keeping the Duncans that came in it. The tone from this is evident without even plugging it into an amp. So plugged in, it is pure gold. It is as warm as a Les Paul is intended to be. There is no buzz or flaw in the way this thing sounds or plays.

I'm mediocre at best as a guitarist for the moment. But when I got this guitar, everything that I seemed to have a hard time playing before, seemed to get easier. I am a metal head to the core(Black Lable, Pantera, Metallica), but when I got this, I became motivated to learn as much as possible outside metal.

I personally play through one of the new Pro Audio Stealth Series Half Stack set ups. The quality of the guitar combined with the quality of the amp is a searing duo. It sounds so good I want to crank the amp at 10 at home, and go off. I cannot recommend this line of guitars enough. If you want a Les Paul, DO NOT BUY A GIBSON, BUY A HERITAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will not regret the purchase. You will pay half the price for the Heritage, but will get twice the quality over and above a gibson.

The tone and sustain are on the level that only a handmade guitar can deliver.This is aided by the Heritage premium HRW pickups. They are absolutely incredible sounding.

I did not have to do a thing to it when I brought it home. The action was set up so well that I "felt" like I was made into a better player just by plugging this thing into my amp and going off.

There are absolutely no flaws on this guitar. Everything is so well lined up, you can barely feel any kind of seem anywhere on this guitar. Once you hold this guitar, you can see, feel and hear that it was made by a true craftsman.

I could write a book on how well made this guitar is, but I think that the rest of my writing in this review gives you an idea of what I think and feel about this guitar.

Would this guitar withstand live playing? ABSOLUTELY! If Gibsons are considered premium live playing equipment, this is over and above that. Everything about this guitar makes it an hierloom piece. I am sure that I will be handing this guitar down to my children one day. The finish is made so well that it will outlast me. There is nothing that will "wear off" on this guitar. No thin veneer to worry about.

The strap buttons are as solid as any premium guitar would be expected to have, but why risk dropping this thing. Put locking nuts on it.

The Heritage 150CM is absolutely dependable. No question about it. The question of gigging without it is asked. I would definitely gig without it. But I would not gig with only one because I would like to show multiple 150's off! But in a pinch, if I had only one choice to gig with, yes; I would gig with no back up with the 150 in a heartbeat.

I have not had to deal with them. But I do know from those that have, that the people at Heritage are still human, and they treat you as the discerning customer that you are; with much respect and desire to keep you as a happy customer.

I have been playing on and off since 1986. This guitar is by far the best I've ever owned. I also own an ESP Horizon, but since I got the 150, it is collecting much dust. As I mentioned before, I own a Pro Audio Stealth Series Half Stack, and for effects I have a GNX3 (which is incredible).

I insured this baby like it was a real child! Yes I would replace it with the exact guitar if it were lost or stolen. That is ofcourse after I tracked the rat bastard, low life, scum of the earth piece of trash that took it.

There is not a thing that I wished I would have asked prior to buying this. I did my research, set an Gibson Les Paul Customer right next to the Heritage 150 that I ended up buying. There was no comparison, the Heritage was hands down the better choice. The Heritage was not only a good value for the money, it is a great value period. The choice to get one of these is a no brainer. It is twice the quality of Gibson at half the price. The Les Paul that I compared this with cost of $2000 more. What was there to think about. So unless you are willing to pay for the Gibson name, get one of these if you are considering a Les Paul. Guitar purists will respect your choice.

I love everything about this guitar, and dislike nothing. My favorite feature is the over all construction/finish/fit, as much as I like the sound. Like my wife said, these things are truly a work of art. I am planning on buying at least two more 150's because they are that good. And I'm afraid that the Heritage people will catch on, and raise their prices!!!

I've owned this guitar for about a year now. And I am as happy with it now, as I was then. Probably happier because I've been more motivated to practice with this guitar. I know that my review is glowing, and it risks making me look someone who works for Heritage, but I am not. I am just a guy that is excited to have a guitar that I have dreamt of owning. I cannot be glowing enough.

I ordered this guitar in June of 2003, and I just received it yesterday!! Its a Heritage H-150CM Standard with custom ordered Seymour Duncan Humbuckers (zebra-coil Pearly Gates in the neck, zebra-coil JB in the bridge). The finish I chose was Antique Cherry Sunburst, over a slightly flamed maple top. The guitar has all of the standard Les Paul features, nothing wild or crazy here. I had the guitar equipped with a Tonepros locking tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece. Ill give it a 10 here, because it has the features I wanted and it does what it does better than a Les Paul.

I play classic metal/rock, blues/rock, and some U2-ish sounding stuff. I have been playing for 9 years now and play through Fender tube amps. For fx, I mainly use a Visual Sound Ultimate Overdrive pedal and a Boss Mega Distortion. I also occasionally use a Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah, a Boss Digital Reverb/Delay pedal, and a Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus pedal. With the Pearly Gates/JB pickups, I can get everything from blues to classic 70's/80's rock/metal. The Pearly Gates is nice and fat in the neck, with really good sustain. It is similar to the Duncan 59 in my other Heritage H-150, but I think its a little thicker and darker sounding. I use it for nice sustaining runs and lead tones. Clean, it is not as bright as the 59, but is still warm and pleasant. The JB pickup in the bridge is nice and hot, with balanced lows and highs. It is not very useful clean, but if blended with the Pearly Gates it can yeild some nice clean tones. Distorted, the JB easily produces the Billy Gibbons like "pinch" harmonics and squeals. It is nice and hot without being harsh, which is what I wanted. Great for power chords, solos, and riffing. Sound wise, this guitar is exactly what I was hoping for.

The setup on this guitar was fantastic. Everything was adjusted nicely. The guitar has a beautifully bookmatched lightly flamed (AA) maple top. The cherry sunburst stain is awesome, the color is bright and very vibrant, and looks great with the figuring in the wood. I started purchasing Heritage guitars because the fit and finish is a cut above a Gibson. The only gripe that I have with this guitar in the fit and finish department is the actual finishing/buffing. There were a few spots on the top where the buffer left some slight marks, as if they missed a few spots. This was not a huge problem, as I buffed the spots out myself. The rest of the guitar is virtually flawless, all seams and joints are straight with no glue residue showing. Because of the spots left by the buffer, Im going to give it an 8 in this area.

The nitro lacquer finish will wear with age, but thats to be expected. Everything seems to be nice and tight, and well made. Strap buttons feel solid so far, only time will tell.

Been playing for 9 years, have owned many guitars, mostly Fender and Gibson, and I love the Heritage guitars. I own one other Heritage guitar and it is fantastic also. Both of my Heritage guitars were custom built for me, which is what I love about them. You can go to Gibson and take what they give you, or you can have something better that is unique and special. Heritage guitars are handmade, and feature REAL mother of pearl inlays in the neck, and top quality woods and materials. You cant get that in a Gibson for less than $2400. I love Les Paul style guitars, they have the sound, look, and feel that I crave. In my opinion, the Heritage H-150CM is THE BEST Les Paul style guitar out there, and I have owned Les Pauls before!! My favorite feature is simply the freedom to create. Heritage gives you the freedom to build whatever you want - and at a lower cost than the cookie cutter Gibsons. If my guitars were lost or stolen, I would purchase them again. If you like Gibson style guitars but dont want a Gibson, give Heritage a try.

2003 Model, Made in USA Kalamazoo, Mi.

Les Paul category solid body guitar with all wellknown features.No more, no less. As anyone who'll visit this page undoubtely will know: Heritage Guitars is the group of people who went on making guitars when Gibson retired from Kalamazoo.

Mine is a lefthanded, custom made (like all other Heritages!)150 with a vintage sunburst finish, an AAA(A) carved maple top (the guitar has a beautiful "gold-like" look in light!) weight mahagony body, indian rosewood fingerboard, nice medium frets, Grover tuners, and the Heritage HRW pickups (they're expensive but really good!). The neck was shaped to my specs (early 60's Les Paul)and it's ideal for me; not too thin, gives a very comfortable "wide" feel and enough "body" to avoid my fingers from getting cramp.

The workanship is really to die for! An excellent job is done on all the disciplines that will come up building a guitar; wood selection and matching, sanding, polishing, fretwork. It all came together perfectly on this baby. Since it's a lefty, they had to drill a second time (enlarging the cavity) for the pick selector switch. No big deal, you won't notice untill you remove the cover.

The guitar came direct from the TKL case (included in the price paid!), without any interference from the dealer whatsoever. I was the first to take it out of the case. The neck was as straight as an arrow andtherfore there was some minor buzzing; after one week I adjusted the neck with the trussrod (no adjusting tool is supplied) and I could set it up to my preferences in about ten minutes.
I replaced the factory strings by some .010 silver plated Pyramid strings ( a give away from my Heritage dealer) and off we go!

I play classic rock and blues in a coverband. i'm playing for about 30 years now but never had a real expensive guitar (I had some cheap copies) an Epiphone LP Standard and a homebuilt Explorer (nice guitar with lots of bite!) which I used as my main axe. About one year ago I decided to get myself the best I could get in the "Les Paul department"

I play the Heritage through a Vox Valvetronix 2 x 12" modeling amplifier and get really great sounds.

The playablity of the guitar is very good, the tonal spectrum is very well balanced; highs are strong and bright; mids are just good, lows are well defined, not muddy or too bassy. This balance gives me the tonal versitality I want. I think this is the combination of the wood and the HRW pickups. The HRW's are very responsive to pick attack and have great tonal separation on every amp model I dial in on my Vox. The HRW's even seem to be OK for jazz! I had some e mail correspondence with the people from Heritage and they were really helpful in explaining and advising me to choose the right pickups for my guitar. I don't like very high output pickups. My opinion is to let the guitar (ie. wood and pickups) make the basic sound and let the (pre)amp do the distortion part of it. I do not play as heavily distorted as nowadays music demands. But I wasn't looking for that kind of guitar either. The volume and tone controls are OK. I had to solder a ground wire to the back of the pot it has came loose from and createdsome hum when turning the volume down. Nothing to worry about though.

The action was adjusted by myself but this could have been done under warranty by the dealer. Remember I took this guitar home straight from the arfreight shippinmg cardboard.
The pickups and intonation are both very well adjusted.
The bookmatched top is perfect and a real beauty!
The overall finishing is nearly perfect; only one tiny flaw is visible on the top of the guitar. Since this guitar is made for playing I think some more flaws and cracks will follow, again, nothing to worry about! The nitro cellulose finish is well sprayed and polished.
The fretwork was something I worried about but mine is done very, very well. I think the Heritage people read reviews like this and improve themselves.
The hardware is OK in nickle finish. I prefer nickle to chrome because of the yellow shine it makes instead of the more "blue-ish" chrome. The bridge however looks the same as on the Korean Epiphone LP copies (you know the ones with the spring to keep the saddles in place). I didn't specify the bridge when I ordered the instrument because I expected a more solid Tune-o-matic type. Can't blame Heritage for it, but the dealer could have told me this. It's only a minor thing that doesn'affect the sound or looks of the instrument.
The bridge and nut are both well cut and fit well.

This guitar is very well constructed and will outlive me if I take good care for it and why wouldn't I do that?
The hardware is good only the bridge is already loosing some nickle. Having this guitar for two months now this has to be solved under warranty by the dealer. Maybe I'll have him put a "real" tune-o-matic on my guitar.
The strap buttons (chrome!) are a bit tiny. I changed them with the (nickel1) ones on my Epiphone. I'm gonna put strapholders on it anyhow. I can't afford this baby to fall on the ground...
I always carry a backup guitar with me ( when I don't, a string will break or a wire will ghet loose... so I've experienced!). But I don't think I will need it. It's just in case...I really can depend on this guitar.

The Heritage people are really helpful and give you good advice.
I haven't dealt with my (very helpful) dealer here in Holland yet but I'm sure he will help me out if any problem should occur.

I've been playing for nearly 30 years now and never had guitar as good as this one. I tried some Gibson Les Pauls (2003 models) and they were good. I certainly would have bought me a Gibson if Heritage wasn't around. However Heritage only charges 60% the price of a Gibson and since I was looking for a guitar to play and not a name on the headstock, I decided to go for the Heritage. I had complete freedom of choosing colours, pickups, maple tops, fretboard wood etc. This freedom of "creating" your own unique guitar is not common among nowadays guitar manufacterers. And if it is, they will charge you for it.

Single cutaway Les Paul design and make with maple top, mahogany body and neck along with a rosewood fingerboard. Grover tuners and Gibson style stop tail and tune-o-matic bridge, which is different from Heritage's roller-matic they ship out standard.

22 medium frets with 2 Schaller humbuckers. The neck is slim-tapered similar to a Les Paul Classic. Inlays are real Mother of Pearl block and not pearloid plastic! The finish is a beautiful Old Style Sunburst with sublte flame that changes as the guitar is viewed from different directions. Also, the mahogany is a lovely caramel translucent that really looks nice. All of this is finished in nitrocellulose laquer.

This guitar came with a very nice hard shell case!

Wanted a Les Paul (a real Les Paul) and it's excactly what I got!

Sounds great! I am still going to try the Seymour Duncan Antiquity set, but if I were told I couldn't do that, I would not be too disappointed as the stock Schallers are really pretty decent pickups. As with a solid body of this construction, the sound through the amp is somewhat punchy and powerful when the volume is full up on the guitar, but backing off the volume yeilds a tone similar to my semi-hollow blusebird. And this makes the 150 very versatile giving me a broader range of subtle tone to volume and punch when I need it. The guitar also does a nice job of a clear jazz tone. Sure, I like having a semi-hollow guitar also, but if you had to use just this guitar at a gig, it would be no problem.

I sold my PRS Custom 22 to get this because while I liked the C-22, I just never could bond with it. Also, I still just wanted a Les Paul guitar, and the PRS is a great guitar, but it's no Les Paul. Nor is it a strat. It's a PRS, and for what it does it's great. But, I still like the classic design and the mass of the original. And Heritage is the original. Yeah, yeah, we all know the story so I'll spare you.

I can't put this guitar down. It sounds great unplugged and through an amp. Once I put the Antiquities in, I'll post a seperate review in the pickup section. But to all those who can't afford to change the pickups once you get them, the Schallers are not bad by any means, and I plan on keeping them in case either I sell the guitar (NOT!) or get a cheaper guitar with bad pickups that I want to change out. I believe the Schallers call these Golden 50's pickups. And contrary to earlier postings, they are not Golden Shower pickups. They'll do just fine for most folks.

Oh, amps.....I play through a Rivera Quianna and use a tremolo and delay, and sometimes a compressor.

Overall, a classic sound through and through with all the muscle I was looking for, but still with plenty of finesse.

Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! Perhaps the nicest guitar I've ever felt. Ed Roman's shop in Vegas set it up before shipping, and while the action is a tad low for my likings, I do not fault Ed Roman. Every player has his/her preferences, and you really have to pick it up, play it and determine where you want the action. In addition, the playability and tuning stability is great. Especially after settling down after shipping.

The pickups were adjusted fine, and I appreciate Ed Roman's shop putting the Gibson style Stop Tail and Tune-o-matic over Heritage's roller-matic. Heritage has to do this to get around Giboson suing them, so it's no big deal. I am tempted to try the Tone Pros, but the tail piece and bridge are fine and I don't have any real reasong to change them.

The top.....Ahhhh, very nice. Old Style Sunburst is similar to a tobacco burst. Also, the flame would probably be considered AA and it really seems to change with every angle you look at it. And this is something I have really noticed with Heritage guitars (I've had 3). Subtle and not overly decked out (which I hate on most expensive guitars or cheap guitars trying to look expensive). I didn't want a show piece. I wanted a great guitar I would want to play all of the time and this is exactly what I got. Also I need to mention the back. Gorgeous translucent caramel tone on the body and neck. Something Gibson won't do unless it has Historic Series in front of it. It almost looks like Korina. The rosewood on the fingerboard is top-notch. No beef jerky looking white marks in the wood and not ridiculous dark staining to hide the poor quality of wood other manufactures use. In fact, I was also looking at PRS McCarty Models and I noticed the fingerboard on a couple of their guitars looked about like the fingerboards on Samicks and other Korean made guitars, which I find totally unacceptable for a guitar of that price. Everything on this Heritage is first class and well done.

As with nitrocellulose, it's a tad tackier than poly, but that's what gives it its stigma. It even smells good! ha ha And contrary to some players who mention Heritage's fret finishing flaws, my guitar's frets are great!

Well, you take the quality of Gibson and add a few more notches and you get a Heritage. Except without the well-known observations of rough finish work, glue residue, sloppy workmanship, etc. you'll read or hear about or notice yourself with many Gibson models today. And I'm not just saying that because I have a Heritage and couldn't afford a Gibson. After all, I sold a much more expensive PRS to get this guitar and feel it was well worth the transaction!

Seeing I can't put this guitar down, I don't know if I could play a different guitar on a gig. But, I have a few others I like, so I'd bring them along anyway.

Overall, a well-built and great playing guitar.

Never had to deal with them, but I've heard Heritage is excellent. Real people (the ones you see on the web and in brochures) will answer the phone and gladly talk with you. Quite comparibly to Rivera. They stay busy with increasing demand, but they still understand the importance of customer service. Plus they are just good folks to begin with and that is their nature.

As far as Ed Roman goes, I guess it's just the person you deal with. Rich at Roman Guitars was helpful, patient, knowledgeable and he didn't mind following up with me, which I greatly appreciate. The guitar was delievered when he said it would be and it arrived in great shape. I do believe Roman Guitars makes a mistake by not including paper work. All folks should get a receipt of payment and product sent, so that is in-excuseable. However, I believe if I were to have a problem, Rich would be glad to try and help me out. Supposedly Ed Roman gives you double warranty, but without having a receipt or warranty card, I don't know how that is supposed to work.

Again, good experience, but bad business not including warranty info and reciept. 10 for Heritage, and 8 for Ed Roman! Heritage really should jump on his butt to make sure he includes those two items.

I've been playing over 20 years. 15 of those being able to actually make a sound that was pleasing to the ear. I also own a Guild Bluesbird, an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Super Sport with MM/90s, a G&L Comanche and I have an Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee on special order. All of this gets played through a Rivera Quianna, and when I feel lazy or want to be quiet, I use a POD.

I probably should have just gone ahead and had the folks at WCG put the Duncan Antiquities in to save me some time. Plus it probably would have been cheaper and I wouldn't of had to mess with it. Still, the stock Schallers are good. It's just I'm intrigued by the Antiquities and am curious to see what they would do in this guitar. I also would have asked for a receipt and warranty card!

Stolen, without question, I'd get another one. I've had one of these before and regretted selling it until getting this one. In fact, I plan on getting an H-535 to round out my collection down the road.

I love the looks, playability, hardware, quality of materials used and even the smell. Even the slim-tapered neck is comfortable and easy to play. At first I would have said I wish I could have chosen the neck size generally preferring a fatter neck, but the Music Man guitars have spoiled me and I find myself really appreciating this smaller neck too. You can really play licks on this guitar. The only thing I hate is not having a receipt or warranty card. I mean, the guitar is in great shape, but still, it's very ebay-like to get something without paper work! Come on! Be professional for goodness sake! And my favorite feature is just the guitar itself. I know, vague, but I just can't take my eyes off of it and have a hard time putting it down. It goes everywhere with me.

The day I sold my Heritage 150 was the day I realized I made a mistake. Since then I've tried replacing with with something else, but to no avail. And being disgusted with the shoddy workmanship, playability, aesthetics and overall greedy nature of Gibson, and getting over the PRS invasion/fad/whatever you want to call it, I decided to forget about the headstock and think about what feels, plays and sounds the best to me. So, here I am. Mentioning above, I gladly lost money on my PRS to sell it so I could get this and with no regrets.

I suppose some larger strap buttons or strap locks would be nice for a guitar of this weight and design, but I can live with the standard hardware. Any serious gigging, and I'll change them to strap locks though. And to be wishful and not critical....A Buzz Feighten System would be the icing on the cake for this work of art.

I'd just like to share, calling this a Heritage Les Paul is detrimental to the quality and to the luthiers who make these instruments. When you do that, it may generalize it into describing it better, but it also puts it in the likes of the cheapo Jap and Korean copies that will say Les Paul or More Paul or The Paul or whatever knock-off crap they use. It's a Les Paul style guitar, and I hate calling guitars by a number, but it's a 150CM and that's what I'll call it. Gibson should be compairing their Les Paul to the 150's. Better finishes, better wood, better materials and hand made. You will notice every burst and finish (besides opaque) on a Heritage is slightly different from one another. Even if it's listed under the same finish. This is clearly the result of hand making and painting and finishing. Gibson will usually use a paper-stenciling type of device on a machine that produces the same limited bursts they offer. Okay if you want a carbon-copy robot-like guitar with no personality. Also, Gibson will blacken their backs on non-cherry burst models, and for $2,000.00, that's kind of bullsh.. If it sounds like I'm bashing Gibson, well, I am. And I've owned a few Gibsons that were okay guitars. However, I finally feel like I've awakened to trusting what deep down I've known all along and for trusting my fe