Heritage H-150CM

My Heritage is a 1995 model that is basically only a Les Paul but much, much better.I'm not sure what pickups come standard with all heritages but mine has a seymour duncan pearly gates(neck position) and a seymour duncan Duncan distortion(bridge position). The finsih is what i call a "orangeburst". Even though it is probalby meant to be a cherry sunburst it turned out to be a more orangish tint instead of cherry. The neck is very smooth and thin. I love the neck much better than the Gibson. The Gibson is fatter and it seems the guys at heritage payed more attention to getting a more comfortable neck. The other features are 2 volume and 2 tone pots and a three way-switch. Again very much like a LP.

For playing mainly blues rock and occasional jazz this guitar is very good. The Pearly gates ahs a thick mean brawny sound to it and the Duncan Distortion has a tight trebley sound that is very good for playing hard rock. But the main tone of this guitar is in that pearly gates it doesn't get much smoother and have more sustain(other than a PRS) than other guitars. At times though this guitar is a little to brawny sounding to me but it still sounds wonderful.

I have found two flaws in the guitar. The three way switch that came with crapped out and the input jack crapped out too. Considering these are electrical parts, i am not surprised this happened but i do not like that this happened and am unhappy about it. Otherwise the guitar is good to me recently. The electrical stuff happened about 2 and 1/2 years ago and the guitar has not failed me since. I do not remember the original set-up because since then i have had many set-ups done on the guitar to suit my needs and have done individual tweaks to it(like raising action for slide playing).

the guitar is solid except for the few electronic problems. I would not gig without a backup(this is also my other guitar that i use primarily). the finsh is still very shiney and all.

I have never dealt with Heritage directly but the guitar store (Music Loft/Indoor Storm) are very helpful any time. Especially thanks to Eddie Berman there. For the Music Loft/Indoor Storm i give them a 10

I've played other Gibson LP's and other humbucker equipped guitars. To me this is one of the best guitars on the market. I'm not just comparing this guitar to intermediate or beginner level guitars, I also own a PRS McCarty and a Strat. I love this guitar it is very playable and has a very good sound. Forget that it doesn't say Gibson on the headstock and just play. These guitars are wonderful.

Brand new, 1999 model. I just got this one a week ago, after waiting a long, miserable six months. It's basically a Les Paul. (Only better, IMHO.) Mahogany back and neck, two-piece flame maple top. Cherry sunburst, of course. I ordered mine with an ebony fingerboard, and it's got a single binding around the headstock, so it's kind of a cross between a LP Standard and a Custom. I also got an "upgraded" flame top. (Highly recommended!) I'd ordered Seymore Duncan Antiquity humbuckers, but the factory forgot to have my dealer ship the pickups to them. That was quickly solved, and the Antiquities absolutely KILL! Heritage uses Grover tuners as standard equipment, and a Schaller stop tailpiece and adjustable bridge. (The bridge saddles are individually adjustable side-to-side.) The fretboard inlays are very nicely figured mother-of-pearl, with just a hint of green abalone shell color from certain angles. Standard Les Paul 24 3/4 scale length, and I think the neck has the thin "1960" profile. (Or maybe my hands are just big.) It plays like a dream, anyway. The price included a nice hard case. I didn't rate this catagory, because you all know what features Les Pauls have. No coil taps or phase switches or whammy bar, just the basics. Why mess with perfection?

I've heard that Antiquity pickups are the closest thing you can get to original PAFs without a second mortgage. I have no frame of reference to compare them, but the Duncans sound, and look, fabulous. (If you like old, grungy-looking vintage pickups. I do.) The pickups can be a bit microphonic since they're not potted, but not too bad. Plenty of vintage growl! The guitar has tremendous sustain, as you'd expect. (Just watch Spinal Tap.) I suppose mine has a bit brighter sound than an old original flametop because of the ebony board, but I like it. I'm playing it through a little 15-watt Matchless amp, which actually sounds better at low volumes with my Strat. But with the volume knobs pinned, there's just enough crunch to make me want a Marshall really bad. Of course, you can order these guitars with just about any kind of pickups/electronics you want, and get whatever sound you like. That's the advantage of hand made, small volume builders.

The action was a bit higher than I liked, but it was simple to fix. I had to adjust the spacing of the bridge saddles a bit, too. As for "non-adjustable" stuff, the guitar is perfect. The fit of the inlays in the fretboard is incredible. Not a hint of gaps or fillers anywhere. The nito-cellulous laquer finish on the body is flawless. The flame maple top is just flamey enough to look "authentic", and is gorgeous. I could sell tickets! I don't believe Heritage used any grain enhancers, they just let the wood speak for itself. I think the factory toned down the red color of the sunburst on this guitar so it wouldn't look too gawdy with the ebony board; it's a very nice, rich burgundy color, with the maple faintly visible through it all the way to the edge. The finish looks like you could dive in and swim around. Groovy 50's-style "bonnet" knobs. Heritage has to make a few minor changes from an actual Les Paul so they don't get sued: The headstock is narrower, the pickguard is shaped slightly differently, and the plastic pickup surrounds are black instead of the white you're probably used to. I think the body width is just a hair narrower than a Gison, too.

Just got it. Everything seems to be very high quality, and the craftsmanship is superb. But of course, they guy who made this guitar has been building them in the original Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan since 1959, so I expect he knows what he's doing. (No kidding! All three of the guys who do the actual guitar building at Heritage started there as apprentices 40 years ago! They probably swept up the sawdust after somebody else made Jimmy Page's '59! But, I digress . . .) This guitar seems built to be as reliable as a stove bolt. Excellent switchgear and pots.

One year, non-transferrable warranty. (Yeah, like I'd ever sell it.) I spoke with one of the owners by phone shortly after I ordered the guitar, and he was cool. I've heard their customer service is great, but I've had no need for any, yet.

I've been playing with guitars for 15 years. (Notice I said "playing WITH, not PLAYING. A subtle difference, but an important one.) I also have a Japanese 50's reissue Strat. At the moment, my only amp is a litte 15-watt Matchless. If this guitar was lost/stolen, I'd jump off a bridge. I'm not much of a musician, but I love guitars like my own children, so the history and the craftsmanship behind this guitar were what appealed to me most. I'd considered buying a used '59 reissue Gibson, and might still do so just to pamper my lingering teen-age fantasies, but those are made in Tennessee by some guy who's only been working for Gibson for a measely 20 years or so. It's a long (LONG) wait to get a Heritage, but it's worth it, and you can pick up a nice Marshall stack with the money you save. Better order one soon, though. They're not getting any younger up there. I heard their golf-to-guitars ratio is up to about 70/30.

This guitar was made in 1998 in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the old Gibson plant by former Gibson employees. It is a Les Paul style with 22 frets and a carved solid curly maple top. The flame is the bomb, and the translucent almond sunburst is lovely. It has the old fashioned nitrocellulose lacquer as a protective finish. The body is mahogany, as is the one piece neck. The rosewood fingerboard has a 24 3/4 inch scale and has mother of pearl trapezoid inlays. There are two humbuckers, Schallers I think, and a 3 way selector switch. The stop tailpiece is made by Schaller. Each string can be adjusted for intonation, and the saddle is adjutable from side to side, for string spacing. Tuners are Grovers. Came with hardshell case.

This guitar should work for anything a Les paul can do. I am playing the blues and it a full sound. It sounds good clean or overdriven and has plenty of sustain. I am planning on replacing the stock pickups because they are too hot for my tastes, maybe some Seth Lovers. If you order a guitar from Heritage, they can install any pickup you want because they are a small company. They carry most Seymour Duncan pickups.

Action is nice and low, but the intonation was off on 2 strings. This is not a big deal as I plan to get it set up with 10 - 46 strings soon. The only flaws I noticed were on the fingerboard where you can see some sanding marks.

This guitar seems very well made and has a strong neck joint. The guitar stays in tune when you play, the strap buttons are super solid, and the nitrocellulose lacquer should improve with age. I would depend on this thing, for certain.

I haven't had to deal with the customer service, and probably won't have to. It has a lifetime warranty, though, so I'm not worried.9

I really dig this guitar. It is my first and only electric and I know I won't outgrow it. I wish that I had ordered it with better pickups, but that is my only complaint. It is a heavy guitar, IMO, probably from all the mahogany. This guitar is every bit as good as a Gibson in construction, sound, looks, etc., but because Heritage is such a small company their guitars are much cheaper.