I Told This Company I Didn't Want To Keep This $4,000 Guitar. Here Is Why

[@danpost4755]

I really like both Heritage and G&L instruments. I hope they continue to grow and have success. I had hoped to tour the Kalamazoo factory before moving from Michigan to Arizona, but it didn't work out. I love the story behind how Heritage started. Maybe a video on that subject would do well.

[@ludvigbydal7812]

Just like a feeling, but knowing the history of Gibson with highs and lows thru the years, I believe that some of its former team that parted ways and founded Heritage guitars took with them the real Gibson essence. This Heritage to me looks and sounds "more Gibson than a Gibson", at about half the price nobody can beat that. Great video Phil and thanks.

[@DennyBob521]

I used to think that way - "These are the people Gibson "abandoned" when the relocated to Nashville in 1983~ish." and "These are the people who made the golden era Gibsons." But now I take them on their own merit, the people that made the Golden Era Gibsons are long retired or with their creator, and that's also the same factory where the awful Norlin era Gibsons were made with the 4 piece plywood pancake bodies and the nasty sounding T-Top pickups (I know, they've tried to re-market all that stuff as classic now - like T-Tops), but growing up, any guitar expert would steer you away from 1970s Gibsons and Fenders as junk.. It took 30 years for Gibson to come back from that mess reputation~wise, and some people still say Gibson quality sucks despite it being amazing now. Not PRS amazing, but still great.

[@ludvigbydal7812]

@@DennyBob521Thanks for your feedback. Yeah I agree on 70s guitars production flaws. For the most part they leave much to be desired, Gibson and Fender. I would believe it was just some runs in some years, I guess all about to get far ahead competing each other but manufacturing too fast, the quality control was overlooked notoriously like you would find in some Gibsons cracks on the neck joint or peeling off finish too easily, and Fender neck pockets uneven and poor neck fit. I would save most Les Paul Deluxe and also Telecaster Deluxe, but staying away from models from around '75 to '80 that show all these "fast job" flaws. I would say the case for Heritage they wanted to do things right from the very beginning, taking the necessary time for each guitar, so far I haven't seen or heard about these flaws in their production so hats off and great respect for Heritage.

[@willrichtor]

​@@DennyBob521And you think now that Heritage employees went out of pocket to buy that factory and all that old tooling to resume making Norlin era style instruments?

[@willrichtor]

​@@ludvigbydal7812"Fast job" flaws are par for the course in any era of Gibson, they have always operated in that manner.

[@BataraKado]

tbh not enough guitar players realize you can adjust your flat head screws on both pickups to finetune what tone you want to get, so if the bridge pickup is too thin, adjust the flat head screws on the E, A, D, G and that is one under rated way to make your pickups and guitar sound totally better..

[@kennygardner5041]

Exactly! Old school way of making the guitar fit the sound in your head.

[@shelbyavant5081]

That adjustment has very little to do with tone, and much more to do with string to string volume. That is the reason that they are adjustable, to compensate for the varying string gauges and inconsistencies in the magnets or coils. It is meant to supplement the overall adjustability and height of the pickup itself, which definitely place a part in altering the sound, more specifically how much of the pickup's output is utilized. As a player and tech of over 30 years, a collector with dozens of pieces in my stable, and an employee of the Rio Grande pickup company in the 90s, I have experimented with this concept heavily.

[@kennygardner5041]

@@shelbyavant5081 Does both. On a Les Paul raising the poles on the neck pickup can often clean up the mud with overdrive. Vintage teles with staggered poles sound different than flat. If you take a G&L ASAT you can adjust the poles to sound like a Broadcaster or a Sixties tele. Yes the balance is affected but it also drives the signal and changes the harmonic ring with the other string in how they ring. Same as raising or lowering the pickup. Magnetics do odd things.

[@shelbyavant5081]

@@kennygardner5041 Polite response, I edited my comment to be more accurate. Also you have excellent tempo, and a very nice right hand, sir.

[@diogenesstudent5585]

​@@shelbyavant5081 which way raises them r or l?

[@lehmanpolarbear70]

I have the same guitar, Heritage Custom Core H-150, but in cherry burst. It is excellent, and the top is stunning! Came off the line late January 2024. For what it's worth, i do not have any issues with the frets. They definitely feel like medium jumbos to me. Great video as always, Phil!

[@mikeomatic9905]

Yeah I have a Gibson with medium jumbos, and like Phil, I was also expecting larger frets. Now I wonder what Gibson considers small frets lol.

[@TVsBen]

@@mikeomatic9905 I feel like the name "medium jumbo" is misleading. I agree they should be bigger than they are. I very much prefer Fender's "narrow tall" fret size on any USA Strat or Tele.

[@svgitana2499]

@@TVsBen isn’t it funny, I absolutely hate the gigantic frets that Fender uses and I refuse to buy one because it’s just not a pleasant feel to me. I know they are great guitars, don’t get me wrong, and I know I’m missing out on a great sound…..I just don’t like the feel and much prefer the smaller less pronounced frets 😂 To each its own right?!

[@brianrorex8337]

Having played a bunch of 50’s Gibsons, the Heritage guitars are the closest. Old Gibsons had low frets like that too so it’s just how they make them in Kalamazoo.

[@bobbyarthur-yf3yf]

Tokai Japan and their custom shop knocks it out of the park !

[@dananthony6258]

RIP Dickey Betts ❤❤❤❤

[@TriGrutt]

Man… I didn’t know… man…

[@Staypuft1981]

Really oh man

[@TriGrutt]

@@stringrip Yeah… Man I really didn’t see it coming. Bless Mr DB.

[@jameslanclos568]

Another legend disappears into the sunset.

[@mikes9759]

Yeah another great one we will miss!! R I P Brother and tell the brothers we miss them all!!!! I'm loosing all the people I went through the 50s and 60s with! Getting tough!!

[@MrRickytuk]

$500 to relic a guitar. I'll fuck it up for free.

[@Stemma3]

Just take your shirt off and play it in a hot summer. 😂

[@johnnolan4312]

😂​@@Stemma3

[@davidw4664]

Hey its that guy

[@nocturnal101ravenous6]

Personally its not even about the money, I personally think people who buy relic guitars are Posers, they want the look of they bought a vintage guitar or play worn it themselves, meh they can keep that garbage, the only thing I do like is when fender rolls the edges of fretboards as it actually makes it more comfortable to play and serves a purpose rather than just something visual.

[@mal2ksc]

So will I, just give me a few years to do it through normal use. 😁

[@randuxy]

@Phillip McKnight - Why not take your digital calipers and measure the fret heights of both Gibson and Heritage.

[@michael1]

Or snap the headstock off and say "It's even more like a Gibson than ever!"

[@fredve3984]

That was exactly what I was thinking. That way I'll know what frets to ask Heritage to put on mine when I buy one...but now I can't cuz I don't know.

[@sclg560]

This ain’t trogly’s guitar hour

[@jillwebb775]

I agree. Lighten the guitars and ill be interested!!!

[@idiotburns]

Yes please

[@pedromoose8860]

Man, I thought the same thing when I tried the H-150 CC. I thought “not immediately bonding with it” - don’t drop 4 grand. But I loved the way it looked so much I bought it. And after a day or so I didn’t even notice the fret issue again. Even played it back to back with my R9 and I love ‘em both - but the Heritage is new go to.

[@smackyfrog6046]

Understandable. Low frets are a deal breaker for me.

[@uv77mc85]

Unbelievable a company like this hadn't picked up on that over the years. I have sold 70s LP customs because of the low frets because it ruins the guitar for me. I can't live with them.

[@Ken-r7h2b]

I came across a 1978 Les Paul Standard way back in about 1987 at a pawn shop and it played amazing. I thought to myself, why does this play better than any other Les Paul I have ever played. As I brought up the guitar to the counter to buy it, the pawn shop owner who knew the history of the guitar said it had been refretted. I'm like, oh that makes sense. Turns out it was refretted with taller non original fret wire, of which i prefer.

[@BetterNowThanLater]

I bought a 2015 N/R Firebird re-issue - the frets were ridiculously high, so I had to get them taken down, and re-profiled to something more suitable. In the '70s all my friends had low-fret Gibsons, since speed was their main requirement for getting about; it just shows how tastes change over time...

[@paulrogers6037]

In 2008, I picked up a three-pickup H-150 Heritage in mint condition for $1500 and flipped it. Walnut brown. Flipping gorgeous. To this day, it's still the only three-pickup of theirs I've ever seen. One of the best-sounding guitars I've ever heard. Still regret selling it.

[@ak1969]

I have the H-150 Gold Top and it is here to stay. I was able to compere it here amongst some other "custom shop" level guitars and this was a clear winner.

[@trchadlv]

I recently picked up an H-150 custom core, and I happen to be a big fan of the frets as they are. I also learned as a kid on a 12 string with a neck bow so I crush the strings down. The quality of the sound of the guitar is just on another level from anything else I have ever had. I am a huge fan of the 225 pickups. I’m considering keeping an eye out for an H-535 CC rather than a standard to stick with those pickups.

[@sammyrothrock6981]

A very close old friend of mine who passed away had a signature model Blind Kahuna Les Paul made exclusively for him by Heritage. He was one of the finest bluesman on the planet RIP Chris Bovard 😢 He played on a Magnum Pi episode back in the 80s

[@MrJsteed2009]

You give me such clarity on issues. Thanks a million!

[@Chriss-Gear]

My dirty lemon burst standard is my favorite guitar. Highly recommend. I own a “play authentic”, an Eastman SB59 and a few others. The Heritage is awesome.

[@williamneillgross3926]

I've got a Heritage H140, which is lighter than the average Les Paul by quite a bit (because it is thinner) and it IS magical. The sound is wonderful. The frets on mine are low too, but I like that, it plays great. It sings! I was never a fan of high frets, so the feel of the Heritage was what I was looking for. At this point it has been heavily gigged and is pretty road worn. Love your guitars and they will love you back.

[@PeteBousquet-t1q]

Hey Phil. Great review. It’s ironic that you mentioned low frets. It’s the first thing I had replaced only 3 months after having bought it new. Store thought I was nuts but had the same experience where frets felt vintage and not for me. Did jumbo stainless Jescar and wow. Like Jezzer said I’m 56 and don’t need to be fighting any guitar. I recently also changed the pickups. Neck was way too bassey. Neck pickup was virtually unusable to me. Low wind A5 magnets made a huge difference. Lastly changed the nut to Graphtech as it was too low for the jumbo frets. Also. FYI. Master luthier whom I go to for everything builds 59 repros and his own brand of guitars. Ted Stevenson in Montreal. Said the build quality on these is better than any 59 reissue he’s ever seen. Great validation from someone who’s been at it for 30 years. Thanks again Phil your reviews are always honest to the point and not gimmicky. Great Job.

[@willrichtor]

For all of you who can't seem to wrap your heads around the fretwire thing, this is it - From the beginning of the Les Paul, through the early 70s, the era of Gibson Guitars that everyone idolizes and loses their minds over, paying seemingly ANY asking price for their products of this vintage, Gibson used tiny frets. Not just tiny frets, but tiny frets that were leveled, and not crowned, so they are flat on top. This provided an intimate, easy playing feel for their target market, which was Jazz guitarists. EVERY SINGLE HOLY GRAIL VINTAGE GIBSON that you've ever seen sell for 5 and 6 figures came from the factory with tiny frets. That's what your guitar idols played on. That's what Jeff Beck's oxblood les paul came equipped with. And the voices clamoring for a return to the golden era characteristics of Gibson far, FAR overpower the voices wanting more modern Gibsons. So the market determines the product. The problem is none of you can be arsed to learn what you're actually asking for.

[@nellayema2455]

Great guitar made in my state about 3 hours from my home. It's kind of a bummer if they say that they are equipped with jumbo frets and they aren't. I don't need one, but I sure do want one! I prefer the plain top models these days.

[@uv77mc85]

the pickguard is ugly too. The fact is Gibson got everything right in the 50s. Any changes to that are not good

[@nellayema2455]

@@uv77mc85 Heritage can't do an exact copy. I don't mind the pickguard. I prefer an LP w/o a pickguard anyway, if the top's nice enough.

[@ronnienose8608]

​@@uv77mc85Well, except for the awful heel that restricts upper fret access. Then there's the headstock with the string pull to to sides that negatively affects tuning.

[@svgitana2499]

If you never played or pawned a Heritage guitar you are missing out!! I started with Gibson until a friend of mine showed me a heritage back in 2014…..sold my Gibsons and own 3 Heritage. Much better finish, stay tuned, don’t get scratched as easily as the Gibsons do and sound great! I’ve bought 2 Gibsons here in the last year since they said quality had improved but my Slash November Burst has developed long scratches on each side of the guitar (multiple ones) on the inside of the curbs and on on the face of the guitar by the pick up. Bought it in April and started to notice then in June. Bought it at Nashville Garage, I’m anal about my guitars so I know it wasn’t me. So far Gibson is washing its hands! So from now on I’ll will stick with Heritage 👍🏻

[@michaelknight4041]

​@@uv77mc85except the 6 digit price. Most people will welcome a change to that. I bought an h150 in 06 for 1100 bucks and I don't care about the shape of the headstock or pickgaurd while I'm playing it. The feel and the tone far outweigh any minor cosmetics

[@TwistedEnvyLive]

I agree 100% I love the look and its awesome but I hate small frets - I would need to refret out the box.

[@robroymenzies8641]

I bought my first Heritage H140 back in 1988. It's still a killer guitar!

[@AdvenJack]

The presenter comes across as very likable and truly honest. That's a big win for the audience.

[@johnnytruck2009]

The more i see it. The more i want one. Beautiful! Play authentic is spot on with the factory.

[@greythecat]

What a phenomenal review Phil, your videos always amaze me whether I agree or not, just great. I have several Les Pauls and once I got my aged Heritage H-150 I stopped chasing after my ideal LP. That was it. The tone is better, manufacturing quality was above and beyond my most expensive Gibson and stays in tune better than any other guitar I own. It's a real shame more people don't know they have such alternatives and your video is of great value and a service to the community.

[@johngerson7335]

You're right Phil, the pickups in that Heritage are _outstanding!_ They seem to have the balance and voice of those old PAF's, the sound that they acquire over lots of time and slight & slow de-gaussing. Many describe the sound as a "Tele-on-steroids" lol...

[@Scaredycat-dad]

Watched this live, I would definitely be interested if they would chamber their guitars because I could find nothing close to 7 1/2 pounds.

[@Scaredycat-dad]

@@jjclem8759 I looked at quite a few of them on Sweetwater’s site and they were all at 8 lbs. 10 oz. or above except for one Ebony and that was 8 lbs. 6 oz. I have neck and shoulder issues and something below 7 1/2 pounds would be ideal for me. All in all they are lighter than Gibson LP’s.

[@jezzer1969]

I don’t get why Gibson & Heritage think we want small frets. I’m 55 years old. I grew up playing Yamaha RGX’s and Ibanez RG560’s. I cut my teeth on jumbo fretwire & I’m sick of certain companies refusing to acknowledge this. If Heritage build a guitar with Jescar Evo gold jumbo fretwire. They can have my money. I don’t get why they put these little staples on guitars aimed at people who are now Gen X. We like jumbo frets.

[@scamwatchdog]

We are all different- I prefer smaller frets….

[@firemarshal2629]

Congrats, you may be Gen X but you sound like a boomer

[@jezzer1969]

You sound like someone who doesn’t know the instrument well enough to know what he wants. Perhaps you should practice more and leave the cheap keyboard warrior shots to someone wittier. Just calling people boomer as a random insult is just…it makes you sound like a simpleton.

[@kevinoconnor2921]

That's weird. -Thin fret wire SUCKS! If they're not stainless steel they still SUCK! Y'all can keep your puny frets.

[@HardTimeBluesCafe]

Companies need to start acknowledging you. You’re right.

[@TruthSurge]

Shame the frets are small because it really does impede the smooth ride if you love bending a lot. Maybe for that price you could just request med jumbo instead? That top looks great. I always preferred the look of those trapezoid inlays instead of the rectangular ones.

[@willrichtor]

And big frets suck for smooth legato phrasing. Everything is a tradeoff.

[@Case_]

That's really cool of Heritage to not only have no issue with you telling people you refretted the guitar, but actually making you a second one.

[@michael1]

The boomers paying $6k for a Gibson or a copy don't use the frets or care about the frets. It's like Jay Leno discovering that one of the cars he has stuck in a garage has a problem with the wipers - he's never going to use them.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

@michael1 Sorry what? I'm a boomer and I own a custom shop Les Paul and I play it everyday. Honestly you guys with your anti-Gibson memes are getting a bit tiring. With all due respect. If Gibson had never created the guitars they did, none of these other guitars would ever follow up. They were the original creators of these guitars for God's sake.

[@michael1]

@@Joe-mz6dc Don't be stupid. For sure, if Gibson had never created the Les Paul there wouldn't be a bunch of copies of it - but the idea there wouldn't have been guitars is too stupid even for a boomer.

[@Bluesy615]

I will say I've owned Gibsons, Epiphones, Schecters, BC Richs, ESPs/LTDs,Charvels,Fenders, Ibanezs,Washburn, my Gibson turned out to be a $1,400 POS

[@RockTelevision-vv1im]

@@Joe-mz6dc I agree, Gibson set the standard, and I still play them! But mine don't have the short frets, I understand people not liking that. But I get frustrated with people talking about Gibsons having tuning issues and stuff, and it's never been an issue to me. My Les Paul stays in tune as well as my Strat. And nothing sounds like a Gibson! Except a Heritage lol

[@Old_Sailor85]

That Heritage is a beautiful guitar. If I was in the market, it would be in the top. Sold most of my Gibsons, save one with P90s, and bought a cheap Agile. I had an Agile years ago and thought they were great for the $s. They still are. Real maple cap, good tuners, ebony board, nice binding, etc. Put some nice pickups in it and it's a great guitar.

[@douglasnielson8250]

I’ve been playing Heritage guitars for years. The Heritage headstock has a straighter pull on the strings and the guitar stays in tune better. Once the strings are broken in on either of my two H-150’s they rarely need to be retuned. I love the necks.

[@jameslanclos568]

3:20 - I'm always thinking of guitar designs and I came up with that pickguard design a long time ago. I also came up with and cut out the design of the Dean Cadillac before the Cadillac was introduced, LP shape on a 2" thick piece of wood I had lying around, but that was as far as I got with that project. I'm pretty sure that this happens to a lot of like-minded people though.

[@j7cc]

I appreciate your reviews. Great info. Thanks. ✌️🎶

[@hellodrjeckyl]

Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work, you can always hit them with it.

[@Tomekkplk]

Only the few but proud will know this line

[@richardpoole40able]

Sneaky Russian

[@TheMerc1950]

Jesus Tyrone, things come from behind when your in reverse!

[@turamvar]

London?

[@clubstylesporty1576]

protection from what? ze germans

[@danlawson3772]

Thanks Phil the truth is always smart!!! Great commentary!

[@thomassawicki2065]

Gibson is making great Les Pauls. I love my 2022 Les Pauls Standard AAA top with 57 Classic pickups, a special run from Sweetwater. It is perfect in tone, intonation, sustain , beauty, build quality, playabiity, versatility . I got it on discount at $2500.

[@lawrencekovalcik8848]

Dang sounds incredible great playing.. I may part with my O1 standard.. thanks for this.👍

[@TeleCaster66]

Started playing jumbo frets in the mid 80's and still do, I don't get why anyone would want tiny frets.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

Learned to play on a ‘77 Les Paul Deluxe with half worn but well crowned Low-Wide frets, as well as a ‘77 Les Paul Special Double cutaway with similar frets. I get along with frets of all types including Jumbos, but Low-Wides are my happy place.

[@craig.encinitas]

I would require stainless steel frets on a custom guitar. I’m gonna wear down nickel-silver tiny frets. I haven’t seen SS frets on any Gibson or Fender custom guitars.

[@ileutur6863]

Because notes bend out of tune with huge frets

[@zeusapollo8688]

I like tiny frets and have bought n sold guitars on that alone

[@frankwebster9110]

Thanks. Great demo. I'm not a fan of aggressive flames tops on LP Style body and low frets would be and issue for me as well. I love that Heritage is still kicking ass and building genuinely fantastic guitars. Thanks again!! I feel like Heritage would be the obvious choice over an Eastman as nice as they are.

[@usagi2988]

I have an H-150 Custom Core Gold Top w/ P90s and I absolutely love it. I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop R9 (actually spec'ed as a transition from R9 to R0, so with a slightly slimmer neck) and I absolutely think Heritage guitars are all that and a bag of chips. Agree about preferring chambered and/or slightly taller frets, but neither of those things were gatekeepers to me keeping my H-150.

[@MrLeavemikealone]

I like it for sure. The only thing that I see is the bookmarking isn't lined up like I would expect for something in that price range. I love the wider neck as I have big hands and have to really be careful on anything narrower than that.

[@worldwarmini3919]

It’s not bled in. The Original 59’s and the VOS were finished with a RED DYE, they weren’t painted on like contemporary models. Jumbo frets weren’t a thing a yet, these guitars are vintage spec .

[@dbfcrell8300]

Unfortunately, the second you walk out of the shop with that axe, it's instantly loses a ton of its value, much more than a Gib. Try to find a buyer for a used Heritage LP. Too much competition and the market is flooded.

[@BluesSky]

Theres been a Heritage for sale on my local Craigs list for four years

[@svgitana2499]

If you buy your guitars as an investment, you are doing it wrong!! People are idiots, they rather go for the trendy brand than the better guitar!! I gave up on Gibson and out of the 5 guitars I have 4 are Heritage and one is a Gibson Slash that is having issues with the finish!!

[@Shadowman-1960]

If you look at the wood back it's an inferior guitar to a Gibson.

[@GuyNAustin]

The issue of higher re-sale value of the Gibson is not as much of an issue as many want to make it, unless you believe lending money to Gibson for an indefinite period is a personal benefit. What I mean is, if you pay $3,000 more for the Murphy Lab compared to the H150 Custom Core, then you expect to get a lot more back when you sell it as a used instrument. But are you going to get the entire $3000 back when you sell it? I don’t think so. Let’s say the H150 Core is $4000 new, and the Gibson is $7,000. Later you sell them used - Gibson for $5,000 and the H150 for $2000. So your used Gibson sells for more than twice as much, but how much did it cost you to own each one? You paid $7,000 for the Gibson, sold it for $5000”, ultimately losing $2000 on the Gibson for period of time you owned it. You paid $4000 for the Heritage, and sold it for $2000, making the cost of owning either one the same. You simply gave Gibson an extra $3000 for the privilege of owning their guitar, compared to the Heritage. So, percentage wise, yes the Gibson retains more value on the used market, but at the end of the day, you’re still losing $2000 on either one. Furthermore, I suspect that the pool of potential buyers for your $2000 Heritage is a bit larger than the one looking to drop $5,000 on the used Gibson. I’ve seen some of these pricey Custom Shop Gibsons on Reverb that were posted more than a year ago.

[@willrichtor]

​@Shadowman-1960 If you look at everything else it's a superior guitar, and if you look at the wood back compared to 10 Gibsons, I would make a bet that it's a better piece of wood than at least 5 of them. You have no idea if you are claiming a Gibson Les Paul is superior to a heritage. Unless you're comparing a completely different animal, like an Alex Lifeson guitar with a Floyd Rose, the Heritage makes Pauls the way everyone CLAIMS they want Pauls made, in the old way.

[@carolyngreen60]

Awesome guitars made authentic at Kalamazoo. I want a LP jr. from heritage P-90s. Someday...

[@thisguy2973]

They at least make H150s with P90s now.

[@dalehicks6112]

Great sounding. Neck pickup is where it is at!

[@r.congelosi5649]

I have been on the fence about on of these , (H150 CS Gold Top) and after watching your video ( I am a subscriber) I will definitely pull that trigger. I am a single coil player about to defect and that was the decision to make. So thank you Phillip, I dig your channel and appreciate the info you share. RC

[@dreamscuba]

Great video. I tried the H150 standard with P90s. It’s a lovely guitar. Tone is wonderful. I too am not bothered with headstocks (mostly), but I also happen to love the Heritage headstock.

[@NinerFourWhiskey]

1998 H150CM in vintage faded sunburst here. Came factory with Duncan '59 pickups, nashville type bridge and standard stop bar tailpiece. It weighs just a smidge over 9lbs with Grover Rotomatics (heavy!) and heavy stop bar. Swapping an aluminum stop bar and vintage style tuners would put it under 9lbs.

[@GuitarGearGyan]

I have a Gibson Standard 2008 with weight relief and I love it. Can totally relate with the weight thing. Heritage seems to be really cool, doubt if Gibson would have done the same.

[@Brykk]

Im really glad i clicked on this video. My biggest complaints with gibson/epi is the weight and frets. If heritage were to offer the 7 1/2 pound version with tall frets, i would absolutely put it into consideration for future purchase. The only les paul style guitar i currently own is a prs, and its great. The mccarty 594 is what i currently measure the single cut, double humbucker (leas paul) style by.

[@Mark-ee8be]

Yup

[@mikedfurman]

A lot of the custom cores I looked at seemed in the 8lb range? That’s about the same as Gibson CS so not sure what the fuss is about.

[@jeffdunlap146]

Check out Swee Lee's Heritage Custom Core build 1215. It is chambered and has jumbo frets. Heritage took my order for one about a month ago, not sure if they still are. I was told the Custom Core shop is closed while they reorganize and this is the only one they are currently building.

[@jeffhurren4034]

@@jeffdunlap146 Interesting to har that. I asked the same (true custom shop) about 6 months ago with same response. Did they give you a turnaround time estimate on your build?

[@jeffdunlap146]

@@jeffhurren4034 Yes it’s done. Took about 8 weeks and I’m picking up at the factory on the 16th.

[@stephenmarsh3986]

If I was in the market for a high end LP style I would consider Heritage. The bridge pickup is much improved and the overall sound is really great. The weight is excellent (for me). I really like the headstock shape which also has the advantage of reducing the angle from the nut to the tuners, especially the D and G. The head angle also looks to be shallower. If it is that will help prevent it breaking from damage. Overall there are some really obvious practical design tweaks / improvements over Gibson which make Heritage a much better option and that's ignoring the price difference. I think the same can be said for G&L. Improvements were made to those designs by the original inventors. Great review. 🖖

[@paulyguitary7651]

I love the Heritage head stock, it’s the inverse of the Gibson open book headstock.

[@CountryBoyShane]

The quality of their guitars is at the top. But man, I could not get over the headstock.

[@alandenooyer9201]

Heritage frets are Jescar Medium Jumbo. Perhaps you prefer more of a Jumbo fret size. My orange Heritage 535 is close to perfect!

[@NomNomm6063]

Awesome review 👍 What is the deal with top wrapping the strings? Would you keep that one strung normally?

[@LP5369GT]

I had a 98 R8 with a baseball bat neck that I loved. It looks just like this top. Sold it years ago and have a plain top R8 that I also love. Superb looking guitar.

[@lukesteverything627]

I bought a limited edition H150 for about 3200 new. I agree about the frets but I love this guitar. It's the best in all respects and although I don't play it all the time I wouldn't part with it. The build quality is exceptional and it plays like a dream.

[@springertube]

I realize these are just two examples, and some of it may be lighting, but I much prefer the darker, "wetter" fretboard on the Heritage, almost ebony - always a good thing. The Gibson almost looks like pao ferro and all dried out. Also, on the Heritage, since there are so few nits to pick, I'll give the small stuff a go: tripping my OCD, the one feature I really do not like is that truss rod access cover. To me it is not elegant, and therefore not in keeping with the rest of the package. Other makes me have the same aspect, but for some reason standing out on this - looks like those screws need to be countersunk (or smaller) for one thing, but more than that, the bold outlined geometric shape shouts way too much for a feature that, IMO , should be much less visible. I'd look to replace that right off with a reconfigured, thinner-or no-outlined piece.

[@Jodyrides]

I know how you feel, exactly .. I have and have had gibson les paul/ guitar’s that I played for less than two hours total because I was afraid to put oils from my hands into the fretboard.. I was concerned about having it show ware pn the frets.. I was concerned about getting skin from my fingers when I play with my fingers on the body that could put tiny tiny scratches in the finish when I wipe it off.. I was also afraid to touch the bridge, tailpiece, pick ups with my fingers, putting hand oils and acids on them, causing tarnish to the finish.. I was afraid to take them out of the case in case I might bump them. I never took them on a gig… as a result, I bought several epiphone les Pauls that I didn’t have a lot of money invested in. And those are the guitars that I play. The gibson‘s are more or less investments that I hope will go up in value… they don’t feel any different from the gibson’s. They don’t sound any different to me, and I’m not considering getting an insurance policy rider that covers them like I have on my gibson’s… about 10 years ago I had a special order fender Stratocaster that my buddy since high school in the 1960s Bought right after he came home from Vietnam in the 70s. He said, if I live to get home, I’m buying myself a new Strat.. So he bought a special order stretch sort of a royal blue with a white pick guard, maple neck, and he had fender, locking tuners installed.. He never even opened an amplifier. He just always wanted a brand new Strat.. I don’t think he played it for more than an hour total. He just wanted to earn it. years later, he ran into financial problems, mainly because he met a single mom through a dating site with two older kids. She left him after the youngest one was off of his health benefits plan at work. Stuck him with a big Mortgage for the big house he had to buy five for his ready-made new family, he had to sell his car that he loved, he had to sell his motorcycle, and he was going to sell his Stratocaster to a coworker for his 11-year-old daughter to take a lessons to learn how to play the guitar.. I screamed at him on the phone, “you’re selling that guitar to me, not to that child”.. so I bought the guitar. And it was so perfect in the original case, it still had the original strings on it, and I was afraid to play it, because it was perfect… I finally convinced myself that it was useless to me, because it was just for lookin-not for playin- ended up, swapping it for a Gibson, Les Paul classic, that was also perfect. I ended up not playing that for about six years… until I swapped it for a Gibson, Les Paul, classic Ebony, P 90s. Now I’m not playing that one, especially that one, since it is all black, glossy, and scratch free… it’s just not worth having an expensive guitar when Les or Guitars are good enough.. By the way, my newest addition is a D Angelico guitar with pick ups that switch from being humbuckers to P 90s.. it is without a doubt, not even close, the most beautiful guitar I ever owned. Is a satin blue, shaped pretty much just like my gibson 335 excepted this guitar has no F holes.. No holes at all in The semi hollow Body, like a 335, not completely hollow.. It is also perfect, but I’m determined to play this one

[@artadrians]

I can see why you prefer taller frets...you play lightly on you finger tension..Great sounding guitar...thank you

[@vivamicmoo]

At time stamp 9:40 you sounded like you were about to play the lead intro from interstate love song! Beautiful guitar!

[@alsaxe]

the back has alot of sanding scratches..didn't they polish and use a machine glaze?

[@Obxhatman]

that heritage is damn hot man , that bridge pickup is warm , not overly warm , slight bit of treb and not muddy. The you hit that Hotter neck , I feel its almost exactly the same as the bridge but a tad bit more bass , and then they just made it about 125 percent hotter than the bridge. Astounding and rich sound on both pickups. Oh man those Little Wing vibes..........dude , killer guitar. Jimmi would be happy to play that over his strat.

[@jjulch]

Custom Core are intentionally lower weight, target is 8.5 pounds or less. Chambering isn’t necessary. A actually bought a standard model H150, frets must be different because they are large frets. Mine was a Sweetwater exclusive in Oxblood. I love how it plays.

[@potterman83]

Had one heritage, the 335 style. The guitar sounded good clean. For distortion was little bit muddy even when swapped with lollar humbuckers. The intonation wasn’t stellar in my opinion also. Tried tried but also after all these issues headstock and looks also ended up getting inside my mind. Lived in New York for a while and a lot of guys were trying heritage and lots of them sold them too.. that was like ten years ago and at the time they weren’t expensive as a Gibson but still a $2200 guitar. I understand they have their custom shop right now I will give em a go one day!

[@uweborsch1946]

Just change the tuner knobs to tulips, headstock looks great then.

[@rayjeeves8000]

Glad you are such an honest reviewer!

[@robertbartelt6032]

I have a Heritage H-150 standard. Found it used. Someone owned it for, like, three months and traded it in. Was in like new condition. I couldn't believe it. It is, without a doubt, the best guitar I have ever owned.

[@jeremydahm2124]

Sounds excellent with that bit of OD. Ive played some 2500 to 4500 Gibsons at the store but never was tempted. I'd love to try one of these in the 4k range. Gimmie the pups and lightweight. Keep the top.

[@Vermonster23]

That Les Paul has a special sound. It rings like a bell! What a beast.

[@igre0s]

Everything but the Headstock (Which I'm actually cool with, it has it's own thing) looks and sounds like what Gibson should be doing on their Traditional/Vintage Line. The fact that both you and Tim Pierce vouched for it and gave the SAME pointers tells me this is the guitar Gibson must be afraid of. Excellent video, as always.

[@jerrymckenzie1858]

The pickups sound really good! Bridge isn't harsh or nasal, neck has good clarity, not wooly.

[@bryantcochran5065]

Try a medium width, tall height fret job. Makes both gibson and heritage play really nice.

[@idiotburns]

4:41 Probably vintage thin 6320 are my favorite

[@jritechnology]

Paying $500 to add wear and tear to an instrument that if used like a guitar....would show the signs of anyways....just blows my mind.

[@thegolfingmusician6345]

Personally I like the headstock. Just think the truss cover could be a bit more ornate but that’s all nit-picking. Stunning instrument!!! I have a Les Paul Tribute that is chambered and 7.4 pounds. The guitar does everything a good LP should do. Great sustain and harmonic richness. Excellent intonation all over the neck. It’s my go to when I get calls for session work and a good humbucker tone is required.

[@christianboddum8783]

My LP 50's std. is getting Evo gold 57/110 (jumbo) as I write, I couldn't get on with the vintage frets. Luckily I had one batch of Evo frets, they are no longer available... Should be good.

[@MrSmiley1964]

Glad I saw this. I've been interested in Heritage for a while but haven't seen one to feel the neck. Thanks for answering some questions. I'm just glad you didn't say fretless wonder.

[@user-cd2cz3tv3u]

In shocked that for a chambered/ weight reliefived Les Paul, that it still came in at 7.5lbs. I got a Gibson 60s standard Unburst (great AA-figured top…looks like a mix between a lemmon burst and a honey burst lol great visually, had grover tuners, also the knobs personally i like better with the 60s reflective knobs (the sides match the body, but with the silver hardware, i find it looks like it matches up beauty. All that being said, my Non-Weight relief Gibson 60s LP standard unburst only weighs in at 8.5 lbs (been told i got lucky). Love the 60s slim profile neck vs rhe wider 50s style neck and i prefer the 50s alnico 2 BB’s vs the 61’ BB alnico 5’s, which i ended up swapping out for a new set of Seymour Duncan Slash 2.0 alnico 2 humbuckers (i guess what slash legit has in many of his guitars because he felt his original Seymour Duncan APH-2’s were slightly quieter then the newer SD slash 2.0’s…they sound like a pefect les paul fit, they handle gain and pedals great, but are not overkill and they also clean up nicely. Side note, i know my guitar and the 50s standard both have 50s style wiring & orange drop caps., ive only swapped the 61 BB pups for the SD slash 2.0’s and happy with the swap but the 61’ BBs do grow on you (mostly rhe neck pup). Also i would prefer if these ‘Med/Jumbo’ stock frets were a little taller, but theyre not low enough that it bothers me (i play with low action with a set or 9 guage strings). Overall i have a 2004 beautyful herritage cherry SG (490r/498t) which plays and also sounds great! Out of all my guitars, ive always been drawn to burst Gibson LP standards that are bursts & im very happy with mine and rhe pup upgrade…although i still feel easiest on my SG, but after 20 yrs, im not gonna feel as comfortable (eapecially playing high notes and having your hand get closer to the heel, takes a bit to get used to the harder accessability on the LP , but just love my new 2023 Lp, i really wanted a burst or thay honey/lemmonish type burst, snd i think the SD slash 2.0 alnico 2’s are an upgrade then the stoxk 61 burtbuckers. Really wanted my LP to have old school set up (2 proper sounding humbuckers with a simple 50s style wiring and no push pull or weight relief , etc). I feel like besieses my neck profille, i tried to find and swap pups ro make it feel and sound like a solid original burst

[@bluzzjazz]

I have two Les Pauls and 4 Heritages. Two are H-555s and one is a double cut. The H-157CM I have is a Custom, so their Les Paul. It stacks up in every way compared to my Gibsons. I think Heritage make a fantastic guitar and I'm glad I got mine before their prices started to climb!

[@gurleyz]

Is there a string gauge size that could counteract the small frets like those and make it feel more like a regular Gibson? I have a Mint Gibson Blueberry Burst Trad Pro V that came with super small vintage frets like that. I've never felt frets like them and I'm not sure I can ever get used to them. None of the Gibsons I own or have owned have ever had these tiny frets. The action is crazy low and easy and everything is Great about it except for the thin low frets. I got the guitar cheap at around $1,600 which is cheap because they retail for $2,500, so I'll likely try to trade up to another higher end Standard with more regular sized frets hopefully.

[@Tyrannocaster]

The frets on my '69 Gibson LP Classic (first year they reissued it, iiric) were so low that while I loved everything else about it, I found it to be not so great for rock and I sold it in '79. The original LP Customs were called "fretless wonder" for a reason; back in the 50s people were using wound third strings and they just didn't bend notes that much. With that setup you could get incredibly low action, and at the time that was a bragging rights point. But when Gibson reissued the guitar, it came with the original paper-thin frets. AFAIK, the only guitars with lower frets were the original Mosrites, and I had one of those too, and found it pretty difficult to play for that reason. I hope Heritage takes your suggestion seriously.

[@jamesromanski8508]

For a guitarists wih vicegrip fingerings, instead of a light touch, would the low frets help mitigate pressing chords out of tune?

[@stevegore4504]

Good honest review. I love it.

[@heavymetalnewsdesk]

I've got one of those vietnamese emeral IYV les pauls and it's got a wider cutaway too, but you can't really tell unless you put it next to a gibson les paul standard. it's definitely easier to play though

[@edwardgrassel872]

Phil - I JUST picked one up, and these frets are tiny, the standard h150 frets are actual medium jumbo, these are not. If you have a contact at Heritage that I could ship mine to, to get refretted I would truly appreciate it. I have both standard and custom core and the fret difference is night and day.

[@cechichan]

What i don't like firstly about Heritage, is that back, on every guitar they have that very very red back with no details in the wood, its smth i care about after a certain price range, wished they did smth different with the back

[@woodardcsw]

I absolutely like that color and design of the head stock , the sound is nice and warm amazing guitar

[@seancollins3106]

I LOVE the red back with dirty lemon burst!! one of my local shops (twin towns guitars) has about a dozen heritage guitars on their wall... they are FANTASTIC. lower frets don't bother me at all as I have a '78 deluxe "fretless wonder"!! one of those might be mine one of these days...

[@timaves1504]

Can you buy those pickups separetely? I’ve got a 2005 Standard which needs better pickups. It has had the original pickups replaced with Duncans, with one on the magnets flipped in the neck pickup to do the Peter Green thing. It’s a cool enough sound, but not one I’ll use enough to want to keep.

[@roofkorean6948]

I'm in the market for a Les Paul but can't spend over 1,000 and I'm not sure what to go with. I'm considering either a PRS SE Singlecut McCarty594, a used 2023 Epiphone '59, or a used Gibson Tribute. I'd like the newer Epiphone '59 model with the updated pickups, headstock and VOS finish, but I can't justify 1,300 for one and I doubt it'll show up for 1,000 on Reverb anytime soon so I'll probably go with one of the other 3 models I listed. That same price barrier is also why when I was recently in the market for a Les Paul with a Floyd Rose, I bought a used discontinued Epiphone Plus Top Pro/FX for 600 on Reverb instead of 1,300 for a new Ruby Alex Lifeson model from Sweetwater. I really wanted the Lifeson model, but 1,300 for a Chinese Epiphone is too much. Unless the ruby finish is made with actual rubies, or they're paying Alex Lifeson considerably more than they did with the previous model, I just don't see how they can justify that price. I can understand 1,300 for the new Epiphone 355 model, or maybe even for the new Les Paul with VOS finish, but not when the guitar still has Epiphone pickups, even if it does have a Floyd Rose. A Floyd Rose doesn't cost nearly as much as those $500 Gibson pickups from the newer Epiphone Les Pauls.

[@timothycormier3494]

I like that there are no fret nibs. I love the look of fret nibs. But I don’t like that they crack and break off over time. Or did this guitar come with fret nibs and they took them off with the re fret?

[@duwayneengelhardt3291]

After hearing the bridge pickup- sounds like a Tele - the tone is what I hoped for from my LP Signature. I may have to sell my 120 th Anniversary LP and get one. Thanks for the Demo.

[@flapjack413]

I found it funny that you found the Fender headstock shape ugly, but don't mind the Heritage headstock. While I'm not a big fan of the small Strat headstock, I love the oversized Fender headstock from the late 60's/70's, and the Jaguar headstock shape. However, for me the Heritage headstock shape is a deal breaker. I also like smaller, more vintage sized fretwire. I've refretted a number of my guitars that had jumbo frets with Stewmac 0148 fretwire (.039" crown height x .084" wide), and also use it on all of my personal builds. Different strokes for different folks I guess!

[@gben2457]

I have a Dean LP copy with jumbo frets and hot pickups. Plays like a dream and cost me nothing. It was gifted. Plus it has a great heel joint. It has replaced my Gibson Les Paul. It's made in South Korea. You never know.

[@seanmurphy26]

I'm pretty sure there is no standard sizes for fret wire. Every company has their own sizes on description, medium jumbo Jescar could be a different size to what heritage or Gibson is using. I know this, because I just refretted my Squier with Jescar EVO Gold Jumbos..

[@seanmurphy26]

The Jescar Jumbos were smaller than the Stewmac Jumbos.. Plus EVO Gold is now unavailable to obtain in the united states, due to material sourcing etcetera.. but Stewmac has their own gold frets made in their own alloy, that looks more brilliant..

[@seanmurphy26]

The Jescar fretwire is smaller than the Stewmac fretwire. EVO Gold is no longer available in the United States, due to the inability of sourcing the materials. Stewmac has gold fret wire made in their own alloy, which actually looks more brilliant than the Jescar..

[@geraldwelch8117]

What is that metallic red/orange guitar to the left???

[@gtr1952]

I just love the tone of that guitar! The bursts, 1957-1960, when they got the design sorted, were some of the best sounding guitars ever. The "wood buyer" for Gibson had found a large quantity of mahogany harvested in the 1890's. So the bursts were built with ~70 year old mahogany to start with!! There was even some left, and a guy bought it at auction. I think his name was Max or something like that? He built some guitars from it, and turned some of it into "kit's", that some reputable luthier bought and built. There is a great video at the NRG channel, where Norm and the other burst brain trust explain all that. Sorry this got long, if your still here thanks for reading!! 8) --gary