zguitar71

I have read so many arguments about wood making a difference, the discussions seem to fall apart into chaos and anger. I’m not sure how anyone could argue with Terry Mcinturff though. I also firmly feel wood plays a huge role in the sound of the guitar and feel of the guitar. It is why I love my 150 so much, it is a joy to play plugged in or not. It is a joy to thump the neck with my finger and hear what it sounds like. When the guitar sounds great unplugged or just tapped on with a finger it will definitely sound great with good hardware, electronics and a great amp. They all come together for a killer sound. I play all my guitars unplugged the majority of the time. When I plug them in they all translate the unplugged sound and feel into the amp. I don’t use pedals and all my amps are fender derived so not super high gain and I think that really allows the guitar to express itself. Each one has its own character but they are all LP derived.

I’m a firm believer in the wood of a guitar does mater. I also find I prefer the sound of my 9.25 lbs 150 to any other LP I’ve played or owned which includes a PRS, G brand, Collings, Tokai and Eastman. I still have the Tokai and the Eastmans. The others were all lighter weight guitars and they were more resonant or louder acoustically but the actual tone wasn’t the bell like ring on the bottom end that I really love about the 150 and every note has the same intensity. That quality comes out through the amp, the Collings was close but not quite there. I have been lucky enough to play 2 Black Beauties, a ‘59 and a ‘60. Both were heavy probably upper 9 to 10 pounds and triple pickups. I passed on buying the ‘59 in 1988 for $1000 (if I could only reverse time) and the ‘60 I played in 2019 at a local shop with the $60k price tag hanging on it. The ‘60 was just dull. I would not trade the 150 for either of these guitars. I would love to get my hands on one of the limited run 157s with the p90s, I’ve always had an attraction to the black customs.

I completely agree that G’s LPs have changed over the years. Just taking a standard model, the Norland difference is huge, many had 3 piece maple necks. If they put on a blindfold and played a mid 70s LP with a pancake body and maple neck would they say it doesn’t sound like a LP or would they gush over how great and perfectly LP it sounds. It really is ludicrous to think the branding on a headstock could make a difference in tone on otherwise identically built guitars.

Yes, I agree the pickups have the biggest influence on the sound of the guitar. The 225 pickup are a bit bright so possible that is what gave the impression that it doesn’t sound like a LP.

I recently watched a blind test video that Andersons loves to make. This one had 11 different versions of the classic LP type guitar. One of the guitars included is a Heritage CC H150, the tester Rob has good things to say about the guitar, calls it “Les Pauly” but does say it doesn’t sound like a Les Paul. I have not found this in my life, I can’t tell the difference. I can tell a difference from one guitar to the next within G branded LPs and the same is true with Heritage but they all have the same classic LP sound though different flavors of it. If the Heritage has a unique sound then is there a “Heritage” sound? Rob plays the Heritage at 7:34 into the video.There is a review at the end of the video and he talks more about the 150 having a different sound. Mostly I take this with a grain of salt but why not have a discussion about it? Does only a G brand LP sound like an LP? This is eluded to in the video. Heritage

I had no idea they ever made a guitar like that! I googled it, it a really cool guitar. It’s time to bring it back.

How about the 137? That should come back and have a Jr version too, single and double cut. For something completely different there could be a set neck guitar that covers the Tele thing. Long scale, similar pickups and controls and woods but a 3x3 headstock and maybe a 10 degree angle.

Static, as others have said. I removed the plastic pick guards from my guitars and no more static issues. I had a special that was really bad with this, the removal worked for me. There must be a way to keep the plastic from building static. Remove yours and see if it still happens if it doesn’t then the search for the remedy can begin. I would imagine copper tape with a lead to the ground wire might work. Idk.

For jazz I think the neck pickup reigns supreme. The formula is more important than who the builder is imo. I like Wolfetone because I can have them build as I like and they are not too pricey. Two recipes I would go to are lower winds with the impedance in the low 7s. One way to go is with an A3 magnet, more airy sound, very clean and not muddy at all, more crisp but in the neck this is ok imo. They are fairly weak but that is ok for jazz. Next I think A2 magnet are great for a bit of a scooped sound and kind of slappy, more character, a little darker than A3s and more powerful but not muddy or overwhelming. These are great for soloing. OK, I said two but here is three. Same wind but A4, more even, drier tone. This is nice for chord melodies, imo. So the type of playing can be important to the decision. for the bridge I would go with an upper 7 ohm wind with an A2 magnet, not too bright and great for soloing. I love A2 in the bridge for all electrics with the difference in the wind.

That is the result of not wax potting a pickup, they are sensitive to being tapped with a pick or when the switch is flipped or can make a signal from being talked loudly into and the vibrations associated with that. I don’t have potted pickups in any guitar and they all do this. The pickups vary from Wolfetone Legends in an Eastman, original P90s in a ‘57 ES225 to Tyson Tonelab P90s in an H150, and Throbak P90s in a Tokai Special. The best part of the times we live in are the guitars and accessories that go with them. We are living in an era with some of the best guitars ever built, some of the best hardware, best pickups and on and on. I’ve had the good fortune to play quite a few vintage guitars in my life. Some were worth peanuts at the time and I didn’t buy them, if only I could see the future. I never bought a double cut JR but played so many in stores when they were a cheap guitar. I just played an Eastman SB55dc and it was every bit as good as any 58-60 I’ve ever had my hands on. The magic in all these guitars is a good piece of wood, hardware, pickup and good craftsmanship. All of that is plentiful currently. I was just in Rudy’s Music in NYC and they had a ‘59 Jr. for a mere $27k. What?! For me the vintage market is no longer about superior tone, it is only about coolness and history. If I was rich I would buy as many as possible but I’m not and it isn’t an issue because I can literally buy a new or used newer guitar at does it just as well.

For about $750 less you can skip the fancy case and get a padded envelope with a set of Wolfetone pickups in it and start ripping it up. Also if you don’t like the A4 sound you can re-authenticate them with a set of rough cast A5, 2, 3 or 8 magnets from Philadelphia Luthier for $7.95. I assure you these magnets were scientifically analyzed. Most people would benefit more from the Wolfetones and spend the $750 on guitar lessons.

I bought an Eastman SB57 this summer and I started playing it more than the Heritage for a while. The newness and because it is a really good guitar lead to it being the guitar that I played through the gig and the heritage was backup. I played my last two gigs with the Heritage because I felt guilty, like I betrayed my friend and all the reasons that I love the guitar flooded back and it’s the number one like it has been for the last 12 years. Sometimes when you love someone else for a bit you realize why you love the one your with.

I could not agree more, I always change the pickup in any guitar I buy to non potted. If I’m in the market for a guitar I assume the cost will be a few hundred more for a new set of unpotted pickups.

I’ve never heard that a relic’d guitar sound more open or better than a non relic’d one before. I can say that with about 40% of the finish rubbed off my 150 neck it does sound different now than when it was new. When I move my hand over the bare areas or scratch my fingernail on them it is louder than on the non bare areas. The guitar is more open than before but is that from the finish wear or the play time over the years and many hours of vibrating in front of a loud amp? Maybe a combination? It makes sense that a factory aged guitar could have more resonance and openness. I’ll never sport a guitar that wasn’t aged through real life and preferably from my real life; however, I do like to look at some of them because when done right they are quite beautiful.

I’ve never played a Don Grolsh but I’ve always wanted to. It’s probably a killer guitar.

I have a 2011 H150 Goldtop with p90s. I love the guitar and cannot imagine that there is a better guitar for me out there. I have no doubt the CCs are killer and I’ve play a few at a shop about a year and a half ago. They are very nice but they were not tonally better than mine, not worse either but different. I don’t subscribe to lighter is better. I feel that each individual guitar is its own beast and deserves to be played and judged and passed up or bought based on sound, playability and looks and for me it is in that order. My guitar is 9.4 pounds so it isn’t light but it sustains, resonates and has a very natural reverb to it that comes through the amp. My advice is to play the guitars (if you can) and try to decide which one is the best for you without letting the higher end appointment affect your thoughts. If you can have someone else play the guitar acoustically so you can hear them that is a great way to go. I would buy either one as long as it does it all the way I want it too. Either way they will both be excellent guitars as far as construction is concerned.

I’ve always like his videos and abilities and of course I like this one. I also like that he put a plane Jane painted standard in the video too. Showing the other end of the spectrum is nice, there is still a great guitar available if you can’t afford the high end.

Very cool! Nice set up.

Oh man! A P blue CC would pair well with my Goldtop. I love that Heritage is really upping their game. On a side note, my band opened for Artur Menezes this summer, he’s a bit of a bad ass. It’s not just his playing, he sings well and writes some good tunes too.

I’m always no on a pick guard. They are just in the way.