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While at PSP, I was checking out a few guitars, but since I had to get over to the VFW, and had little room in the car there was no time to sit down with Mike and discuss things. So yesterday, I gave him a call and now there will be a new addition to the family.....

Hi All! I write for Buddy Guy's Legends "BG Blues and Music News" here in Chicago and my recent interview with Ren Wall went up today. Thought many of you would enjoy reading it. Thanks everyone! https://www.bgbluesnews.com/post/ren-wall-ren-aissance-man-of-music

I've had this guitar for years, and the more I play it, the better it sounds. To be honest, that applies to all the guitars I own, they're all great as I tend to avoid impulse buying: I'm a professional guitarist, so quality is of paramount importance, but this Heritage is something else! The serial number tells me that it was made in 2000. I've had it since 2004, and the only changes I've made are a set of OX4 'Beano' pickups and a Shadow pickup ring tuner, as I like to stay in tune(!) but this guitar excels even in that department: once it's tuned, it stays that way forever, no matter how wild the bends!!! Anyway, after I'd used it regularly for years, it ended up in storage for the last three years, as I ended up playing other guitars, all of which really served the purpose I have to admit, however a few days ago I took it back home, and I'm delighted to say it's by far the best Les Paul, not only in my collection but also the best I've ever had the pleasure of playing, and that includes some very expensive vintage "Holy Grails"! Playability, resonance, range of tones, and ultimately looks, it ticks all boxes. This is one guitar I'll never part with, that's for sure.

The lighting in my office was just right this morning.

I finally was able to spend some time with the Heritage tonight. I took off the factory 10s, put on a fresh set of 9s and did a full setup along with fretboard conditioning. This H157 displays all the signs of Heritage’s top tier quality and construction. Fit and finish are great!! Fret work (PLEKED from the factory) is great too!! Electronics are also great quality. Low friction pots. Switchcraft toggle and jack. Heritage pickups. I don’t know the specs on these new Heritage pickups. They call them 225 Classic Hot Pickups. To me, they sound like an Alnico 4 or 5. They sound really good!! The neck is a beefy 50s carve. Feels great. Not a baseball bat. Only 8lbs 6ozs! So light for a 157! Tone and playability are both superb. Warm, rich tone. It’s an amazing guitar!!

I read a ton of stuff about the newer ones having better quality control and from what I've seen I guess that is true. But like others have said on here, I just feel a real heart and soul connection to the guitars that were built pre-2015. There's just something about that group of guys that came out of Gibson building those, and it's just a whole different thing. I'm not saying the new ones are bad. They're incredible actually. I have played several and every one of them is top notch and stellar! But the old ones definitely have more of a "hands-on" feel, versus a "automated, quality controlled" feel in 2025. Again, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but everything pre-2015 just feels like it was more of a "hands-on" kind of a thing, even if there are some bumps and bruises along the way on some of them. I guess I'm calling that character! LOL. Kind of a different topic, but I am still upset that the "Ascent" line came out and has the full-on Heritage logo on it, just like all of them have for years. I totally get creating a line made overseas to compete with that market, but I wish "Ascent" would have been at the top of the headstock in big letters and maybe just put "By Heritage" on the truss rod cover or something. But it is what it is at this point.....

I don't need to! FedEx said that it was scheduled between 12:40 and 2:40. I got to the doctors office a bit early, and got in right away. I was out and home by 1:20. The truck showed up at 2:08, so it all worked out. I gave it a couple of hours to cool down from the FedEx truck (it was almost 90 around 1:00). I've tuned it up and made a slight adjustment because the low E was buzzing from fret 5 to about 12. Give it a day or two at tension, and I'll check the relief and set the final action. The rest of the strings were fine. I gave it a quick workout with some Sultans of Swing and Come On Part 1. So far, so good. It's a nice weight, and well balanced.

I was DEFINITELY NOT in the market for a new guitar!!! I had just sold an extraordinary H157 to a good friend of mine a couple months ago, so I knew how awesome these new Custom Core H157s are. Then I go poking around on the Sweetwater’s website, looking at what new Heritage Guitars they’ve got in….and I see it A beautiful SILVERBURST H157!! And is was a demo! Normally a $4400 guitar, marked down to $3200!!! Only 8.5 lbs!!! ”I really can’t afford this”. “I really don’t need it” Throw common sense into the wind….i had to get it. More pics and a full review to follow!!

It’s difficult to express how much fun it is to visit the MuZeum. Being back to back with PSP helps to draw parallels. If you like amps, a trip to the Z-Fest is mandatory. It is every bit to amps that PSP is to guitars. Good people, great sound, good times! IIRC, RJSanders said: “Boutique amps for boutique guitars! Many Thanks to Jaguarguy and the folks of ZTalk!

hey amazing! great article the truss rod history with his father Rem chamfering the nut was fascinating, I never knew about that! And it's funny: I never knew the development history of Bigby's, but after I got my first one I wondered why they didn't just drill holes in the roller bar. Now I know the answer: they did originally, but strings were breaking and Ren came up with the fix they still use. Thanks for writing/posting that. Here's to The Honorable Ren-aissance man!

Mahogany

True that. From the newer H guitars I’ve seen/played in the wild (full disclosure- i have not purchased one manufactured under new management), QC and consistency has improved with modern methods and technology. They are very good guitars. However…. Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky, but of the 10 or so Heritage models I’ve owned over time (i currently have three) and the dozens i have found in store or private hands and tried out of curiosity or thinking to buy, I have never played or owned a bad older one. Yes, even on the extra special ones and the keepers Ive spotted some inconsistencies or minor imperfections due to the nature of the process, or there might be a loose wire, faulty switch, or other fixable issue, but I’ll tolerate that (to a point) for the craftsmanship and overall human quality of the instrument. Maybe it is the appeal of the Heritage lore and history, maybe it is the community I’ve found with you all, but like most of us here at HOC there is something about the story and minor imperfections that come with the human artisan/craft touch that i love. I know it sounds romanticized, but It adds something, a warmth, a life quality, or some other better word descriptor that one might imagine. Besides, the more modern, slimmer necks are not for me. Maybe I’m just an old guy who prefers older styles. I have a Korean made Comins chambered/semi-hollow that is a superb instrument, flawless in many ways in terms of the fit and finish (Bill Comins does the final set up and QC check himself- a very good guy based on my interactions with him), consistency of the neck carve, binding, etc. but that one too has had problems with selector switch, tuners, and pickup wiring. Bottom line is that the H’s get the by far most play in my house and gigs. Plus i love telling the H story when people ask about the guitar - it happens at every gig. All of my Heritages are from decades gone by. None are made in the last 20 or so years. Just one person’s story…

Oh yeah, a bad customer service situation can lead to sore apples, but if I had to be limited to one brand of pickups I would say Throbak are the most consistently in line with what I want to hear. The guy just seems to have that low output PAF thing down. I have heard other brands of pickups that get there, but not as consistently as Throbak, especially the SLE101. With Lollar Imperials I thnk the low winds are the closest to what I like. And I'm also a fan of Wolfetone Legends. Speaking of bad customer service, Tyson Tone Lab pickups, especially his Precious and Grace pickups, are also fantastic, BUT, that guy consistently takes forever to get you your pickups, many people have complaints about him and have cancelled orders.

les paulverizer that's a beautiful H150! nice top figuring too I agree every time I grab one of my Heritage's I get wowed by the quality, feel & sound of the instrument. Last night I had a similar epiphany with my H157: pulled it out & thought "damn, I need to play this more often!" It's a mahogany top that has aged enough that the woodgrain is now textured into the nitro lacquer. Or the reverse. Whatever, it looks great. This thread has me inspired me to pull out the H150

Having just been through the factory 2 weeks ago, things are a bit more modern, but it's still a relatively small operation compared to a Fender, Gibson, Cort or World Music. There aren't any conveyor belts carrying a hundred guitars around the building. What you see is people at benches with a guitar, maybe 2 people in the spray booth with a rack of 15 or 20 guitars hand spraying the guitars as they did for decades before. On one side, there's a guy hand wrapping binding with a half dozen guitars hanging next to him as the binding. My oldest Heritage is an 87 H140, and my newest is a 2025 H-530 that I got yesterday. I play all my old ones, I'm sure I'll play this one just the same. I love 'em.

Thank you! Yes, certain guitars are, as you say, "just right". I have a Telecaster, an American Ultra one, that is just perfect and even when other people play they just go "oh yes...!" Heritage guitars are very much a cult thing, at least here in the UK they definitely are, and when I pull it out some guys are always amazed and captivated by it, one esteemed luthier in particular even asked me if I really knew what I had there!!!! Of course I do! Now Heritage has changed hands so I don't know how things are, but back then when my H150 was made it was still very much a small, almost family-type operation, and the care, craftsmanship and expertise were second to none, and it definitely shows...

Way to go, Rich! My first H was a 530. I bought a 535 with the same finish as your 530 and it just arrived today!

Back in 2017 at PSP, Zach Avery played several tunes in the shipping area. Zach was working at Heritage at the time. He was a damn fine player. I happened to run across this video of his band at Chicago Music Exchange. He's STILL a damn fine player...

I hold a gathering of around 20 people every summer at my place in Ann Arbor for members of the Dr. Z Forum to come and try out my Dr. Z amps. I just might have the largest collection of Dr. Z amps in the country (according to Dr. Z). I've had several of members of the HOC that have attended prior get-togethers here. I'm making the same offer this year. We usually get started around 10 a.m. and shut down when the last person leaves (last year it was after midnight). Dr. Z (Mike Zaite) himself will be attending this year and bringing at least 2 of his new amps - the recently released Z-40 and the soon to be released "PHD" (a mash-up of vintage Fender Princeton, Fender Harvard and Dr. Z tones (hence "PHD"). It's a 10 watt KT66 single ended power tube, a 6SL7 octal pre-amp tube, and 5U4GB tube rectifier. I'll provide a lunch, snacks, and soft drinks/water. If you're a Heritage purist, you can either bring your own guitar or use one of my Heritages. If you're interested just drop me a note here and I'll send you more details.

There are a few collector's items. 1. The Little One 2. Marvbird 3. Roy Clark first edition 4. Johnny Smith 5. David Paul 6. Millennium Eagle 2000 What's difficult about Heritage is that they did a ton of one offs. No one can own the who group of collectibles. And I wish I could get my Millenium Eagle 2000 back.

^^ Thanks everyone! ^^

It's always a good day when you you have an email from fretfiler42 in your in basket! Great conversation! Thanks for sharing.

That is just a superb guitar Brent! You need to take the oath to never sell that one, 8lbs 6oz is insanely light for an LP custom style guitar, and as we age that becomes more and more important. Enjoy your new beauty!

Y'know, the amp has a little bit to do with the tone of a guitar, too!

Well you've always loved Silverbursts, so there you go. Way to go on the score Brent!

Thanks for the kind words! Hopefully you can make it! Doc will have some new stuff there so it should be a fun day!

Why not post the photos in color? 😀Post a report when you receive it please.

Back away from the keyboard.

Unlike most people that have posted above, I have seen the quality issues on my own Heritages, and I've heard about many quality control issues wih pre bandlab Heritages. One of my good friends was a dealer for Heitage. and he told me some stories about how many bad ones came through his store. And of my 3 H150s that I own(ed), two of them had nut and fret issues that had to be addressed before I could get the action down low enough to where I like it. And I had to sand out more than a few file marks. When I see the term "Golden Age" referring to pre bandlab Heritages, I just roll my eyes. For the people that got good pre band lab ones, that's great, but for those us who have had to deal with the issues on the older ones, it was a pain. I originally got into Heritages, because I'm a serial modder with pretty good guitar repair skills, and I figured they were so cheap at the time, if I had to do a little work on one, it was worth it. And I really liked the wood on them, they sourced some nice Honduran mahogany, Eastern flamed maple, and Indian Rosewood. And if you were patient, you could find a good one with a decent low weight. But those low prices are history now, so if I was to buy an older Heritage, I would demand a return window. That said, the H150s I have now are good to go, and with the way I modded them, they are great guitars. And he H535 P90 that Kuz sold me was set up really great, and I knew it would be a good guitar, because it was Kuz, who's a straight shooter, and he would never sell me a guitar that was sub par.

I'm not sure if this is unusual or business as usual. When Marv wanted to show me how the figuring would look when my guitar was finished, he spit on the flame maple top and rubbed his spit in. Flamed maple top looked Fab, ha.

My record is zero defects out of the five I've owned. Nothing whatsoever. All products of the previous management.

Do be contrarian, I think throbak are consistently one of the best sounding pickups made. They are very similar to OG PAFs in the sense that are microphonic, and if you're going to use a high gain amp, they are going to be touchy. I've had to remove a cover and put a bid a silicone on one coild to tame a bridge pickup. But back in the 70's many people pulled real PAFs out of their guitars for the same reason. But I have never had a Lollar that sounds as good as a Throbak. And I have played way more examples than most people of Imperials and SLE101s. My number one Teye guitar has Imperials in it along with two other Teyes I've owned.

And the waiting begins.....

Thinking about the pickups, if the guitars were late 60s or early 70s, they probably had Gibson T-Tops. Guys like Seymour Duncan and Larry Dimarzio didn't really start making after market pups until around 72 or 73. As to how they were made, according to this article, they would be Alnico 5 with polyurethane coated wire ~7.5 ohms. That's pretty much the SD-59 recipe, isn't it. https://musicalilluminism.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/vintage-gibson-humbucker-specs-and-general-pickup-tech/

And here he is wringing out a Custom Core 150

But, but, but.... you already have a nice H535. Oh, I get it now. Your red one doesn't have P90's. Excellent snatch. I think when you get it you might want to shine it up some.

Back in the club. I had to sell my H-150 Vintage Wine Burst about 6 months ago and immediately regretted it. I recently found another Vintage Wine Burst, this time a 2009 H150 and I am happy again. It needed some TLC as a number of things were not working, switch, pots and the pickups had been swapped out. I completely stripped the guitar and used Virtuoso cleaner and polish to buff out a fair amount of scratches. I had a pair of Seymour Duncan double creams and thought it would be a nice contrast to the darker burst and they seem to match the binding well. I added aged Faber hardware to allow the pickups and reflector knobs to pop. I also removed the pickguard to show off the top, because why should that top be hiding behind a boring piece of plastic. The guitar weighs an impressive 8.4 pounds and has a nice authentic and woody tone. Out of curiosity, does anyone know why the burst is so wide on these? My previous VWB from 2017 was more of a typical burst around the edges only. This one seems to graduate almost to the center of the guitar.

And another for good measure. 😂

You're always welcome here Greg. Just let me know when you want to come back!

@brentrocks...I really like the new look. Very cool silverburst H157!!

Great article. I read every word. BTW, I enjoy your YouTube channel too!!!

This IS music to my ears! Big week coming up; guitars And amps! Thank You Jaguarguy.

You're welcome! Thanks so much!

Great interview! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Cool lights in the guitar cubby! Silver burst is definitely unique and had your name all over it.

Yep! Absolutely! Funny, but I should really know better than to describe a certain tone that I'm hearing for any given product, for every time I do someone will have a difference of opinion. But yet, often times amps, types of guitars, effects, strings, or even the actual player himself never become part of the conversation. The fact of the matter is that tone is very subjective, and there are simply too many variables involved for us all to arrive at the same conclusions.

It’s here!! OMG ITS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL But I have to go to a 50th birthday party Maybe I’ll get it switched over to 9s and setup tomorrow night? STAY TUNED…..

Great score Brent! Every one of us knows what you just experienced, we've been there many times ourselves. Enjoy!

Stock market has been good to me lately, solved the "dilemma" and purchased both! Time for a cold 🍺