RockingCPA Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi guys, I recently bought an H-150 from the guys at Sylvan Music. I also own a LPR9 1959 reissue and a 2003 LP Standard Premium Plus in Honeyburst (and 13 other non-Les Paul style guitars & basses). I love the H-150. It's almost as good as the R9 and better than the standard. i bought to have something go gig with that would have something close to the sound and sustain of my 1959 reissue that I wouldn't be afraid to take out of the house. I changed the tuners to Tonepros Kluson style with 15:1 gear ratio. I prefer the looks and it's staying in tune better than with the Grovers (might need a little nut work, too). I pulled off the pickguard and I'm thinking of adding the plckup selector ring and changing the vintage gold top hats and a creme or vintage pickup selector knob. Any opinions about that are welcome. Below are a few pics. I'm an OK photographer (a novice), and was too lazy to set up my lights. Maybe I'll take some more soon. Happy to be part of the club. ;D Bob http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/HeritageH150c.jpg[/img] http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/HeritageH150a.jpg[/img] http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/HeritageH150b.jpg[/img] http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/HeritageH150d.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentrocks Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 WELCOME BOB!!!!! that is a beautiful Heritage you have there!!! Stick around and have some fun...it is a phenomenal group here!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmikdebriis Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi... and welcome. A little bit of advice... Ignore my posts, I usualy talk shi*e Enjoy ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Seacup Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome to the Club! Great looking guitar. I think gold knobs and a cream switch tip to match the pup rings is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacques Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Nice tiger with that panther background! I think some here are interested in you experience as a G*** (mentioning the brand name of your other LP's will definitely lower your Karma, both on this forum and in your real life) Les Paul user in comparison with this new Heritage. At least I am. What are the actual differences in everyday playing. Of course you will need some time with the new axe, but I for one am curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundersteel Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome! Nice flame on that 150! I'm curious as to why you changed out the Grovers--I've never had any problems with mine; I also prefer them to the Klusons. But to each his own! Why do you want to install a pup selector ring and cover up that gorgeous wood? Just curious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulk1 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hey Rockin', welcome to the club. I'm going to second Mr. Seacup's opinion on the tip to match the pup rings. And suggest a big NO on the selector ring. I like the tuners you put on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golferwave Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome to the HOC! That's a beautiful H-150! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazwell Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hey rocking!!! Gorgeous H-150, never seen one that shade before. Also, the tuners are a very nice touch. BIG QUESTION THOUGH......here's a quote from your orginal paragraph (you will see using quotes around here a lot BTW): It's almost as good as the R9 I think I speak for many of us who caught these seven little words. If you could, please explain what are tonal differences between the two that give the R9 the edge. I know you have a much fatter neck on that R9 which many folks claim adds to the tone. BTW what kind of pickups are on that H-150? Also, what pickups are on the R9? Welcome aboard!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitArtMan Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome and bee-yew-tea-full geetar!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthpawGuy Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi and welcome to the HOC. I really like the tiger stripe on your 150, it looks very nice indeed. I don't have a solid body Heritage myself but I do have a LP standard, I too would be interested to know the tonal differences between your LP's and the 150. Regards ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Welcome to the HOC, Bob! Nice 'un! You're not suffering at all having to take that one out to gig with, are you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitfiddler Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hello and Welcome!! What pickups are in your very sexy H150? Duncans? I noticed the empty Schaller screw-holes in your pickup rings and assumed something else was in there. It seems some want to Gibson-ize their Heritages with switch rings and such, but as others have stated, yours looks extremely cool as is. I too would appreciate a tone-quest comparison of your R9 and 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundersteel Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 It seems some want to Gibson-ize their Heritages with switch rings and such, I was thinking the same thing, but it's not for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockingCPA Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Nice tiger with that panther background!I think some here are interested in you experience as a G*** (mentioning the brand name of your other LP's will definitely lower your Karma, both on this forum and in your real life) Les Paul user in comparison with this new Heritage. At least I am. What are the actual differences in everyday playing. Of course you will need some time with the new axe, but I for one am curious. Hi jacques, I bought the Heritage mostly because I thought the construction might make it closer to sounding and playing like my R9 (see pic below). My R9 is the best guitar I've ever owned. The sustain is amazing. The tone is perfect for my tastes. The H-150 is really close, but the sustain on the R9 is just a touch better and tone cuts a little better than the H-150. The R9 has a chunkier neck (obviously a '59 profile) and that extra wood seems to contribute to the overall resonance of the guitar. The Heritage is substantially better in the resonance and sustain department than my 2003 LP Standard Premium Plus (see other pic below). The R9 comes with an ABR-1 bridge. My buddy the pro guitar tech and Tonepros rep says that the ABR-1 has a characteristic of less low end, so a overly bassy sounding guitar (like my LP Standard Premium Plus) will sound less "woofy" and gain some cut by putting an ABR-1 on. I have an order in for a Tonepros version of the ABR-1 and I ordered retrofit posts from Brown's Guitar Factory for about $20. He says that the ABR-1 is not necessarily the holly grail and the best option for all guitars. My H-150 has Duncan '59s, and a Nashville style bridge and it's not too bassy. So, apparently a Nashville will make a thin sounding guitar fatter and an ABR-1 will take out some lows and make a bassy guitar cut a little better. One the biggest things I struggled with buying a Heritage was finding out what the neck profile was. I was told they are hand made, so they are all different. Honestly, my favorite profile is on the 03 LP Standard with a 50's neck. The 50's neck on the Standard is not as big as the R9, but fuller and rounder than the H-150. I think the H-150 is closer to a 60's neck than a 50's and I really believe that if my H-150 had as much wood in the neck as my R9, it would probably as sustain as well. Don't get me wrong, the H-150 is a great guitar and much better than the LP Standard, but I don't think there's any substitute for more wood. I have 3 PRS McCarty's with the wide-fat neck carve and the sustain on those is really good. Getting my first McCarty was when I came to the realization that the 80's shredder necks were fast, but more wood in the neck adds sustain and improves sound. The problem with Heritage is the necks are hand made and, therefore, not consistent in profile from one to another. Here's another observation. I had to learn to like the Heritage headstock. I think it looks too long, but I think the shape and design is very good for resonance. I had both of my Les Pauls Pleked by Rodney at Frettek in Los Angeles. He showed me a trick to strum all 6 strings and feel the end of the headstock to get an idea of how resonant a guitar is. I've been playing since I was 7 years old and it seem like you can learn something new every day. :-) I can feel a LOT of vibration thru the Heritage headstock AND the shape tapering makes the strings line up straighter thru the nut than on the G****ns (see, I learn quick not to say the "G" word, LOL). So there you have it. If you made me choose and said I could only have one guitar it would have to be the R9, due to looks, sound and most of all resale value. I know when I was shopping for an H-150 that the instant I bought the guitar and it became used, it would immediately go down in value to no more than $1200 to $1300. Unfortunately, not enough people know that the Heritage is superior guitar to the non-custom shop Gibsons (and many of the custom shop guitars, too). I'm not familiar with resale values of other Heritages, but the H-150 isn't very good. Bob 2007 Les Paul LPR9 http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/LesPaulR9body.jpg[/img] 2003 Les Paul Standard Premium Plus http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/LeesPaulHoneyburst2.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockingCPA Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hello and Welcome!! What pickups are in your very sexy H150? Duncans? I noticed the empty Schaller screw-holes in your pickup rings and assumed something else was in there. It seems some want to Gibson-ize their Heritages with switch rings and such, but as others have stated, yours looks extremely cool as is. I too would appreciate a tone-quest comparison of your R9 and 150. See my long vociferous reply above. My H-150 has Duncan '59s. I also put a set in my LP Standard to try to get it to sound more like the R9. The guys at Duncan said their '59 is closest to what G****n puts in the R9 and it DID make that guitar less bassy and sound more like the R9. The H-150 with the Duncans came sounding more like the R9 right out of the box. I could find in my research a definitive answer about the neck tenon on the H-150 and apparently Heritage is kind of vague on it. I guess I can pull the neck pickup and see what I find in there. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundersteel Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 The flame on that R9 is amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockingCPA Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 The flame on that R9 is amazing! Thanks. Here's a closeup of the upper portion of pickup selector. Photography is key to selling guitars like this. I bought it on eBay for about $3900. I haven't seen on on eBay with flame this nice for less than $6000. I got a deal because the guy's pictures were just mediocre. I really believe resale value of LPs and H-150s has to do with the quality of the top (especially with the R9). I tried 2 other H-150s locally, before I bought mine from Sylvan Music (i didn't get to play it, but they gave me a 24 hour approval period). The 2 I tried locally were great guitars, but one was a VERY plan heritage cherry finish the guy on on Craigslist in Los Angeles that sold for $850, and the other was a vintage sunburst at the BassExchange with a really ugly piece of wood as the top. The BassExchange.com guitar was really a bait and switch, because it wasn't the nice flame top guitar they had on their site. I was also shocked at that guitar, because the neck was a banana. A truss rod adjustment probably would have fixed it, but I was shocked that a guitar that was Pleked from the factory could have that much bow in the neck. I bought this a a stage guitar, but I still want my guitar to look good on stage. Not just be an ugly beater that I'm not concerned if it gets a few dings. My H-150 is now my main guitar and I absolutely love it. Bob http://homepage.mac.com/delellis/.Pictures/LesPaulR9upper.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I Custom ordered a 555 (basically an upgraded 535- which has same wood as 335- Mahogany neck/Rosewood board) and asked for the big chunchy 50s neck. I didn't even have to pay extra for it (maybe because I already paid the very minimal $75 custom order charge). And boy did Heritage nail it. I do agree with you that there is no substation for wood to get the TONE. Just speaking with my recent 150 with a fat 50s neck and my Cust 555 with a fat 50s neck, if you ordered a 150 with the big fat 50s neck I think you would get the R9 sound. I am thinking of getting another 150 (my 150 has Lollar p90s) and Jay at Wolfe Guitars steered me away for a Gold top 150 he has in stock because it has a slim neck and he knows I need the beefier necks for tone. I agree you never know about Heritage necks, unless you ask them to build it for you for only $75 but to meet your specs. Good deal and great sounding guitars in my opinon. How does the weight of your 150 compare to your other Les Pauls? What exactly is the weight of your R9? (just curious if you believe you need a little weight to get "that tone". I know I do.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockingCPA Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 I Custom ordered a 555 (basically an upgraded 535- which has same wood as 335- Mahogany neck/Rosewood board) and asked for the big chunchy 50s neck. I didn't even have to pay extra for it (maybe because I already paid the very minimal $75 custom order charge). And boy did Heritage nail it. I do agree with you that there is no substation for wood to get the TONE. Just speaking with my recent 150 with a fat 50s neck and my Cust 555 with a fat 50s neck, if you ordered a 150 with the big fat 50s neck I think you would get the R9 sound. I am thinking of getting another 150 (my 150 has Lollar p90s) and Jay at Wolfe Guitars steered me away for a Gold top 150 he has in stock because it has a slim neck and he knows I need the beefier necks for tone. I agree you never know about Heritage necks, unless you ask them to build it for you for only $75 but to meet your specs. Good deal and great sounding guitars in my opinon. How does the weight of your 150 compare to your other Les Pauls? What exactly is the weight of your R9? (just curious if you believe you need a little weight to get "that tone". I know I do.) Hi Kuz, Great info, and $75 is well worth it to get exactly what you want. I think I'm done buying guitars for a while (3 in the past 3 months), but my next guitar is likely to be a custom ordered H-150. Can you specify the quality of the top, too? i hope the new partner/investor in the Heritage company helps them to make great guitars in the old G****n tradition for many years. The weights on my 2 LPs and H-150 are as follows: H-150 9 lbs, 7 ozs. LPR9 9 lbs 3 ozs. LP Std Prem Plus 9 lbs 2 ozs (weight relieved-not chambered) It's funny how easy it is to get used to the bigger necks. I actually find it reduces hand fatigue to have the neck fill your hand. They refer to the 60s neck as "fast", but I find I'm just as fast on the 50's neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Hey Bob, Welcome to the club! Beautiful guitars you have there. I'm not familiar with the Les Paul "R" (?) series... is that some sort of custom shop thing? Also... why are you afraid of taking it out of the house? Does it drink too much and become belligerent? ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Hi Kuz, Great info, and $75 is well worth it to get exactly what you want. I think I'm done buying guitars for a while (3 in the past 3 months), but my next guitar is likely to be a custom ordered H-150. Can you specify the quality of the top, too? i hope the new partner/investor in the Heritage company helps them to make great guitars in the old G****n tradition for many years. The weights on my 2 LPs and H-150 are as follows: H-150 9 lbs, 7 ozs. LPR9 9 lbs 3 ozs. LP Std Prem Plus 9 lbs 2 ozs (weight relieved-not chambered) It's funny how easy it is to get used to the bigger necks. I actually find it reduces hand fatigue to have the neck fill your hand. They refer to the 60s neck as "fast", but I find I'm just as fast on the 50's neck. I'm relatively slow on either size neck! ;D but I'm just a blues guy trying to get a little like Robben Ford/Larry Carlton. Can You custom order the top? Absolutely, they have Premium wood package for $350. First you pay just a one time $75 for any custom change and then just what the cost of the upgrade is. So for me I ordered a 555 with Mahogany neck/Rosewood fretboard with all the 555 binding (I didn't have to pay anything but $75 dollars for this since the 555 used to come with a maple neck & ebony board and they said this was a wash) I also wanted chrome instead of the standard gold on a 555 so I actually got a $150 credit. I then ordered the premium woods top & back (it was $300 or $350) and I requested a 50s fat/wide neck (I told them I wasn't going to pay extra for it. I just told them to sand it less and error on wide/fat) and man theyreally nailed it for free. It also came with the improved Nashville hardware. Oh and I also paid $125 for Seth Lovers. So for under $3000 ($2895 including tax) I got my dream 335 (an original Gib*** made by the men who used to do it but it is called a HERITAGE 555- with all the beautiful MOP inlays & bindings)- best sounding semi-hollow I've played. I sold a mint '65 335 because Heritage's 535/555 are this good. Take a look! Thanks, and Welcome- a lot of great guys on here! _DSC1911-Edit2.jpg _DSC1911-Edit2.jpg_thumb _DSC1924-Edit2.jpg _DSC1924-Edit2.jpg_thumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Flying Bird Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 It's a pretty guitar. Heck, all of them are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacques Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Here's another observation. I had to learn to like the Heritage headstock. I think it looks too long, but I think the shape and design is very good for resonance. I had both of my Les Pauls Pleked by Rodney at Frettek in Los Angeles. He showed me a trick to strum all 6 strings and feel the end of the headstock to get an idea of how resonant a guitar is. I've been playing since I was 7 years old and it seem like you can learn something new every day. :-) I can feel a LOT of vibration thru the Heritage headstock AND the shape tapering makes the strings line up straighter thru the nut than on the G****ns (see, I learn quick not to say the "G" word, LOL). Thanks for all this information, Bob! I'll try this headstock test when I get home. And behold! I see your karma already went up one whole point, just for not using the G-word (remember, our HOC karma is not just HOC karma, it is REAL karma and you will notice this soon when people on the streets will turn their heads when Rocking Bob walks by.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundersteel Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'm not familiar with the Les Paul "R" (?) series... is that some sort of custom shop thing? IIRC, they are guitars supposedly built to the original specifications of that time period (reissues). R2=1952, R9=1959, etc. I believe they go from R2 to R0 (1952 to 1960). The R9 is considered by many to be the "Holy Grail" of all the Reissues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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