Brownsound Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Im looking for a LP alternative having sent one turkey back for a neck flaw. I was told these are as close to the old LPs as you can get and not go into poverty to own one.
tomteriffic Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Several folks around here have experience with the LP types 140's, 150's etc.I have an H535 (335-type) that cured my vintage 335 gas but good. Build quality is very good, I swapped the pickups, but that was a taste issue. Great bang for the buck, even new.
JohnnyB Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 I like Heritage's LP types even better than their 335 types. Those Heritage LPs are massive and the ones I've heard play nice and have absolutely huge tone and "sustain for days."
DaveH Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 You mean like this one? You can find nice examples of these in the $750 - $900 range. If you're a purist and REALLY want a Gibby, then hold out for one of those. If you don't mind the the slight difference in headstock shape, roller bridge (which could easily bee changed), etc, then look for a Heritage....they're great guitars. Most people think build quality and attention to detail is better/more consistent than with the Gibbies, and I'd tend to agree.
Smakutus Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 They did make some Heritage LP's with the correct LP body shape and size back in the late 80's early 90's. They have the same cheesy headstock, though a local dealer tells me that Gibson used that headstock on some old model back in the day and that's where they got it from.. Every Heritage LP I have played weighed too much. I'm not against heavy guitars but these things seem to have lead in the control cavities or something.. I did play a couple of ES-175 type Heritages a while back and they were really nice. If you're buying to keep, they are much nicer for the price than a brand new Gibson ES-175.out..Jeff.
Hamer95USA Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Hello Hamer people, I saw this posting about the Heritage guitars. I was contemplating on buying a Les Paul style guitar last year. I was looking around for a Heritage Gary Moore signature model. I almost wanted to buy that guitar since I found a couple of sellers selling that particular guitar. I changed my mind and sold off my Yamaha Lord Player lawsuit guitar, a' 98 Gibson The Paul II (w/Coors beer logo on body) and traded my '81 Ibanez Destroyer II for a '96 Les Paul Custom. Heritage Guitars are well built and are affordable alternatives to Gibson's overpriced guitars. It's the same reason I'm attracted to Hamer guitars. Great quality and craftsmanship, great design and affordably priced. I now don't buy Japanese guitars anymore. Guitar George
bobbymack Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 I looked at several Heritage LPs a few years back for some of the same reasons, but like Smakatus said I never found one that was not an absolute boat anchor. Just WAY too heavy...plus, that headstock is funky.I'm biased, but I still say grab a used Historic R7 Goldtop for $1500-$1600 and be done with it. I found an 8 1/2 pounder with WCR Goodwoods for $1600 from a pro player in Nashville that is perhaps my best guitar beside my Artist Custom. They are great Les Pauls and definitely the best bang for the buck I know of...
SteveE9C6 Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 I've played the CM140 and found it to be well made guitar. It was quite heavy however... though not any heavier than my LP Custom. I enjoy collecting a wide variety of instruments ranging from expensive to pawn shop prizes. There are some real gems out there if you aren't hung up on the name on the headstock.I've got a couple of LP style guitars from the seventies that are from Japan.The first is an Aria Pro II PE450. It is a prototype PE series that is an amazing little guitar. The second is a mid seventies Electra Omega with the Gibson style headstock (not the gumby). This guitar has incredible flame maple and sounds awesome. Both of these were pawn shop prizes... I recently acquired a new Washburn WI166 PRO with burgandy quilt maple top, Duncan 59 and JB pups. With a new OHSC, this listed for $1200. I found it on ebay, new, shipped for $599. It is Korean made and is an example of amazing quality at a bargain price. I've been looking at the Agile LP Clones as well. They appear to be very well made using quality components and are dirt cheap.There are a number of alternatives out there. Heritage does make a nice guitar, though if you search the web, you will see that they have had their share of QA problems. No one makes perfect instruments all the time... I personally think the American G&L come very close. I don't know enough about Hamer yet... but I sure like the stuff I see.Steve
luiss Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Regarding hollow jazz guitars Heritage Eagle series are excellent guitars cheaper than L5s and such and great sounding guitars.I love mine I got used.Heritage small headstock was taken from old Gibson(30's) as Smakatus told.I am not really conviced about Schaller humbuckers Heritage uses(in the past at least) they lacked something.
pesocaster Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Another guitar that gets over looked is the Czech made Dean EVO .... fantastic HAND MADE guitar for the money (600-800 range) Deluxe and Premium models.... but you have to be sure it is a Czech made..... Ask Brewmaster he has one also...... this is a pic from about 99'
Brownsound Posted March 11, 2005 Author Posted March 11, 2005 I looked at several Heritage LPs a few years back for some of the same reasons, but like Smakatus said I never found one that was not an absolute boat anchor. Just WAY too heavy...plus, that headstock is funky.I'm biased, but I still say grab a used Historic R7 Goldtop for $1500-$1600 and be done with it. I found an 8 1/2 pounder with WCR Goodwoods for $1600 from a pro player in Nashville that is perhaps my best guitar beside my Artist Custom. They are great Les Pauls and definitely the best bang for the buck I know of... I really do want an LP. The damn things are snowflakes though, no two are alike and you can pick up a custom that has flaws everywhere and then pick up a Classic and its perfect and viceversa. I sent a classic back not too long ago that had a neck problem. My local shop cant seem to get classics and standards in so I had to order. Dont know if I want to try that again. I look at the Hamer Studio Custom that I just got from the same shop and I just have to say Wow! Much better fit, finish and just about everthing else. I doesnt quite sound like an LP though. I played a supreme there that was a dog...they should get their QC back in line, I really hope they do.
JohnnyB Posted March 11, 2005 Posted March 11, 2005 Comments: Yes, the Heritage 140s and 150s are really heavy. They should come with a tripod. They do, however, have a massive tone and the sustain you tend to get from bricks like that. Get a neoprene bass strap to make it easier on your shoulder. Heritage's best values are probably on their carved solid top hollowbodies, in that you get what might be a $10K to $20K guitar from Gibson or Guild/Benedetto for less than half that. I'm not as impressed with their laminated hollow & semihollows, though the 575 is probably a lot more guitar for less money than an ES-175. On the 535s, however, I think the Hammamatsu-Japan copies (such as the Ibanez Scofield) are better with much better fit and finish. I have a Hammamatsu Ibanez 335 knockoff, and it feels far more refined with better neck and fretwork than the Heritage 535s I've picked up. As for the LP thing, it seems to me that one could get all the massive tone and consistent quality by going with a Hamer Monaco Elite. If it doesn't quite have the LP sound you're looking for, you could probably fix that with some Gibson Classic '57, BurstBuckers VooDoo, or SD Antiquities pickups. After all, the wood quality and construction is impeccable; the pickup differences on a guitar built to such close tolerances should be quite noticeable. Or you could just get the Phantom Custom I'm getting ready to sell
seeker Posted March 12, 2005 Posted March 12, 2005 A big reason why the Heritages are heavy is that they are made from non-South American Mahogany (african I belive), which is heavier. Furthermore, and just as important, Heritage doesn't drill any weight relief holes. There is one dealer (their largest, Wolfe) who pays them extra to make the 150s with SAM, and within certain weight limits (in the 8-9 lb range). Additionally, he has them built with better hardware; not the roller bridge. See pics below. I got one last month from him; the one on the right. I love it! Sustains for days, and has the sound you can only get from a thick chunk of good mahogany. The top on this one is Michigan maple, as in the original 58-59 LPs. Nice flame, but also has character to it. To top it off, it's new and still cheaper than a used R7. Don't get me wrong tho; I eventually want a used R7 with P90s. Heard and played some and they are just killers.
Brewmaster Posted March 13, 2005 Posted March 13, 2005 I looked at several Heritage LPs a few years back for some of the same reasons, but like Smakatus said I never found one that was not an absolute boat anchor. Just WAY too heavy...plus, that headstock is funky.I'm biased, but I still say grab a used Historic R7 Goldtop for $1500-$1600 and be done with it. I found an 8 1/2 pounder with WCR Goodwoods for $1600 from a pro player in Nashville that is perhaps my best guitar beside my Artist Custom. They are great Les Pauls and definitely the best bang for the buck I know of... You are an man of impeccable taste and great wisdom. My R7 Goldtop was quite a find. It is just a shade heavier than yours. I may have lucked out with the pickups though. The Burstbuckers in mine are nice enough that I haven't swapped them out yet and I have the guitar for 4 months now. I had a set of Fillmores in a LP Standard a few years ago that but that guitar on another level. If I ever decide to swap them out I'll do another set of those.
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