The guy who Created the Heritage 225 Humbuckers is the same guy who created all of the current Gibson Customshop pickups like Custombuckers. Heritage hired Him to create the custom core line and was the head of Gibsons Historic division for many years and created many great pickups ..
These look and sound Killer 😎👌 I'm yet to find a SC I can get on with the neck carve - would be keen to try one of these. Mr. Big reference not wasted over here 😁👊
Local shop sells both brands. You are right the relic version are amazing. Went in looking for a gold top a couple times, but walked out with 52 heavy relic Tele once and a brand new SG Special that was very special playing better than the vintage 60s SG Junior I tried that was next to the gold tops. I will stop getting distracted and focus one of these trips and play the custom relic gold tops from both brands. Visuals do matter, but it’s what it feels like in the hands that makes it out the door.
Big Heritage fan here. I've heard so many vintage guitars and high-end new instruments that sound great. This gold top though is simply outstanding and a cut above. That is fabulous tone, perfect tone. I agree about the look of gold tops, but that tone and the guitar's playability is more than enough reason to spend that much on an instrument. You get your money's worth with Heritage.
I had a Heritage H-150 and was awesome! I perfered my Eastman SB59/v, cos the Eastman was lighter and the neck was a bit thin for me on the Heritage and also prefer a bit bit more the Lollars on the Eastman than the SD antiquity on the Heritage. But mostly personal preferences. I'm sure the Core is as good as the Gibson CS, like the R8 I had that was fantastic, but at 1600 USD less, lol. And th 225 Pickups are FANTASTIC! Was very lucky to grab one of those pickups that someone was selling cos he wanted to higher gain pickups in his custom core. Grabbed them a t a good price, put them on my PRS S2 Singlecut, and damn! They sound Fantastic! Reminded me inmediatley to that wonderful PF sound of the custombuckers of the R8 I had. And this in a PRS. I can just imagine how they would be in a Les Paul, would guess even better, but I love how it sounds in the PRS. Heritage is awesome!
Eastman guitars are killing it, I saw a burst copy at 12th fret Toronto, The owners of the shop say Eastmans are as good as some of the best Gibsons, and better than many… I do like what I have seen! Particularly Eastman's wood quality, fit and finish. Not long ago a used Collings CL or 290 was that low of a price for amazing quality, missed that boat a few times. I think Eastman and ShiJi shows that China can take over any quality product category if they shoot for great standards, no pun.
@@j_freed Last year I had at the same time a Gibson Custom shop R8 2021 (that was really really good), the Eastman, Heritage and Gibson Traditional 2008. The 2 best and on par for me were the Eastman and Custom shop. But the Eastman being less than half than the Gibson, is just amazing. Each one their own thing. Sold the Gibson cos was too much money attached to one guitar, but Im so happy with the Eastman. Also sold the other ones. Now I missed havving another LP flavor guitar so grabbed a Tokai. An LS136 , and damn it plays so so good and quality is superb. I enjoy gibsons just like anyone, but they are indeed expensive and you pay more for the Logo. But there are many great options out there and I am happy with either of the guitars I mentioned.
Henning… I have to say that I played many awesome guitars at your place and those Heritage guitars are definitely a chip off the old block of better days at that factory! Hope all is well with the guys at Valiant... have not heard from them… my prayers are with everyone there!❤🇺🇦😎🤘🎸🐦🥒
I‘ve had both. Let‘s say I‘ve kept the Heritage. Maybach is great and everything but you have to go custom shop for a single piece body and the only option to get them in nitro is aged. Otherwise you‘d have to order an individually crafted guitar and that would take forever. Other than that I just couldn’t withstand the history of heritage. I know it‘s pure voodoo but it played a huge part. I‘d recommend Maybach for anyone who‘s into aged guitars and wants to save a few bucks.
Yes it is a one piece Mahogany Back. The 225 Custom Shop Pickups are built and wound in house at Heritage. They also do not sell them, can only get a pair if purchasing a Heritage Custom Core. Which makes me sad as my Fav Heritage H-150 pines for a set of those Pickups. The interesting part of the Pickups is the winder was left behind after that other company ( the one which built those fabulous Guitars in 58-60) left and relocated to the south. The winder which was used for those gorgeous sounding PAF's of the past, was found during renovations at the Heritage factory, repaired and now used for these wonderful PUPs. Yes would certainly say that is authentic!! Lil tidbit of info the "225" is the number on Parson's St where Heritage and the Guitar company before it (which loves litigation) are/were located. Cheers!
I had a mid-90s H150 Gold Top. I really needed money for food. I miss that guitar. My main guitar is a H535. It came with a Seymour Duncan '59 set. For the amount of money I paid for it better be well finished. I love gold tops. They have a 1950s Chicago Blues aesthetic and vibe.
Holy smokes, man. The slideshow at the beginning looked ff-in' amazing!! As for Heritage guitars, they look like they have so much more care put into them as opposed to Gibson. How would you rate them against Maybach Lesters?
I didn't like goldtops for the longest time. Then, one day, I just flipped 180 and now I think they're gorgeous. I don't know what happened. I have three now.
Well some of the early ones have an absolutely beautiful violin carve on the top. * That does it for me... Beyond that, it's like a Telecaster… You grow to love what it does so you get used to the Fugg Factor. * I'd even consider 'rescuing' a basket-case real '52-55 and making a Conversion Burst... to heck with it, make it a hell of a nice player & real Bursts create a massive demand for anything close to them, anyway... I would even dig an off-center seam.
I’m waiting for my 535 to arrive in the mail today. My first Heritage. You wouldn’t like it. It’s black. Deeply discounted brand new because an indent on the front. I’m going to screw a Bigsby directly into the top so what do I care about a little dent. Don’t see a 535 video here. Have you not played one? Mine is the regular model with Seymour Duncan pickups. I’ll compare it to my 335.
If I could afford it I’d get it. Seems more than reasonable for what is essentially a custom shop guitar, but without the ‘Authentic Tax’ added. Edited to make sense, and to add seeing the Anderton’s price on these may require me to sell one of my kidney’s. I don’t think I need two?🤔
I think Goldtop looks very classic Space Age 1950s, shows well on B&W television, it was still a very buttoned-down 'traditional' color before Leo Fender had the audacity to use trendy bright automotive hues of the day. So it's dated and yes, it might need to be an exceptional piece of wood to go with Goldtop. The last Gibson R7 I picked up felt like it was 11 pounds. Nnnnnnnnno...
There's nothing wrong with not liking gold tops. Personal preference is what bonds us to music and art. It does mean that you should be studied for science, just to see what went wrong with your DNA.
hahaha - yup. I love my ebony LP Custom and happy with a couple of burst Standards but just LOATHE Gold Tops - dunno why . . . they just seem wrong. Whatevs 🤣
Off the shelf Seymour Duncans feel a bit too pedestrian for a $2500+ guitar from a marketing POV, even if they sound great. Doing their own pickups for their higher end models is a good decision. Building up a reputation for their own pickups will only help their brand.
There is not one thing they can do to a guitar that ever justifies it being over a $1000, you pay over that you paid too much period. I'm sorry ESP your finishes are really nice but paint shouldn't ever worth more then the guitar. It's just paint and electric guitar is just an electromagnet, one is not more magical then the next because you think so.
Fairly naïve comment. What about the time , skill, sourcing great wood, the quality parts and pickups. Here's a tip, not everyone has the acquired skillset to make guitars, you want a quality, well made anything and you'll pay for it, $1000 dollars these days is not much money at all...., If you've ever owned a hand made guitar you'd know what I mean.... In saying that, there are a lot of great guitars for under a grand, but they are all machine made on production lines and usually in poorly paid, third world countries... Value the quality tradesmen, they are a dying breed....
None of the former Gibson employees who started Heritage are there anymore. The last of them were fired in 2018 by the new owners. So who exactly are the people who are supposed to be building these guitars ? . This idea that Heritage are the real Gibson because they use the old Kalamazoo factory is silly. They use CNC machines now and all the forme Gibson people are long gone I guess this guy is not aware that when moved to Nashville a large portion of their workforce relocated along with them. They didn't all stay behind to work at Heritage ..
Authentically made on the same CNC machines Gibson uses. The only thing authentic about heritage now is the building they are made in . The idea that Heritage are the good people is a misinformed and misguided belief .in 2018 heritage was bought out by the same type of corporation that owns Gibson and immediately brought in CNC machines and told their workers they would no longer be making the guitars the old way and when some of Heritages long time guitar builders pushed back saying hand built guitars are what make us special they were told to get with the program or move along. Shorty there after the long term employees were let go and escorted out of the shop by security but please tell me more about heritage being the good guys. I think this guys hatred of Gibson is robbing his ability to be objective about Heritage . They may have been the good guys in the Past but they are not now . They are also now plagued with the same QC issues as Gibson . Alot of stripped tuners on those Custom core models . The good guys don't fire their long time employees . Heritage is employing the same marketing BS as Gibson . They trade on their Past . They still claim the guitars are made the old way when in reality they have been CNC made for the last 5 years . Their prices are going up too . Some of those cusrom Core models are 5500 dollars plus tax in Canada. Were in Gibson Custom shop territory at that point.
Don't drop your guitar and don't knock it over and your headstock won't break . You only hear about the Gibson headstock that break . You never heat about the millions that don't break . The Weak Gibson headstock things get blown way out of Proportion. They don't break on their own . You hear people say it will break if you look at it too hard which is just nonsense.. I can't believe my les paul headstock broke all I did was drop it on a concrete floor. Also there are alot more Gibsons in the world than Hertiage given that Gibson existed for several decades longer and are a much larger company more gibsons being played means more are being dropped and more headstocks broken .
Agreed, they are of awful taste, they are like bright red text on a black/dark grey background just awful to look at (: And they aren even gold just sparked p!ss color
