Who makes the BEST Les Paul? - Gibson vs Heritage!! 

Two epic beauties in this week's video! Let me know which one you liked the best! Enjoy :) Guitar links: Gibson Les Paul - imp.i114863.net/QOLn1Y Heritage H-150 - imp.i114863.net/n1zYvV

As an owner of Gibson, Gibson Custom and Heritage guitars, I must say Heritage normally wins, at least in my opinion. It took me some time to try a Heritage but when I did I was blown away in every possible way. Great video, Darrell - as always. Cheers!

As an owner of 3 Gibson's and 4 Heritages, I can attest that Heritage is easily on par with Gibson. My H-555 with Seth Lovers will smoke any ES-335 I have ever played.

I own a 1998 Heritage H150 CM. When I ordered it I was able to speak directly to the guys in Kalamazoo to discuss some of the tweaks I wanted and they were happy to do. It was a hand built guitar and there was no question at the time that it was a far superior to mass produced Gibsons of that era. The fact that it was hand built still meant I had to make certain adjustments, primarily I had to replace the output jack, but overall it has been a great playing guitar that has, over time gotten better with age. It's heavy as hell as weight relief was not a thing back then, and now a days I only play it sitting down. But I will never buy a modern day Heritage Guitar. Why? The original craftsmen, who were nearing retirement sold Heritage Guitar in April 2016 to a partnership that includes Archie Leach and Jeff Nicholson, co-owners of PlazaCorp Realty Advisors Inc and Meng Ru Kuok, CEO of BandLab Technologies. This guy made his fortune by destroying forests for palm oil. The founders guitar-builders are no longer involved in day-to-day guitar-building. The new guys promptly fired a bunch of builders and put in CNC machines. Heritage wants people to think that they perpetuate the old traditions and they know what this means to the guitar playing world but they're really just corporate hacks. Reviews like Darrell's, unknowingly, just add to this fake mythology. Don't get me wrong, Heritage makes very good guitars, cookie cutter flawless, but you're paying a premium for "mojo" that is carefully crafted horse pucky.

I had an H-150 from the first year of the Heritage company and it was unfortunately stolen about 10 years ago at a show and never resurfaced. When I saw the custom core line I decided to finally replace it, and it is such an amazing single cut. I had 4 Gibson custom shop Les Pauls at the time, but in the past few months I sold all of them. Maybe I’m just more at home on the Heritage because I started on one, but to me it really outshone the Gibsons.

Love the clear knobs and I like the Heritage head stock, both sound great, awesome playing as always.

This is a tough comparison. It would be more fair to compare this Heritage model to a ‘59 Reissue. Comparing a Standard Modern to a model that is trying to replicate a vintage guitar is like comparing apples and oranges. I realize you’re using the guitars you have, but in the future, it would help to compare either two vintage reissue models or two modern models. Nonetheless, they’re great. I don’t think you could go wrong with either. It would be interesting to add an Epiphone into the mix to see how it stacks up to these two options. Again, the models should all be comparable - all vintage reissues or all modern models with similar features and specs. You also didn’t tell us which one YOU prefer! 😉

Visited the Heritage Factory last year, so cool to see that building.

I have owned over a dozen gibsons in 50 year of playing and still own several....never had a Heritage but have been aware of them and always wanted one...maybe someday! 65 years old so the runway is getting short...so maybe I will grab one soon! Thanks for the comparison!!!!

I had both and i preferred the fretboard of the Les Paul Custom. It had low string action, low and wide frets and playability was outstanding. However the guitar was heavy with no weight relieve and the type of mahogany used back in 1977 was probably not the best one ever. In that regard the Heritage is much more resonant with plenty of resonance in the mid range. At some point i had to sell a guitar and it was the Gibson. I kept the Heritage and still own it.

Darrell no weight relief on the Custom Core, they pick the best and lightest mahogany and maple so no CC will weigh over 9lbs. One very cool thing with your Custom Core , read Heritage found the original 50's PAF Gibson Pickup winder, rebuilt it and are making the pickups in house for the CC model. Major challenge for me with this comparison, is the two guitars are not quite comparable to what they could be. Comparing a Standard 50's or 60's Les Paul (which is what would be purchased new now) to the 'Standard' model Heritage H-150 would be apples to apples , price and guitar specs would be much closer. Would be a better comparison of Guitars at a very similar price. Always appreciate the videos. thanks!

I like the heritage sound, with 'distortion' sound more neat, you can hear all the strings played, just to mention, The Heritage have Seymour Duncan 59, and this is the reason of different sound...

My favourite bit is when Darrell says something that has not one ounce of humour in it (e.g. 4:35 "Took a laser scan of it") and then laughs at it as if someone has told a joke. It has that unnerving essence of Arkham inmate that is so compelling.

The link to the heritage goes to the standard, in the video Darrell is playing the Custom Core which is 4100 retail. That is 1300 more than the Current Gibson les paul standard 50s/60s. Seems like two different instruments. One is the custom shop which gets more hands on attention and the other is the standard production line. I played the heritage standard last week and the neck is slimmer than the les paul standard 50s. Both make great guitars.

I have many Gibson variations of the les Paul but the other day I stopped by a music store seeing and playing a heritage for the first time very nice H150 I just got my first one ordered

I would choose the Heritage any day of the week. I'm a little partial considering I live in the state that still produces those sweet guitars

I own a 2019 Heritage H-150. I have also played a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul (not sure which one as it was years ago) at a friend's home, and they are comparable in build quality, woods, playability, and finish. An R9 will cost you $6000+. A Heritage H-150 will cost you $2600. And even if you opt for the Heritage Custom Core Artisan Aged, it's still only $4500. I think Gibson's better values are actually in their affordable range. I have a 2014 LPJ 120th Anniversary that is killer for the $700 used I paid for it. Sounds better than any Gibson LP I've played at the store for a fraction of the price. The new version of this guitar would be the LP Tribute, which I've heard similar things about. And yes, the wood and frets on the Gibson and Heritage are much better than any Epiphone. And I own three Epiphones. The fretwork on the vintage 1977 Epiphone from Japan was impeccable. The frets on the Chinese and Korean models needed levelling, crowning, and dressing (although the Korean model was markedly better).

I love that Heritage Custom Core. When you mentioned that Heritage sampled a few 50s necks to get the "right" spec, I wondered if a drawknife and spokeshave never touched a neck then it isn't authentically vintage correct. Does any big guitar manufacturer use spokeshaves anymore? Not talking about boutique makers.

Been playing Heritage for years. Your friend in tone, Norman Mozley

Just played a 2007 (57 pups) Gibson LP in Tea Burst and it was stunning in all regards. First LP I’ve fallen in love with. Won’t replace my SG in playability, but certainly a special guitar.

Great video! I own an Heritage H157 (Les Paul Custom model) and I have to say that is a great Guitar! I love it!

I have a Heritage H 535, and it's much better than the Gibson ES 335's I've seen. A friend of mine has a Tokai Love Rock. That's also a really great guitar.

The Gibson had more sparkle on the neck pickup in the clean segment.

S'up Darrell. Can you get your hands on a Collings? I think the quality of Heritage guitars tends to be a bit more consistent. Thanks for the video.

I have a particularly good visually flawless Gibson Recently at a high end guitar shop I could not find one without noticeable to scary noticeable flaws. They had two LP Standards and both were very bad. In short if I can see such disregard for quality what is wrong that I can't see.

Clear pickup rings to match the knobs on that blue guitar would be killer

Hey Darrell, do you have a posted photo-gallery of your guitar collection? You have some of the most visually perfect guitars I've ever seen! Both Les Paul's look fantastic, but the Trans Blue Les Paul is just Stunning! Even your Epiphone Special Edition Quilt-Top looks Amazing! Thanks for sharing!

I love the feel of the C shaped (59ish) neck. I have owned 5 H-150’s in my life. 3 had the 60’s neck one was a wide neck with a 59 profile, my current on is a more traditional width but does have the 59 profile as well….I will never sell this one.

I like both. And would be happy with either 1.

Hey Darrel, I’ve been a Gibson lover since I was a kid way back in the 70’s. I think Gibson has been doing a nice job as of lately under their new management too thank God ( Before we lost another American icon company sadly ). The Heritage is absolutely beautiful too and very well made, I’ve watched quite a few videos on them although currently I only own Gibsons. Another difference in their build is the Heritage still uses the long neck tenon just like they did in the golden age. Some folks will argue that it makes no difference in tonality, while that maybe true, I do think it’s still a stronger connection between the two pieces. I do know Gibson does them this way on many of their custom builds. I really wish they would’ve done them this way on their Standards as well, especially since they are going for the ‘true recreation’ with no weight relief anymore, hand wiring w/ orange drop caps etc…. I like everything about the Heritage except for that headstock, I definitely prefer the look of the open book look on the Gibbie headstock. Aside from that I think the Heritage is a tad bit better of a build in general though, they are a bit more expensive too though when comparing apples to apples although when you get to custom categories they level out pretty much. In short….. both fantastic guitars and a pleasure to play or listen to either imo 🤙

You can always tell which one Darrell is leaning towards. Yes Darrell you do have a tell. LOL Im leaning towards the the same one you picked. Keep up the good work bro your killing it.

My 2008 Epiphone LP doesn't have the flame maple. It's made of Okoume in fact. But plays fine. Mahogany neck. Grover tuners. It was right when they started improving. I'm lucky to have what I have.

So weird how during a certain era, a "Standard" LP meant the weight-relieved modern version, but now my 60s "Standard" built in 2020 is 10 pounds 3 oz.

I would take either over a fender any day. Those are beautiful instruments and you really make those tones pop. Great video.

Alright DB! The jig is up! I've been looking for a LP Standard like you have in the video and can't find one. What year is the one you've made so famous? Beautiful Top and back. Of course Sweetwater does not carry this color. Help a guy out!!

Great content as always. Any chance you'd review a les paul type Vintage V100 vs a Gibson or Epiphone?

I'm fortunate to own a 2016 Heritage H-150 with Pearly Gates and a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Traditional with Seymour Duncan Antiquities. While neither guitar is flawless, they both are very good guitars and I have enjoyed playing both. Visually, the Gibson headstock and single cutaway looks better to me but my Heritage maple top is much, much nicer. If I had to pick one, I'd lean towards the Heritage. Full disclosure, I did upgrade the tuners, tailpiece & stop tail with Faber parts. With no disrespect to either company, my 2021 PRS Core McCarty 594 SC is on another level, as it should be considering the cost. So much so that my Heritage & Gibson will be going on the chopping block soon, or so I keep telling myself.

Nothing wrong with either of those lovely guitars. I was glad to hear they’re both under 9 lbs. I love the Les Paul concept and history but I have definitely reached a point where if my LP isn’t under 9, it’s not gonna be for me. I have an Epiphone LP Modern and it’s 8.4. The thinner next is superb, the frets are amazing, I love the locking tuners and the sculpted neck pocket is nice. It came to me with upgraded pickups and I changed those out for a Duncan Jazz in the neck and a Duncan Custom in the bridge. I think in a blind test it would hold its own against anything out there. Really great guitar.

Both sound great but have to go with the Heritage, very close to the root beer one in my basement circa 2001.

You didn't mention it but the cutaway seems to go a bit deeper than fret 21 in the heritage which makes it slightly more accessible. That, the better thought out headstock, and the pricing makes IMO the Heritage the better guitar. 👌

I like the Japanese made Les Pauls best, I've got a Greco white custom. It plays better than my old 335 Gibson...I think the heritage headstock looks funny on a Les Paul body BUT on the heritage 335 their headstock looks "proper" and has better string angle from the nut for better tuning stability.

There are many small companies making great quality Les Paul style guitar. For instance, Japanese made, Edward, Tokai, Orville, Greco.

If I’m going to have to choose between two $4K Les Paul’s, I’m choosing the Gibson. That blue example is particularly beautiful!

The clean neck tones are SO MUCH more 3 dimensional, nuanced and rich on the Heritage. As for crunch - hell, almost all differences disappear - strats can even sound like pauls. I wish you'd done more clean tests - both pups, bridge only. But that one clean comparison - man, the Heritage was just RICHER sounding! I bet their 335 kicks butt too.

I own too many guitars - my Les Paul styles are a Tokai from the 80s and. Greco/ Gneco wear;y 70s - both are terrific and I paid under a grand. Anyway a local guitar shop was advertising a used gold top Les Paul and I convinced myself I would only buy it if it sounded and played spectacular. It didn’t. So I thought that I had saved myself my money, but then the store guy gave me a Heritage custom with p90s. Hands down the best Les Paul style guitar I have ever played. So I could not resist buying my absolutely last guitar! I hope.

There's nothing that gets me quite as happy as a new video from Darrell shoving guitars in my face.

Hi Darrell, your channel is great, I really enjoy You blind test !! I need to ask you a question, I need to buy a les paul guitar, but I can not afford a Gibson, so I am searching other options. I m from Buenos Aires Argentina, and I only can Buy Epiphone, Cort or ESP LTD guitars, so, according to your experience, what do You recommend me? For example, an Epiphone? A Cort CR 250 ? An LTD 256? Which do You think is the Best option? Thanks!!!!

I really like both guitar's. Choosing one or the other is difficult. If i could afford to, I would buy both!

I think sound/playability is different for everyone. I’ve always thought with Heritage the build quality, while not necessarily “better” than Gibson, is more consistent. Better quality control. That said the Gibson will hold its value more so it’s a better investment. I love the Heritage headstock but I do wish it was bigger!

Was waiting for you to pull out the 3rd, and winning, surprise guitar, an ESP Eclipse ;)

The Heritage is in the same price range as the Gibson so Ide go for the Gibson as it's the original. There are other brands like Eastman and PRS among others in the same price range as Gibson. Lots to choose from. Thanks for sharing!

Obviously those having trouble with Gibson, haven’t tried the R9 any year or the Les Paul Axcess with Floyd Rose which will remain in tune for months till the strings degraded.

Great video! The wood relief is very interesting to me. Wood snobs should hate right off the bat because taking that much wood out should change tone. Sacrilege!! Lol. I love Heritage guitars. Only problem...too hard to find.

I thought both guitars sounded quite similar. The Gibson was a bit brighter and had more top end, while the Heritage was a bit warmer and more mid-rangey to my ear. Worth noting is that the Gibson pickups don't have covers, which might account for some of the sonic difference. I was surprised to find that I preferred the sound of the Heritage when you played the metal riff. I would have thought the more modern Gibson would sound better for heavy playing. Thanks for the comparison! It was interesting and fun to watch!

I thought they were very similar, but the Heritage was particularly nice playing the quiet music. But, heck. Your playing made them both sound fantastic.

Still watching, but my money's on Heritage

I've a question. What model year of each are you playing given that Gibson has experienced a quality rebirth as of late?

no weight relief on the heritage custom core. you have to request it from them typically. they will do it. i have a 25th anniversary h150 that is actually chambered. so light. maybe a little more than 7 pounds. these are both killer axes sir. both the heritage and gibson custom shops have treated me like gold in the past. yes the custom core is well compared against R8/9/0 better than a standard. even the basic h150 standard guitar wise compares better to a les paul custom shop. except the pickups. Duncan 59s cannot challenge the custom bucker imo.

I kinda prefer the sound of the heritage guitar. Never owned one but sounds a bit warmer and cleaner in my opinion.

Nothing plays better than the first batch of les Paul Classics from 1990-2008

Your thumbnail says "Gison" :)

Have you tryed an eastman yet? I have a sb486 and they are awesome

The idea hat heritage is a company full of guys who stayed in Michigan and didn’t go to Nashville is true BUT a lot of the Kalamazoo guys did go to Nashville. Furthermore that happened ~40 years ago so most of those guys who stayed are long gone. Also: the machines h that are used because they were left behind is on,y true for some of the machines, Gibson did take a lot of stuff with them during the move. People need to look up the real story behind Heritage and then extrapolate it 40 years into the future.

very very nice guitars. I am not certain which one I would buy, and I hope to

I just hit the like button and it turned to 1000…Absolutley useless info for you guys but a win for me!! 🍺Cheers! 🍺

You failed to mention the most important things. Heritage uses Jescar frets for one. Gibson Pleks the necks before putting them on a body while Heritage Pleks the guitar completely put together. The difference is night and day especially if you like low action as i do. I was able to take out a little relief and lower the strings to 1mm across the 12th fret on the Heritage H-150. It played as well as my Suhr. If you check with any Plek shop they will tell you they are always "RE-PLEKING' Gibsons.....not Heritage guitars. That being said, I struggled with the 50's style neck and got rid of my Heritage. I regret it big time too.

Darrell, was wondering have you ever done a review on the leo jaymz full size single cut les paul style with grover machine heads. i was thinking of buying one but i thought id see if you have dome the review first.

Was this Heritage's best model or mid grade? It sounded similar but I did notice some variation but that could have been your playing style. How's the price comparison? Does it come with a decent case?

Heritage for me if I were to choose. Wolfgang standard if I were to be keeping it ~ :)

Just had a brand new Donner DST-152 show up (the middle priced of their 3 strats) and I did a string tree removal, and full set up, and I’m glad I bought one. I don’t have any other strat and can’t afford a high end one, so thanks for the recommendation on those.

H-150 hands down is the better guitar for the price. I am a left handed guitar player and Gibson just has very little to offer in left handed guitars. My left handed H-150 was the same price as Gibson's right handed. Gibson like most manufacturers charge more for left handed guitars.

I have a Heritage Big kahuna that was made as a signature from an amazing local guitarist named Chris Bouvard. Only a handful of them ever made and I gotta tell ya, I hate it and I love it at the same time lol. It’s a beautiful instrument. Someday I’ll get myself a Gibson so I can do a comparison but I gotta say…your Les Paul Standard is sexier than Paul Rudd.

The Heritage has a more mid range vibe which I like. But I still can't get past the headstock. I actually bought a 2017 standard a few months ago and I was also trying out a Heritage at the same time. If money is your issue then the couple of hundred bucks less is worth it. I wish I could buy one just to have.

That Les Paul is absolutely beautiful that top is stunning

I really liked the idea of Heritage guitars before I realized they are the same price, if not more expensive than Gibson's.

Trick question! The answer is Epiphone. People can actually afford those.

One thing I noticed during the video is it appears that the neck heel sits deeper in the body that the Gibson. Not sure if that was an optical illusion, but the tailpiece and bridge looked to be set much higher on the Gibson.

I would go for the Heritage. Looks nicer to me but then that is a preference only.

does the heritage stay in tune better ?

Both works of art.

I`ve played Gibson Les Paul`s, 335`s, SG`s and an L5 for years, even had a 59 Les Paul that was worked on and a 1966 ES345 that were stolen by a Chicago cop. Anyways, I always was a Gibson guy but in the 70`s they sounded muddy, sandwiched, 3 piece front and even though bc of their age they are popular but definitely not the best guitars built at that time! I started playing Ibenez and loved them but the a friend who owned a music store in the 80`s showed me a Heritage Johnny Smith that I fell in love with so he brought back a Heritage 535 from the Chicago NAMM show charged me $400. and said, "take it home and if you don`t like , no problem", he never saw it again! I`ve had 2 Sweet 16`s, a Johnny Smith, a couple of 535`s (335), 150`s(Les Pauls), and the 140, a thin line Les Paul style and EVERY one was unique and just beautiful! If you want a Gibson go with Heritage, the craftmanship is second to none but the sound ESPECIALLY the cleans are a step above Gibson`s and I never play a guitar dirty fist IT MUST BE CLEAN bc if you are willing to spend anywhere from 1,800- 5,000 it better have a HELL OF A SOUND bc distortion is NOT the instruments natural sound but I do understand some guitars sound better than others distorted but no matter what, you can ALWAYS find the amp or pedal to help with distortion but NOT WITH CLEANS! That`s why I prefer Heritage even today bc Gibson has come back to a degree but the sound and craftmanship of the Heritage is second to none and are the best American made guitars unless you go nuts and get something made for you that Heritage will also do! FYI, In the early years of Heritage they had to make deals with Gibson and one was with the pots that weren`t the same but not allowed, you can easily fix that! I`m 67 sold ALL my guitars except for a Heritage 1993 535 and a Godin Nylon electric and couldn`t be happier, my 535 is UNBELIEVABLE CRAFTMANSHIP BUT SOUND IS TO DIE FOR!!!

I think this is not a proper comparation. Gibson LP Standard is a modern take of a vintage guitar. Heritage is more traditional. Different neck profiles, solid vs weight-relief body,... A '22 LP Standard would be a more fair comparation, imho. This is my thoughts about the tones: Overdriven Tone: Gibson but very very close. Clean Tone: Heritage, more clarity. Hi-Gain Tone: Gibson. More full and edgey. Both are great guitars. I love Gibson and Heritage.

The neck angle is not ideal on that Gibson, as the taillpiece is a mile off of the top. Top-wrapping would be a good idea on that guitar. I did it to my Traditional and was surprised at the tonal improvement and the slinky feel.

I’d like your take on Vintage brand guitars!

sonically, the bigest tonal difference can be boiled down to covered vs. un-covreed pickups/

I just stole your idea for the clear knobs for my Epiphone Les Paul Classic with quilt maple top in ocean blue sunburst. As for the comparison, I thought they sound very similar dirty, but much prefer the clean tone of the LP.

I'd love to have a Heritage 150 to go with my R9. Cheers 😀

Darrell did you giveaway a guitar this week? Serious question. I think someone was using your name for scamming.

The clean tone on that heritage is amazing.

What year model is your Gibson?

Hi Darrell, both are beautiful guitars, but the Heritage has definatly more bite! But both are too expensive! Had 3 Gibson LP from 60s to 80s all we're beautiful but my Nik Huber beat them all! And PRS even the SE is lighter and more comfortable to play for hours!

But do they fit in each other's cases?

Did Heritage address the string pitch?

In terms of sound, this is kind of a useless comparison unless you use the exact same pickups, as these types of battles always are. Great playing regardless, love both!

Got a 96 gold top heritage classic. It's a thinner less heavy model. Not the H 1-50 model but it's called I think it's called the H 1-46 or something like that. Apparently the history on this was that this was the very first heritage les paul model ever made by the company once it broke away from gibson back in the day. It's phuckin amazing. Very happy to own such a killer guitar! And it's made in the orig factory that started it all so it's basically a gibson real deal from back in the day.

Both dreamy guitars, but that blue 🥰

They both sound amazing and pretty much the same. I guess the question now is which of them is cheaper.

You're playing has definitely improved, sounds real nice

what is the Gibson les paul color called?

Both awesome guitars, but it looked like the Heritage had a little bit flatter fretboard than the Gibson. You should've measured them and gave us the numbers. We know the Gibson is 12", but what was the radius of the Heritage? Anyways, great video as always,thanks Darrell.🤘