Gibson Es150 vs Heritage H575

[Coletrain11]

For blues, jazz, and a bit of rock I'd have to assume that the better choice for an electric is a vintage 150. Problem is getting my hands on one to test drive. Anyone with experience with 150s and how they compare to Heritage 575s, 525s, and 530s?

[111518]

For blues, jazz, and a bit of rock I'd have to assume that the better choice for an electric is a vintage 150. Problem is getting my hands on one to test drive. Anyone with experience with 150s and how they compare to Heritage 575s, 525s, and 530s?

 

I suspect that you may have the wrong number .... easy, given all the numbered guitar models over the years. The following is a very rough guide --there are plenty of more detailed sites online if you need to nail down dates and model evolution.

 

There have been two very different Gibson es-150s. The first was the 16", lam body, non-cutaway model most associated with Charlie Christian, made from the mid/late 30s. The second was the "thick 335" ;lam body double cutaway hollowbody of the 70s. The first was certainly a classic, and, given the influence of C. Christian, arguably one of the most influential guitar models ever. The second was, at least it seems to me, not particularly successful. I've seen a few, but never played one extensively, so, I can't comment first hand on why. I'm not sure if it had a full length, full depth center block.

 

A very rough guide to Heritage - Gibson equivalents on hollowbody numbers. Interpretations may vary, and, its been said the only consistency in Gibson production was inconsistency, and a high proportion of Heritage guitars are custom orders, so, models vary as well...

Gibson Heritage

175 575 16" cutaway full hollowbody but Heritage is solid maple, Gibby laminate; Heritage Groovemaster is lam single cut

225 525 16" single cutaway lam thinline hollowbodies

330 530 16" double cut lam thinline hollowbodies (not semi's)

335/355 535/555 16" double cut semi-hollowbodies, x55's more ornate, H's 555 originally had maple necks, later Mahog like Gibby

350 550 17" lam single cutaway, Heritage has a block/thick plate and fixed bridge; Gibby floats; there was also a Gibson 350T, and some years this had a short-scale neck like a Birdland. Heritage is full-depth hollow and 25.5 scale. (all others listed are 24.75 scale)

 

Again, a rough guide. No Heritage guitars are clones/facsimiles of similar Gibby models. The forms evolved.

[Gitfiddler]

Here's the Heritage Guitar website descriptions to go along with the above breakdown:

 

http://heritageguitar.com/guitars/

[mad dog]

If you mean the laminate top, 16" ES-150 from pre-war, I don't think there is an exact equivalent in the Heritage line. The H575 closest, but has a solid maple top, a cutaway, and is thinner in the body. The other ES-150 is a later 60s, deeper body variant of the ES-335. Once again, no direct equivalent in the Heritage line I don't believe.

MD