# LP vs PRS vs Heritage vs Collings



## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

okay i had an idea for a thread if anyone is interested...
several similar style guitars go head to head in a comparison.
now i have to confess i love all my guitars, so there are no winners and losers.
but i thought it might be fun to compare features and stuff.
so here is the line-up.
Gibson Les Paul 58 Reissue 








PRS single cut 








Heritage CM-150








Collings City Limits Deluxe


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

They're similar in terms of finish, the Collings seems to have the wildest wood grain.

Are we supposed to enter our singlecuts too?


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

PRS looks like the one I would pick up first..


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

that would be the LP for me.. been around for over 50 years..and still brings chills to most players..


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

well tomorrow i'll get around to more detail on the features.
to start they all are basically mahogany with flamed maple cap, solid body electrics with rosewood fretboards. 2 humbucking pickups.
a basic recipe for a classic rock'n'roll guitar.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Your R8 is delicious! Nice collection by the way. Of your comparative guitars, I only have Historics and a PRS SC245 to compare to. I am a Historic fan and I ended up with the PRS on a trade. I must say, the SC245 is a fun guitar. I don't know if it is because of the shorter scale or that it is a wrap tail. 

Swervin:smile:


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

If you get the right LP, they're pretty hard to beat. As much as i love the PRS DGT, when recording, it has a high frequency range that's hard (for me) to dial out whereby the LP just sits well in the mix. I've owned two CL Deluxe's and they were pretty good and recorded really well. I don't care for the Singlecut - I've owned two and one of them was an absolute dog....a few others i've played in stores didn't appeal to me either.


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

okay here's the specs from Gibson on the R8 Murphy.

Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary Les Paul Flame Top Murphy Aged 
Gibson produced only 200 of this limited edition.

Everything that made the original great is found on this special commemorative edition. The figured maple top is carved to original spec with a solid Honduran mahogany back. The neck is also one-piece mahogany with the historically correct long neck tenon for sustain. The early '50s neck profile is rounded for comfort. The rosewood fingerboard has Gibson's distinctive trapezoid inlays. Side position markers are tortoise, just as on the '58. The stop tailpiece is lightweight aluminum, and the tuners are vintage tulip style, with push-in bushings, just like the original.

This anniversary '58 employs CTS potentiometers for volume and tone, as well as the bumblebee capacitors, custom-made for Gibson to replicate the original electronics. Speaking of electronics, we can't leave out the Burstbucker pickups, custom wound to emulate the original late '50s Gibson humbuckers.

The thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish material and methods as the same as was the practice in 1958. Nitrocellulose lacquer continues to evaporate insuring the thinnest possible finish that will never dampen vibrations and supports complex musical waveforms! Prized for enhancing the musical tone, you'll find a nitro finish on nearly all vintage and collectable American guitars.

The guitar's nitrocellulose finish is carefully aged by guitar guru Tom Murphy and looks like a carefully maintained 50-year-old guitar! The highly involved antiquing process is done by hand, one guitar at a time, by guitar artisan Murphy. It's not a chemical process, but a very time consuming and tedious job that includes a multitude of elaborate steps. Through much trial and error, Murphy has developed an amazing ability to re-create the checked and chipped finish of a true vintage instrument with great success. Your guitar will carry the look of a thousand smoky bar gigs, countless sessions, and maybe even a few world tours.

Each 50th anniversary Les Paul Standard is supplied with two pickguards (standard pickguard and custom 50th anniversary pickguard) as well as a special Certificate of Authenticity signifying that the guitar is one of the very limited production run.

With all that has been written over the past 50-plus years about the fabulous Gibson Les Paul 'burst, it's hard to fathom that it wasn't an immediate success. In fact, only 434 Les Paul Standards were built in 1958, and most of those were Goldtops! The first sunburst 1958 Les Paul was shipped by Gibson on May 28, 1958. Today, those 50-year-old sunburst Les Pauls are bringing in over $150K on the collector market!

This extremely limited edition boasts all the original features of the debut '58 Les Paul. 
Body: Carved figured maple top, solid mahogany back
Finish: Murphy-aged VOS Nitrocellulose
Binding: Period-correct, thin single-ply cream binding on top
Bridge: Nickel-plated ABR-1
Tailpiece: Aluminum, nickel-plated stopbar
Pickups: BurstBucker 1 (neck), BurstBucker 2 (bridge)
Electronics: CTS pots, bumblebee caps
Neck: Solid mahogany, long neck tenon, holly headstock veneer
Neck profile: '50s rounded
Inlays: Acrylic trapezoid, tortoise side position dots
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 22 fret
Tuners: Vintage tulip
Includes: Hardshell case, 2 pickguards (one is special commemorative), custom care kit, and the Special Anniversary Certificate of Authenticity.



okay now here's the details about the PRS...I should have specified this one is a Single Cut with Trem and is a lawsuit guitar produced in 2003 before the final judgement got handed down. (For those not familiar with the stuff, Gibson sued PRS for making the Single Cut style guitar claiming copyright infringement and it took til about 2005 to settle the lawsuit. PRS won the right to keep making them btw.)

Launched three years after the Singlecut, the Singlecut Trem is quite a different guitar and certainly not just a Singlecut with a vibrato bridge. Instead, it attacks the points raised in criticism about the Singlecut itself. 

Firstly, while the maple top retains the same thickness, the overall body thickness is reduced noticeably to a Custom-like dimension of 49mm. This one features an optional, beautifully figured maple 10-top . 

The natural edge is typically clean but the back, sides, neck and headstock face are all dark brown.
Aside from the body thickness, the PRS vibrato creates a very different resonance, and here it's typically paired with PRS's Phase II locking tuners. 

Then there are the pickups and controls: two uncovered PRS 6s with zebra bobbins and the more usual PRS controls layout of volume ), tone, and three-way pickup selector in the usual double-cut position. This one features a push-pull tone pot for coil-splitting that provides some great tone variations. Move from a Gibson type humbucker to a Fender type single coil tone in a second.

Are the PRS 6 humbuckers just uncovered versions of the Singlecut's 7s, or are there other differences? "Yes, lots of them," says Smith. "A pickup is a magnetic microphone that's basically a parametric equaliser. 

At the time we were very careful to pick the wire turns, wire type, magnets, a cover or no cover… all those things so that the guitars sounded the best they could." Back in 2003 Smith told us: "In reality, the new pickups lie somewhere between the Singlecut's 7 pickups and Dragon IIs. 
They're powerful like a 7 but sweeter like a Dragon II – that was our intention. Pickup covers warm up the pickup's sound – no question. 

It's like in the old days with PAFs, people would take off the covers and think they'd look cooler but the sound was brighter. We use covers to sweeten pickups. So, if you're using an uncovered pickup you have to make them different so it actually sounds like a covered pickup."
"The treble pickup is not the same pickup at all," Smith says today of the Singlecut Trem's bridge humbucker. "The Singlecut has a little more open- sounding pickup, with a little more bass and treble. The Singlecut Trem has a little bit more mid-range." 

And presumably these pickups are different from those you use on the double-cut guitars. "Yes, you have to voice the pickups quite differently with single- or double-cut guitars."

Sounds 

The SCT, by design, is a very different animal to the more bulky Singlecut. The combination of the thinner body and the vibrato creates a more Fender-like tonality with more grain and twang, less awesome low end. 
Plugged in, it's this and what sounds like more mid-range focus to the pickup voicing that widens the differences compared to the Singlecut itself. 

There's more grind to the sound in full humbucker mode, and with the humbuckers split (voicing the screw coils) it's more hot-rod Fender with a neat twin-pickup mix that's nicely funky. 

The twin control layout may be more familiar to existing PRS users, but having got used to the Singlecut, it now feels a little alien as you swap between the two instruments. But rest assured, it's features like this that make the Singlecut Trem a lot more than just a Singlecut with a vibrato option. 
It has its own distinctly different and highly valid voice, with more apparent versatility. Conversely, it doesn't match the majestic richness of the Singlecut, which somehow has a more organic tonal versatility created by pick attack, dynamics and volume/tone changes.


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

okay time for the specs on the Heritage. 
funny that so few folks seem to know about these fantastic guitars.
for those who don't know Heritage is a company started by former Gibson employees and they build them at the Parsons Street factory location in Kalamazoo Michigan where all the original classic Gibson Les Pauls and other Gibsons were built in the 50's and 60's. In fact they use a lot of the same equipment and techniques. So if they look familar there's a reason why.

2004 Heritage H-150 CM 20th Anniversary ~~~ #9 OF 200 MADE ~~~: We are certainly pleased and proud of this extra special Heritage H-150 CM. To commemorate the company's 20th anniversary they produced a limited run of 200 of this model with special upgrades. The 200 limited edition included different variations on the classic flamed maple top- tobacco burst, amber burst, lemon burst, cherry burst etc. This beautiful example features an extravagantly figured tobacco burst flame maple top on solid mahogany body, one-piece mahogany neck with bound rosewood fingerboard, pearl crown inlay, bound headstock with pearl inlaid logo and 20th anniversary banner, nickel hardware including Tonepros tune-o-matic bridge & stop tailpiece, Sperzel tuning machines with ivoroid buttons and a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbuckers. The tone is every bit the match for the guitar's looks.


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

They are all incredible, my favorite is the Heritage.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I've got a beautiful H535 and I figured that CM150 might be the sleeper of the bunch.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

my money would be on the Heritage as well, I've owned several & they are killer handmade guitars....they put Gibson to shame: in order to get the same quality you need to go custom shop 

I could never bond with PRS: the sound or the feel, although they are very well made

no experience with Collings but it looks very nice


Gibson has one thing going for it...history ( all those blues/rock guitarists that resurrected a dead brand ) so whenever you pick one up you certainly identify with a massive truckload of mojo sdsre


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

and finally the specs for the Collings City Limits Deluxe....

"From the tip of its elegantly bound peghead to the bottom of the precision carved flamed maple cap in a gorgeous amber sunburst (close to what Gibson would call a "iced-tea burst", the Collings CL Deluxe is first class all the way. 
The proprietary grained ivoroid binding, trim rings, knobs and truss rod cover are all fabricated from the same batch of material for perfect colour matching. The carved top has a delicate "re-curve" around the edges, just like a violin or cello. The bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with its highly polished frets and beautiful mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays allow an ease of playability that is the envy of our industry! 

Plug in and put these Custom JasonLollar humbucking pickups through their paces and you'll get the complete picture. Bill Collings' City Limits Deluxe is simply one of the most elegantly practical musical tools we have ever had the pleasure of playing."

* 1 11/16" wide bone nut 
* bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard 
* mother-of-pearl inlays 
* bound peghead 
* Sperzel tuners with custom grained ivoroid buttons 
* 24 7/8" scale length 
* carved premium flamed maple top 
* 13 5/8" lower bout dimension 
* grained ivoroid top binding 
* Tone-Pro bridge & tailpiece 
* contoured tropical mahogany body 
* 7.95 pounds overall guitar weight 
* custom Jason Lollar humbucking pickups 
* custom grained ivoroid knobs & trim rings 
* flawless gloss lacquer finish 
* Amber Sunburst top stain


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

All beautiful but I love that R8!! 
Let me know if you ever want to sell it. 
Not anytime soon, though - I'm broke!


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## zeebee (Nov 2, 2008)

Match theses specs from the relatively "new comer" Larrivee RS-4 at about 1/2 the price of the others:


* extra thick (3/4") Canadian Flamed Maple carved top 
* 1-piece South American Mahogany (Genuine Mahogany) 
* bound Indian Rosewood fingerboard from Cochin 
* Extra Long Mortis & Tenon neck joint 
* Sterling Silver peghead border 
* Mother of Pearl peghead logo inlay 
* Ivoroid fingerboard binding w/Black Side Dots 
* Mother-of-Pearl & Abalone V-Block position markers 
* Ivoroid with Multi-Strip Purfling top binding 
* Amber “Speed Knobs” 
* Textured Black control cavity covers 
* Nickel & Chrome hardware 

* Schaller M6 Tuners (Made in Germany) 
* Jason Lollar Imperials Standard Wind in Nickel, 4-Conductor (Made in USA) 
* Tonepros bridge & tailpiece 
* Switchcraft Short Toggle Switch (Made in USA) 
* Switchcraft 1/4" Mono Jack w/ Short Thread (Made in USA) 
* CTS Long Shaft 500k Audio Pots 
* Luxe Bumblebee Paper-in-oil (PIO) capacitors (Made in USA) 
* Schaller Strap Locks (Made in Germany) 
* Single Action Coated Steel adjustable truss rod 
* Mini Spoke-Nut design on Final Fret (Made in USA) 
* Custom Fit Wooden Case with Blue Velvet Lining (Made in Canada) 

Scale Length: 25.5” or 650mm 
Upper Bout: 9.875" 
Waist: 8.125" 
Lower Bout: 13" 
Body Thickness at Edge: 1.5" 
Overall Length: 38.75" 
Nut Width: 1 & 11/16th" or 43mm 
Weight: Approximately 8 lbs. 


Wiring Style: Modern Style w/ Independent Volumes 
Wiring: Multi Conductor Foil Shielded 
Treble Bypass Circuit: Yes, Neck pickup only 
Capacitors Values: 0.022UF Bridge, 0.015 Neck 
Capacitor Type: Hand Rolled, Paper in Oil 
String Ground: Grounded to Tail Stop-Piece 
Shielding: Painted Body Cavities (Ceramic Conductive paint)

again.....1/2 THE PRICE


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

thanks for the input.

well i don't currently own a Larrivee RS-4 and i've only seen them once. i'm sure like all of Larrivee guitars they are well made. but from what i've seen the price is competitive with Heritage and not far off a used Gibson or Collings. if the Larrivee RS4 lists at 3200 and retails around 2500 that is not much different than Heritage. 

http://www.12fret.com/new/Larrivee_RS-4_Solidbody_Electric_Guitar_pg.html

In fact you can get a less deluxe Heritage for well under 2000. Check out Wolfe guitars from Jupiter Florida. i have a lemonburst Heritage in mint shape, that i bought used there for like 1200.
The PRS single-cut trem runs around $2600 to 3000 too. 
i won't argue that the Custom shop Gibsons are pricey and Bill Collings CLD are too, but if you buy used (like i do) you can get them for a lot less than retail. :smile:

but its not just about the price. everybody has their own ideas about what is important in terms of feel and playability, tone and of course, what looks good.


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## Dave (Dec 12, 2006)

The Collings electric guitars are probably the best I've had a chance to play. I have a CL deluxe and I-35 deluxe in the store and ...wow... especially the I-35... the 335 Gibson wishes they had made.


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## erick (Jun 23, 2009)

Dave said:


> The Collings electric guitars are probably the best I've had a chance to play. I have a CL deluxe and I-35 deluxe in the store and ...wow... especially the I-35... the 335 Gibson wishes they had made.


For me, the Collings electrics are as good as any electric I've owned/played. Soft spot in my heart for my Heritage H535. Sleeper guitar, wonderfully made. I put BareKnuckle Stormy Mondays in there. For me it's a keeper...


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## Fuzzy dagger (Jun 3, 2016)

Eric, did you notice that Dave has a MySpace account?


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## blueshores_guy (Apr 8, 2007)

OK, I see this thread is 11 years old. My bad. Never mind.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

This thread is officially old enough to ride on the bus by itself.


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## erick (Jun 23, 2009)

I did not notice his myspace account. Then again, I also didn’t notice this thread was 100 years old 😀. Oops.


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