Found the first advertisement for the new Ascent+ H150.
Seller is asking just shy of $1000 for the new Chinese import. Rather pricey, but way cheaper than a new USA H150.
Doesn’t seem that long ago, you could find a decent H150 for just around a $1000 and a H140 for under $1000.
It had me wondering why Heritage would do this and it dawned on me.
A few California based guitar companies such as ESP and Schecter do make USA guitars, but they are purely custom shop. Similar models are imported from Asian manufacturers to fit the need of everyday consumers for best value for the money.
Maybe this is what Heritage is doing. Making USA made Heritages Custom Core only as they have a bigger price tag. Take the focus away from the $2500 H150 to a $4000 H150 CC. Makes sense I guess to free up the factory to focus on the expensive guitars and move away from the cheaper ones. Wouldn’t be surprised if Harmony is slowly phased out for their import models.
This maybe why we are seeing the evolution of Heritage to be more of a modern guitar company and not what many of us knew from decades ago. It’s been almost ten years now since the owners sold the company. No surprise anymore this is what it takes to keep the name on the headstock.
Right or wrong, this is what it is.