H-150CM Questions

[dhouse]

Hi all. I have a chance to pick up a used 2003 Heritage H-150CM for $950, with OHSC. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm going to look at it later today. I don't know a whole lot about Heritage guitars, but I do know that there are some variations in the 150CM models. Not sure whether this is a standard, classic, etc. A couple of questions:

 

1. Does this seem like a fair price?

2. I know that there were variations in the pickups. Does anyone know which pickups were used in 2003?

3. Are there any special issues I should look for (common problems with used H-150s, etc.)?

 

Thanks much for your help.

[tbonesullivan]

$950 is a good price, depending on condition. IF it's minty, that's a great price. IF it's got buckle rash and chips everywhere, not to great.

 

H150CM is basically the heritage equivalent of the Les Paul Standard.

 

As for pickups, if they have two screws on each side, they are probably Schaller Golden 50s, the stock pickups for many years in heritage guitars, and they are great. If they have one screw on each side, then they have some kind of seymour duncan pickups, probably 59s, which are also great pickups. If they have a dot on the top of the pickup selector knob, then they have HRW pickups, which are schaller golden 50s that have been modded, which many people love.

 

Issues? I don't know of any that are specific to H150CMS or Heritage guitars. Check for the basic stuff you'd check any used guitar for:

 

-Fret wear

-Neck bow/warp/etc

-intonation

-physical condition

-weight (H150CMs can be HEAVY.. mine is 10.5lbs)

 

And of course, make sure you bond with it.

[dhouse]

Great. Thanks much for your help. If it pans out, I will post some pictures to return the favor.

[tbonesullivan]

and just so you know, I paid $1600 for this from Wolfe guitars. 2005 model, used but te thing is perfect except for 3 tiny chips. I mean MINT, and this was coming from probably the biggest heritage dealer in the world. Also had schaller buttons and grover locking tuners installed, and the color was to die for:

 

[mark555]

You can also get a variance sometimes in the bridge and stop bar, as some have either come from the factory or been modded with the Nashville bridge and stop piece as in tbonesullivan's H150 in the above post, some have the Schaller bridge and TP6 style stop piece, niether are wrong, just personal choice.

 

However you look at it, $950 is a low price for a lot of guitar, if it's not in the greatest condition but plays good - as it no doubt will, haggle for a discount. Good luck, let us know how you get along and if you buy it, we will look forward to the pics.

 

By the way, hello and welcome to a nice place to be......

[mark555]

You can also get a variance sometimes in the bridge and stop bar, as some have either come from the factory or been modded with the Nashville bridge and stop piece as in tbonesullivan's H150 in the above post, some have the Schaller bridge and TP6 style stop piece, niether are wrong, just personal choice.

 

However you look at it, $950 is a low price for a lot of guitar, if it's not in the greatest condition but plays good - as it no doubt will, haggle for a discount. Good luck, let us know how you get along and if you buy it, we will look forward to the pics.

 

By the way, hello and welcome to a nice place to be......

[mark555]

ooops, just getting another post in there to up the total........

[tulk1]

ooops, just getting another post in there to up the total........

Thought maybe you were just being really enthusiastic!

 

dhouse: somethings to look for that haven't been mentioned. If the 150 does not have traps or blocks, it might not be CM (curly maple is what that stands for). It could be a "P", which stands for Poplar - generally noted by having dots. And above the serial number it might have a "2", which means it's a second. In the case of Heritage, a "2" or second is generally hard to figure out why it's a second, so that shouldn't scare you. Just bringing it all up because of the price.

 

As for problems with Heritage H150s, yes, there is one major problem that I'm surprised no one has mentioned, yet. They are very addictive. Might as well start planning right now on getting another.

[chico]

dhouse: somethings to look for that haven't been mentioned. If the 150 does not have traps or blocks, it might not be CM (curly maple is what that stands for). It could be a "P", which stands for Poplar - generally noted by having dots. And above the serial number it might have a "2", which means it's a second. In the case of Heritage, a "2" or second is generally hard to figure out why it's a second, so that shouldn't scare you. Just bringing it all up because of the price.

 

 

The Heritage H150P tulk refers to is also known as the H150 Special they are a discontinued model. dot inlays are the tip off.

 

obviously, some colors are more common than others and may command a lesser asking price.

[mark555]

take a picture of it and post it even if you don't buy it, it has got us all interested.

 

Didn't one of the guys here buy a 150 from another forum member for about $600, but it was a very basic dot neck one? could that have been on of the P models?

[tbonesullivan]

Yeah... I am currently fighting the urge to get a second H150, but budget will not allow, and honestly I doubt it could touch the H150CM I already have. 8 guitars is enough... for now.

[dhouse]

You guys are awesome, thanks for all the input. Well, I think I may have struck pay dirt here. Just got back from the Sam Ash where this was living. I spent some time playing it and checking it out, and pretty much fell in love. The only issues were some small nicks on the back and the fact that someone had taken the pickguard off and filled in the holes themselves. The good news is they did a pretty decent job. The pickguard was still in the case, as was the original Heritage hang tag, which identified the guitar as a CM150DLX. I hadn't done the research to find out what differentiates a deluxe (I assume that's what DLX stands for) from a standard CM150 (and still haven't), but I went ahead and took the plunge. The guy even knocked off 30 bucks because I expressed mild annoyance with the filled-in pickguard holes. Appearance-wise, it looks sort of like a tobacco burst with creme binding. It's got trapezoid inlays rather than dots, and the pickups have one adjustment screw on each side.

 

I've looked at a bunch of LPish guitars over the last several months and had almost decided to buy a used Gibson Studio a few days ago. I'm glad I waited -- even after playing for 20 minutes, it's clear this is a better guitar for the same money. I A/B'd it with a Studio they had in the store, and it was no contest. The pickups have more life than the Studio's, and the neck was much more accessible (I usually play a Strat). Thanks again for your input. I'll try to get some pictures up tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Gitfiddler]

Dhouse~ Sounds like you scored a good one! Without pulling the p'ups, I'd bet your 'DLX' has upgraded Seymour Duncan pickups rather than the standard issue Schallers or the further upgraded HRW's.

 

Other possible 'DLX' possibilities...Is your headstock bound or plain black? Is the word Heritage in grey paint or pearl inlay?

 

We're all flyin' blind here, but glad you found a great guitar. Congratulations!

[dhouse]

Yeah, I just looked at the model comparisons in the link on the front page, and it says that the CM deluxe has multi-ply binding and a bound headstock. Mine has neither of these. And "the heritage" on the headstock is in paint, if I recall correctly (the guitar is downstairs in my car -- I'm at work). Did they make "deluxes" with different features at different times? Not that it really matters, I really like the guitar.

[tulk1]

Not that one at Sam Ash? Oh man ..................... Tried to find a pic, but couldn't find one on the site. Thing about Heritage guitars - you can take any model and get it custom built. So perhaps the person that ordered the DLX didn't want headstock binding, or whatever else it doesn't/does have. Cool, eh? Sounds like you gots yourself a dandy.

[conorb]

We still need some pictures. :D :o

 

Congrats on a great guitar!!!

 

conorb

[FredZepp]

Hey, this sounds very promising... And it sounds like you got a great deal. You are right about the comparison with the studio. This is the real deal.

It's so cool that you just kind of fell into it.

The DLX models that I remember had a bound/finished headstock...

 

 

One of the first things you will want to do is take the back off of the cavity and read the label. You will find some answers there.

This one is a find that you will never regret ... Congrats.

 

OH , and we will be asking for pics...

[tbonesullivan]

if it's in the car make sure you give it plenty of time to temperature equalize to avoid checking.

 

If the pickguard is wood, id' say re drill the holes and put the PG in. They add so much class to the guitar.

 

And yeah, post pics. Looks like you hit paydirt. Most sam ash people have no idea who heritage is, and assume it's some knockoff brand. Sounds like a guitar they could have easily gotten 300-400 more for if they had known what they had.

[Thundersteel]

If the pickguard is wood, id' say re drill the holes and put the PG in. They add so much class to the guitar.

 

Say it aint so! (I loathe PGs!)

[dhouse]

I'll definitely take some pics when I get home tonight.

 

Tulk & Gitfiddler: thanks for the info about the variations in the deluxe models. That makes a lot of sense.

 

Fredzepp: thanks for the tip about the control cavity -- I'll check it out when I get home and report further results.

 

Tbone: Good call on temperature equalization. My car's parked in a basement under my building, but I'll still have to resist the urge to bust it out as soon as I get home. And yeah, I typically avoid places like Sam Ash in favor of locally owned shops, but when I heard this guitar was there, I figured I'd check it out. Glad I did.

[tbonesullivan]

Say it aint so! (I loathe PGs!)

what's wrong with PGs? If you've got one, put it on. If you don't, leave it off. It's not like they serve much of a purpose, but I'm sorry, this looks cool:

 

 

Definitely looks better than filled in holes.

[brentrocks]

Nice snagg dude!!!

 

Welcome!

 

does it have a belly cut and a matching flamed, bound headstock?

[dhouse]

Thanks! Nope, there's no belly cut, and the headstock is unbound.

 

Nice semi, Tbone!

[brentrocks]

i cant wait to see pics....

[Kuz]

Definitely looks better than filled in holes.

 

+1 gazillion..... I hate holes, filled or unfilled!!!