Heritage Accent introduces new model. Made in China.

[brentrocks]

https://mannys.com/products/heritage-guitars/ascent-plus-collection-limited-edition-h-150-ash-top-fr-electric-guitar-matte-black/

 

 

I gotta admit, I am very, very interested in something like this!

 

But

 

For a Chinese made guitar, I believe the price point is far too high for what it is?

 

Am I wrong?  

 

I love the look, I love the options that it has on it, but I think it is a little bit overpriced, IMO. 

 

I would like to know what kind of neck carve it has on it. I’m assuming it probably has a slimmer, 60s style neck on it?

 

I think it’s beautiful! I really do. I think Heritage is just fishing right now, trying to see what the market will withstand. It probably cost them $150 to make that Guitar, so they are testing the waters so to speak. At least that’s how I see it.

 

[Spectrum13]

Sir Brently,

 

   $1,200 in 2026 vs $1800 for a US built H150 in 2006, don't know what the currency conversion is but that is not a bolt on neck and these features are arguably something preferable.   Without hands and ears on it it's hard to make a value judgment. Best not sell something short just because of where it was built.  

[brentrocks]

I would like to be able to take one for a test drive.  
 

 

[TalismanRich]

$1200 isn't unreasonable.   Not all Chinese shops are the same.   An Eastman SB59 made in China is $2000.   It's not the same guitar as an AliExpress Chibson Les Paul for $250.

If they are using a genuine Floyd Rose 1000,  that's a couple of hundred bills right there.  It looks like they are using a traditional headstock, not a scarf joint.   I do like the way they are doing the neck joint on the Ascent+.   

 

[rockabilly69]

I like the neck joint too, but I'm not groovin with the ash. It just looks out of place on that guitar.

[skydog52]

I have purchased a couple of the Ascent+ models.

Fit and finish are good. Played well out of the box. I think I paid $699 on sale.

I have a 535 also.

Well worth it.

[pressure]

Every Chinese guitar sold is one less American guitar sold.

[Spectrum13]

11 hours ago, pressure said:

Every Chinese guitar sold is one less American guitar sold.

Rich, 

 We went to different schools. My math is a little different.

Every guitar made in the USA that a musician can't afford is a guitar not sold and not manufactured.  In the 60's a teenager started out on a Kent and graduated to a Fender, Gibson or Guild. If a Fender, it was a Mustang the Gibson was single pickup Junior the guild a Starfire 3. What is the current price point for a Collins, Gibson, Taylor or Heritage made in the USA? 

 

[JeffB]

14 hours ago, skydog52 said:

I have purchased a couple of the Ascent+ models.

Fit and finish are good. Played well out of the box. I think I paid $699 on sale.

I have a 535 also.

Well worth it.

Years ago I played a Yamaha Weddington with chamfered heel and a belly cut and I have lived in regret about not buying it or another ever since. There never seems to be one for sale anywhere in the world when I remember to look.
I didnt realize these Accent models had those design features until this thread. Nice guitar!

Edited May 24 by JeffB

[skydog52]

Don’t get me wrong. There is no bigger cheerleader than me for Heritage-America.
They are superior to the imported models. 
These are for the global market and getting a foothold in the more affordable area that Heritage never had from 225 Parsons St. 

[brentrocks]

Against my better judgement, I’m gonna try one of these.  
 

I will report back.  

[DetroitBlues]

5 hours ago, brentrocks said:

Against my better judgement, I’m gonna try one of these.  
 

I will report back.  

With the level of rework you perform on any guitar you have, I'm sure it will be a good instrument in the end.  One drawback I can think of for these Chinese imports is low-end electronic components.

[TalismanRich]

Again, that depends on the maker.    The info said it's using Alpha  pots which are decent,   and polypropylene caps really aren't that much cost... a  few pennys, which shouldn't be an issue on a guitar in that price range. 

It appears that they aren't using the generic ceramic humbuckers that most Chinese manufacturers install.   They're Alnico pickups.   I'll bet they will be similar to what GFS sells for <$40 each.   

[brentrocks]

On 5/26/2026 at 6:14 AM, brentrocks said:

Against my better judgement, I’m gonna try one of these.  
 

I will report back.  

Well I finally had time to dive into this guitar today.  I have mixed feelings about it.   
 

The construction/fit and finish are quite good.  Fretwork is pretty good too.  The electronics are very decent.  I’m not exactly in love with the bridge pickup.  I love the neck pickup.   The push/pull coil taps are useless to me.   I’ll never use them.  But the pots have good taper (mini pots).  The toggle switch is very tight.  I’m able to get a pretty low action.  
 

There were 2 main problems.  One, the tremolo springs rubbed the bottom of the cavity when you did a divebomb….thats not good!!  So I had to take a wood file and file away some wood inside the trem cavity.  Two, the Floyd would not stay in tune.  Cheap springs!!!!    I set it up for 9s.  Came from the factory with 10a.  !!! I bought a set of Floyd Rose noiseless springs….problem solved.   

The neck carve is a medium C.  It’s close to a 60s neck.  The satin finish is smooth as a baby’s bottom.  Fast n smooth.  The sculpted heel joint is great for upper register access.   It’s light and quite resonant.   
 

Playability is quite good. Neck has almost no relief and sets up quite nicely.  If I wasn’t a DIY person, I probably would’ve instantly boxed it back up for a refund.  The springs rubbing on the back cavity, in my opinion, is a huge drop of the ball by QC! That is inexcusable, especially for a Guitar of that design and style! And is obviously a playability and Tone problem because when the springs rub against the wood like that, it obviously makes a really bad noise that disrupt the vibration of the strings!

As far as the Tremolo not staying in tune, I think it was a combination of junk strings and bad springs. I put a nice little dab of BIG BENDS nut sauce on each pivot point of the Tremelo before I installed the new strings on it and between that and the new springs, I am not having any tuning issues at all. And I do some pretty heavy dive bombs with it.

After a lot of TLC, this is actually a really nice guitar. Out of the box, it was not. And I blame Heritage for not checking for quality control issues, this Guitar was in Kalamazoo before it shipped off to me so they had every opportunity to double check the quality control of the Chinese factory, and obviously they chose not to!  If you’re going to charge $1200 for a Chinese made guitar with the Heritage name on it, the QC needs to be  A LOT BETTER!!!!

 

[TalismanRich]

Were the springs just too big for the cavity?   It's strange that they would rub.  

I  probably wouldn't get that model with the Floyd, so I wouldn't have that problem.    I only have two guitars with trems, and one is decked.  There other is my G&L Legacy but I don't really use the bar.   

[golferwave]

Thanks for the report, Brent. Manny's must have delivered it pretty quickly. I've been looking at one of the H-150+ models but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[brentrocks]

12 minutes ago, TalismanRich said:

Were the springs just too big for the cavity?   It's strange that they would rub.  

I  probably wouldn't get that model with the Floyd, so I wouldn't have that problem.    I only have two guitars with trems, and one is decked.  There other is my G&L Legacy but I don't really use the bar.   

I love a good Floyd rose.  Over the years I have learned how to set them up properly and they can be lots of fun