Heritage Guitars

[DetroitBlues]

If anyone ever decided to spend some coin on a Gibson guitar, might I suggest looking at Heritage guitars first?

Just as a little background, Heritage Guitars are made by the Gibson Employees left behind in Kalamazoo Michigan when Gibson moved their production to Nashville.  The factory is the same Gibson factory that all the pre 1985 Gibson guitars were made.  Any guitar you buy of theirs has the same quality as Gibson's custom shop.  They are only making the electric guitars as their acoustic luthier retired 10 years ago....

I played a Gibson Custom Black Beauty and a Heritage H-157 to compare the too.  I preferred the Heritage myself, it was more balanced, fret job was better and the general quality of the guitar was great.  Best part was the Heritage was at least a thousand cheaper than the Gibson.

Just food for thought if you plan on spending serious money. (BTW- I prefer to buy my guitars used so they are cheaper and come with some mojo)

[robert]

I tried one recently, and wow. They are fantastic guitars.

[DetroitBlues]

They are fantastic, as I also had the pleasure of experiencing.  But just like a Gibson, they are not cheap.  A friend got a used one that was a factory "B" stock for $500.  That was a steal, but the B stock meant it had a headstock repair once.  Oh well, still looked and played awesome.  If you want a new one, they are all custom ordered.  You can literally design your own.  My favorite so far was a H-150 (LP Standard), but with a plain ebony fretboard, no inlays.  Holy Cow did that sound and play awesome.   I couldn't put it down!

[zagatron1]

I've heard of 'em, never had the opportunity to try one, but considering the story behind 'em, I kind of figured they wouldn't be cheap.

[DetroitBlues]

Another cool point is they have a forum in which many members take an annual trip to the factory with guitars in tow just to have an all out Heritage jam!  A friend of mine met a lot of people that way and they are really nice.  Plus they get dibs on used gear from the other members (Typically cheaper than ebay!)

[GreyBee]

That was a steal, but the B stock meant it had a headstock repair once.

I don't know anything about "B" stock and headstock repairs, but I have heard that Heritage will sometimes put a "2" above the serial number indicating that it was a "second" with something minor like a flaw in the finish.

I too have been intrigued by the Heritage story and quality.  I bought this 13 year old Heritage a couple months ago.  It is was in excellent condition and plays like a dream.

 

[DetroitBlues]

That is an excellant guitar.  You won't regret that purchase.  I'm still waiting for the day I can make one of those my own!

[GreyBee]

I'm still waiting for the day I can make one of those my own!

"Where there's a will there's a way."  In order to make it happen, I bought it used and traded another guitar.  My net outlay was $300.   

[DetroitBlues]

I'm going the same route, I'm looking for a used one.  The value of a used one is sometimes less than 50% of the original value.

[hagarfreak33]

They look fantastic

[DetroitBlues]

They are well known for figured maple tops with finishes to show it.  They don't sell a lot of guitars with solid colored tops just for that reason...