aGuitarSolo

I just remembered that I have some photos of the Jaguar. I was really young when I owned that.

For sure. The Jaguar was a really nice guitar. But at the time, I had my mind set on getting a Les Paul and I knew I didn't have the money to own both (still a teenager) so I sold the Jaguar when the time came and invested that into a really cool Gibson SG Custom. It had 3 pickups and, if I recall correctly, the hardware on it was gold plated. I wish I had kept the SG also but I got it at a great price so it was the last stepping stone before I finally got my Les Paul Custom in 1972-73, thereabouts. I really loved that Les Paul and didn't even mind that all of the gold-plated hardware tarnished and pitted within a very short time. Unfortunately, darker days were ahead when I found myself between jobs and needing to pay rent. That would have been more than 20 years later, in 1996, when I sold that Les Paul for a low price of $600 which was right about what I was paying per month for rent. After that, I swore that I would never again become so attached to a material object and I have kept that promise to myself. However, in a short 4 years, I had really turned things around financially. That was when I stopped by a local music store wanting to buy a Les Paul only to find out the store didn't have any Gibson guitars, However, according to the store owner, he did have a guitar that was just like a Les Paul, only better. So that day in January of 2000, I walked out of that store with my Heritage H150 Deluxe. (The one that arrived at the Heritage factory just today as the prerequisite for them to send me a brand new H-150 standard.) As much as I grew to detest that Tiesco guitar, I remember looking at the prices for one of those a few years back and I couldn't believe how people were actually willing to pay a whole lot of money to own an old one.

i did some research about Teisco some years ago. Going by memory, I think that Sears rebranded some Teisco models and sold them under the name Silvertone. My recollection of myTeisco was that it played and sounded really bad. Obviously, it was a very cheap guitar. By the time I was 15, I had save up enough money to purchase a used Fender Jaguar which was a big step up from the Teisco.

I was thinking exactly that but I added a two words to it: ... "I hope."

Fantastic and that WAS the plan. However, a miracle came my way. I am abandoning the refinishing project because Heritage is sending me a brand new H-150. It should arrive next week. I'll have more details once it arrives and I can take photos. I hope the new H-150s don't have the barrel jack.

Absolutely not. You have inspired me to deep dive into this subject. I really appreciate it. I thought I would share something that happened the other night that I'm still laughing/crying about. By way of background, I learned to solder as a kid. I started playing guitar at age 11 so by age 13, I had a Teisco electric guitar and quickly learned the need to repair my own cables. I found an old photo of me at something like age 14 with my Teisco in my bedroom I am (was) pretty good at soldering. About 5 years ago, I visited the home of a friend of mine who was head of IT for a product-research company. He had salvaged a defective keyboard that needed some component soldered back on to the printed-circuit board for the keyboard to function properly. I took the opportunity to use that situation to teach him how to solder which I demonstrated to him by soldering that tiny component back into place. Shortly after my earlier postings, I removed the electronics from my Heritage using my old, basic-style soldering iron. It was a particular challenge because the soldering was a terrible mess. However, I persevered and finally got everything loose. By of excuse for the words that are to follow, I have ADHD. "Staying in the present" is a particular challenge for me. My work space is limited so I started to gather the parts I removed before unplugging the soldering iron. Not paying attention to the hot soldering iron, I bumped it and it fell to the hardwood floor below. I saw it hit the floor and knowing how hot it was, I wanted to make sure it didn't burn the floor. So, I immediately reached down and grabbed it. Unfortunately, I grabbed it by the metal shaft instead of the handle. The good news is, I didn't burn the floor. That bad news is... well, I attached a photo of the bad news. Needless to say, the solderless kit looks more attractive to me now.

I would like to get your opinion on something. I was studying the various components and thinking how to put them together when I wondered if there might be an easier way for someone like me who has no prior knowledge in this subject. I found the following kit: Mojotone Solderless Les Paul Short Shaft Guitar Wiring Harness Manufacturer Part Number: Z4LES728 for $119.99. It includes 4 x CTS 500k vintage-taper pots, 1 x Switchcraft USA toggle switch, 1 x Switchcraft USA mono output jack and 2 x Mojo Tone Vitamin T oil-filled .022uf capacitors. (Sweetwater: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Z4LES728--mojo-tone-solderless-les-paul-wiring-harness-short-shaft) By coincidence, I studied a video yesterday that compared 8 different capacitors. I had already concluded that I found the sound of the paper in oil .022uf to be most pleasing to my ear and I think that is what is in this kit. Also, I will be drilling out the shaft where the barrel jack resides so I'll need a jack cover. Gibson Accessories Metal Jack Plate for Les Paul – Nickel Item ID: PRJP040 for $12.99 (Sweetwater https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PRJP040--gibson-accessories-jack-plate-nickel). You were addressing the taper on the pots and (going by memory now) and saying that a logarithmic taper is more consistent with the way we hear changes in volume. Do the pots in this kit represent what you were recommending? I really appreciate all that I've learned from you so far. Many thanks.

Sorry that I got a little confused about the reference to the earlier posting made by someone else. I don't know how to edit it so this is the best way I know how to fix it at this point. However, I really do want to learn how to go about changing out the input jack to one with a plate.

You are right and it has always been a problem (which is probably why the luthier who worked on this soldered it to the top of the tone pot). Can you point me in a direction as to how to go about changing the barrel jack to one with a plate?. Maybe there is a kit for this? In the time since I read your posting about, "Upgrading the harness will do certain things depending on the parts used...", I have been immersed in videos about pots, capacitors, shielding, and wiring. I had no idea there was so much to this but thanks to you, I am starting to get a clue.

Fantastic. Thank you so much. I'm convinced for sure. I am going to unsolder the mess I have today.

That is incredible. I had already decided I needed to start over but I didn't know where to begin. Thanks to you, I have a roadmap. I didn't even know where to start to ask about this. I appreciate this so much. I don't think I've ever read a single posting anywhere on any website that compares to how helpful your posting has been. I can't thank you enough. One question that might answer itself once I get going but I don't see the input jack so I assume it doesn't lead into this compartment, is that right?

I honestly didn't know that. Thank you.

In general, I know this is true. However, I wouldn't expect this from Heritage on any level. Have you found examples of Heritage doing this kind of thing?

Thank you for replying. “FISHY” is a good word for it. I explained a bit more of the back-story to @kbp810 above. In summary, it didn’t come from the factory that way. Yes, I did buy it new but how it got this way, is a whole other story you can read about above. What appears to be corrosion is actually the remnants of my first “FAILED” attempt to refinish the guitar.

Thank you very much for replying. I probably should not have posted that without providing more context. The real story behind this is one that I hope I don't ever have to fully explain publicly because it involves the name of someone who is very well known, someone who should have known better (I realize I'm being obscure here but I posted this because I'm looking for solutions and not looking to tarnish anyone's reputation.) Please forgive me for not providing a bit more explanation. What you are seeing is NOT how it came from the factory. I actually don't know what it looked like at first. I had always had problems with intermittent shorting since the day I purchased it in January of 2000. However, my career was that of a general contractor, not a professional musician, so the problem constituted an annoyance but not a professional hindrance or else I would have addressed it more aggressively. However, in 2005, a friend of someone who is now my EX-girlfriend, dropped my guitar and broke the headstock off. I don't mean cracked it. The only thing holding the headstock to the guitar was the strings. Heritage recommended a luthier for me. In the course of that repair, I also asked him to address the shorting problem. What you see now, for the most part, to the extent that it differs from the factory, is due to his implementation of the solution and it DID work. However, more than 18 years later, it does leave me with a bit of a problem. I didn't intend to rewire the guitar but now, after reading your observation, I'm thinking I should do that. (Thank you for breaking the bad news to me, seriously.) So, this dovetails into the next question I have and that is, "How?" I compared the photo of my existing condition with the photo of the OP of this thread and I was unable to reconcile them. My first impression, beyond the sloppy work, when comparing the 2 photos, it appears as though mine is wired incorrectly. Here are the two photos together oriented how I think they should be oriented. I attached a copy of to this post. “A Dummies Guide to Rewiring a Heritage H150…” This is what I need. Do you have any suggestions?