Alswin Posted March 14, 2012 Posted March 14, 2012 I wonder if anyone can explain the wiring setup on left handed heritage guitars? On my new 140 cm, I notice the knobs are right handed and I have to roll the pots reverse of every other lefty I have ever had. I also have other guitars with lefty pots in them and the knobs are lefty on those (larrivee's) which work like a right handed model I assume would.I do like that the pots on my 140 correspond to the numbers on the knobs and it only took me a few days to get used to this being in reverse (the direction you roll the pot to turn the volume up or down). Normally on a lefty you do get right handed knobs but the direction of taper is reverse to this guitar. It seems to work better than any other guitar I have ever owned as far as function goes. You can really roll back and get excellent taper on the volume and tone, also the middle pickup (both) position works a lot better on this guitar than any of my other guitars in fact this is the only guitar I own I even use the middle position. You can actually hear the difference between the pickups blending together, for example set the neck cleaner and the bridge dirtier and it's easy to hear both pup's working together. It's really cool and I never had a guitar the electronics worked this well on.Can someone clue me in on what's up with this setup? I'm really digging it and considering rewiring some of my other guitars to be like this.
H Posted March 14, 2012 Posted March 14, 2012 Hi Alswin, a close-up pic of the components in the control cavity would help answer your question.
Alswin Posted March 14, 2012 Author Posted March 14, 2012 Thanks H, here's a couple pics. One with flash and one without so hopefully you can see well enough. Sorry, my camera is nowhere near as nice as my guitars... Can you tell I spend it all on the guitars lol.
H Posted March 14, 2012 Posted March 14, 2012 Looks like stock Heritage 'modern' (as opposed to 50's or vintage wiring) to me. I can't see the values on the caps but those yellow ones (Mallory, I think) are what Heritage use.
Alswin Posted March 14, 2012 Author Posted March 14, 2012 Whatever they did it works really, really good. I have never had a lefty guitar in any price range setup like this and I've been playing for close to 17 years. Thanks for the info. I'm thinking they may have just wired it the same as a righty, that's why it is in reverse when in a lefty guitar. Makes sense, it seems to work as good as any right handed guitar I have ever seen or heard. Much better responses from the controls than any other guitar I own. Even my bass players girlfriend commented at practice last night (it's at their house) she really thought the guitar sounded good to the point it was different than my others and mentioned she could hear the changes in the settings much better than my other guitars. She actually said- you have had some real nice guitars since I've known you but there is something about the sound of this one I really like. I tend to agree. Even in a chord I can hear the seperate notes ringing. She has played piano over 20 years and sings very well and when she said I've seen and heard some real nice guitars in my life and thats by far the best sounding one of them I've ever heard in person no matter how you set it or your amp all night it just sounded real nice, That's a really nice instrument- it kind of shocked me to be honest. No one has ever just felt compelled to say something like that to me in the 17 years I've played guitar. I've had people tell me at a show they liked a song I did or something or ask about my gear but not a comment like this until I got this guitar. Pretty much everyone who has heard this has commented that it has a sound to it that just is so musical. That's saying a lot if you knew the other guitars I had owned some of which cost a good bit more than this. Now to work on my playing!
H Posted March 14, 2012 Posted March 14, 2012 As you're finding out in the best possible way, Heritage guitars are a class act. Prepare to enter the world of.... Heritage GAS
Alswin Posted March 14, 2012 Author Posted March 14, 2012 As you're finding out in the best possible way, Heritage guitars are a class act. Prepare to enter the world of.... Heritage GAS No worries, I am already dreaming of the next one, even though I'll be lucky to be able to afford another anytime- much less soon. I have had lots of GAS, especially since I started playing in a band a few years back. I am learning quickly Heritage GAS can have a powerful effect on you. I have a G&L S-500 one piece mahogany body special build, and two one piece body Larrivee RS-2 electrics as well with quartersawn necks. They all do their own thing really well but I am pretty sure the 140 cm will be my main guitar from here on out.
koula901 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Alswin, I couldn't speak to the wiring, but I know my heritages came with righty wiring and pots and righty-numbered knobs. I bought lefty pots from All Parts: a CTS Left Handed 500k Pot and a CTS Left Handed 250k Pot. Then, from ebay, I bought reverse-numbered knobs - they're black speed knobs. I had my trusty guitar tech deal with installing it all, and now all my guitars are correct for a lefty. I'm very happy with the results.
Alswin Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 It really is amazing that some of the first electric guitar and amp technology would turn out to be the best of all time. I see why this guitar is appropriately named The Heritage. That says it all right there. I build amps too and build/modify pedals by the way- just for my own use but this sounds real nice on the Allen Chihuahua I built last spring. My Oranges like it a lot too.
Alfonzo Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 nice to see you over here as well. My 150cm has the same situation where the pots are backwards on the lefty guitar, it feels like you turn them the wrong way to increase volume or tone. I agree they are great pots, so I'm not concerned with them going the wrong way. I did however, change the knobs to amber speed knobs without numbers on them. Alf
mars_hall Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 When wiring for left vs right, the center lugs on the left hand pots are wired the same as a right hand. What is wired to the outer lugs are just swapped (mirrored), which changes the relative direction of up and down on the controls. The taper is set between the outer lugs and doesn't change. i.e audio taper is still audio taper. Fairly certain that is all.
koula901 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Becareful though, because because some people make minor changes and the pots end up becoming like an on-off, instead of a taper. Southpaw guy should weigh in here - he knows the particulars.
SouthpawGuy Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 When wiring for left vs right, the center lugs on the left hand pots are wired the same as a right hand. What is wired to the outer lugs are just swapped (mirrored), which changes the relative direction of up and down on the controls. The taper is set between the outer lugs and doesn't change. i.e audio taper is still audio taper. Fairly certain that is all. If only it were that simple ! The pots need to be lefty pots, otherwise they act as kill switches with very little range, and all of the adjustment occurs from 9 to 10 on the pot with nothing happening from 0 to 9. Larrivee electrics use factory modified left handed pots as the ones with the required shaft length are not available in lefty form. http://www.larriveef...p?topic=36523.0 A lot of lefty players actually prefer using right handed pots and knobs as that's what they are accustomed to.
tulk1 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 I wonder if anyone can explain the wiring setup on left handed heritage guitars? On my new 140 cm, I notice the knobs are right handed and I have to roll the pots reverse of every other lefty I have ever had. I also have other guitars with lefty pots in them and the knobs are lefty on those (larrivee's) which work like a right handed model I assume would. Guess you know that Matt L. personally reworks the righty pots and makes them into lefty pots? That's pretty cool. What Larrivee are you sporting? There's a few of us on here that have L-Guitars, too. As well as being on the Larrivee Forum. On your 140CM .. is it a 2nd Ed.? Basically looks like a smaller 150? Love those!!
SouthpawGuy Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Becareful though, because because some people make minor changes and the pots end up becoming like an on-off, instead of a taper. Southpaw guy should weigh in here - he knows the particulars. The world of lefty pots and knobs etc is most confusing, even to lefty players. I still turn them the wrong way, even after 30+ years of playing ! Even on the Larrivee RS-4 with lefty pots and knobs I usually go the wrong way so a lot of the time I don't use them, the volumes are left on 10 and the tones are sometimes tweaked.
koula901 Posted March 15, 2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Btw, the CTS lefty pots I ordered from All Parts worked in both my solid body guitars and my semi-hollow (H 535), (in terms of thinking about the length of the shaft).
Alswin Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 nice to see you over here as well. My 150cm has the same situation where the pots are backwards on the lefty guitar, it feels like you turn them the wrong way to increase volume or tone. I agree they are great pots, so I'm not concerned with them going the wrong way. I did however, change the knobs to amber speed knobs without numbers on them. Alf Hi Alf, I finally got me some Heritage goodness and found out about this place. Good to run into you over here.
Alswin Posted March 15, 2012 Author Posted March 15, 2012 Guess you know that Matt L. personally reworks the righty pots and makes them into lefty pots? That's pretty cool. What Larrivee are you sporting? There's a few of us on here that have L-Guitars, too. As well as being on the Larrivee Forum. On your 140CM .. is it a 2nd Ed.? Basically looks like a smaller 150? Love those!! I have 2 Larrivee RS-2's. Both of them have the Humbuckers Matt is winding in them and sound great. I have the first one built with Humbuckers (3rd lefty built- 1st two had p 90-s) in trans crimson red which they used a real nice body slab on and I have a satin amber one that only weighs 6.5 lbs They have remodeled the guitar and the new ones are different and have a pickguard and wraparound bridge. As far as my 140 goes it is very small so it must be the new style you speak of, I think it showed up at Jerry's back in August or September. I bought it new. I love the body size.
koula901 Posted March 16, 2012 Posted March 16, 2012 Did you buy that trans amber 140 that weighs only 7.8 lbs from Jerrys?
Alswin Posted March 16, 2012 Author Posted March 16, 2012 Did you buy that trans amber 140 that weighs only 7.8 lbs from Jerrys? That would be the one!
Alfonzo Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 so, would these work in my 150 or alswin's 140? http://www.allparts.com/CTS-Left-Handed-500K-Pot-p/ep-0086-l00.htm These, orange caps and the lindy fralin high output paf's might be the ticket to replace my SD 59s. I know, can't leave well enough alone.
Alfonzo Posted March 17, 2012 Posted March 17, 2012 I found this kit online as well, not in lefty though http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/PK3S/Gibson-Guitar-Electronics-Super-Kit-w-CTS-Precision-Tolerance-Pots.html Here's the review of the pups, http://www.fralinpickups.com/reviews_hb.asp#HO
koula901 Posted March 20, 2012 Posted March 20, 2012 so, would these work in my 150 or alswin's 140? http://www.allparts....ep-0086-l00.htm These, orange caps and the lindy fralin high output paf's might be the ticket to replace my SD 59s. I know, can't leave well enough alone. Here's what I got from All Parts: Code Item Qty Price Grand Total EP-0086-L00 EP-0086-L00 - CTS Left Handed 500K Pot 7 $6.50 $45.50 EP-4385-L00 EP-4385-L00 - CTS Left Handed 250K Audio Pot 3 $6.50 $19.50 Subtotal: $65.00 Tax: $0.00 Shipping Cost: $7.00 Grand Total: $72.00
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