Wiring Problem in 157

[jackhicks]

I got my new H-157 a few weeks back and I have to say I love it more than all the Gibsons I've had, including Custom shops. It has a bug though, and I'd rather fix it myself. The bridge pickup doesn't work. I fixed it once. I unsoldered the wires to the pot and pickup to test them. The pot and the pickup tested good. I re-soldered, and voila! It worked!

 

So, last night, fire it up, bridge pickup: no output again.

 

So, after having it apart, I've realized that the wiring in it is a little on the cheap side. I'm just going to pop in a pre-wired harness, or wire one up myself. Any suggestions?

 

1. What size shafts for the pots?

2. What about the switch, new wires and new switch? Keep the original switch?

 

I love the Duncan Seth's in it, so they stay.

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

Jack Hicks

[mars_hall]

Short shafts

 

Have you opened up the switch box, not the control cavity? If the switch is opening the circuit or shorting, that might be the problem you are experiencing. Use a meter to see if the wiring is open or shorting.

[MartyGrass]

toggle switch probably

[DetroitBlues]

My toggle switch in my Dot does that too. I'm actually having a whole new harness put in mine because only the pickups were swapped. Plus the toggle is cheap and easy to replace.

[bluesgolfer]

Disappointing to hear about wire on the cheap side since I am waiting on a custom order 157 myself.

 

How long did it take to arrive?

 

Color? Pics?

 

 

Hope it works out well for you.

[MartyGrass]

I don't dispute that the soldering could have been better. Every now and then you can see heaps of solder and burns in the cavity. But it is likely the toggle switch. I've had two new Heritages that required replacement, one that is a 25th Anniversary (GASguy will attest to this) and several used ones.

 

Fortunately it's an easy fix.

 

Here's my take on Heritage. These guys are pragmatic luthiers. They strive to make a good working instrument. Where they really excel is in their work with wood.

 

They are not tone snobs. This goes back to their Gibson days, which is their heritage. They worked with wood then put on hardware. The hardware and electronics were not the primary focus.

 

Contrast that with RS Guitarworks. The electronic part of the guitar equation is their specialty. Their components are more precise and of better quality, and their soldering is elegant.

 

I have for the most part given up on discussions about electronics and hardware with any ex-Gibson employee around Kalamazoo, including the Heritage crowd. There simply isn't that "ToneQuest" level of interest in most of them. And you what, they probably have the right attitude.

 

As an example, I had to replace a pot on a semi-hollow recently and had Pete Moreno do it, another Gibson graduate. I asked him what pot he recommended. He told me it cost about $3 extra but that Ernie Ball is the way to go. Why? Because they are sturdier. I asked about whether their 500K is accurate. He said they make the volume go up and down pretty well.

 

Fine!

[jackhicks]

Well Martygrass, I think you nailed it. I like my guitar so much, that I'm not really even mad about it. I do have a new wiring kit on the way, pots, switch, jack and caps. I do have one more issue with the guitar's bridge and tailpiece. I'm going to start a separate post for that. Thanks for all the help to everyone who replied!

[jackhicks]

Re-wired! I bought a kit off Ebay. Cloth wire, new switch, new pots and caps. After taking everything apart, I'll say that the stuff Heritage has in is not that bad. The wiring is a little on the cheap side, and the switch was a no-name. I'm not sure about those little yellow caps they have either. But, the pots were CTS and the Jack was a Switchcraft.

 

The new rig sounds great. The pots are bumblebee "repros" so I'm not really sure what they are. The guy on Ebay implies that he winds his own caps, but It's not really clear if that's really the case. The pots I got don't seem to be smooth taper, so there's that... but it sounds really great. I'm not sure if it really sounds better, or if it's all in my head.

 

I'm the type of guy is certain my car runs better after I wash it.