PunkKitty Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 I'm having some electronic problems with my Heritage 150P and I'm wondering if anyone has seen anything like this before. It has the stock Schaller pickups. I think it was rewired at one time. The wiring is pretty clean with the exception of some melted insulation. It has ceramic caps. I don't think the switch was ever replaced. When I play it, I get mild popping from my amp. It only happens with this guitar and it's not consistent. I really only notice it at low volumes. I'm tempted just to rewire the whole thing. I have all of the parts except for a new switch. And I'm not a big fan of ceramic caps. Someone on another forum suggested that I try potting the pickups. He thinks it might be a loose wire in the pickups. I have nothing to lose by potting them. It just takes a couple of hours to melt the wax in the slow cooker. I have a set of Gibson Burstbuckers lying around. I could just put them in. But I like the stock Schallers. Has anyone seen something like this before?
HANGAR18 Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Troubleshooting and testing for the exact cause is better than throwing a bunch of parts and money at the problem until you accidentally discover the problem. Determine what is wrong and only fix what is broken.
High Flying Bird Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 The first thing I would do is shoot some contact cleaner into the switch and the input jack. Next I might just rewire the thing as a 150 is pretty easy to work on.
PunkKitty Posted April 10, 2013 Author Posted April 10, 2013 Since the pots are okay, I think I'm going to rewire it using the existing pots. I have a new barrel jack so I'll install that. I'll also install new caps and pot the pickups. If that doesn't work I'll redo it with new pots, a new switch, and new pickups.
rockabilly69 Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 I wouldn't pot the pickups until you've rewired it. That way you'll know for sure if it's one of the pickups. I think rewiring it's a good option as you'll know every connection is good, especially if you have to troubleshoot something later down the line.
mars_hall Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Plug into the guitar and turn all of the pots all the way down. This effectively grounds them. Is the pop still there? Unplug from the guitar (not amp). Is the pop still there?
TalismanRich Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 I would replace the barrel jack first thing. Static build up and discharge maybe ? Those are the first two places I would look, followed by the selector switch. I've never had the caps or pots generate pops and crackle.
Billgelder Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 Does it do it with both pickups or just one? I had a similar issue with anold flying V. After messing with it for some time it tured out to be the output jack. I wouldn't pot the pickups, you might lose the tone you like if you do.
Blunote Posted April 10, 2013 Posted April 10, 2013 The barrel jacks will produce that popping noise and they're notorious for failing. I replaced mine when it happened to my H150P. Best bet would be to replace with a stereo jack that's wired mono to both contacts. Do that and you'll probably never have the problem again.
PunkKitty Posted April 10, 2013 Author Posted April 10, 2013 Does it do it with both pickups or just one? I had a similar issue with anold flying V. After messing with it for some time it tured out to be the output jack. I wouldn't pot the pickups, you might lose the tone you like if you do. Schaller pickups are potted at the factory. I can feel the wax on the base plates. So I'm not worried much about changing the tone. I lightly pot them in a mixture of paraffin and beeswax. I leave them in the wax for no more than 2 or 3 minutes. It's just enough time for the air bubbles to escape. I have another barrel jack that I'll install. Outside of that the wiring looks pretty good.
PunkKitty Posted April 16, 2013 Author Posted April 16, 2013 Just to follow up on this, I completed the project tonight. A Gibson grounding plate for a Les Paul did not fit in the 150P so I ended up not using it. After I examined the original pots and switch, I was horrified by the sloppy soldering job. I had all of the parts at home so I fully rewired the guitar with new CTS pots, PIO Russian caps, treble bleeds, a new switch, and a new jack. I also lightly repotted the pickups. The end result is that the guitar sounds exactly like I want it to. The pickups are super quiet now. I don't have any annoying cracking through the amp when I play it. And because of the treble bleeds the volume rolls down smoothly. All of the soldering is clean. And I'm satisfied with the work I did.
HANGAR18 Posted April 16, 2013 Posted April 16, 2013 Just to follow up on this, I completed the project tonight. A Gibson grounding plate for a Les Paul did not fit in the 150P so I ended up not using it. After I examined the original pots and switch, I was horrified by the sloppy soldering job. I had all of the parts at home so I fully rewired the guitar with new CTS pots, PIO Russian caps, treble bleeds, a new switch, and a new jack. I also lightly repotted the pickups. The end result is that the guitar sounds exactly like I want it to. The pickups are super quiet now. I don't have any annoying cracking through the amp when I play it. And because of the treble bleeds the volume rolls down smoothly. All of the soldering is clean. And I'm satisfied with the work I did. If I ever need a guitar tech, I think I should call you.
kidsmoke Posted April 16, 2013 Posted April 16, 2013 If I ever need a guitar tech, I think I should call you. Back off!! She's mine!! Nice work PK! When are we gonna A/B those champs and give this 150 a thrashing?
PunkKitty Posted April 16, 2013 Author Posted April 16, 2013 Give me a few weeks. I'm working on a new daily schedule. It will take me a couple of weeks to fully adapt.
PunkKitty Posted April 18, 2013 Author Posted April 18, 2013 Well that sucks. The popping reappeared although not as bad as it was. As a test, I replaced the pickups with a set of Gibson Burstbuckers. I like the Burstbuckers better so they're staying. Here's what it looks like now:
DetroitBlues Posted April 18, 2013 Posted April 18, 2013 That's a bummer. I usually get that popping noise when I use too much reverb sometimes...
TalismanRich Posted April 18, 2013 Posted April 18, 2013 PK, if it's a crackling sound, you might be picking up static from the pickguard. Try pulling if off and see if the static disappears. Or take a drier sheet and rub it on the plastic. They have an antistat as one of the ingredients. It will last for a short while, but it might tell you if it's from the plastic. That's one reason I like the wooden guards!
DetroitBlues Posted April 18, 2013 Posted April 18, 2013 PK, if it's a crackling sound, you might be picking up static from the pickguard. Try pulling if off and see if the static disappears. Or take a drier sheet and rub it on the plastic. They have an antistat as one of the ingredients. It will last for a short while, but it might tell you if it's from the plastic. That's one reason I like the wooden guards! I've never heard of that at all... Interesting...
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