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I think you were right the first time.
The preamp in the Zoom will probably drive headphones without any help.
Line level and headphone level are close cousins.
In fact, the Zoom website says:
"Output (Used as both Line and Headphone) : 1/4"Stereo Phone Jack x1 "
You can also run it into the soundcard line in on your computer.

I have not been able to play a Vintage personally, but I have heard nothing but good things about them.
This may be a no-lose decision.

ok - new stuff now.
still a few typos and formatting glitches, but new at least.

Excellent. I will be anxious to hear the comparison. Isn't it true that deer (including moose and elk) drop their antlers at the end of the breeding season? If so, a walk in the woods this spring might result in finding more bridge and nut material than anyone could ever use, for free.
BTW badeye, if antler is anything like bone, set your bandsaw to a slow speed to reduce the awful burning-hair smell.

I agree. I like bone saddles and nuts. Sometimes I just go to the pet store, buy a bleached cow bone and carve my own - cheap but stinky. Still, they sound really good.

You can do that - open the panel, remove the pot, find the opening near the connections and spray in pot or tuner cleaner. Then give it a good wiggle to dislodge the grunge. It is a temporary measure, because pot rot has started.

In a vintage guitar, with original solder joints and correct date codes on the pots, I'll take extreme measures to keep that original pot in there.

On a daily player, swapping in a new pot might take 1 minute more than a cleaning and costs about $3. You can do it in the same time as it takes to describe it and a new pot is a definitive solution. Like a new tire instead of a retread.

If you decide to use a cleaner, remember to spray it in the hole in the pot's case, then rotate the shaft. I've seen people spray it on the shaft, back of the case or other unlikely spots and of course, get no results. Also watch out for overspray and give it about 30 minutes to dry. What at first seems like only a minor improvement gets better as the solvent evaporates and leaves lubricant behind.

It is not a difficult or expensive job. A local shop should be able to do it very easily or you could tackle it yourself, if you are inclined.

If you do it yourself, getting the right pot is important to good results. If your guitar has humbuckers, it almost certainlyhas a 500k ohm, audio taper pot as the volume control. If it uses only single coil pickups, rather than a mix, it likely has a 250k ohm, audio taper pot. If the top of the guitar is carved / arched like a Les Paul, you'll need along shaft pot, otherwise the standard type is the best choice.

A pot has 3 connections - top, wiper and bottom. Normally, when used as a volume, a signal is connected at the top, the bottom is connected to ground and the variable wiper int he middle is the output. As the pot is turned, the wiper moves, changing the resistances between signal and ground. Turned up, the wiper is near the signal connection, so there is low resistance to the signal going out on the wiper, but a high resistance to it getting drained off to ground. Turn down and the opposite is true.

Anyway, the steps are: open the access panel on the back of the guitar by removing some screws; do a quick visual inspection to see that there are no broken/loose wires and the pot value is correct (look for a printed 500kA on the back or side); Desolder the connections making a note, if needed about their position and orientation; pull off the volume knob (check for a set screw first, but many just push on); loosen the nut holding the pot in place being careful not to scratch the face of the guitar; extract the old pot; before installing the new pot heat a spot on it's case and flow a little pool of solder onto it, for grounding, as this is a high heat operation compared to the rest of the job and so, easier done on the outside. Finally, install the new pot, orient it, tighten it down resolder all connection. The last step is to replace the access panel and knob.

You sand using a block, to keep it really flat. That way only the high spot (new material) gets sanded. As you get close to level, you will be wet sanding with fine grit (maybe 1000-1500), so it will dull the surrounding area when you hit it, but only slightly. When you buff the whole area (usually with auto clear coat compound) it will make the new and old match. It is a lot like the mini version of auto body work.

A surprising number of touring guitarists, even the ones with full-time guitar techs, are pretty good at setting up their own instruments. I've seen them pull truss rod wrenches, nut or fret files out of their kit bags and go to work. Point is, if you have multiple instruments and are handy with tools, try to gradually learn these skills, for the same reason that my father-in-law made my wife change the oil in her first car, back in high school.

Thanks!

The site is just getting started, but enough gear goes through my hands every week that I should have a near constant supply of new material. People come by all the time with ads or links to gear they are thinking about buying, to ask questions. One day, an associate (Richie) said, "Man, you need a web site - just post the stuff you talk about everyday". So, I am trying it.

I've been a lurker at Chordie for some time. As you can imagine, if you are testing guitars and amps everyday, a handy bunch of song tabs is a great resource.