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Deaf Eddie · January 4th, 2007, 10:22 AM

Perhaps a quick explanation of how the 4-way (series) setup works will help with your troubleshooting.

A standard Tele 3-way switch selects the pickups by switching between their hot leads and routing them to the volume pot - in fact, this is how just about all "normal" pickup selectors work.

The Fender 4-way Tele scheme doesn't do that with the neck pickup. If you look at the drawing, the HOT from the neck pup goes straight to the volume pot - just as if it were "always on." The neck pickup is selected (activated) by where its NEGATIVE (ground) lead is routed.

If its negative lead is "OPEN," it doesn't play - throw #1.

If its negative lead goes to ground, it does play, either solo or parallel to the bridge pup - throws #2 and #3.

If its negative lead is routed to the bridge's HOT lead, it plays in series (if the bridge pup is NOT also selected) - throw #4.

Some more help... Let's talk about the neck pup:

Part of the problem is that we have all used the shorthand "GROUND" for the coil's NEGATIVE lead. Most of the time, the terms are interchangeable - but NOT when you have a separate coil-NEGATIVE lead and an GROUND/SHIELD lead, like most modern four-conductor pickups have. The lead bundle will actually have FIVE wires, the fifth being a bare ground/shield, separate from any coil leads. Back to our Tele dilemma...

The third conductor on a modern Tele neck pup is an independent ground/shield lead for the cover of the the pickup. So, the three leads are coil HOT, coil NEGATIVE, and cover GROUND/SHIELD. Until you install the pickup, the GROUND does NOT have continuity with the coil's NEGATIVE lead.

If you are modding an old two-conductor Tele neck pup, you will be cutting the jumper that connects the coil's negative lead to the metal cover, and adding a new lead to the metal cover for the new ground/shield lead.

In any case, the cover's ground/shield lead, when tested against both of the other (coil) leads, should show "OPEN" on a meter. This ground/shield lead is soldered to the back of the volume pot.

The coil's negative (the old "ground") lead should go to the 4-way as shown in the drawings.

The HOT lead is soldered to the 4-way and on to the volume pot as shown in the drawings.

Is that any help?

January 4th, 2007, 10:22 AM	#8 (permalink)
Deaf Eddie Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sunny San Diego, CA Posts: 1,158 14 Photos	Perhaps a quick explanation of how the 4-way (series) setup works will help with your troubleshooting. A standard Tele 3-way switch selects the pickups by switching between their hot leads and routing them to the volume pot - in fact, this is how just about all "normal" pickup selectors work. The Fender 4-way Tele scheme doesn't do that with the neck pickup. If you look at the drawing, the HOT from the neck pup goes straight to the volume pot - just as if it were "always on." The neck pickup is selected (activated) by where its NEGATIVE (ground) lead is routed. If its negative lead is "OPEN," it doesn't play - throw #1. If its negative lead goes to ground, it does play, either solo or parallel to the bridge pup - throws #2 and #3. If its negative lead is routed to the bridge's HOT lead, it plays in series (if the bridge pup is NOT also selected) - throw #4. Some more help... Let's talk about the neck pup: Part of the problem is that we have all used the shorthand "GROUND" for the coil's NEGATIVE lead. Most of the time, the terms are interchangeable - but NOT when you have a separate coil-NEGATIVE lead and an GROUND/SHIELD lead, like most modern four-conductor pickups have. The lead bundle will actually have FIVE wires, the fifth being a bare ground/shield, separate from any coil leads. Back to our Tele dilemma... The third conductor on a modern Tele neck pup is an independent ground/shield lead for the cover of the the pickup. So, the three leads are coil HOT, coil NEGATIVE, and cover GROUND/SHIELD. Until you install the pickup, the GROUND does NOT have continuity with the coil's NEGATIVE lead. If you are modding an old two-conductor Tele neck pup, you will be cutting the jumper that connects the coil's negative lead to the metal cover, and adding a new lead to the metal cover for the new ground/shield lead. In any case, the cover's ground/shield lead, when tested against both of the other (coil) leads, should show "OPEN" on a meter. This ground/shield lead is soldered to the back of the volume pot. The coil's negative (the old "ground") lead should go to the 4-way as shown in the drawings. The HOT lead is soldered to the 4-way and on to the volume pot as shown in the drawings. Is that any help? __________________ YMMV - I been wrong before... Last edited by Deaf Eddie : April 4th, 2008 at 10:28 AM.