Grounding Neck Pup Help (4 Way Mod w/pics)

I've been a long time lurking, but recently signed up. I believe this is my 1st post.

I'm planning on installing the 4 way switch on my Tele. As normal, I'm curious about grounding the neck pup. I've done some research, but I just want to be sure with what to do before I do any damage.

I have some fender vintage noiseless installed.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3980/58991719pr3.jpg

Is this where I cut the lead?

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/5538/75808039sm8.jpg

Is this where I add the extra ground lead?

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/803/51871079bg1.jpg

Could I possibly add it here instead of on the one shown above?

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/4887/71086849qh3.jpg

Thanks for any helpful advice.

For the four-way switch mod to work properly, there should be no electrical continuity between the cover and the pickup's wiring. You need to cut the wire link from the tab on the cover to the point near the black lead from the pickup, which is connected to its windings. Snip it close to that point and you can then remove the longer part by unsoldering it from the cover tab. Then connect the cover ground by soldering as shown by the red line in the last picture.

If you connect it as shown by the white line in the picture above that, not only will it be wrong but there's also a chance you'll damage a vital connection. Best to keep the tip of your soldering iron away from that point.

This might Help ?...Click to Enlarge
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For the four-way switch mod to work properly, there should be no electrical continuity between the cover and the pickup's wiring. You need to cut the wire link from the tab on the cover to the point near the black lead from the pickup, which is connected to its windings. Snip it close to that point and you can then remove the longer part by unsoldering it from the cover tab. Then connect the cover ground by soldering as shown by the red line in the last picture.

If you connect it as shown by the white line in the picture above that, not only will it be wrong but there's also a chance you'll damage a vital connection. Best to keep the tip of your soldering iron away from that point.

Thanks bro, you answered everything I needed to know. Plus some extra info. Greatly appreciate it.

You're welcome. Mellecaster's diagram is helpful too, though your pickups are configured very slightly differently. The important thing is to isolate the pickup's negative lead (the black wire) from ground while still providing a path to ground for the cover.

Just one more little thing - when soldering the new ground wire to the cover, make sure the blob of solder doesn't stick out far enough to interfere with the pickup's fit in its body rout. This was a problem with my (non-Fender) guitar but from the look of the photos yours should be OK.

Well, I just wired everything up and there is definately something wrong. I'm getting a bad case of hum.

Is it a pretty loud hum or buzz? Does it get worse when you touch the strings or hardware? Make sure you wired the output jack with the ground (black) soldered to the smooth terminal and the hot (white) to the terminal withthe notch in it.

Is it a pretty loud hum or buzz? Does it get worse when you touch the strings or hardware? Make sure you wired the output jack with the ground (black) soldered to the smooth terminal and the hot (white) to the terminal withthe notch in it.When I touch the strings or hardware it quiets down. I'm pretty sure I did the output jack correctly... I'll recheck everything again in the morning. Don't know why it's acting up... :cry:

Here's what I'm working with...
14064
I believe clicking will enlarge...

I may be wrong, and I'm prepared to be corrected if so, but that lead from the switch to the volume pot casing doesn't look right to me. It must be grounding something that shouldn't be grounded, which may be what's causing the hum. The whole point of the independent ground from the neck pickup cover is to isolate the pickup's circuitry itself from ground to enable the series configuration of the pickups to function. Try disconnecting the lead I describe and see if that cures the problem.

Well, I just redid everything and it hums a lot less. But still hums more than it did before I changed the switch... oh well, I guess I can live with it.

OK, but the whole point of noiseless pickups is to eliminate hum, I'd have thought. I have regular single-coils (GFS) with my 4-way switch arrangement and they don't hum except in the usual circumstances. I hope you get the problem sorted - could it possibly be a fault in the switch itself? I believe that's not unheard of.

OK, but the whole point of noiseless pickups is to eliminate hum, I'd have thought. I have regular single-coils (GFS) with my 4-way switch arrangement and they don't hum except in the usual circumstances. I hope you get the problem sorted - could it possibly be a fault in the switch itself? I believe that's not unheard of.

It's true that noiseless pickups should be hum free, but this is a telecaster and it is a fender. So hey, it comes with the property. But I am looking more into this, for some unknown reason two of the positions on the switch sounds the same....

Ah...now that sounds familiar. There's a previous recent thread on the same subject and I believe it was indeed the switch that was at fault. I'm pressed for time right now but I'll see if I can search it out for you later when I get back from my gig - it's early evening here in England.

Thanks Tony, I'll be around here like normal. It's early in the morning here... around 9.50am-ish. Anyways, have fun at the gig.

Here as promised is a previous thread on the subject. It's particularly the information from a member called Deaf Eddie, starting at post 11, that may help. Lots of advice and diagrams.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/64925-4-way-switch-wiring-problem.html

This earlier one refers specifically to Fender noiseless pickups, when one turned out to be faulty:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech/717-noiseless-4-way.html

Hope this will help to sort out your problems.