twin rails tele w/ standard 3 way switch: parallel OR series?

[PrimeA71]

Hello everyone, Im looking to drop twin rail pups in my CVC tele and Im keeping it simple with the standard 3-way switching. No fancy coil splitting or out of phase stuff, just your typical (neck-neck/bridge-bridge) setup. I understand that the normal way to go w/ SC pups are to wire in parallel but since these pups are officially HB's should they be wired in series like most Hb's tend to be? Im sure in the end it comes down to personal choice but I would like to know what choice other folks w/ rails and a 3 way standard switch have made and why. Ive likely narrowed my choices down to GFS lil puncher (modern vintage) OR BL's twin rails(l48t and l45s). Do these pup companies suggest series or parallel? Do they leave it to the buyer to decide or make recommendations? I know Im sticking w/ the 250k pots since thats what is suggested by GFS, BL and Barden as well and are already in the CVC tele. I just need to know if Im better off wiring in series OR parallel. Other than that if I do go the GFS route, would the XL's be required for a Squier CVC telecaster? Thanks for listening and I appreciate any and all suggestions.

[Derek Kiernan]

Bill Lawrence's L45/48 should be wired as you would with conventional Tele pickups, so parallel would sound perfect, although they won't muddy up if you do chose to wire them in series with each other. They're comparatively low inductance, minimizing highend loss from cable interaction, and have a beautiful high end in individual positions - nothing like a "hot rails" design or something made only for distorted tones. Humbuckers are internally wired in series but most often wired in parallel with each other across positions.

[flag72]

BTW I have a set of Bill Lawrence dual blade pick up in my Classic vibe tele wired like the original were and there awsome ;0)

[PrimeA71]

Thanks a million guys! Exactly what I needed to know. In addition, your comments about the BL blades has me leaning further in that direction. Reviews on the lil punchers seem about 60/40 good to bad but just about all Ive heard about BL's are positive. Everytime I watch that demo of Ron Jeffrey's with the switch set for the neck/bridge together position I think, "DAMN!" I LOVE that middle position!

[PrimeA71]

To flag 72, is your tele the CVC or CV50? I have the CVC since Ive always loved the double bound look. Very happy with it and I'm happy w/ the stock pups but Im going the twin rail route since I want this guitar to cover alot of bases musically. Im hoping the rails will allow me to keep somewhat of a single coilish sound but sort of in between a HB and SC sound, hence making it an all 'rounder type instrument. My original intent was to put a full HB in the neck since I loved the twang of the bridge pup but was not a big fan of the SC neck pup. Oddly enough, these last 6 months or so Ive come to really love that neck sound, maybe even more so than the bridge lately. The neck/bridge position I use quite alot as well. Other than changing the pups, the only other change I plan on making somewhere down the line is changing the neck to a maple neck. Although its not a priority ATM. Do you fell the sound you get is closer to a SC sound. I would imagine if it sounds anything like that Ron Jeffreys demo for the BL rails your answer is a big yes.

[Derek Kiernan]

You'll find that while they have a smoother attack characteristic than conventional singles, Bill's dual blade pickups are also considerably clearer than most. They have all the dynamics and treble extension of the best singles. The only thing that seems "bucker-ish" is that smoother attack quality, but that shouldn't be taken to mean it's compressed or somehow lacking in dynamics, the way many buckers are.

If you order the L45/L48 combo, I'd also recommend getting some low capacitance cables and plugs from Bill and Becky. It helps get additional high end extension to ensure you're bringing the most you can to your amp and speaker, but it also helps to be absolutely sure you're not creating any resonances between 3-5 kHz that lend themselves to unflattering guitar tones, especially with the bridge pickup. It'll help you get a bridge position free of any edgy/harsh/icepicky tonality that performs better than almost anything most have experience with. Worth noting: the L45 is Strat-sized, so if you don't want to change your pickguard, you might instead opt for the L202TN which will get you a beautiful and smooth "single-coil tone" as well.

[PrimeA71]

Thanks for the heads up on the low capacitance cables and plugs Derek, much appreciated. I think if i go with the rails Im gonna put 'em in both neck and bridge so a new pickguard wont kill me. Im really impressed by what Ive heard from the L45S anyway. Havent had the CVC for all that long so Its not imperitive I get the rails in ASAP but soon brother, soon! Art

[PrimeA71]

To everyone out there with Bill lawrence rails (L48T,L45S), What size pots and caps did you use in your setups? My CVC telecaster has 250k pots and .033 caps. I assume I am good with the suggested 250k pots but will I be better off with somthing smaller than the stock .033 cap or am I sweating nothing? Im still learning about all these values and I want to be well prepared when I have these babies put in. Thank you.............Art

[Derek Kiernan]

250k pots will work well, and 33 nF is more or less negligibly higher than what I would recommend, so I'm sure it's going to work well :) With low capacitance cables and the L45/L48's 2H inductance, you have the possibility of experimenting with lower-value caps and getting a variety of upper mid coloration. Check out what's been written in the microcoil coloration guide and pay attention to the neck's values, as it also has a 2H inductance. I would recommend at least starting off with what you have already (maybe you won't want to experiment!), but I recommend reading through that thread anyways to get an impression how everything works together.

[PrimeA71]

I'll definately check out that guide Derek. I'm trying to become more knowledgable about pickups,pots,caps,wiring etc...... And when I get the pups Ill probably throw 'em in with the instruments stock wiring as is and see how it goes. If the end result is a tone w/ clarity,single coil voiced sound,enhanced sustain and a bit more beef Ill be way satisfied. In other words, if they sound close to the Ron Jeffrey's demo all will be good.