Strat-to-Tele switching conversion: Anyone else done this?

[Joel Terry]

Now, this might be sacrilegious to a lot of Stratocaster aficionados, but I've never had much use, if any, for the Strat's middle pickup and the resultant "in-between" neck+middle and middle+bridge sounds. All these years, I've made use of only the neck or the bridge pickup. That's all.

I've always loved the neck+bridge sound of a Tele. That sound, to me, is the very definition of electric guitar. So, I've rewired one of my Strats to get the classic Tele combinations: neck, neck+bridge, and bridge--and I'm ecstatic about the results! I'm thinking of rewiring all of my Strats like this.

I know Stew-Mac offers the Megaswitch, which gives a Strat player the five combinations of neck, neck+middle, neck+bridge, middle+bridge, and bridge--but, like I said, I don't have any use for those middle-pickup related sounds, so no Megaswitch for me.

Have any of you guys or girls made this conversion? Just curious.

Joel

[RockinCarl]

I did, I like it a lot... I was just about to post the same thing last week-- I was wondering the same thing! I did that on one strat, then on another I put in a three way Tele switch, then I put a push/pull pot for the middle pickup, so if I ever wanted the middle pickup combination, I had it. Cool mods!

[fezz parka]

Leave the five way and do this:

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

Leave the five way and do this:

I've got my Strat wired that way and it doesn't seem to sound the same as if I had an actual switch in there.
Would replacing the blender pot with an on/off toggle switch work and if so would it sound different.

[BB]

Yeah...I've done this for years. First by adding a mini switch to turn the bridge or neck pup on off at will for neck/bridge and all three pup tones. I thought I was pretty darn smart till I learned this was thought of way before light bulb went off above my pea brain. I also tried the mini switch for each pickup route, but didn' cotton to that one much. Now, it's just a deaf-eddie chromocaster which gives me a plethora of cool series/parralell/out of phase tones in addition to the ones mentioned.

I must say, after not playing my strat for a while due to getting tired of the quack tone and digging my teles so much, it's been refreshing picking it back up again. Those cluck tones sound pretty darn good to me now!

[fezz parka]

Originally Posted by red57strat

I've got my Strat wired that way and it doesn't seem to sound the same as if I had an actual switch in there.
Would replacing the blender pot with an on/off toggle switch work and if so would it sound different.

Yeah, the pot could be loading it down a bit. Try it with a 500k pot and see if it improves...

[tom grossheider]

I've done the 3 way Tele switch, then add a mini toggle for the middle pup and you can get the neck/bridge combo, plus all 3 combined. You only lose the middle but gaining those other 2 positions was worth it to me. Guitar Player archives has that wiring diagram too.

[jeffreyk51]

I have two Strats wired with the blender pot and both sound spectacular. Classic Strat tones in normal 5 way positions and classic Tele sounds using the blender pot turned completely on. I have had many comments that my Tele picking is fantastic and my Strat sounds like a vintage Strat. Don't know how anyone can say it does not sound Tele like and interfers with the Strat sound. Thank G*D mine Strats are not the norm, I guess.

Jeff :?

[bek]

I just pop in one of Deaf-Eddie's Fat-O-Caster switches and do the master-tone conversion he recommends. Instant Tele switching, plus all the others, plus the fabulous neck+bridge in series tones. Gotta love it. One day I'll put a Rio Grande Stelly in the bridge and the transformation will be complete (yes, it's a hardtail).

[red57strat]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

Yeah, the pot could be loading it down a bit. Try it with a 500k pot and see if it improves...

I've got an Acme 250k blender pot in there now.
A rotary on/off switch would be nice. I don't want to blend it just turn it on and off.

[Rob DiStefano]

I won't have a Strat without rewiring for a neck pu blender ala Tele style - replace the 2nd tone pot with a 1meg audio pot that connects directly to the neck pup lug on the 5-way switch, wire the 1st tone pot directly to the vol pot input, and change the cap value to .022uf. Instant Tele tone with the bridge pup selected and the 2nd "tone" pot completely rolled back (this assumes yer Strat's loaded with some tasty single coil pups! :) )

[selectortone]

I've had my '62 Strat for 35 years now and for the first 30 hardly ever used the middle p/u on its own. Actually, make that never.

I put a Stewmac Megaswitch in there 5 years ago and it's great, I love the bridge/neck sound.

I've had guitars with push/pull pots and switches but then you have to remember that they're engaged or not.

For gigging I like the simplicity of the Megaswitch.