Pickups only work in central position

d_rock · April 26th, 2008, 11:12 PM

Hi guys,

Had a Tele project of mine going for a while now and it's almost done. I gave it to my friend who does guitar repair to finish the wiring but we're both stumped about something. I would love some advice on what could be wrong. I've been without a guitar for awhile and am itching to play

This is a 72 Tele project. He wired it up going by the Fender diagram, but the pickups only work in the central position...when using either the bridge or neck by themselves, no sound comes out.

Fender diagram: http://www.fender.com/support/diagra...137702APg2.pdf

Here's the parts, all reissues:
72 Tele Deluxe body and pickguard
72 Tele Custom neck
Fender 500k solid shaft pots and capacitors
Fender Wide Range humbuckers
Les-Paul style 3-way selector

blue metalflake · April 27th, 2008, 04:41 AM

In centre position if you're sure both are working, it would logically take you to the switch.

No idea how that switch is structured, but may be internal. You may be able to test by using jumpers.

Failing that try continuity on all wires, to see if theres a dud joint somewhere.

jwells393 · April 27th, 2008, 09:49 AM

You can determine whether both pickups are working by lightly tapping on them with a screwdriver. You'll hear the tapping through an amp if they are. The jumper wire idea is great for solving wiring problems. It's a good idea to have a few made up with alligator clips on the ends.

PJ · April 27th, 2008, 11:22 AM

Depending on the year of manufacture of your pickups, Fender's made some changes on how they wore their pickups that can trip you up. Sometime in the 90s, (according to what a Fender rep told me) Fender changed the polarity of some of their pickups, while keeping the color codes as they were previously. I had bought an older Texas Special neck that had a beat-up chrome cap on it. I replaced the cap and intalled it - only to find I had some of the probelms you describe. A luthier checked the poarity to find it was reversed from the Fender wiring diagram. A call to Fender revealed that, at some point, the polarity had been changed, so it had to be wired essentially backwards, in order to work. And the color code, when wired correctly, was reversed from Fender's diagram. Seems odd to me, but that's where I ended up with it.

d_rock · April 27th, 2008, 06:14 PM

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll tell you how it goes.

April 26th, 2008, 11:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
d_rock TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NH Age: 23 Posts: 17	Pickups only work in central position Hi guys, Had a Tele project of mine going for a while now and it's almost done. I gave it to my friend who does guitar repair to finish the wiring but we're both stumped about something. I would love some advice on what could be wrong. I've been without a guitar for awhile and am itching to play This is a 72 Tele project. He wired it up going by the Fender diagram, but the pickups only work in the central position...when using either the bridge or neck by themselves, no sound comes out. Fender diagram: http://www.fender.com/support/diagra...137702APg2.pdf Here's the parts, all reissues: 72 Tele Deluxe body and pickguard 72 Tele Custom neck Fender 500k solid shaft pots and capacitors Fender Wide Range humbuckers Les-Paul style 3-way selector

April 27th, 2008, 09:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
jwells393 Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Albuquerque, USA Age: 64 Posts: 12,253 101 Photos	You can determine whether both pickups are working by lightly tapping on them with a screwdriver. You'll hear the tapping through an amp if they are. The jumper wire idea is great for solving wiring problems. It's a good idea to have a few made up with alligator clips on the ends. __________________ Jack's Disclaimer: When I say something.... always ask yourself ..... "What the hell does he know?" _ Guys - learn to disable the flash on your digital cameras.

April 27th, 2008, 11:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
PJ Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,082 4 Photos	Depending on the year of manufacture of your pickups, Fender's made some changes on how they wore their pickups that can trip you up. Sometime in the 90s, (according to what a Fender rep told me) Fender changed the polarity of some of their pickups, while keeping the color codes as they were previously. I had bought an older Texas Special neck that had a beat-up chrome cap on it. I replaced the cap and intalled it - only to find I had some of the probelms you describe. A luthier checked the poarity to find it was reversed from the Fender wiring diagram. A call to Fender revealed that, at some point, the polarity had been changed, so it had to be wired essentially backwards, in order to work. And the color code, when wired correctly, was reversed from Fender's diagram. Seems odd to me, but that's where I ended up with it. __________________ PJ "I don't know if it's art, but I like it."

April 27th, 2008, 04:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
blue metalflake Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: ireland Age: 55 Posts: 2,343 10 Photos	In centre position if you're sure both are working, it would logically take you to the switch. No idea how that switch is structured, but may be internal. You may be able to test by using jumpers. Failing that try continuity on all wires, to see if theres a dud joint somewhere.

April 27th, 2008, 06:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
d_rock TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NH Age: 23 Posts: 17	Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll tell you how it goes.