One for the Techies... Stereo Wiring

[Ray G]

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!

Got a technical question, I hope someone can help out. Here goes:

I'm thinking about wiring a telecaster in stereo with a seperate output jack for each pickup. It's a standard configuration Tele so it has one master volume and one master tone but I'm wondering if the two pups/outputs can still share the master volume/tone controls or if they would each need their own set of controls when employing a stereo set up?

If seperate volume/tone controls are needed could stacked volume and tone knobs be used? I've never seen the guts of these type of controls and don't know if each control/post actually shares two pots or if each control uses one pot.

Thanks in advance!
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[Dennis_UK]

...that they would need individual controls. Stacked pots have two separate pots with dual concentric shafts, you'd need proper sets of knobs as per, for example, original '60 Jazz bass. You could use a single stereo jack, and make a special cable, or as you say, use a separate jack per pickup. The difficult bit would be locating and mounting a second jack. With the stereo jack option and an external adaptor or special cable, you would not have to modify the guitar body.

[Rob DiStefano]

Once you funnel BOTH pup's electrons to a common source (the pots) you lose the ability to go stereo. You need a separate, distinct channel for each pup. The pup's could share a common router/mixer (the 3-way switch) but after the switch they've gotta go solo, meaning you'll need separate pots for each pup and the stereo feature will on work when the 3-way is centered (both pups on)

[Teleologist]

You could do it with stacked or ganged pots and a TRS output jack and TRS cable into a splitter box, but my question would be why??? Many deluxe Rickenbacker models have come with Ric-O-Sound(dual jacks 1 stereo, 1 mono) for years and hardly anyone uses it. I have 3 Rics like that and I even wired up a homemade A/B box to split a TRS input to the A & B outputs(same thing the optional Ric-O-Sound box does). Through 2 amps you do get sort of a chorus effect when both PUPs are used, but if you switch to one PUP or the other - only 1 amp is used and the volume level drops drastically(you end up running at half power). I suppose you could use inductors and caps to cross feed certain frequencies to the opposite channel or you could stomp switch it to mono but....

I also have a vintage Gibson ES345(also a stereo guitar) that was rewired mono years ago. All these guitars originally came out about the time that stereo was brand new and FX pedals were rare. IMHO, these days you're much better off using a stereo chorus or delay to drive 2 amps. There are schematics on the Ric web site if you're interested. Ric keeps each channel seperate to the TRS jack. The Mono jack has an extra Normally Open contact that connects the 2 signals together when a plug is inserted.

[Rob DiStefano]

The only really interesting and effective use of separate pup channels I've heard was by Chet Atkins, where he split a single pickup into two (or more!) channels - this allowed him to drastically voice his fingerstyle bass runs from his lead picking, usually with tape delay and tremolo/vibrato. You can clearly hear that effectiveness in his classic '56/'57 "Finger-Style Guitar" album.

[Ringo]

50's and early 60's technology , taking advantage of the public's interest when "stereo" was a new thing IMO.
They even made stereo amps, Gibson made a few that were 2 seperate amps in one cab, for the stereo guitars.
I think the idea was to get different tones for each pickup, rhythm and lead.
(Then again, isn't that what an Esquire is supposed to be set up for, bassy rhythm tones, hot bright lead tones?)
If you want that type effect, just get an a/b both box and use 2 amps, it would be more versatile and sound better IMO anyway.