an idea some would damn me for...

[Mr.Reed]

ok... so here is a plan... Now please don't criticize saying the controls are too much, cause I know, but once I find a sound I don't mess with the controls much. However here is my idea.

Basically I do not like the bridge pickup on a tele by itself. But love what it does when combined with another pickup. So I figured I'd kind of take it out of the mix... kind of. I like the sound however of the middle pickup on a strat. Still with me? Alright, well since this is true I figured I'd route the body for the strat pickup, and wire the three way with it (strat pickup) and the mini hum, rather than the bridge and the mini hum. But then add in a toggle switch to turn the bridge pickup on... this would work for every position essentially. Also the bridge and strat pickup would be hooked to a 250k concentric pot, and the mini hum to it's own switch... the wiring sounds very hard to me... if not impossible. However I want to know what people here think about this idea? I know I'm going to get a bunch of thumbs down but what the hay?

Thanks for your voice,

Shawn

[BritishBluesBoy]

You just need to hear the right Telecaster bridge pickup and amp combination and you'd feel the same way about that set up as I do...

[Fatmanstratman]

Originally Posted by Mr.Reed

However I want to know what people here think about this idea? I know I'm going to get a bunch of thumbs down.....

This is not exactly ground breaking - I'm sure there will be several members here who will be able to give you advice from having almost identical guitars.

Why would you think that anyone would want to give you "a bunch of thumbs down"??? This is your guitar, which you are modding to your tastes.....

I think it looks like a cool idea. Go for it. Keep us informed....

[Mr.Reed]

It's just that when I post things off the beaten path, someone always chimes in with keep it simple. Don't do it. it's a tele, they are perfect with just the two pickups. Just didn't want that. But it seems like not too much of that yet. I'd like some advice on the wiring though... that's what I'm most worried about. I've wired a few guitars, but never toggle switches and concentric pots :O

[viking]

Well back in the 80´s I modded one just like that , so its certainly not a new idea , LOL......I guess some of us just like to " do stuff " !
I agree with the poster that said you have to have the right combo of pu and amp to love the tele bridge pu , but if the above is your plan , go for it !
You could even make it invisible by mounting the pu under the guard , and use a push-pull pot

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by viking

Well back in the 80´s I modded one just like that , so its certainly not a new idea , LOL......I guess some of us just like to " do stuff " !
I agree with the poster that said you have to have the right combo of pu and amp to love the tele bridge pu , but if the above is your plan , go for it !
You could even make it invisible by mounting the pu under the guard , and use a push-pull pot

The pickup I'm taking out of the three way switch is the bridge pickup though! I'm sure part of it is what pickup is in the bridge as well... cause I just threw in what I had (not even sure what it is). I might just go with a new pickup in there. But I'd also like to try this set-up. I like to tinker with things. I can take things apart better than I can play it. I have a friend here at school who can play the guitar better than most people I know, but had no idea what the positions on the switch did.
Yeah I had to explain how a 5-way switch worked... but then again... he can play much better than me! And Viking, do you have a wiring diagram of any sorts that would help me along?

[Tim Armstrong]

I had an MIK Squier Tele in the early 90s that I had fun modding. I put an old Gibson minihumbucker in the neck position, a strat-ish single coil in the middle, and kept the stock bridge pickup (because it was really a good one!). I took out the three-way switch and put in three minitoggles, wired as on-off switches for each pickup. This gave me ANY pickup or combination, or all off, or all on. It worked VERY well! I'd probably still be playing that guitar if I hadn't sold it to help finance my Beloved 1966 Tele!

Tim

[telecaster803]

I would replace the bridge pickup with a break-away plate that emmits smoke and flashing lights when you push it in!! No, wait... thats been done already

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by telecaster803

I would replace the bridge pickup with a break-away plate that emmits smoke and flashing lights when you push it in!! No, wait... thats been done already

What about strobe light, and some candy?

[viking]

Sorry , no diagram , its sooo many years ago !
If you get serious about it , lots of people in here can help you out.Plenty of diagrams to be found on dfferent sites , Seymour Duncan etc...
Just remember , its allright to be a modder/tinkerer , but always practise in at least the same hours that you mod or build ! I only learned this at twice your age , LOL...

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by viking

Sorry , no diagram , its sooo many years ago !
If you get serious about it , lots of people in here can help you out.Plenty of diagrams to be found on different sites , Seymour Duncan etc...
Just remember , its alright to be a modder/tinkerer , but always practice in at least the same hours that you mod or build ! I only learned this at twice your age , LOL...

HAHA, yeah I know. I've been practicing more than tinkering in these past few months (surprisingly I've gotten better!!). I ended up just paying someone to do some of the work on my guitar , so expensive. But I still wired it myself (not hard at all to do, and not worth what would have been charged). Well I already have the concentric pots lined up, and I think I have a toggle switch lying around. However routing the body will have to wait till Winter break. That's also when I'd do the final wiring.

[Ricky D.]

I think that's going to be a cool setup. One idea, make your mini-toggle a DPDT on-on-on. Your mini-toggle would select bridge only, bridge + the other two, and the other two without the bridge. Of course, what you get from the other two is controlled by the other three-way.

But, absolutely, go for it. Make it yours. Having ideas that nobody else likes but turn out cool anyway...that's part of the fun.

If your minihum is set up to split the coils, get a concentric pot to replace your tone pot. Run the center tap of the minihum to the extra pot (other side of the pot to ground). Now you can dial the mids and lows out selectively.

[mrothacker]

Maybe I am crazy too but I like to try different things . One simple way to get very close to your idea is to put a Strat style 5way switch and wire it like a strat except that you swap the bridge and middle pickups at the swtch so you get
1st pos - neck
2nd pos - neck and bridge
3rd pos - bridge
4th pos - bridge and middle
5th pos - middle

I have a Tele with a strat style middle pickup that I have wired this way , and what I like about it is that I can get the neck-bridge combo instead of the neck-middle combo which for me is a much more usable sound , I also get the bridge-middle combo which is one of my favorites .

If you decide that you want to wire it exactly as you described it , let me know and I will sketch you out a wiring diagram .

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by Ricky D.

I think that's going to be a cool setup. One idea, make your mini-toggle a DPDT on-on-on. Your mini-toggle would select bridge only, bridge + the other two, and the other two without the bridge. Of course, what you get from the other two is controlled by the other three-way.

But, absolutely, go for it. Make it yours. Having ideas that nobody else likes but turn out cool anyway...that's part of the fun.

If your minihum is set up to split the coils, get a concentric pot to replace your tone pot. Run the center tap of the minihum to the extra pot (other side of the pot to ground). Now you can dial the mids and lows out selectively.

Holy heck that just got complicated... hahaha I'd sure love to add that too the list. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to do so!!!

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by mrothacker

Maybe I am crazy too but I like to try different things . One simple way to get very close to your idea is to put a Strat style 5way switch and wire it like a strat except that you swap the bridge and middle pickups at the swtch so you get
1st pos - neck
2nd pos - neck and bridge
3rd pos - bridge
4th pos - bridge and middle
5th pos - middle

I have a Tele with a strat style middle pickup that I have wired this way , and what I like about it is that I can get the neck-bridge combo instead of the neck-middle combo which for me is a much more usable sound , I also get the bridge-middle combo which is one of my favorites .

If you decide that you want to wire it exactly as you described it , let me know and I will sketch you out a wiring diagram .

I'd give it a go... sounds a little easier than adding in the toggle switch by drilling a hole in my control plate. haha. If I could ask a favor though. if I can change the postions...? (is it possible to get out of phase with a standard five way? or would I have to by the supper switch?)

1st pos - Neck
2nd pos - Neck and Middle
3rd pos - Neck and Bridge
4th pos - Middle
5th pos - Neck and Bridge (out of phase, if not, then neck and middle)

I think that'd be in the order of fullest to thinest (I'd have to think of it this way). Thanks for the help!!!

[mrothacker]

Hmmm , well lets see here , if you use a strat style switch you would not be able to wire it like the above post where you are progressively going from the darkest sound to the brightest sound . You could add a mini toggle to the control plate which could change the phase or polarity of either the neck or bridge pickup ( it would only work for one) .If you used the mini toggle for the bridge pickup and functionally you wired it like my first post then in the 2nd position you would have neck/bridge ,flick the mini toggle you would have neck/bridge out of phase . In the 4th position you would have middle/bridge , flick the mini toggle and you have middle/bridge out of phase .

Could you live with that ?

[Mr.Reed]

Originally Posted by mrothacker

Hmmm , well lets see here , if you use a strat style switch you would not be able to wire it like the above post where you are progressively going from the darkest sound to the brightest sound . You could add a mini toggle to the control plate which could change the phase or polarity of either the neck or bridge pickup ( it would only work for one) .If you used the mini toggle for the bridge pickup and functionally you wired it like my first post then in the 2nd position you would have neck/bridge ,flick the mini toggle you would have neck/bridge out of phase . In the 4th position you would have middle/bridge , flick the mini toggle and you have middle/bridge out of phase .

Could you live with that ?

Well we can just leave the out of phase out then (thinking about getting the switch for my EMG equiped tele anyway).