Anyone use the 'dark circuit' ?

[degsycaster]

Planning on converting my '52RI to modern wiring tomorrow. I've had it a month now and am missing the lay-out that I'm used to (bridge-both-neck). I've been toying with the vintage circuit, using the forward position for faux bass duties thus far, but the change has gotta come.

So, I'm just itrigued - anyone out there use the dark circuit 'in anger'?

 

[tele salivas]

Ha! I've always wondered about that front pup layout,,,the way I hear it, is that the "dark circuit" gives a bit something to the middle position? just something I've heard secondhand, never experienced personally...but, I like My Teisco for many reasons, but one of 'em is 'cause there is a switch position that gives me what I imagine is similar to the neck pup sound on the tele "in anger" LOL, and I like that position for several things(recording, certain effects and rumbles, and as a spare color) if I had a few Tele's, one would definitely get the original wiring treatment...don't blame you for the swap though. would you let us know how you feel about the swap when it's done?

 

[sonny wolf]

I find the bassy postion absolutely useless for my needs and for most other players as well.I'd much rather benefit in having the combined pickup tone as it is useful for a lot of stuff and makes the Telecaster a more complete guitar.If you want a heavy bassy tone you can still get pretty much the same tone by selecting the neck pickup and rolling off the highs with the tone control....I don't need a preset position for that.

 

[tele salivas]

I agree about the combined pickup tone,,see, apparrantly there is a certain tone in the middle position that can't be simulated without that original wiring, or at least is difficult, it has a certain character and honk that you can't get if you rewire it modern, some people are real hooked on it and are willing to have a very limited front position to have that middle position tonality...

 

[otterhound]

" In anger " is hitting the nail on the head . My only Fender Tele is wired this wat . In this position , I get a growl that would scare most humbuckers out of the yard , let alone back on the porch . It definitely has it's place for me . Make sure that you turn it up all the way .

 

[AngelStrummer]

With a bit of dirt, the "dark" position can be used for bass duties, in an emergency. You can still get the "both pickups" tone by balancing the p/u selector in between the back and middle positions. I haven't changed mine.

 

[Ricky D.]

The only good thing I've heard about that mud position is that you can use it with an overdrive or distortion pedal. Not my kind of thing, but it's something.

 

[tele salivas]

that's it , with a fuzz and tremolo, the "in anger" can get a pretty gnarly growl, put a phaser and/or supershifter with an expression pedal on that foundation and you have the fear of God, (or the debil) on your side...I play older hard country, but we have a song called "peace in the valley of the shadow of death" and that sound is perfect for certain things...I suppose any tone, any guitar can be useful to a given purpose given the chance to do so,,,

 

[vanguard]

here's the way i see it:

the new standard wiring has only one advantage to the old 51 wiring: pseudo-wah, tone-pot swells.

the 51 wiring Ii'm talking NOCASTER wiring) has all three positions that the standard has, plus some perks:
-bridge alone: back pos.
-bridge and neck: blend knob rolled all the way off
-neck alone: middle position

then you get two more perks that standard teles don't have:
-the ability to roll more bridge into your middle position for more "bite" and less "funk"; yet still maintain some neck pickup hollowness
-the forward bass position is a fuzz lovers dream. it interacts with bonkers fuzzes like the zvex boxes in a way no other position on a tele can touch.

oh yeah, and the neck middle position is the neck pickup with the tone-pot bypassed. it's like a neck pickup esquire! you get extra body and brightness vs. normal wiring on the pickup that actually needs it! i've always thought if i were to build an esquire, a neck pickup esquire would be much more useful than the standard one.

 

[jefrs]

So why not get a 4-way switch and wire it to do both ?

The vintage does: bridge; neck; neck+100nF mud cap.

So, 4-way -
viewed from bottom of control plate, switch at top, numbered 1 to 5 from top.
L=left R=right
1L bridge pickup & link to 2L
..........1R neck pickup
2L link to 1L & 3R
..........2R not used
3L link to 4R
..........3R link to 2L
4L link to 5R
..........4R link to 3L
5L output to vol
..........5R link to 4L & 100nF cap

If I've got that right it should be: bridge; bridge+neck; neck; neck+100nF mud cap.

 

[peteb]

"Sometimes you got to get high, sometimes you got to get low"

I appreciate the added flexibility

 

[sjtalon]

I found it too muddy so changed the cap to a .022 ( instead of the .047µF).

That darkened the neck just enough for nice rhythm work. I did change it to regular now but thought of trying a .015 cap to brighten it even a tad more.

 

[Rick J]

To my ears the pre-set bassy position of the original wiring sounds near enough to the neck position with tone rolled right off in the modern wiring. By the time you run it through some heavy duty dirt boxes, I doubt you would hear the difference. (I can't really hear a difference, even without the dirt boxes, but others claim they can.)

So I'd always go for the modern wiring, in order to get easy and definitive access to the middle "both on" position, which for me is one of the Tele's most appealing voices. YMMV!

Rick J

 

[theHUSTLER]

did't leo wire it that way to attract teh jazz players who played the big deep sound of the gibby jazz boxes? REWIRE IT!!!!

 

[sjtalon]

Sometimes the bands didn't have a bass player, so the Tele could go to the "Dark Curcuit" and do the job.

 

[degsycaster]

I re-wired it. Interesting to hear peoples opinions on though.

 

[tele salivas]

Seems the way to go, to get the maximum use out of such a cool guitar...enjoy, my man!

 

[caliban335]

For me the dark circuit is useless. I have a Nocaster Re-Issue and like the rear and middle positions so much I'm not willing to monkey with it. The blend circuit rocks.

 

[Telemach_1]

So, I'm just itrigued - anyone out there use the dark circuit 'in anger'?

No,...I uisually enjoy our regular Tarot evenings a lot

 

[Bones]

As far as I know, Brewer Phillips is the only cat who could rock both bass and lead in the same song effectively with that set up.