Reverse Telecaster Wiring HELP

[LutherBurger]

If your wires are wired like this then it is correct. If not, then time to get out the soldering iron again. I think you may have wired your switch wrong.

Thank you for posting that. It's the photo I looked for last night, but couldn't find.

 

[LutherBurger]

View attachment 987813 View attachment 987814 View attachment 987815 View attachment 987816 View attachment 987817

Not the greatest pictures (don't have a workstation right now, having to clean up between work sessions) but tried to get everything in there. Jack isn't pictured, I can fish that back out tomorrow

The connections appear to be in the right places. Don't worry too much about the connection between the switch and the volume pot not matching the diagram -- it can be connected at either end of that series of jumpers on the switch.

Now I'm thinking about the jack again. It shouldn't buzz, then get quiet when you touch the +. I think it should be quiet, and then buzz when you touch the +, just like a cable that's plugged into an amp. Please quadruple-check to be sure the leads aren't reversed.

 

[wetwillis17]

The connections appear to be in the right places. Don't worry too much about the connection between the switch and the volume pot not matching the diagram -- it can be connected at either end of that series of jumpers on the switch.

Now I'm thinking about the jack again. It shouldn't buzz, then get quiet when you touch the +. I think it should be quiet, and then buzz when you touch the +, just like a cable that's plugged into an amp. Please quadruple-check to be sure the leads aren't reversed.

I did a dummy check and swapped the leads on the jack, just in case they were wrong. That's when I got the cycle hum, big and loud. So I'm confident in the connections are in the right place. Ill quadruple check my wiring against that last diagram and really make sure the jack connections are good. Otherwise, I might go find another Jack? I don't want to blame the parts but at this point I'm not sure what else to do.

 

[wetwillis17]

If your wires are wired like this then it is correct. If not, then time to get out the soldering iron again. I think you may have wired your switch wrong.

This is the diagram I was originally using before I demented the switch. I'm getting things back out now to absolutely point to point make sure I have this right, test the jack connections, and pray.

 

[Peegoo]

The solder tabs on the switch mess with peoples' heads. They are offset, but it does not matter whether the left side is higher than the right side (or vice versa). Wire it up to the correct tabs and it will work fine.

 

[LutherBurger]

I did a dummy check and swapped the leads on the jack, just in case they were wrong. That's when I got the cycle hum, big and loud. So I'm confident in the connections are in the right place. Ill quadruple check my wiring against that last diagram and really make sure the jack connections are good. Otherwise, I might go find another Jack? I don't want to blame the parts but at this point I'm not sure what else to do.

It's unlikely that the jack is faulty, unless there's something linking the + and - together, like loose shielding or a misplaced blob of solder. Keep poking around, I think you're very close.

 

[Billy3]

When you reverse the control plate, the switch certainly does rotate. You need to flip it again to have it in the same orientation that it was in before. Obviously, you can use it without flipping it, but it's counterintuitive to throw the switch toward the neck to select the bridge pickup and vice versa.

It actually depends on whether or not you take the switch off the control plate before you turn it 180°. BTW. To the op, If you have a multimeter, problems will be easier to locate. Everyone doing wiring on a guitar, or any electric guitar player for that matter, should own one. It's a must have. Even a cheap one will work for home use.

 

[wetwillis17]

It's unlikely that the jack is faulty, unless there's something linking the + and - together, like loose shielding or a misplaced blob of solder. Keep poking around, I think you're very close.

I've got it exactly like the fralin diagram sent earlier, thank you thegaijin, and I've quintuple checked my Jack... But it's still the same. I took some more pictures and a short video, now I'm sure the pickups are not responding properly, even when I hold the jack as I've mentioned.

Link to video:

 

[Phrygian77]

When you reverse the control plate, the switch certainly does rotate. You need to flip it again to have it in the same orientation that it was in before. Obviously, you can use it without flipping it, but it's counterintuitive to throw the switch toward the neck to select the bridge pickup and vice versa.

If you take a wired control plate and try spin it around, that's the least efficient and most confusing way to do it. Unscrew the switch and take nuts off the pots. Shift the pots and shift the switch. Desolder the volume input (switch output) if needed, or any wires that are too short.

if you're starting from scratch. The switch is simply in a different place.

 

[wetwillis17]

If you take a wired control plate and try spin it around, that's the least efficient and most confusing way to do it. Unscrew the switch and take nuts off the pots. Shift the pots and shift the switch. Desolder the volume input (switch output) if needed, or any wires that are too short.

if you're starting from scratch. The switch is simply in a different place.

I think I've got it set up right but no luck, do you see anything wrong with what I've done here?

 

[LutherBurger]

I've got it exactly like the fralin diagram sent earlier, thank you thegaijin, and I've quintuple checked my Jack... But it's still the same. I took some more pictures and a short video, now I'm sure the pickups are not responding properly, even when I hold the jack as I've mentioned.

Link to video:
View attachment 987954 View attachment 987955 View attachment 987956 View attachment 987962

Your connections all appear to be in the right places. In each switch position, touch each pickup with a screwdriver tip or other steel object. Can you hear the tapping through the amp? You should hear the bridge pickup in 1&2, and the neck pickup in 2&3.

 

[wetwillis17]

It actually depends on whether or not you take the switch off the control plate before you turn it 180°. BTW. To the op, If you have a multimeter, problems will be easier to locate. Everyone doing wiring on a guitar, or any electric guitar player for that matter, should own one. It's a must have. Even a cheap one will work for home use.

Got out the meter, thank you for the reminder. I'm not good at doing things in the right order sometimes.
Meter results: nothing when volume pot SHOULD BE turned up, but I get pickup signal when the vol is what I think would be all the way down. If I switch the outside lugs on the volume pot will that solve my issue? At least in terms of volume pot... Could be my whole problem

 

[wetwillis17]

Your connections all appear to be in the right places. In each switch position, touch each pickup with a screwdriver tip or other steel object. Can you hear the tapping through the amp? You should hear the bridge pickup in 1&2, and the neck pickup in 2&3.

No tapping from the amp. I think my volume pot is backwards, even though it's the same as the diagram? Could this be?

 

[Sea Devil]

Thank you, Captain Obvious:

"It actually depends on whether or not you take the switch off the control plate before you turn it 180°. BTW."

 

[Phrygian77]

Your grounds could be an issue. Not to criticize your soldering, but it doesn't look like you got good wetting on the back of the pots, like your tip isn't big enough and/or your iron wasn't hot enough.

 

[wetwillis17]

Your grounds could be an issue. Not to criticize your soldering, but it doesn't look like you got good wetting on the back of the pots, like your tip isn't big enough and/or your iron wasn't hot enough.

I am very new to this and do appreciate the criticism! I might try the grounds again with a bigger tip!

 

[Phrygian77]

Thank you, Captain Obvious:

"It actually depends on whether or not you take the switch off the control plate before you turn it 180°. BTW."

It may not be obvious to some which is why it's has been mentioned. Thinking about rotating the whole control plate is the easiest way for someone to get confused.

 

[LutherBurger]

No tapping from the amp. I think my volume pot is backwards, even though it's the same as the diagram? Could this be?

No, it's wired correctly. If the shaft is turned fully clockwise, you should hear both pickups.

 

[wetwillis17]

No, it's wired correctly. If the shaft is turned fully clockwise, you should hear both pickups.

I'm getting no sound or multimeter resistance with the knobs clockwise, but with vol counterclockwise I get a resistance reading (vs OL). Could this be a ground problem then if it's wired correctly?

 

[Phrygian77]

I am very new to this and do appreciate the criticism! I might try the grounds again with a bigger tip!

Check the continuity first if you can before you shotgun the whole thing. Use the pickup eyelets as test points.