Wide range humbucker installation questions

[Jimmy Ixtlan]

I have a 1998 mim Nashville telecaster 3 single coils 5 way switch 250k volume and tone. I am going to remove the middle and neck pick-ups and replace it with a wide range humbucker cunife and replace the 5 way switch with a 3 way. I am hoping not to have to change the 250k volume and tone even though most suggest to go to 500 or 1000. I am hoping someone might have a wiring diagram or suggestions, I am also wondering if a 4 way switch would work also neck, middle, bridge, series. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[MilwMark]

My suggestion is not to waste your money on a CuNiFe Wide Range if you’re not willing to install the 1m pot
that it is designed for.

 

[Will_Darden]

I have a 1998 mim Nashville telecaster 3 single coils 5 way switch 250k volume and tone. I am going to remove the middle and neck pick-ups and replace it with a wide range humbucker cunife and replace the 5 way switch with a 3 way. I am hoping not to have to change the 250k volume and tone even though most suggest to go to 500 or 1000. I am hoping someone might have a wiring diagram or suggestions, I am also wondering if a 4 way switch would work also neck, middle, bridge, series. Any help will be appreciated.

Gunstreet Wiring Shop has some good example harnesses and they have great quality products if you decide to go that route.

I have an American Performer with a HB in the neck position (photo below) It’s my favorite guitar to play, in part because of the compound radius Warmoth neck I added, but it lacks the unique tone of either a dual single coil blackguard or a deluxe, both of which I have.

As for the switching, your best bet is probably a five way super switch and/or a push-pull/S-1. I saw a great video once that basically demonstrated that teles have 6 basic tones:
- Neck
- Both, series, in phase
- Both, series, out of phase
- Both, Parallel, in phase
- Both, Parallel, out of phase
- Bridge

Everything beyond that is basically an iteration of one of those tones or a granular adjustment. Unless you’re gigging and need one guitar that can change on the fly or you’re living in 200sqft and only have room for one guitar, my suggestion would be to focus on what makes that guitar unique rather than trying to eke every tone out of a single instrument with complex wiring. A Swiss Army Knife-style guitar wired Jimmy Page style will give you lots of flexibility on stage but it’s probably not going to sound as good as switching between a Nocaster and a Deluxe for different tone. Pick the tones you want from the list (or stick with your Nashville setup) and build something that will excel at a narrower set of tones instead of trying to get one guitar to rule all the tones.

The WRHB and Nashville are two very different tone profiles. What tones are you most set on?

 

[Jimmy Ixtlan]

Thanks for your input I'm think I will have to go up to at least 500k pots we will see. Gunstreet wiring shop is also an option excellent idea many options I will be looking into it further.

 

[jvin248]

.

Use a piece of pickguard as a wide trim ring for the WRHB and that will cover any gaps.


An alternative:

Install the WRHB as the middle pickup, keep the 5-way switch, swap the Neck and Middle hot leads at the switch. This drops the #4 Quack tone and replaces it with the famous Neck+Bridge Tele option. You'll still have both middle pickup switching #2 Quack and Alone.

Putting the WRHB in the middle will give you brighter than if you put it in the neck position and darker/beefier than if you put it in the bridge position.

Use the pots you have now and if you want to push the tone around you can swap those later.


.

 

[TimTam]

In case you're assuming that a WRHB will fit in the 'swimming pool' rout of your Nashville Tele ... it won't. WRHB is too wide.