Wiring assistance for H/S telecaster with a push/pull pot for out of phase and a les paul 3 way switch

[wylderubicon]

hey guys,

I'm messing around with a Tele build(Parts-caster) and hoping to get some info on wiring. My soldering skills are good, just don't know how to wire it and what value pots to use.

I have a 2 wire Duncan 59' Humbucker in the neck and a La Brea single coil in the bridge.

I've seen many diagrams on how to wire a HS tele, but never really clear on Pot value. 250K or 500K? I already have a 500k push pull pot that I want to use for phase switching. the 3 way switch will be a Les Paul style instead of a blade switch.

I also have questions on nitro painting, but that's for another day.

thank you!

 

[Steve Holt]

That's the million dollar question we fight with. Here's an interesting article I saw on the topic yesterday. Basically use a 500k pot but add a resistor to make it 250k for the single coil. That seems to add some complications to the middle position though. The long and short of it seems to be a big shoulder shrug. Either use 250 or 500. If you don't like it change to the other and take the one you like better.

How To Use Resistors In A Guitar & Cool Tricks | Fralin Pickups

Resistors are basic components that add a lot of versatility to your guitar. Using Resistors in a guitar can add a whole new layer of tone.

www.fralinpickups.com

As far as the nitro goes, I've been recommending anyone that is having issues to watch this video series from Stewmac. It's got a ton of detail and it's a pretty easy watch.

 

[wylderubicon]

That's the million dollar question we fight with. Here's an interesting article I saw on the topic yesterday. Basically use a 500k pot but add a resistor to make it 250k for the single coil. That seems to add some complications to the middle position though. The long and short of it seems to be a big shoulder shrug. Either use 250 or 500. If you don't like it change to the other and take the one you like better.

How To Use Resistors In A Guitar & Cool Tricks | Fralin Pickups

Resistors are basic components that add a lot of versatility to your guitar. Using Resistors in a guitar can add a whole new layer of tone.

www.fralinpickups.com

As far as the nitro goes, I've been recommending anyone that is having issues to watch this video series from Stewmac. It's got a ton of detail and it's a pretty easy watch.

thanks for the reply, I think I'm gonna go with 500k and roll down the tone on the bridge. for the paint, I'm looking for a vintage Fiesta red color, but I don't know where to buy it. I'm looking for Nitro paint. Stew Mac sells a cherry red, is that close in color?

thanks

 

[Steve Holt]

thanks for the reply, I think I'm gonna go with 500k and roll down the tone on the bridge. for the paint, I'm looking for a vintage Fiesta red color, but I don't know where to buy it. I'm looking for Nitro paint. Stew Mac sells a cherry red, is that close in color?

thanks

There are two places I know of to get vintage colors for Fenders. I've bought all sorts of colors from Guitar Reranch and they've been great. Last time I got Fiesta I found it to be a little more orange than I was expecting. But it was still probably Fiesta. The only color I ever got from Madison Music was shell pink, but it was fantastic. Trouble with Guitar Reranch is that they seem to be closed more than they're open anymore. I would not do the Cherry Red - That's the color they offer for doing a 3 tone burst. So it's pretty transparent if I'm thinking right. I have a can of that and I don't think it's what you want if you're looking for fiesta. If I get some time I could spray some cherry and fiesta on a scrap board and you can see the difference for yourself. Who knows, it might be closer to fiesta than what I'm thinking.

Graceys Vintage Finishes Offers Nitrocellulose Finishes

Nitrocellulose Lacquer, Guitar Repair, Guitar Restoration, Guitar Parts, Bass Parts, Clear Pickups, Vintage Finishes

www.madisonsmusicstore.com

Fender Custom Colors

 

[wylderubicon]

There are two places I know of to get vintage colors for Fenders. I've bought all sorts of colors from Guitar Reranch and they've been great. Last time I got Fiesta I found it to be a little more orange than I was expecting. But it was still probably Fiesta. The only color I ever got from Madison Music was shell pink, but it was fantastic. Trouble with Guitar Reranch is that they seem to be closed more than they're open anymore. I would not do the Cherry Red - That's the color they offer for doing a 3 tone burst. So it's pretty transparent if I'm thinking right. I have a can of that and I don't think it's what you want if you're looking for fiesta. If I get some time I could spray some cherry and fiesta on a scrap board and you can see the difference for yourself. Who knows, it might be closer to fiesta than what I'm thinking.

Graceys Vintage Finishes Offers Nitrocellulose Finishes

Nitrocellulose Lacquer, Guitar Repair, Guitar Restoration, Guitar Parts, Bass Parts, Clear Pickups, Vintage Finishes

www.madisonsmusicstore.com

Fender Custom Colors

yeah, I did hear that cherry from stewmac is translucent. I will check out guitar reranch. orangish color I believe is the right color

 

[Steve Holt]

yeah, I did hear that cherry from stewmac is translucent. I will check out guitar reranch. orangish color I believe is the right color

They're closed right now. But if you don't mind waiting, they'll probably reopen at some point.

 

[emptyminded42]

hey guys,

I'm messing around with a Tele build(Parts-caster) and hoping to get some info on wiring. My soldering skills are good, just don't know how to wire it and what value pots to use.

I have a 2 wire Duncan 59' Humbucker in the neck and a La Brea single coil in the bridge.

I've seen many diagrams on how to wire a HS tele, but never really clear on Pot value. 250K or 500K? I already have a 500k push pull pot that I want to use for phase switching. the 3 way switch will be a Les Paul style instead of a blade switch.

I also have questions on nitro painting, but that's for another day.

thank you!

Hey! I just did an offset Tele SH build and I used this diagram to wire mine up and it works well:

I didn't run a dedicated ground wire from the bridge because I used a Tele bridge and pickup with the metal backing plate, so the ground has a jumper wire to the plate from the - side of the pickup. But I have some buzzing when cranking the gain so I will probably end up snipping the jumper and running a dedicated bridge ground wire.

I also had to flip the hot and ground leads from my humbucker (a 4-wire Golden Age from StewMac) to fix an out-of-phase problem on the middle switch position, so be mindful of that. If the middle position sounds weak, thin, nasally it's out-of-phase.

 

[wylderubicon]

This is what I need to do.. I eliminated the push/pull pot and will save that for another project. Only thing I haven't done is the resistor for the bridge pickup. how does the 470k balance out? I've read 570k, 220k and others as what I should do, so I might just order a variety pack.

This is how it came out after the paint. I need to buff to a bit more shine I think.. the tinted clear coat kid of messed me up when spraying the body, but I'm fairly happy with it. I'm now looking for a nickle cover for the neck humbucker..

 

[emptyminded42]

This is what I need to do.. I eliminated the push/pull pot and will save that for another project. Only thing I haven't done is the resistor for the bridge pickup. how does the 470k balance out? I've read 570k, 220k and others as what I should do, so I might just order a variety pack.

This is how it came out after the paint. I need to buff to a bit more shine I think.. the tinted clear coat kid of messed me up when spraying the body, but I'm fairly happy with it. I'm now looking for a nickle cover for the neck humbucker..

Looks good!

My 470k Ohm resistor does a pretty good job of balancing with the single coil bridge. I used 500k pots like the diagram said. That said, it took me a while to adjust the pickup heights to dial in the outputs without the bridge being harsh while making sure the neck humbucker wasn't muddy. YMMV based on what pickups you're using.

 

[wylderubicon]

ok, so got a 470k and a 560k resistor... it does nothing to change the sound.. with vol and tone pot fully open, i wired it according to the above diagram, but no change in sound. only thing I can think of is that I'm grounding the resistor to the tone pot instead of vol pot, since its closer to the switch, but I would think that ground is ground? both pots are grounded together...

 

[wylderubicon]

I tried wiring a capacitor instead of a resistor, and that tamed the sound. Obviously too much, so I either have bad resistros or I need a bigger resistor. I tried wiring both resistors and this didn't make any difference. I also see people with these bigger resistors. the ones I got a super tiny. Size of an ant.. maybe its too low of a wattage?

 

[Steve Holt]

I tried wiring a capacitor instead of a resistor, and that tamed the sound. Obviously too much, so I either have bad resistros or I need a bigger resistor. I tried wiring both resistors and this didn't make any difference. I also see people with these bigger resistors. the ones I got a super tiny. Size of an ant.. maybe its too low of a wattage?

I don't have a masters in electrical anything, but I'm pretty sure you don't need to worry about wattage in an electric guitar. The signal generated by the pickups is tiny.