4 way Tele switch

[Powdered Toast Man]

I don't understand the guys who hate the 4-way and rip it out.

1) it's an invisible mod. You wouldn't know it's there by looking at the guitar.
2) it retains all the stock tones without any compromise.
3) it's a cheap mod.
4) it adds an entirely different tonal setting to your instrument.

I do it to every one of my S/S Teles. It's my go to setting for solos. It's a bit thicker and a bit louder. Perfect solo tone.

[ArtieToo]

Actually considering a tele with a 2 way switch--both series, both parallel. Gimmick guitar but eh... do you need more than a rhythm sound and a lead sound?

if anyone has a link to that switch or a diagram for that wiring I'd be appreciative

I've considered that to. Could be fun. The diagram is exactly the same as any push-pull, or DPDT toggle for series/parallel of a humbucker. Treat one pickup as black/white, and one pickup as red/green.

[Sambuccashake]

I have a 5 way standard in my Tele's: bridge, both parallel, both series, both series out of phase, neck. That fourth setting, series out of phase, is AMAZING. In fact, I love it even more with a JB and a Jazz! I cannot get enough of that setting, haha. It's honky and jangly and clean but not skreechy or thin. I don't know if this works with every guitar or every pickup, but the ones I have this installed in, it works just fine.

Bonus: the schaller 5 way I use feels so smooth. I prefer that over the CRL and Oak switches usually found in guitars.

This looks very useful!
How would you wire this?

[alex1fly]

I don't understand the guys who hate the 4-way and rip it out.

1) it's an invisible mod. You wouldn't know it's there by looking at the guitar.
2) it retains all the stock tones without any compromise.
3) it's a cheap mod.
4) it adds an entirely different tonal setting to your instrument.

I do it to every one of my S/S Teles. It's my go to setting for solos. It's a bit thicker and a bit louder. Perfect solo tone.

I think it has to do with the mental game. When you have the 4th option, you're tempted to go to it for a thicker, louder tone. With the 3 way you have to work in tandem with your guitar and amp to get a thicker, louder tone - running your amp hotter and keeping your guitar volume lower then bumping the guitar volume and adjusting the tone knob for that solo tone. It's sort of like driving a manual transmission versus an automatic. Both get you there, but one uses some shortcuts and the other puts you "more in touch with the machine". And the Tele, for better and worse, comes a lot of historical baggage and perhaps "pressure" for many.

There's a lot of "shoulds" in music.

[JB_From_Hell]

So in the land of the intergoogle, turning up a knob slightly is superior to flipping a switch, which result in completely different tones.

That is not surprising.

[orpheo]

This looks very useful!
How would you wire this?

There you go. Oddly enough I did have some issues with this wiring this weekend... Not sure why! Maybe the rotor of the 5 way wasn't right because the connections are clean. Or these pickups with their odd internal wiring just didn't wanna play ball with this system. Regardless, this is gold with a JB/Jazz set.