Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

[PFDarkside]

I have no idea why, but I’ve been obsessed with the Tele Hot Rails for a while now, but have never tried them. They seem like a great set of rock pickups with a little bite. I always thought the Baja wiring scheme (4-Way switch for Bridge/Parallel/Neck/Series plus out of phase switch) made a pretty versatile setup with vintage style pickups. Does anyone have a secret sauce wiring scheme for Hot Rails for Tele that can give even more options? Super switch for splitting, series/parallel, adding capacitors, phase....

What do you have?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

I would say that you gain a very useful sound by putting it in parallel.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

I would say that you gain a very useful sound by putting it in parallel.

Both neck and bridge?

 

[Killertofu]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

I just wired mine up the same as the stock pup and its been that way for over a decade. completely transformed the guitar. I go to the neck if I want a warmer sound or roll off the volume to clean it up a bit.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

Both neck and bridge?

I'd do at least the bridge. You'd need 1 switch for each pickup, though. The neck Hot Rails is great as-is, though.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

You could use a superswitch, but you can probably get all the tones you need from an Oak Grigsby 4-way and a p/p pot. This will give you bridge/bridge+neck (in parallel)/neck/bridge+neck (in series), and the p/p can split one or both pups. This will give you about 12 different useful options. You could also add another p/p to get out-of-phase which will give you 4 more tonal options.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

Thanks, so basically the Baja wiring plus a split?

Would two Hot Rails in series be excessively dark? I guess split or split/out of phase would work well based on my experience with the Jimmy Page wiring.

Oh yeah, is there a difference between the Tele Hot Rails neck and Strat Hot Rails neck?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

I wouldn't think 2 Hot Rails in series would be a great idea. It isn't that it would be dark, but it would have excessive mids, and sort of 'feel' like you are trying to run though mud in boots.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

But if the Hot Rails were split, then having the single coils in series is not a bad idea at all...like a regular Hot Rails humbucker but with the coils separated.

 

[Artie]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

But if the Hot Rails were split, then having the single coils in series is not a bad idea at all...like a regular Hot Rails humbucker but with the coils separated.

Yup. A Lil' Slutbucker.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

I have to admit, I haven't tried 2 Hot Rails split in series. How does it compare to their '2 Hot Rails not split but parallel' sound?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Any Tele Hot Rails wiring tricks?

That's funny.