Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

[User34603]

The guitar has a bridge humbucker that has a toggle switch to cut off one coil (up) or not (down). I want to be able to demand on the neck pickup (while keeping the function of the switch to coil cut the humbucker), preferably with the coil-cut (up) position of the toggle switch. I do not want to replace a tone pot to a push/pull, etc. I am looking for an answer to the question as I posed it, not new ideas. Thanks.

To clarify: I want the neck pickup to come on when the toggle is up (HB has one coil turned off), if possible. That would make the neck and one coil of the HB bridge pickup be on together .

 

[jeremy]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

welcome to the forum!

please clarify your question. you want the switch to work as it currently does but also turn on the neck pup at the same time?

 

[Swyse]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/telecaster/024_1102A_SISD.pdf

The above PDF details the current wiring.
It will not be possible with the switch shown in the PDF, but it should be possible with a DPDT ON/ON switch.

This is how it would look with a DPDT ON/ON switch, hopefully the diagram is clear enough. Additionally, you could get a push pull volume or tone and do the same thing if you like, leaving the fuctions seperate.

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

I'm thinking maybe a push/pull tone pot would be the simpler solution to demand on the neck pickup when pulled out... And leave the toggle switch alone to coil cut the humbucker. I will have to look up how to make a push/pull tone pot turn on a neck pickup when pulled.

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

The switch from the Fender diagram is not a match to my guitar. The switch in mine has 6 lugs like the one shown here in your diagran (are you using yellow to indicate neck pickup wire?). So, are you saying that a wire connecting the neck pickup lug on the 5-way switch to the center lug of the toggle switch is all that is needed? Looking at your diagram, is it an image of what we see with the control plate upside down? I may be missing something, so spell it out for me as I see the control plate turned upside down since that is the only way to solder anything new in.

 

[Swyse]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

You need the yellow wire (hot from neck pickup, may not actually be yellow) to the middle of the coil cut switch.

Then a wire (short blue wire I drew above) going to the volume pot hot (same lug as the 5 way switch goes to the volume pot) on either side of the yellow, depending on which way you want the switch to work.

Putting it on the same side as your coil cut would be putting it on the same side as the white from the bridge I believe.

The image should be the underside of the control plate and pickguard from what I can tell.

Let me know if this isn't clear enough and I'll try to show it better.

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

when look closely at the wiring, my guitar is not wired like the diagram. The set of 4 used lugs in the 5 way switch , left to right, are orange wire to lower left lug of toggle switch... orange hot from middle pickup to next lug of 5 way switch, yellow wire from neck pickup to next lug of 5 way switch... and finally a blue wire from the next lug of the 5 way switch to the left lug of the tone control. The red wire of the bridge pup is also soldered to the lower left toggle lug. The white wire of the bridge pickup goes to the lower center lug of the toggle switch. Those are the only 2 used lugs of the 6 toggle switch lugs . The humbucker bare and small black are both soldered to the rear o the tone pot. Does this help? I can't believe I got through college and cannot understand this.

 

[Swyse]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

Kind of odd that fender provides a nice PDF and its not what is actually in the guitar.

Here is what you need to do:
You need to add two wires, leaving all existing wires in their places.

The first wire will go from the upper center lug of your mini toggle switch to the lug on your 5 way switch that has the yellow neck pickup wire.

Your next wire will go from the Upper left lug of your mini toggle to the lug of your volume pot which is connected to your switch and tone pot.

So your mini toggle will be:
(wire to volume pot lug) (wire to neck pickup location of 5 way) (Unused)
(Red wire from bridge pickup) (white wire from bridge pickup) (Unused)

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

Will wire it that way you suggest and see the result. Fender may have started using a toggle switch with 6 lugs versus 3 at some point for whatever reason. Maybe they cost about the same and they figured guys would want to add a pickup on demand. Who can say ?

Some repair guys swear a push/pull pot 'sucks tone', but I never heard a convincing explanation why. That is the obvious way to demand on a neck pickup; but you have to buy a push/pull pot.

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

I owe you ! I added the 2 wires as you suggested and it works. Touch the neck pickup when the mini-toggle is 'up' and you get the signal sound; And it is for the bridge alone and for the bridge and middle switch positions, as long as the mini-toggle is 'up'. Set the mini-toggle to 'down' and the neck pickup is off for bridge/middle switch position as well as bridge only switch position... in full HB mode just to verify. For guys with this guitar, be prepared to cut a pair of small firm foam blocks for under the neck pickup so that the distance under strings to pickup cover is about 3/32 or 4/32 inch. The factory neck pickup setting was far too low on mine and the pickup is a pretty good one, so let's bring it closer to the strings. I also stabilized the bridge HB so it does not rock back and forth. As usual, raise the 'D' polepiece since that string is a weak sounding one. Adjust other polepieces to get a balance once the bass and treble pickup side heights of each pickup are set to get a strong, yet balanced general tone. 30 minutes of the adjustment is done once and is simple and the guitar will sound easily 15% better. I am considering replacing the saddles with black graph-tech style for stability and a slightly less tinny sound. Lower ration tuners would be nice, but it's another 'wish list' upgrade.

 

[User34603]

Re: Fender Modern Player Tele ... can the toggle switch activate the neck pickup?

I am taking this further, so others can see it. The HB on the Fender Modern Player Tele (5 way switch and mini toggle to coil cut) is OK, but I got a used Duncan P-Rails + (beefier version of the original P-Rails which has a P90 with a rail to make a humbucker if desired).

So, I am thinking that I need to replace the off/on toggle switch with a certain type of on/on/on toggle switch to turn on the P90 alone (switch down), both P90 and rail in humbucking mode (switch in middle position), and the rail only 'on' with the 3-way switch in the 'up' position. I am thinking that the neck pickup should be wired in to come on with one ring of a concentric tone pot; the other ring would be the tone control. A strong P90 and a strong rail pickup will make a good humbucking pair and and to have the neck blended on demand would be nice. The middle single coil pickup would remain unaffected in the #3 position of the 5-way stock selector switch.

Does this sound doable and reasonable ? btw.... the P-Rails + was like new and $50 to my door via eBay.