Hot For Tele Users.

[Benjy_26]

Hey all.

I recently purchased the STR-2 and STL2 tapped for my MIJ 69 Thinline Tele RI and I love them. Big thick tones that really push the amp. This Tele can now take the place of my LP in certain situations, and is easier on my back.

I only have one question. How do I tap the bridge pickup (for more traditional tones) without using a 5 way switch like the one shown on the schematic provided with the pickup?

I am planning on replacing one of the pots with a push/pull pot to do this.

Thanks for the info, gentlemen.

 

[Artie]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

I made this drawing for someone asking about "splitting", but the principal is the same:

Connect the "tap" wire to the red arrow, and connect the green arrow to the hot wire of that same pup.

Thats how I've done mine. Works great. Also, you can move the green arrow connection to the bottom lug if you prefer the "Tapped" sound when the push/pull is down, rather than up.

btw - There's a slight variation of this that you might prefer, but I have to wait 'til I get home to post it.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

Cool, thanks Artie.

Just one more thing: The hot wire goes to the push/pull pot and then to the switch, or am I missing something?

 

[Artie]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

Cool, thanks Artie.

Just one more thing: The hot wire goes to the push/pull pot and then to the switch, or am I missing something?

Exactly. It doesn't really matter where the two meet . . . as long as they meet. You could also just run a jumper from the top of the switch to the same place on the 5-way.

But wait 'til I post the alternative, before you start soldering. (About 2 hours.)

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

Cool. Thanks a bunch, Art. :burnout:

 

[Curly]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

there's a schematic for just the tap of course, so that combined with Artie's drawing helps

I plan to do this soon myself, so thanks.

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

I have a standard STL-2 in my HS Tele -- the Fender Atomic II HB at the neck is hot enough that it seemed unlikely that I'd ever use the tapped output. It's a great combo, so I can understand why you like the tapped set so much.

 

[Artie]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

I can describe, fairly easily, what the variation is. Imagine, in that drawing above, that you take the "tap" wire put it to the top lug, and the "normal" hot wire, and put it to the bottom lug. Now connect the center lug out to that pups normal position on the 5-way.

The signifigance of that change is, using my first method, (which is what I use), you have the top half, (or "outer" half), of the coil shorted out when its tapped. This may not have any sonic difference . . . but then again, it might.

Take a small DC motor and spin it with your fingers. Now short its wires together and do it again. It will stop as soon as you let go of the shaft because you've applied an electric brake by shorting its wires together.

By shorting out part of the coil, you send part of its voltage back into itself. As I said, it may not matter, but I haven't tried it both ways yet.
(The SD schematic shows it the "other" way.)

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

I bought an STL-2 at a local store awhile back but it was broken. I took it back and bought a Rio Grande Muy Grande. No one around here carries Tele pickups in their general stock. I needed someting that evening. I use a Vintage Stack now, but I was wondering about the tone of the STL-2. I play Country and need the spank and twang of a great Tele bridge pickup. Can you still twang and spank with the Hot model? Or is it too mid-heavy?

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

It still sounds like a Tele pickup to me, but I'm not big into twang per se. I also have mine wired in the stock 2003 Fender HS Tele configuration with a 270K resistor in parallel with the 500K vol pot for the lead pickup, so it is not overly bright anyway. However, the combined tone of the STL-2 and Atomic II HB was the real surprise -- like a classic Tele on steroids -- may be asked to testify before Congress any day now. :cool3:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

I have a Tapped Tele Hot in my Stratocaster.

I installed a push/pull tone pot to go from the tapped output (6.6K) to the high output (9.5K).

But the way I did it is differant than the way Artie describes and I didn't even bother to look up any other wiring diagrams: I just went with the way that made sense to me.

I used one side of the DP/DT switch. I soldered the 9.5K output to the top terminal, the 6.6K output to the bottem termial and I soldered a wire to the middle terminal which runs to the terminal for the bridge pickup on my pickup selector switch.

There's six terminals on the DP/DT switch mounted on the push/pull pot and I only used the three on one side.

For this application, I think of the middle terminal as being the output of the switch and the top and bottem as being the inputs to the switch.


0 0=9.5K output
0 0=to pickup selector switch
0 0=6.6K output

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

BTW, in a two pickup Tele I'd forget about a push/pull pot and just replace your 3 way switch with a 5 way switch.

That's far easier and far more practical.

Do that. You'll get:

1. hot bridge output
2. neck and hot bridge output
3. neck
4. neck and vintage bridge output
5. vintage bridge output

Simple and very easy to select.

 

[Artie]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

0 0=9.5K output
0 0=to pickup selector switch
0 0=6.6K output

Yup . . . thats what I described in my second post. (Except, with hot and tapped reversed.)

But I like you're 5-way idea even better. I can't do that, myself, because my Tele is a 3-pup design.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

BTW, in a two pickup Tele I'd forget about a push/pull pot and just replace your 3 way switch with a 5 way switch.

That's far easier and far more practical.

Do that. You'll get:

1. hot bridge output
2. neck and hot bridge output
3. neck
4. neck and vintage bridge output
5. vintage bridge output

Simple and very easy to select.

Are those the options that you get when using Duncan's 5 way schematic?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Hot For Tele Users.

Are those the options that you get when using Duncan's 5 way schematic?

yes...that is the set-up I use, and I find it to be far easier that anything else I tried!