Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

[Blackacre]

I am new to the forums, and I hope that you guys might be able to lend a hand. I am building a tele, in which I have installed a set of SD Hot Rails at both the Bridge and Neck positions. I installed the pickups exactly as the diagram that was included directed me to. The results are less than satisfactory. First, the neck pickup is very thin and wimpy--it almost sounds like a really bad single coil pup. Second, the bridge pup has some output, but it is certainly not high output as the pup ought to be; when I run it through pedals that are sensitive to the volume knob (i.e., a fuzz face, or in my case an Analogman Sunface) it does not hardly get dirty at all, but rather just gives a gentle boost in volume. Here is what I have tried to fix these problems:

1. I checked and double checked all of my connections;

2. I removed the apparently stupid three-way switch I was using and replaced it with a fender-branded three-way;

3. I moved all of the grounds to the same spot on the volume pot;

4. I tried swapping the green and black wires out on the neck pickup.

5. I also tried this::banghead: (It did not help at all)

One last thing to note: when I move the selector switch to the neck pup position, I have noticed that the tone knob seems to be working like a volume instead of a tone adjustment. The red and white wires from the neck and bridge respectively are soldered and taped, the black wire from the bridge and neck are currently going to the switch and the green and bare wires are grounded. Can anyone tell me what I could possibly be doing wrong, or alternatively whether I have a bad set of pups? Thanks in advance for any help. This is my first experience with SD and I would like it to be a positive one.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

Well, i was going to just say that youve got to switch some wires...but hold on..

stupid question: you did set the height of the pickups right?

if youre sure youve got your connections right, and since theyre both SD, im kind of stumped. a good alternative would be to install these on another guitar to see what happens. i dont expect you to have another tele though.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

Welcome to the forum.

Stop that naughty head banging at once.

I suspect that something has gone wrong when you changed pickup selector switch types. The "official" Fender/CRL three-way switch lays out the terminals differently from the SE Asian eight contacts in a line design. Just to confuse matters, there is also another Japanese design that has the poles on the opposite sides to the American switch - effectively, putting the "wiper/collector" terminals in the wrong places for most schematic diagrams.

As a quick test, try connecting the output conductor from one of the pickups directly to the volume pot input leg. If you get a full output signal, the selector switch needs redoing.

In one sense, a passive treble roll off control IS a volume control but only for a selected range of frequencies. The frequency above which the tone pot fades away the signal is governed by the capacitor connected to it. Check that the capacitor for your tone control is connected correctly.

Pics of your control cavity would assist greatly.

EDIT: What type of wire have you used for the "collector" jumper wire between the selector switch contacts? If this is not properly insulated, your signal could be shorting away to a dead end.

 

[Blackacre]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

I actually ended up speaking Scott in customer service and we first tried to swap out the red and black wires under the auspices that the pup was out of phase with itself, but that didn't work. Turns out that the pup is just a rare bad one. However they are providing me with pretty stellar service--paying to send it back, sending a replacement as soon as they receive the bad one. I really couldn't ask for anything else.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

I actually ended up speaking Scott in customer service and we first tried to swap out the red and black wires under the auspices that the pup was out of phase with itself, but that didn't work. Turns out that the pup is just a rare bad one. However they are providing me with pretty stellar service--paying to send it back, sending a replacement as soon as they receive the bad one. I really couldn't ask for anything else.

Hi Blackacre, welcome to the forum. Yeah, sometimes you get a bad pickup. It happens. When you receive the new one, please let us know how it turns out. We have another member who did the Hot Rails Tele set and loves it!

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

I've got the Hot Rails in my tele, and I've got to tell you, it sounds FAT. Like a Les Paul!

 

[eric_m]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

Sorry to dredge up an old forum, but I just installed the Hot Rails on a Squire (don't scoff, it was a fun project!) in the bridge position. I wanted to do something like this on an inexpensive instrument in case I royally screwed up. Here's the rub:

I first installed just the pickup. I reversed the red and black wires per the instructions so it wouldn't be out of phase. Worked great! Super fat, like the above comment.

When I got the pickup, I also picked up a 4-way Fender tele switch. I installed this and the pickup became wimpy. I take it I should just reverse the red and black wires? I'm also experiencing something where the tone knob also acts to roll off volume. Is this a further wiring issue? Or is it likely to be solved by reversing the wires.

I haven't tried the reversal yet, but I am hoping this will cure my ills.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

the red and white wires should be connected as the series link, the black and green wires should be hot and ground. if you are mixing the hot rails with a fender pup, use the green as hot (to the switch) and black as ground.

the tone knob working like a volume control is a wiring issue, probably a missing ground. if you take a clear, detailed picture we can try and help

 

[eric_m]

Re: Hot Rails on a Tele--Installation Help Needed!

So this will make everyone laugh. And I wanted to clunk myself over the head with something heavy.

I opened up the control cavity today and lo and behold, the wire to the volume pot (black wire) from the bridge pickup was hanging loose! I couldn't believe it. I was amazed that it worked at all with only one wire connecting it. I soldered it back in place and tested it out before I put it back together. Tone pot is now back to being a tone pot and my Hot Rails screams again.

Thanks, Jeremy, for the advice!