Tele - 4 way switch. RW/RP or not for best series sound?

Johnny-DK

Johnny-DK

New member
Not long ago I bought my first Tele (Squier Standard).
Now it's time for some new pickups and stuff.
A lot of people recommend using the 4 way switch with the option on playing both pickup in series.

Somewhere I read that the series would sound best if the neck was wound and polarized like on the old school Fender guitars - aka not RW/RP.
Fact or fiction? Anyone got some experience/insight they want to share on this?
 
Re: Tele - 4 way switch. RW/RP or not for best series sound?

I can't offer any advice on RW/RP versus non-RW/RP but I do highly recommend the 4-way switch mod. I did it to my MIM Tele and the extra sound is awesome - like a really fat humbucker. Plus you still have the other three tones unchanged - there's nothing to lose! My pickups are a Bare Knuckle Blackguard 52 bridge and a Fender Twisted Tele neck (non-RW/RP).
 
Re: Tele - 4 way switch. RW/RP or not for best series sound?

As is (rw/rp neck), when you put the two pickups in series, you are following the same basic practice as a normal series-coil humbucker: one coil's output goes into a rw/rp coil's input. IMO, it sounds better with one rw/rp pickup.

However, with the pickups in parallel (normal Tele middle position since the late '60's), I definitely prefer both pickups to have the same polarity and wind direction. It just sounds better to me. Maybe that is what people were talking about.

Personally, I prefer keeping the three-way switch and using a separate switch to put the pickups in series. I find 4-way blade switches awkward to use while playing.
 
Re: Tele - 4 way switch. RW/RP or not for best series sound?

I'm another fan of the 4-way switch. The pickups that sound the best are the ones that are going to sound the best regardless of polarity. It might be a plus to have less hum for the positions using both pickups but I wouldn't make a choice strictly based on that.
 
Re: Tele - 4 way switch. RW/RP or not for best series sound?

Thanks for the input:bigthumb:
As far as I can see all Seymour Duncan Tele neck pickups are RW/RP - as most others.
 
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