Wiring and pups for telecaster

strummer

New member
Have a guitar project planned having just acquired very cheaply a second hand SX Nashville Tele copy. Basic guitar seems OK although there is a little bit of fret finishing and nut work needed . Electrics need replacing . What I am aiming for is a good Tele sound with the middle pup giving a few bonus strat type noises.

Is there a schematic on this site which shows the five way switch giving.1. bridge 2. Middle , 3. Bridge + Neck 4. middle + neck, 5. Neck:, with 3 and 4 being hum cancelling. Also with push pulls (500k cos I’ve got a few spare))on the tone and vol controls can I get a series / parallel and OOPS options when the bridge and neck pups are combined.

As regards pups I was very impressed with the monster sound of a Mexican Tele fitted with DiMarzio Twang Kings I tried a while back. Since both guitars are similar in that they both have Alder bodies and maple necks and finger boards I‘m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for a similar sound even though the SX was a sixth of the price of a new Mexican. At around $100 for the set the Di Marzios are within budget but I would welcome advice from anybody who has had any poor experience of these pups and would recommend an alternative. Will probably keep the crappy stock middle pup in the short term or replace it with something similar I have from a Stagg strat copy. When everything is working well will think about an upgrade. Any suggestions? Seems that most strat type pups are only sold in sets.
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

If no one else posts something before I get home tonight, I'll sketch you up something. In order for #3 and #4 to be hum-cancelling you'll need to put the RWRP pup in the neck position.

Be back after 3:00EST. ;)

Artie
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

Thanks Artie.. As I want to keep the DiNarzios as the main pups in the neck and bridge position seems I may have to rethink things..posibly just have to settle for position 3 being hum cancelling...I am still not clear why middle pup cannot be wired to be h/c with the neck in position 4...I accept it would not be possible to also have it also h/c with the bridge which is why I omitted this option. However my wiring ideas are very basic and I acknowledge you as the Guru in these things,
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

The five basic PU selections that you have described are the same five offered on the Fender USA James Burton signature Telecaster. The schematic is available on their website.
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

The five basic PU selections that you have described are the same five offered on the Fender USA James Burton signature Telecaster. The schematic is available on their website.

Not exactly. The JB has bridge + middle at position #2. He wants just the middle. Its an easy change, however. Gimme a sec.

Note the change in red. (Red arrow also.)

P.S. Thanks funkfingers for that info. Saved me drawing that from scratch. :)

P.S. 2: remember Strummer, those wire colors don't match DMZ's.
 
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Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

The Megaswitch 5-way that Stewmac sells will give you bridge+neck at #3, no problem. Not sure how you would do it with a traditional 5-way.
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

Many many thanks Artie, Funkfingers and Zhangliqun. The diagram is not that clear to me at the moment but I'm sure it will become clearer after I have have studied it a bit more and rewritten it it a different format for my simple mind. Artie you are The man.

I will get the five way sorted out and then work on the series/ parallel and OOPS options later. Hopefully this guitar will be a keeper when its finished despite modest cost.
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

If you give me a couple of days, I'll work out the DMZ colors and some options. Like your OOPS stuff. I just move slower these days.
 
Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

Many thanks Artie. There is no rush on this as I will not be getting the pups until I visit US in Jan. Really appreciate your assistance. In the meantime I am cleaning up the SX.The middle pup seems to have red (hot) black (neg) plus ground (grey). Hopefully using 500k push pulls will not be a prob. I was thinking of a 40 Orange drop for the tone cap or do you think a 22 would be better. Perhaps I should just try both and compare.

If you think its worthwhile I can get a more exotic 5 way...I was thinking about an upgrade anyway.
 
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Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

Thanks for imput Z. I presume you are refering to the E model. It appears to have good reviews and I have definitely short listed it. I am keeping my options open at the moment. Stewmac always seem to have high shipping costs which add to the cost quite a bit if you only buy one item.
 
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Re: Wiring and pups for telecaster

On that n'ville tele wiring - just got my 1st tele - a n'ville. Loved the guitar but couldn't get the neck/br pup combo. Added a mini-toggle sw between the pots, one wire to br pup at the 5-way, one wire to vol pot at input from 5-way. Now i have 7 dif pup combos. The added sw gave me neck/ br option and with 5-way at neck/mid i get all 3 pups for a good bluesy sound. Also, no noise probs. And it is a simple, cheap fix - Radio Shack mini toggle - $3.00, 2 lil pieces of wire. Since doing this my Strat doesn't get used much any more.
 
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