Telecaster replacement pickup wiring question

[Simon Barden]

Not really. If you had a single volume control, you'd only have one tone control on the common output from the selector switch. So no real reason to have more than one, But you could have one per pickup if you wanted to sculpt the tone of each pickup differently.

It's easy to add a cap+resistor in series afterwards, so you could start without and see where you are before you decide whether one or both pickups need some taming.

Standard resistor values don't include 250k, so you have a choice of 240k or 270k on either side. 240k will be slightly darker than 270k. You can of course use any value resistor you want, with higher values meaning a bit brighter and lower values a bit duller. You could go up to 2 meg to get a very small amount of treble loss.

Too much below 240k and the cap value also makes itself more obvious. with higher values than 0.047uF giving a darker tone with a lower treble roll-off point and smaller values (such as 0.022uF typically found on humbuckers) giving a brighter tone with a higher treble roll-off point.

There is no right or wrong here, just personal taste and general values between which most people agree sound OK. Resistors and caps are cheap (especially when bought in bulk mixed bags) and some crocodile clips to hold things together lets you test things out before getting the soldering iron out.

[WeirdBits]

I agree with Simon, set it up first and then decide if you need any tone/brightness tweaks.

I can sort out a wiring diagram for you, that’s no hassle. Did you select the ‘4 conductor’ wire option when you ordered the pickup?

[teamjeffo]

Yeah I did, and bought a push/pull 1 Meg for the WRHB volume. Sure I can't flick some cash or a 6 pack?

I agree with Simon, set it up first and then decide if you need any tone/brightness tweaks.

I can sort out a wiring diagram for you, that’s no hassle. Did you select the ‘4 conductor’ wire option when you ordered the pickup?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Adam Barnes]

Bit of a side question on this, if you had a 4 wire hunbucker and used a on off on switch. Which would have one on as humbucker and the other as coil split with the off as a kill switch and have no vol or tone pots just go straight to the jack plug. What would happen. Me being not a great musician ive only ever had everything wound up on 10. If you want to hide bad playing turn it up louder 😂

[WeirdBits]

Bit of a side question on this, if you had a 4 wire hunbucker and used a on off on switch. Which would have one on as humbucker and the other as coil split with the off as a kill switch and have no vol or tone pots just go straight to the jack plug. What would happen. Me being not a great musician ive only ever had everything wound up on 10. If you want to hide bad playing turn it up louder 

In practical terms, pots ‘bleed’ some brightness/highs away from your signal. The larger the value pot, and the fewer pots in the circuit, the less ‘brightness’ is lost.

250K pots are used for single coils as you want to lose some highs and warm the signal up. 500K pots help to retain some brightness for the warmer sound of humbuckers, and 1M pots are used to keep all the ‘highs’ you can. If you continue on with the ‘larger value is brighter’ idea then an infinite value pot (infinite resistance) would have maximum brightness... and inifinite resistance is the same as having no connection at all, or taking the pot out of the circuit. ‘No Load’ tone pots and ‘Jackhammer’ style volume pots do just this at ‘10’ by disconnecting the pot from the circuit to give you max signal.

So, just having the pickup and a switch would give you maximum volume and brightness... and minimum subtlety. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will sound good though, as the combination of pickups and pots and caps all contribute to the overall sound of the circuit and guitar. The only way to know is to try it and let your ears/neighbours tell you.

[WeirdBits]

Checking specs for the diagram:

PBG stock 3-way lever switch
1M CTS single pole push/pull neck volume pot (coil split neck humbucker)
PBG stock 250K bridge volume pot

Correct?

[teamjeffo]

Kind of:

It's a Fender (early 80's Japan) 3-way switch
1M CTS single pole push/pull neck volume pot (coil split neck humbucker)
250k CTS bridge volume pot (new so it will match the USA sized shaft of the 1M P/P and new knobs)
Taihan Black Bee Paper In Oil Capacitor • .047 uF (following Simon's recommendation)
Will pick up a resistor at the local Jaycar when and if I ever get out of work on time

[WeirdBits]

Gotcha, will draw it up when I get some time.

[teamjeffo]

Scott.... you're a bloody legend! My next dog will be named in your honour

[Adam Barnes]

In practical terms, pots ‘bleed’ some brightness/highs away from your signal. The larger the value pot, and the fewer pots in the circuit, the less ‘brightness’ is lost.

250K pots are used for single coils as you want to lose some highs and warm the signal up. 500K pots help to retain some brightness for the warmer sound of humbuckers, and 1M pots are used to keep all the ‘highs’ you can. If you continue on with the ‘larger value is brighter’ idea then an infinite value pot (infinite resistance) would have maximum brightness... and inifinite resistance is the same as having no connection at all, or taking the pot out of the circuit. ‘No Load’ tone pots and ‘Jackhammer’ style volume pots do just this at ‘10’ by disconnecting the pot from the circuit to give you max signal.

So, just having the pickup and a switch would give you maximum volume and brightness... and minimum subtlety. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will sound good though, as the combination of pickups and pots and caps all contribute to the overall sound of the circuit and guitar. The only way to know is to try it and let your ears/neighbours tell you.

Thanks scott great info