4 way Telecaster mod (need help)

[Notyethendrix]

I'm helping out my friend with his telecaster, putting 2 GFS tele pickups in and changing it to a 4 way switch.  Most of you should know the extra position is for 2 pickups running in series. I bought the genuine Fender 4 way switch, and I rechecked my wiring 3 times, but it still doesn't work.

It suppose to work like:
1. Bridge only
2. Neck Bridge in paralle
3. Neck ony
4. Neck Bridge in series

but now the neck pickup is on in all 4 positions, the tone control doesn't work well(it doesn't cut like it used to be)

Here's the diagram that comes with the switch:  http://www.singlecoil.com/docs/4way.pdf

What's wrong, anyone had the same problem?  :sad:

 

[DiMitriR33]

did you unsolder the ground from the cover before you added a new ground lead to it? without this mod the cover becomes hot when in series and will pickup noise, without disconecting the origonal lead from the cover and just adding an extra wire you'll short out the bridge pup when in series and the neck pickup will be hardwired on in all positions, 2 positions of neck only and 2 w/bridge.

assuming you did the mod corectly check that the black wire isn't chafed or shorted anywhere, inspect the pickup, it may have an internal short to the cover.
is it the correct switch? the fender style switch has the commons on opposite corners, an after-market one may have the commons on the same end.
and for the tone it sounds like a bad cap, or pot or loose ground, it's function is very simple and so is the problem.

 

[woj74]

I wired my Tele the way the diagram shows and it works. I may be different wiring (colors of wires of GFS etc) than Fender. or as Dimitri wrote grounding wire/cover shorted. You can also check Seymour Duncan wiring schematics on their website but the diagram they give is a bit misleading with the switch appearance. Posision of pins on the switch seems to be different than Fender's one and the cap is soldered to different points.

 

[Notyethendrix]

did you unsolder the ground from the cover before you added a new ground lead to it? without this mod the cover becomes hot when in series and will pickup noise, without disconecting the origonal lead from the cover and just adding an extra wire you'll short out the bridge pup when in series and the neck pickup will be hardwired on in all positions, 2 positions of neck only and 2 w/bridge.

I didn't check but I 'assume' the cover wasn't grounded to the pickup.  But this is most likely to solve my problem.

So basically I should add a new ground from cover, while removing any ground that it has before on the cover itself?

:headbang:  thank you!

 

[DiMitriR33]

there's the problem or at least a problem, the cover is absolutely grounded to the pup. it is a shield not purely there to pretty things up.

yes you remove the origonal ground from the cover and add a new one directly to the cover.

if you didn't add the new ground i'm not sure why it's is shorting. unless you have some shielding or a metal pick-guard or something. extra shielding on a tele is entirely unneeded, the pickups are well shielded by design. maybe a little extra in the control cavity but even then wont do much.

hope this all helps :icon_thumright: