5-tone Tele

Geoff Brown · From: Nashvegas

I will soon have a tele arriving, and I'd like to do some tweaking to improve it's flexability. The Tele has a Seymour Duncan P-90 neck and a Texas Special bridge. I will probably swap out the TS for something more vintage-sounding. I was thinking about installing a SuperSwitch (Stewmac has them). This would allow for 5 different pup combinations from just 2 pups:

1-neck
2-neck/bridge series parallel
3-neck/bridge parallel
4-neck/bridge series out of phase
5-bridge

I was wondering if anyone has done this and how you like it. Thanks.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Geoff----I built a three pup guitar some years ago from component parts----Warmouth neck, Hosono body (are they still around?) a bunch of StewMac parts, destroyed my kitchen spraying a few dozen coats of nitrocel lacquer (don't know what I was thinking but I was possessed like the dude in Close Encounters---couldn't fight it if I tried. Anyway, it came out real nice. I created the wiring scheme on my own, based on a bunch of research. It had mini toggles all over the place, push/pull pots, etc., the ability to combine any two (or three) pickups in phase, out of phase, series, parallel, yaddayadda.....
bottom line is that I came to appreciate those one pickup guitars with one knob. I spent more time diddlin' with the controls than I did playing.

However.........I am not and never was a guitar player. Although we know that a good player doesn't need the toys, there's nothing wrong with a broad color palette at your disposal. I do consider the series/parallel thing to be a tad subtle. But the in/out of phase is a powerful option. Bottom line.....why not? Especially since it's on the super switch and not on a jibberjabber of little toggles and combinations.

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also a note-----the effectiveness of some of these options will depend on the relationships of the two pickups. I love P90's but I don't know how they mix with other pups. Mixing two mismatched pups out of phase may not result in the classic out of phase sounds you may be hearing in your head.

[This message was edited by Jon Light on 14 June 2003 at 04:43 PM.]

Geoff Brown · From: Nashvegas

I know what you mean, Jon. I'd rather spend my time playing than fussing around with what I ought to BE playing

And I definitely don't want to do anything that changes the look of the guitar. I read about this mod on a Tele website forum. There wasn't much info about how it actually sounded, nor was P-90 involved. Since I'm looking to get some good blues tones from this guitar, the P-90 is a good choice. I like them a lot. I think a more practical mod would be to have a simple push-pull blender pot to mix the 2 pups with. But from what I have read, this cannot be done without sacrificing the tone control. If that is true, adios to that idea.I should probably talk to someone at Seymour Duncan about all this and see what they have to say.

[This message was edited by Geoff Brown on 14 June 2003 at 05:26 PM.]

D Schubert · From: Columbia, MO, USA

Instead of a 5-way switch, take a look at the new 4-way Tele switches that Fender offers. This gives you four positions -- bridge, bridge+neck=parallel, neck, and bridge+neck=series. That series position is denser -- not quite a humbucker, but more than a single coil. On most Teles, the complete out-of-phase setting is so cancelled-out and low-output that it's not very useful on the bandstand, only in a studio setting. Just reverse your neck pickups wires, and give it at try...I'll betcha don't like it all that much.

And check the archives on the Telecaster Page -- www.tdpri.com -- for lots of opinions & alternatives on tele wiring. For instance, I read about swapping the wires from the middle and neck pickups of a Nashville Tele with 3 pickups and a 5-way switch -- a very simple & reversible trick. This gives you bridge, bridge+neck, neck, neck+middle, and middle...three very traditional tele positions close together and then two more strat-sounding positions at the other end.

Also, check with Stringpull Guitars -- www.stringpull.com -- about their Velvet Hammer pickups with a bridge booster coil and a Red Rhodes' designed switching plan. I have that setup on a b-bender Tele, and it's got more useful sounds than you can imagine, including out-of-phase that you can "dial in" with your volume pot.

Geoff Brown · From: Nashvegas

Thanks, D

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

If you have not heard Scotty Anderson, do so ASAP! He has an album out called triple stops, and yes he really does play 3 note triple stops on the Tele!
He uses a P-90 in the neck, a middle pickuip set close the the edge of the pickguard and a Tele lead. His pickup are wound by a guy in Kentucky, last name in Rolph. This guy gets a great tone with the P-90. I think he could do the same with a 2x4! The following is guote I found on his site, describes him pretty well:

"Scotty: When I hear you play I sense that you have listened to all the great masters and then added your own soul, feel and technique. Each time I hear you play, I learn something. Best of luck on this, your first album.
It is great... Chet Atkins"

A real good example of his work is a video that was made at the 1996 NAMM show, check it out and see a P-90 in a Tele at its best!

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Scotty Anderson has played several shows with Herbie Wallace. That must have been a Smokin Duo!

SA has an instructional video on Homespun.

[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 16 June 2003 at 10:14 AM.]

Charles French · From: Ms.

Since you guys are on the subject of Tele's. Have anyone used the Lindy Fralin pickups? I was thinking bout getting a set.

John Steele (deceased) · From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

I don't know anything about guitars, but this week I saw a performance by the wonderful Canadian jazz guitarist Roddy Elias. I was shocked to find him pulling these wonderfully mellow Joe Pass/Kenny Burrell tones out of a Telecaster. (!) They must be very flexible. I was astounded.
-John

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

About the Lindy Fralins----consider this: People rave about the Fralins. People rave about the Bill Lawrence 280's and 290's. Fralins are $80 apiece. Lawrences are $40 apiece. Therefore: the Fralins are twice as good as the Lawrence..................? I think not. I'm not sure what the Fralins are supposed to provide but it seems to me that there are a number of good products out there without having to spend that kind of $$$. And then there's Bill Lawrence who not only has the rep but has the price too.
This opinion is plenty logical but amounts to precious little next to someone who has tried them all and cares to report from real experience.

And yes, John---that plain little plank of wood is a remarkable jazz box in the right hands. Sure defies the stereotypes.

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

Charles,
I have Fralins in a few different guitars, and I also have Bill Lawrence pickups in some guitars....I use the BL guitars in situations where there is a problem with dimmers, flouresent lights, or any RF problems....They're humbuckers that sounds similar to single coils...Lindy's pickups are true single coils and do have a more vintage tone to them...They are noisier than the BL pickups however....It's the same old story with guitar or pedal steel pickups in my opinion...If you want tone, use a single coil
If you want noise free tone that has less character, use a humbucker....Bill's 280's are not a bad choice however...They are very close in the sound of a single coil pickup...Highly recomended !!...The price is right also!!..Jim

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Ditto on the Lawrence pickups. I just put a set in one of my 3-pickup Tele's. A little meatier than my regular Tele pickups but a great sound for sure.
Wallace and Anderson, I would like to see and hear that! Maybe they will do an album. Scotty is one of the finest guitarist to ever come along, hands down. Great shot of his guitar above. You can see the odd placement of the middle pickup. Probably best there for a fingerstyle player, opens up the middle of the guitar a bit more.
Well, we have drifted away from the opriginal question (I guess that has never happened before!). I use a five way on all three of my 3 pickup Teles. I also use push=pull pots or a switch a to allow the following combos:

1-bridge
2=bridge+middle
3-middle
4-neck and middle
5-neck

with switch or pull pot:
1-bridge
2-bridge and middle
3-middle
4-all three picpups
5-neck and bridge

[This message was edited by Ken Fox on 16 June 2003 at 06:04 PM.]

Michael Brebes · From: Northridge CA

If you're going to be playing primarily blues, the Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele/Broadcaster pickup(no raised poles) sounds great. That's what I've got for my Tele that I use for blues and it sounds great. The guitar player for Al Kooper uses a Tele with a P90 in the neck position and the combo sounds great.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Another great jazzer with a Tele was Ted Greene, remember Ted Greens Chord Chemistry book?
It's hard to beat that Tele tone!

Tim Hurst · From: Newport, TN

Forum member Earl Erb sure gets great mellow jazz tones out of a Tele on his CD.

Buck Dilly · From: Branchville, NJ, USA * R.I.P.

I have put two Duncan Tele sound HB's in my tele. The 5 pos switch offers:
Neck HB
Neck and Bridge both HB
Bridge HB
Both Tapped SC
Bridge Tapped SC
All are clean and tele-like, but the single coil tapped sounds have a fairly severe volumn loss. THis has some real advantages.
The Duncans are great!

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Steels and Guitars. Lacquer Emmons PP,D-10, 9+9, Nationals, Dan-O's, '70 ES 340, Tube Amps only! "Blue Sparks From Hell", "Kings in Disguise".

Geoff Brown · From: Nashvegas

Well, looks like this thread has run it's course, which has taken it away considerably from where it started. Thanks for the info guys

[This message was edited by Geoff Brown on 17 June 2003 at 09:09 PM.]

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