Tele 4 way switching - worth it or not?

thomasw88

I don't like it..  I've had a couple of guitars which had it on and I've swapped it out for a 3 way switch.  

I think thats what I like about a tele is having 3 great sounds.  Keep it simple...

JayGee

Funkfingers said:

JayGee said:

[Eyes unfashionable ‘80s six saddle, top-loader Tele with slightly flaky electrics which is reaching the top of the “to do” list]

…any suggestions on what sort of combination works and what doesn’t?

Before contemplating pickup changes, find out what your guitar really sounds like. 

Job #1 - Ditch the TBX tone control.

Job #2 - Install a CTS A250k pot as your new tone control.

Maybe, choose a push-pull type. This will make possible some fancy wiring possibilities without making any new holes in your guitar.

No TBX here - the guitar is the early-to-mid ‘80s “Jeff Buckley” style model and the tone control has since been replaced with a push-pull to switch the Kent Armstrong “Sky” warm rails bridge humbucker between series and parallel coils. I’ve been very happy with that configuration for going on for 30 years but tastes change, I play different stuff now, both of the pickups have become a bit microphonic, the push-pull is a bit tired and occasionally mutes, and I think it’s time to put the guitar back into a more traditional configuration. 

The idea of retaining a “more” option with a traditional Tele pickup set appeals though, and the four way, both pickups in series option seems something worth exploring…