Hotrail on a Telecaster?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dani Pace
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Dani Pace

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I just picked up a Squire Telecaster which I am considering modifying a little. I'm thinking about replacing the bridge pup with a Hotrail, then changing the switch to a 5 way and wiring the coils of the Hotrail like 2 seperate pups. This way I can have single or double coils on the bridge without adding another hole for a coiltap switch. I'm just wondering if anyone else has done something like this and how well it worked?
 
I tried it with a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage stacked 'bucker, and it didn't work at all. The signal from the split 'bucker was miniscule compared to the singles. Hotrails might work better, IDK.
 
Get a new tone control with built-in coiltap, no extra holes, and no weird switches. Hotrail though, good choice!
 
Or, you could get a 4-way switch (which is common enough on a Tele), and have the possitions be the humbucker in the bridge, the bridge pickup tapped (i.e., single coil), both pickups, and just the neck pickup. It wouldn't be too hard to make that work. You use one pole on the switch for the output of the bridge pickup, you tie the neck pickup hot directly to the volume pot, and then use the other pole of the switch to ground either the tap or to ground the neck pickup (if the neck pickup isn't grounded, it doesn't matter if you have the hot going to the volume pot, but in possitions 3&4 - where you want that pickup on - you ground it and you've got sound). The only problem I have with that system is you can't have the bridge pickup tapped in the "both pickup" possition - at least not from the switch. You could always do a tone pot tap if you needed that, though (as long as the volume control is turned down even just a hair, the pickup works normally, but if you have the tone control all the way up it taps the pickup).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Oh, and the Hot rails are kick ass Tele pickups.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Yeah they do a copule of ones for Teles, pretty sweet looking..the name little '59 springs to mind, though thats probably not right.
 
I have a DiMarzio Chopper T in the bridge of my Tele copy and it has some great tones-to my ears anyway. I'm using a push/pull pot for coil splitting and I have nice twang in the single coil tap position and a good growl in the humbucking mode. Its a twin rail design too.
 
Thanks for the input guys. The more I think about it the more I am leaning towards a 4 way switch (thanks Light, good idea), anyway I love the crispness of the single coil pups but occasionally I'd like to be able to get the extra growl from a humbucker without having to switch guitars. I guess I really want to get the maximum variety from a single guitar. For what it's worth, the Squire Tele was made in Indonesia and except for the switch seems to be a pretty decent guitar for what i gave for it ($150 new) so I guess the cost of a Hotrail and a switch should be an acceptable added expense and give me a pretty decent guitar (I hope.) I don't plan to retire any of my other guitars but I do like the way the Squire Tele plays.
 
Dani Pace said:
Thanks for the input guys. The more I think about it the more I am leaning towards a 4 way switch (thanks Light, good idea)
Click to expand...



Here's how I'd wire it (I've got a day off, and I do enjoy wiring challenges!) The blue lines are for the white wires, which don't show up so well on a white background!

Just wire the output into the (preferably upgraded, knowing the Squire electronics) volume and tone controls, and then to the (also upgraded) output jack.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 

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Honestly, idk if you've already done your upgrades, i would look into getting a lil' '59 for your tele. it provides a richer, crunchier, sweeter...more solid sounding tone for the guitar. it's a mini-bucker, so it sits between a single coil and full-out humbucker.

I play a 72 deluxe, with a wide range pickup...and i think my other guitarist, who plays a mexi strat, and has that pickup installed, sounds better than almost anything.

it's solid, and not quite as hot and trashy sounding as the hot rails.


for what it's worth....
 
laststartoshine said:
Honestly, idk if you've already done your upgrades, i would look into getting a lil' '59 for your tele. it provides a richer, crunchier, sweeter...more solid sounding tone for the guitar. it's a mini-bucker, so it sits between a single coil and full-out humbucker.

I play a 72 deluxe, with a wide range pickup...and i think my other guitarist, who plays a mexi strat, and has that pickup installed, sounds better than almost anything.

it's solid, and not quite as hot and trashy sounding as the hot rails.


for what it's worth....
Click to expand...

Ah yeah, thats what I ahd in mind.
 
You guys are great!! I suppose any modification is possible if a person has enough patience, know how and the right tools for the job, but it's sure nice to be able to ask others who have already done something before i try it. I've swapped a lot of pick ups but this was something new for me so your input has been a lot of help.
 
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