Nashville Tele wiring query/mod

spev11 · July 2023

I've recently bought a sort of Nashville Tele (its got a humbucker instead of the bridge tele pickup) , I particularly care for the humbucker so was going to install the Iron Gear Steel Twin II pickups I have along with a Smoke Stack 2 in the middle (for reasons that will become clear). The iron gears all have a twin coil setting (not noise cancelling but increased output) usually from a push pull pot. I want to keep the control plate as it is with the Vol, Tone , 5 way switch and the toggle ( was for split humbucker but will now switch the extra coil in).
The Steel Twins have a ground a normal and a high output wire, as does the Smoke stack, so the low/normal output will go one side of the toggle, the high output the other side. I've worked out how it might work but I need greater minds than mine (ie. Everybody) to point out that I've got it wrong

This is the way I think it will work (the bridge will be grounded, its not on the diagram)

Image: https://tfb-user-images.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/9fbafe4734142688bc290212efbb23a7e7fb195e6e0c1b04cf

im prepared to accept that maybe i've got the middle pickup wires around the wrong way but thats easy to test
Am I barking up the wrong tree?

ICBM · July 2023

Do you want to always have the bridge and middle pickups on together? That's what you will get with what you've drawn since they're connected at the toggle switch.

I'm guessing not...

If you want the standard 5-way switching but with a global high/low switch, you can do it - connect the three high output wires to the switch like a Strat would be done (on the side with the volume pot connection), the three low output wires to the terminals on the other side of the switch, and use the toggle to connect the two sides of the switch together which will bypass the high outputs and give you the lows.

Funkfingers · July 2023

Pole 1 of the selector switch;
1 Bridge H
2 Centre H
3 Neck H
W Output 1

Pole 2
W Output 2
1 Bridge L
2 Centre L
3 Bridge L

DPDT on/on switch (or push-pull tone pot)
Pole 1 Signal from selector switch pole 1
Pole 2 Output to volume pot
Pole 3 Signal from selector switch pole 2

My preference is to orient the DPDT so that the paddle moves perpendicular to the alignment of the control plate. That way, up is high output and down is low output.

For simple switching duties, ICBM usually recommends linking the two poles.

ICBM · July 2023

Funkfingers said:

Pole 1 of the selector switch;
1 Bridge H
2 Centre H
3 Neck H
W Output 1

Pole 2
W Output 2
1 Bridge L
2 Centre L
3 Bridge L

DPDT on/on switch (or push-pull tone pot)
Pole 1 Signal from selector switch pole 1
Pole 2 Output to volume pot
Pole 3 Signal from selector switch pole 2

That will work, but it leaves the H part of the coils 'floating' when the Ls are selected, which can act as an aerial for noise - it's better to bypass them by connecting the two sides of the switch together. That also reduces switching noise since there's no momentary open circuit as the switch changes over.

To get there from here, connect W output 1 to the volume pot *and* to pole 1 of the toggle, and W output 2 to pole 2 of the toggle.

Funkfingers said:

For simple switching duties, ICBM usually recommends linking the two poles.

I would definitely do that if using the original scheme since otherwise there's a potential failure point, but it's less necessary (although still worthwhile) if using the second method.

Dave_Mc · July 2023

What value pots do you have? I haven't tried the Steel Twin, but I have tried the Smoke Stack II and Irongear recommends 500k... and I'd agree with that- the hotter output is fairly dark even with 500k! Problem is then the lower output is a bit bright... you can just roll off the tone a bit to compensate. Or you could try to fit resistors (hopefully someone else can explain how to do that, I can do it in simpler circuits but this is getting a bit above my pay grade!).

Any reason you went for a .33 tone cap? (I'm assuming you've just written it wrongly and mean ".033".) I'm not sure which I'd prefer... if you don't need the DPDT for anything else you could use it to switch between .022 and .047. (Personally I'd probably use it to switch a treble bleed cap in and out.)

spev11 · July 2023

See , I knew my confidence was unfounded, ta all I’ll get some pots and wire it all up. I do have to make an adapter for the bridge pickup first. Probably do it early next week.

spev11 · July 2023

I'm on a quest to learn a bit more about wiring and the like (I'm a bike mechanic/manager and fine with mechanical stuff, soldering and basic wiring but get a bit fazed as it gets more in depth). Ive got the Gerry Hayes book arriving tomorrow so, along with all your advice I'm going to draw up another diagram and as long as no one minds I'll post it here for approval (tell me not to if its annoying)
ta

spev11 · July 2023

Dave_Mc said:

What value pots do you have? I haven't tried the Steel Twin, but I have tried the Smoke Stack II and Irongear recommends 500k... and I'd agree with that- the hotter output is fairly dark even with 500k! Problem is then the lower output is a bit bright... you can just roll off the tone a bit to compensate. Or you could try to fit resistors (hopefully someone else can explain how to do that, I can do it in simpler circuits but this is getting a bit above my pay grade!).

Any reason you went for a .33 tone cap? (I'm assuming you've just written it wrongly and mean ".033".) I'm not sure which I'd prefer... if you don't need the DPDT for anything else you could use it to switch between .022 and .047. (Personally I'd probably use it to switch a treble bleed cap in and out.)

ah yes should. be .033 for no other reason than its in the middle of the .022 for single and .047 for humbuckers

Dave_Mc · July 2023

spev11 said:
ah yes should. be .033 for no other reason than its in the middle of the .022 for single and .047 for humbuckers

Ah ok. Yeah it pretty much is. It's really preference which you prefer... it can be worth trying the different values to see what you think of them. On a switch is best so you can switch between them quickly- they even make a teeny difference when the pot is up full (assuming it's not a no-load tone pot), but it's hard to hear that without having them on a switch.

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Nashville Tele wiring query/mod

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