Building A Partscaster (Telecaster) Part 5 - Wiring

Introduction

We mostly think of guitars with two pickups just needing a three selector switch. Be it the Gibson style toggle, or the Fender lever style. But while researching wiring circuits I came across Fenders Baja wiring which uses a four position switch and Fender's S1 Switch. This intrieged me so much that I decided it was worth the slight increase in the cost.

Choosing Parts

Yeah we're back here again, but this time we've got all the tricky decisions sorted. It's simply a case of getting the following parts:-

• Pots
• 4-Way Switch
• Socket
• Tone Capacitor
• Phase Switch
• Wire

Pots

Fender uses CTX potentiometers, but you can save a little bit of money going for the CTX brand directly, rather than the ones available from Fender.

But, if you go for Alpha pots, these are comparable size and quality and about half the price, but the main advice I read seemed to be, "stay clear of unbranded or mini pots"

CTX pot with split shaft, Alpha pot with solid shaft and push-pull Alpha pot.

The other thing to be aware of is that they come in linear or audio taper tracks. Most guitars use the audio type.

You also need to consider whether to buy solid or split shaft. This normally depends on the type of knobs you intend to use.

4-Way Switch

You will basically find two types of lever switch, especially on eBay. There's the high quality Oak Grigsby style, or the cheaper circuit board type. They'll both do the job, but the O-G type will last longer than the other.

The two types of switches available, left Oak Grigsby, right circuit board type.

It's also worth considering the Oak Grigsby style has open wafers which can be more easily cleaned.

Socket

Your choice is similar to the switch, you can get a heavy duty Switchcraft style switch which can be easily cleaned, or a moulded plastic type. You need to be aware that there are metric and imperial threads, so ensure they match the jack plate you intend to use.

Tone Capacitor

And now we come to contentious bit... a lot of people will swear that for the best tone, you have to use a Paper-in-Oil (PIO) capacitors. Others will use "Orange Drops" which are polyester, and some say old "Bumble Bee" capacitors are the best, which are a PIO type often advertised as giving a "Woman Tone". You can pay silly money for these, and the truth is they won't sound any different to a polyester type, it's just another one of those myths.

You can in fact use any type, although I've heard that ceramic disk type can be microphonic, so are best avoided. You still see them in cheap guitars though. What ever's practical and convenient.

My advice here is to buy the correct value, (0.047uf for Fender single coil) and if you get them from an electronics supplier you can get them for a third of the price. (I bought a pack of ten for £1.35)

Phase Switch

If money's no object then you can pick up an S1 switch from fender. Any double-pole, double-throw switch will do the job, so it's down to preference. I went with the push-pull alpha pot so it's built into my tone control.

Wire

Some will say it has to be the vintage cotton covered hookup wire. But the truth is, it makes no difference to cheaper PVC wire. I suppose it's another one of those personal preferences, you either want to go fully vintage with a PIO cap, or you accept nobody's going to see it and just buy what works well.

My Completed Control Panel

Here's my completed panel, I based it on a wiring diagram I downloaded from Seymour Duncan. I altered this slightly by using my phase switch on the bridge pickup. You also need to run a separate ground wire from each of the pickups.

The Baja wired control plate using a 4 way switch and a switch tone pot.

You should also run your grounds in a star configuration, avoiding any loops (which will introduce hum). For instance, if you have two separately grounded parts, don't touch them together.