Fender 4-Position Custom Shop Telecaster Pickup Selector Switch

Preface: I have a fair amount of experience soldering electronics, but I am by no means a professional. Honestly, it took me about a year and a half of owning my American Standard Tele before I got up the nerve to actually do this modification. Taking apart your $1000 axe for the first time is a scary proposition, and I was worried that if every solder joint wasn't /perfect/, I'd ruin my guitar's tone.But while I love the settings the guitar came with, I wanted a tone with a bit more umph for playing distorted, and that desire led me to finally install this.First off: don't be afraid to fiddle with your guitar electronics. They are- by far- one of the most forgiving thing you can play with on your guitar, and certainly one of the more forgiving things to solder in general. If you screw up a solder joint, you can just clean it up and try again. There aren't any transistors to burn up, no ESD risks. Even the wire gauge barely matters. As long as you don't produce cold joints, you will be totally fine.If you've never soldered before, it helps to practice a few times soldering bits of wire together or whatever, and learn to make nice, shiny, clean-looking joints. But I promise you- even if this is your first soldering project- you will be fine.As for the wiring diagram:A lot of reviewers complain that its hard to read, but it really isn't. I do have two complaints, though:1) The drawing should indicate which side of the switch is which (although it might not even matter. someone please correct me?)2) It would be nice to have a picture showing you what to do with the neck pickup ground. (A quick Google search fixed that, though.)Results:Was this mod worth it? Short answer: YES. Long Answer: Yes, definitely. I was initially worried that I'd go through the effort of installation only to find the tone barely usable, or at least not what I was looking for. But I was wrong. VERY wrong. It really sounds kicka$$, and definitely increases the versatility of an already versatile guitar."But couldn't I do the S-1 switch instead with the stock 3-way?" Yes, you could. That was initially my plan. But I heard a lot of bad reviews saying the pot was of a lesser quality than the stock one, that they wore out quick, degraded the tone, etc. It also costs $40 for the switch plus the matching knob vs the $15 for this. I don't regret going with the 4-way."Will this fit my guitar? I've heard you need to file the switch plate."Short answer: Yes.Long Answer: Sorta, but yes. Other reviewers are correct; this will not /technically/ fit into the switch plate on my AS Tele, in so far as it will not /fully/ engage the detentes in positions 1 and 4. There is about 0.5mm too much on either end of the slot.HOWEVER it will totally work 100% without filing anything. Even though the detente isn't fulled engaged, the end of the plate holds the arm in place. I have ZERO issues with the toggle not staying where I want it. You will forget there is even any sort of a fit issue after a very short while."I'd rather just pay someone to do this for me. I don't want to mess up my guitar." I hear you. But I believe in self-sufficiency. If you want to pay a tech- what, like $50?- to have this done, then go right ahead. But once its done, that $50 is gone into the ether. And the next time you want something done, there's another $50. IMHO, instead spend that money on one of these, and learn to do it yourself: http://smile.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410792315&sr=8-2&keywords=weller Not only will the solder station pay for itself many times over, but you will get the satisfaction of having done the work yourself. And believe me, the more afraid you are of rewiring your axe, the more satisfied you will feel when finished.My advice: If you are unsure of what to do, use your friend Google. I found about a dozen different diagrams showing the exact same wiring, as well as a multitude of instructional websites showing you how to install it.PS: Buy some new strings before you install the switch. You'll need to pull the old ones off to get to the neck pickup, anyway. Now is as good a time as any to put on some fresh strings. :)

I used this switch to put 4 way switching into a Tele with great results, adding a fat sounding series mode.

The addition of the fourth, series position on my standard Telecaster's stock setup adds an additional voice to an already versatile guitar. It's a simple modification, but one that does take a little care. The nickel cover of the front pickup must be desoldered from the ground plate, which requires removal of the scratchplate and pickup assembly from the guitar. The rest is just a little soldering, and goes without a hitch.The quality of the switch is high, with solid detents and a perfect fit. The documentation is adequate, installation straight forward, and it should only take about 30 minutes for anyone reasonably competent with the necessary tools. It's not a mind-bending change to the sonic characteristics of an already great guitar. It's not going to turn a Tele in to a Les Paul, or even a Strat, but the series position adds a wonderful, higher-output growl that drives the amp just a little harder, and cuts through the mix a little more aggressively when you want it to. It's a perfect mod for Tele players who love the sonic signature of the axe, but want that little extra push once in a while. I can think of no other mod that will give back so much for so little money spent. Highly recommended.

I assumed this switch would feel more like the cheaper 5-ways and 3-ways you find in most Squier guitars, but this actually has a sturdy and pleasant-feeling clickiness like the spring-loaded CRL switches used in Fender American models. I prefer clicky switches that require a little force because it makes it a lot harder to bump it into the wrong position on accident.I used this for a partscaster I put together, an Esquire-style Tele with only a single Seymour Duncan P-Rails in the bridge. The 4-way switch allows me to switch between all 4 possible configurations (rail single-coil, P90, parallel humbucking, and series humbucking). It's all hooked up and sounds great. The switch gave me no trouble.I noticed a few negative reviews due to quality control issues, and I just thought I'd toss in my two-cents; having wired up many guitars over the years, I have not found a single source for these components that doesn't yield an occasional dud. It doesn't matter if it's Fender, CRL, Oak-Grigsby, Ibanez, whatever. I'd say there's a 95% chance you get a perfect working part, and then that 5% chance there's something up with it. Just comes with the territory.

Recently, I was building a Telecaster project. A friend recommended using the 4 way switch instead of the stock 3 way switch. This allows you to have the three positions normally found on a Telecaster, bridge only, bridge + neck in parallel, and neck only. It also adds the ability for you to add a setting with the bridge and neck pickups in series.The result of this added position is that you get a higher volume output from the guitar than in the regular bridge + neck position and a slightly higher top end output. This is clearly a case of "your mileage may vary." I've been used to the traditional 3-position switch on my other Telecasters. I'm a bit indifferent to this mod. If I was building another guitar, I would probably use this switch again. It does what it is supposed to do and it is within a couple dollars of the 3-way. However, I would not change out a working 3-way switch for this. For me, the added benefit just isn't worth the effort.