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How to wire a Fender Telecaster guitar
Wiring a Telecaster
GuitarKitsDirect.com
Note that Guitar Kits Direct Tele style guitar kit comes with all the wiring already pre-wired and assembled,
only the jack plug and ground wire to bridge need soldering, you can view photos by clicking the picture.
This article is to teach you the basics and give you an overview of how guitars are wired together.
Click on pic to view kit
WIRING A TELE
The Telecaster guitar has a spiky sound, with more highs and lows than other guitars. It is well
known for its bright and twangy sound that comes from the bridge pickup and solid body. It is loved
by many for its ability to play country, bluegrass, and even the blues.
TOOLS FOR THE JOB
First, we need to talk about the tools you will need for changing your electronics.
1 – Output jack
2 – 250K pots
1 – .050µF capacitor
1 – .001µF capacitor
1 – 3-way lever switch
1 – guitar wire 22AWG, white
1 – guitar wire 22AWG, black
1 – 25+ Watt soldering iron
1 – phillips screwdriver
1 – wire cutting and stripping tool
1 – rosin core solder
ASSEMBLING THE CONTROL PLATE
The first step will be installing the potentiometers and 3-way switch in the control plate. When
the control plate is upside down, the spring on the 3-way switch will be facing away from the
guitar body. Align the two pots so that the lugs are facing each other.
SOLDERING THE OUTPUT JACK
Next, we are going to solder the ground wire and hot wire to the output jack. In order to solder
properly, you should first add solder to each part that is getting connected. Then touch the two
parts together along with the soldering iron. Make sure both parts don’t move until they cool down,
or else you will get a bad solder joint. It should only take a few seconds for the parts to cool
down after they have been soldered.
Next, fish all of the wires through the holes in the body. Pull in the output jack wires you just
soldered, and screw down the output jack plate. Pull the bridge pickup wires through the hole
closest to the bridge. Pull the neck pickup wires through the hole closest to the neck. Also add
a black bridge ground wire that is going to go through the hole closest to the bridge. That wire
will connect the bridge to the volume pot. Each pickup has a hot wire and a black ground wire.
The output jack also has a hot wire and black ground wire.
SOLDERING THE PICKUP WIRES
The next step will be to connect the hot wires from the bridge pickup to the top two lugs on the
right side of the 3-way switch. You can do this by twisting a small wire to the hot pickup wire. It
is much easier to solder one connection to one lug. So if several wires need to be connected to the
same lug or pot, twist them together before you solder them to the lug or case.
CONNECTING THE SWITCH TO THE VOLUME POT
Now you are going to connect the top left and bottom right lugs with a jumper wire. That wire will
connect to the left lug on the volume pot, and also to a small treble bleed capacitor. You will
have to twist a few wires together to do this. Make sure to cut and strip the wires to the correct size.
SOLDERING THE VOLUME AND TONE POTS
The next step involves soldering the hot wire from the output jack to the middle lug on the volume
pot. You will also be connecting the other end on the capacitor to that same lug.
Now you will connect the loose bridge ground wire to the right side of the volume pot. Solder it to
the metal casing. It will connect to another wire which goes to the right lug. That lug also will
connect to one of the prongs on the large capacitor. Before you do this, you will need to add
solder to the bottom of the volume pot case. Add solder to the left and right side.
Next you are going to connect the left lug of the volume pot to the left lug of the tone pot. Also
connect the right lug on the volume pot to the middle lug on the tone pot with a capacitor. You
will also need to solder a ground wire connecting both pots as shown in the picture. All pots will
need to be grounded, and all grounds will need to be connected to each other.
SOLDERING THE GROUND WIRES
Next, you are going to connect the three ground wires from the neck pickup, bridge pickup, and
output jack to the left side of the volume pot.
THE BRIDGE GROUND WIRE
The last step involves putting the black bridge ground wire through one of the screw holes in the
bridge. Wrap it around one of the screws and screw it down. This way it will stay in contact with
the bridge and won’t move.
Here is the finished wiring.
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How to wire a Fender Stratocaster guitar
Wiring a Stratocaster
GuitarKitsDirect.com
Note that Guitar Kits Direct Strat style guitar kit comes with all the wiring already pre-wired and assembled,
only the jack plug and ground wire to bridge need soldering, you can view photos by clicking the picture.
This article is to teach you the basics and give you an overview of how guitars are wired together.
Click Image for details on the kit
Let’s talk about the legendary Stratocaster guitar. Personally, I don’t think you can find a better sounding guitar anywhere. The unmistakeable strat sound is more tapered, with less highs and lows than other guitars, and it has more midrange. Much of the strat’s popularity comes from it’s hollow pickup cavity, and it’s neck and middle pickups. It is perfect for playing the blues, jazz, or rock. These guitars are described by many as having a quacky, or even smokey sound. Now let’s wire one.
TOOLS FOR THE JOB
First, we need to talk about the tools you will need for changing your electronics.
1 – Output jack
3 – 250K pots
1 – .050µF capacitor
1 – 5-way lever switch
1 – guitar wire 22AWG, white
1 – guitar wire 22AWG, black
1 – 25+ Watt soldering iron
1 – phillips screwdriver
1 – wire cutting and stripping tool
1 – rosin core solder
ASSEMBLING THE PICKGUARD
Install the potentiometers, or pots, and the 5-way switch in the pickguard. When the pickguard is upside down, the spring on the 5-way switch will be facing away from the pickups. Align the two tone pots so that the lugs are facing each other. The volume control will be closest to the pickups.
HEATING UP THE SOLDERING IRON
Lets get the soldering iron ready. Plug it in and let it heat up in its holder. Remember, your soldering iron can get up to 700 degrees, or more, so be careful
SOLDERING THE OUTPUT JACK
Next, we are going to solder the ground wire and hot wire to the output jack. The lug that connects to the prong is the hot connection. Solder the hot and ground wires to the output jack. Then screw the output jack back into the guitar.
SOLDERING THE POTS
Add solder to the volume pot, and tone pot cases. All of the ground wires will be connected to each other on the pot cases. Now connect the far right volume pot lug to its own case. You can use a wire for this connection, or just bend the lug until it touches the case, and then add solder.
SOLDERING THE PICKUP GROUND WIRES
Find the 3 ground wires that come out of the pickups. Normally, they will be black wires, or they will be unshielded. The colored wires are usually the hot wires. Twist the three ground wires together and solder them to the volume pot case.
SOLDERING THE REST OF THE GROUND WIRES
Next, you are going to find the bridge ground wire and solder it to the volume pot. You are also going to solder the output jack wire to the volume pot. After that, you will connect the volume and tone pots with 2 more wires. The bridge ground will probably already be connected to the tremolo claw on the back of the guitar if you have a whammy bar. If it is not connected, you can always attach it to the bridge. All you have to do is send the wire under the bridge, and put it through one of the screw holes on the bridge. Then wrap the wire around one of the screws while it is being tightened down. This will prevent the bridge ground from moving.
Now connect the rest of the ground wires.
SOLDERING THE PICKUP HOT WIRES
Next, you will solder the hot wires from the pickups to the left side of the 5-way switch. Connect the neck pickup. This diagram is uses a 5-way switch from stewmac.com. If you have a Fender or CRL switch, then the sides will be reversed on the 5-way switch. Check out page 16 for an explanation of the different lever switches.
Next connect the middle pickup.
Now do the same to the bridge pickup.
ADDING THE JUMPER
Now connect the top left lug to the bottom right lug on the 5-way switch. Twist another wire to the right lug wire, and solder it to the left volume pot lug. Also connect the left and right sides of the 5-way switch. Then connect them to the volume pot lug.
CONNECTING THE VOLUME POT TO THE OUTPUT
Now you can connect the middle volume pot lug to the output jack.
CONNECTING THE 5-WAY SWITCH TO THE TONE POTS
The next step involves soldering the lever switch to the middle tone pot lug.
Next, you are going to solder the 5-way switch to the bottom tone control. Connect it to the left lug.
ADDING THE CAPACITOR
Solder the capacitor to the middle tone control. Remember, the stronger capacitor you use, the more bass your guitar will have. Connect the capacitor to the right lug on the middle tone control, then solder it to the case. That same lug will also connect to the middle lug on the bottom tone control.
That’s all there is to it. Here is the finished wiring.
If you are using a megaswitch instead of a lever switch, then you can wire the guitar like this.
If you just wanted one master volume and tone control for all three pickups, you could wire the guitar like the diagram below. This would also give your bridge pickup a tone control. Notice a .01 capacitor has been added to the volume pot to take out some of the highs, and then put them back in the circuit before they go to the output. This prevents some of the highs from naturally bleeding out of a 250K pot.
Question: I’ve noticed the Fender and CRL selector switches look different than the Stewart McDonald selector switches. Will this change how to wire a guitar?
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Answer: Yes, it will. Basically, the Fender and CRL switches and the Stew Mac switches have their sides reversed. So the left side of a Fender or CRL switch is actually the right side of a Stew Mac switch. Fender and CRL switches look alike. Just pay attention to which side has the higher or lower set of lugs, and to what gets soldered to those lugs. Take a look at the diagrams on the next few pages.
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