*HELP* I HATE Tele Control Cavities!!!

[Fender_Punk]

1. You wired your push-pull backwards. It's an easy fix. Picture the switch part of the push-pull as looking like this:

1 2
3 4
5 6

Swap the wires hooked to 1 with the wires hooked to 5. Do the same for 2 and 6. That should get you in-phase down, out-of-phase up.


2. Somehow you disconnected the ground wire to the bridge. Find this wire (should either be coming into the cavity from the bridge directly, or coming through the same hole as the bridge pickup, and make sure it's properly soldered to a ground point.

I'm fine with the push/pull how it is, doesn't bother me if in phase is up and out of phase is down, I've done enough wiring for today. BTW it's only when the phase is reversed that the bridge pup gets noisy. As for the bridge ground wire, it isn't there, never has been, and I know that's the reason for some of the noise, but the bridge with the reversed phase is louder than with it in normal phase or the neck pup.

[ratherdashing]

I'm fine with the push/pull how it is, doesn't bother me if in phase is up and out of phase is down, I've done enough wiring for today. BTW it's only when the phase is reversed that the bridge pup gets noisy. As for the bridge ground wire, it isn't there, never has been, and I know that's the reason for some of the noise, but the bridge with the reversed phase is louder than with it in normal phase or the neck pup.

Oh ok. Do you mean that the bridge in reverse phase makes more noise when both pickups are on (middle position)? Or does it sound noisier all the time with the phase reversed?

If it's the former, that's to be expected. With stock wiring, your Tele's pickups are hum-cancelling when you're in the middle position. When you switch to out-of-phase, you are also breaking the hum-cancelling circuit. There's not much you can do about that, unless you go with noiseless pickups.

[Fender_Punk]

Oh ok. Do you mean that the bridge in reverse phase makes more noise when both pickups are on (middle position)? Or does it sound noisier all the time with the phase reversed?

If it's the former, that's to be expected. With stock wiring, your Tele's pickups are hum-cancelling when you're in the middle position. When you switch to out-of-phase, you are also breaking the hum-cancelling circuit. There's not much you can do about that, unless you go with noiseless pickups.

It's the last one, the neck pup isn't RW/RP. With the phase reversed on the bridge pup it becomes noisier in both the bridge only and middle positions.

[Tom M]

Not that it adds much, but my former 2002 MIM Tele had the same little piece of wood.

[ratherdashing]

It's the last one, the neck pup isn't RW/RP. With the phase reversed on the bridge pup it becomes noisier in both the bridge only and middle positions.

Ah ok ... I think I've figured it out.

Your bridge IS actually grounded - it shares a ground with the bridge pickup. This is actually not uncommon in a Tele. Instead of a seperate wire that links the bridge to ground, there's a wire from the bridge plate to the pickup's baseplate, which is also connected to the pickup's ground lead (the baseplate of a tele bridge pup is usually grounded). When you flip the phase of the bridge pup, you're also lifting the ground off the bridge itself, thus cutting the ground path through the strings to your hands, thus adding the noise.

Yay me! I am so smrt!

You have two options:

Hard option: Take your bridge off, disconnect the bridge ground from the pickup, and run a seperate ground lead from the bridge plate to ground.

Easy option: Instead of wiring the bridge pickup for phase reversal, wire the neck pickup. It will produce the same effect and you won't have the annoying ground lift problem.

Cool?

[Fender_Punk]

Ah ok ... I think I've figured it out.

Your bridge IS actually grounded - it shares a ground with the bridge pickup. This is actually not uncommon in a Tele. Instead of a seperate wire that links the bridge to ground, there's a wire from the bridge plate to the pickup's baseplate, which is also connected to the pickup's ground lead (the baseplate of a tele bridge pup is usually grounded). When you flip the phase of the bridge pup, you're also lifting the ground off the bridge itself, thus cutting the ground path through the strings to your hands, thus adding the noise.

Yay me! I am so smrt!

You have two options:

Hard option: Take your bridge off, disconnect the bridge ground from the pickup, and run a seperate ground lead from the bridge plate to ground.

Easy option: Instead of wiring the bridge pickup for phase reversal, wire the neck pickup. It will produce the same effect and you won't have the annoying ground lift problem.

Cool?

WOW!! Thank you so much. Genius. And i was expecting something like that from Artie....

[Fender_Punk]

Okay guys, I GOT IT TO WORK!! After messing around a couple times trying to wire it up so the neck has it's phase reversed, I again messed up with the ground and I would only get volume if I touched the control plate or knobs. So I opened the Tele up again, re-soldered the problem wire and BAM!! Works beautifully. Haven't had a proper chance to try it since it's almost 1AM here, but in the middle position it's DEAD SILENT with the phase reversed, and in the bridge and neck positions I got the typical 60 cycle hum, which I'm fine with, I just couldn't stand the huge noisy buzz that came with throwing the phase of the bridge pup off. THANKS A TON RATHERDASHING!!!

[ratherdashing]

Good times. Glad I could help.