# Telecaster wiring with a four-way switch

Canonical page: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/seymour-duncan/telecaster-two-single-coils-four-way-one-volume-one-tone

Two single coils · Four-way blade · One volume · One tone

A Telecaster harness that adds a fourth switch position: bridge, both pickups in parallel, neck, and both pickups in series for a louder, thicker sound. It needs a four-way Tele switch, two 250k pots, a .047 µF capacitor and a mono jack.

Drawing: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/seymour-duncan/telecaster-two-single-coils-four-way-one-volume-one-tone.svg (back of controls)

## Parts and values

- Neck pickup: Neck single coil (white/black leads); generic (Single-coil pickup (two-conductor))
- Bridge pickup: Bridge single coil (white/black leads); generic (Single-coil pickup (two-conductor))
- 4-way switch: 4-Way Switch; compatible example (4-Way Tele Mod Switch)
- Volume: Volume 250k; 250k; compatible example (CTS 250k Audio Pot)
- Tone: Tone 250k; 250k; compatible example (CTS 250k Audio Pot)
- .047 µF tone cap: .047 cap; 47nF; compatible example (Orange Drop .047µF)
- Output jack: Output Jack; compatible example (Switchcraft \#11)

## Specific to this wiring

- The neck pickup's ground lead (black) goes to the switch, not to ground. The switch grounds it in the positions that use the neck on its own or in parallel, and uses it to link the pickups in series.
- The neck pickup's metal cover needs its own ground wire to the volume casing. It is not drawn as a lead on the board because the cover is not part of the signal path.
- The bridge plate ground wire also goes to the volume casing.
- The tone capacitor sits on the tone pot's middle lug, with the signal on an outer lug.

## Connections

1. Neck pickup black → Switch L5 (wire, black)
2. Switch L3 → Volume casing (case, black)
3. Bridge pickup black → Volume casing (case, black)
4. Volume right lug → Volume casing (case): Lug bent onto the casing.
5. .047 cap → Tone casing (case)
6. Volume casing → Tone casing (case, black)
7. Tone casing → Jack sleeve (wire, black)
8. Bridge pickup white → Switch R1 (wire, white)
9. Neck pickup white → Switch R2 (wire, white)
10. Switch R2 → Switch R3 (bridge, black)
11. Switch R3 → Volume left lug (input) (wire, black): Routed round the right of the switch and over the other leads.
12. Switch L4 → Switch R5 (bridge, black)
13. Switch L2 → Switch L3 (bridge, black)
14. Volume middle lug → Jack tip (wire, black)
15. Volume left lug → Tone left lug (wire, black)
16. Tone middle lug → .047 cap (wire)
17. Neck pickup cover ground → Volume casing (shield, black), listed, not drawn: Separate cover ground; no board lead for the cover.
18. Bridge plate ground → Volume casing (wire), listed, not drawn: Drawn leaving the page towards the bridge.

## What each position does

- Bridge: Bridge pickup. Source: 1. bridge pickup
- Bridge and neck in parallel: Neck pickup and Bridge pickup in parallel. Source: 2. bridge & neck pickups parallel
- Neck: Neck pickup. Source: 3. neck pickup
- Bridge and neck in series: Neck pickup and Bridge pickup in series. Source: 4. bridge & neck in series (higher output and beefier tone)

- Pickup resistance is not specified, so no numeric meter readings are given.
- Hum cancelling in the parallel and series positions depends on the pickups' magnet polarity, which the source does not state.

## Check before plugging in

- Position 1: continuity from jack tip to sleeve through the bridge pickup only.
- Position 3: continuity through the neck pickup only.
- Position 4: the reading should be higher than either pickup alone, because the two coils are in series.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short in every position.

## Source

Tinkercaster's own drawing of the Seymour Duncan diagram Tele\_2S\_4B\_1V\_1T, revision 1. Not the manufacturer's artwork and not endorsed by Seymour Duncan.

See also [all wiring diagrams](<https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/index.md>).