When the market for vintage electric guitar replicas set light around the end of the 1970s, manufacturers of retro-spec Telecasters were faced with a serious dilemma.
For over a decade, Fender Telecasters had come with what's now regarded as the classic wiring circuit. A very simple range of options on the three-way selector switch...
- Back position selects the bridge pickup.
- Front position selects the neck pickup.
- Middle position combines the two pickups in parallel, and in phase.
But this mega-popular electrical routing was not officially introduced until 1967, and thus was not accurate for any stock Telecaster built in the pre-CBS era.
Numerous pre-CBS Tele replicas built in the early to mid 1980s - including Fender Japan's gorgeous '62 reissues - came with the inaccurate switching system described above. Why the inaccuracy? Because this circuit was by far the most popular, and buyers expected it, despite its inaccuracy for the pre-CBS period. Other reissues, such as Fender's USA '52 reissue and its original Squier Japan JV-series sister, did actually come with the correct period wiring - which we'll look at in a moment.
But owners of the accurate '52 reissues were waving a big red flag at Fender. Voting with their feet, they frequently had the accurate vintage wiring updated to inaccurate but "classic" spec. And when dealers start telling a manufacturer that customers are having authentic guitars rewired, it's probably time for the manufacturer to cast authenticity aside. Which was precisely what Fender Japan did when they introduced their '62 models with inaccurate but more popular wiring.
"Electrical circuit Version 2 does, however, have an important subtlety which, coupled with a means to slyly recover the bridge/neck pickup combination, has hugely increased its desirability with the passage of time."
So how many Telecaster wiring circuits were there prior to 1980, and what was the difference?
THE FOUR VINTAGE TELECASTER ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
Yep, four. It took Fender until 1969 to arrive at Version 4 in the progression, and each version has a unique feature which none of the others offer. Let's begin with Version 4, and then scroll back through the timeline...
WIRING CIRCUIT VERSION 4 (1969 to 1981)
Selector switch...
- Back position selects the bridge pickup.
- Front position selects the neck pickup.
- Middle position combines the two pickups.
Pots...
- One universal volume pot (1000K, with .001 treble bleed capacitor to retain high frequencies as the volume is reduced).
- One universal tone pot (250K).
WIRING CIRCUIT VERSION 3 (1967 to 1969)
Selector switch...
- Back position selects the bridge pickup.
- Front position selects the neck pickup.
- Middle position combines the two pickups.
Pots...
- One universal volume pot (250K, with .001 treble bleed capacitor to retain high frequencies as the volume is reduced).
- One universal tone pot (250K).
Differences vs the subsequent version...
The volume pot has a maximum resistance of just 250K, which filters away some top end even when fully open. That's right - even though it's the volume control, it zips off a bit of treble. So with everything else like for like, and the volume at full, an original Version 3 Tele will sound less bright than a Version 4.
WIRING CIRCUIT VERSION 2 (1952 to 1967)
Selector switch...
- Back position selects the bridge pickup.
- Middle position selects the neck pickup.
- Front position also selects the neck pickup, but grounded through a 0.1 microfarad capacitor to filter out all but the bassiest bass frequencies.
Pots...
- One universal volume pot (250K).
- One universal tone pot (250K).
Differences vs the subsequent version...
In this circuit, the tone control has no effect on the front position switch selection, because the pot is overruled by the 0.1 capacitor going straight to ground.
Most notably, this circuit has no obvious access to the combination sound of bridge and neck pickups together. A profound sacrifice if there's no way to recover this beautiful combo tone, and doubtless the primary reason why Teles with this circuit were so commonly rewired.
We also see that the volume pot has no treble bleed capacitor. As the volume is reduced, the pot fails to retain treble frequencies, and the sound gets muddier as the pot's resistance decreases.
Electrical circuit Version 2 does, however, have an important subtlety which, coupled with a means to slyly recover the bridge/neck pickup combination, has hugely increased its desirability with the passage of time. The preset 'bass' sound available from the front selector position is NOT the same as the sound of the neck pickup with the tone pot backed all the way off. If you use a Tele with this wiring circuit, you can easily A/B test the two options by rolling the tone control full off, then flipping between middle and front positions on the switch. The middle position gives a subtle amount of very low midrange, whereas the front position is pure bass. That's because the capacitors used to filter the tone have different values. A 0.05 on the tone pot, and a 0.1 on the front selector position.
The unique front position 'bass' sound can only be accessed on a Version 2 Tele. But is it any use?
Well, it was originally intended to allow an electric guitar to impersonate a bass. But immediately after this concept took off, Fender invented the bass guitar, so within a fairly short time the front switch selection had become largely redundant in its definitive role.
But there are guitarists who've used this type of heavily tone-filtered Telecaster sound for comping. Danny Gatton was a maestro at such tactics. And over time, as technology has developed, the Version 2 Tele bass sound has become more usable in jazz applications, courtesy of compression and gain-boosting, which eliminate the volume deficiencies caused by the heavy filtering. With an intermediate volume stage, the tone also works surprisingly well for legato single-note lead, through tube distortion. Extremely bloopy, so if you like excessive bloop, you're sorted.
And whilst in Version 2 the classic neck/bridge pickup combo doesn't have a position on the three-way switch, it's still there in between the back and middle positions. You can either use the age-old Strat technique of holding the selector in between back and middle by wedging in a matchstick to stop it slipping, or perhaps update to a three-way switch with either drag or subtle sub-notching to enable the same type of in-between retention without the match.
WIRING CIRCUIT VERSION 1 (1950 to 1952)
Selector switch...
- Back position selects both pickups combined in varying balance ratio as defined by the tone pot, which functions as a variable rotary mixer control.
- Middle position selects the neck pickup.
- Front position also selects the neck pickup, but grounded through a 0.05 microfarad capacitor, and also run past a 15K resistor, which affects the mixer balance too.
Pots...
- One universal volume pot (250K).
- One mixer pot (250K).
Differences vs the subsequent version...
The most obvious difference is the lack of a progressive high frequency filter (i.e. a conventional tone control) and the presence of a rotary mixer control in its place. The mixer is still in essence a tone control because it does vary the tone, but the effect is very different from that of a classic high frequency filter.
Whilst variable balance on pickup combination sounds seems great in theory, the best ratios occur either with the bridge pickup dominating, or where the balance is roughly 50/50. The pickup mix balance can be tailored on a long-term basis with subsequent wiring versions, by adjusting the relative heights of the pickups. And since most players settle on a preferred balance ratio, adjusting the relative pickup heights makes more sense than a rotary mixer, because the perfect tone can then be reliably accessed.
There's also a difference in the implementation of the filtered sound on the front selector position. The tone is not as bassy as that in the Version 2 circuit. It's more like a Tele neck pickup with a convenional tone pot rolled off.
The lack of a conventional tone control proves to be the death of this early wiring circuit. So much of the Telecaster's versatility is derived from being able to back off the treble - especially on the bridge pickup. That was impossible with a stock Broadcaster, Nocaster or Version 1 Tele.
THE VERDICT?
So which of the circuits was best?
"Despite all that effort to perfectly simulate 45 years of ageing, Fender refused to jeapordise their reviews with an obscure, wacko mixer control and an absent tone pot."
Well, over the years the "public vote" has determined Version 3 to be a fairly conclusive winner. Despite it only seeing an original lifespan of a couple of years, it's the version which was traditionally subject to the least tinkering, and it's come to represent a generic "Vintage Tele" circuit. It's the version Fender Japan used on all their pre-CBS Tele replica exports after 1984. And whilst Fender Japan did engineer the correct Version 2 into their initial '50s Tele production run from 1982 to 1984, they subbed in Version 3 when they revived the '50s models for export a few years later. Their early '60s models always shipped with Version 3. Their late '60s Teles came with Version 3 too, but that was period-correct.
Version 3 differs from Version 4 only in the value of the volume pot. Version 4's 1000K is technically more efficient at preserving high frequencies than Version 3's 250K. But it's less efficient in its evenness of volume regulation. There's also a sense that on vintage type Fender guitars, which are meant to have a bit of warmth to them, the pristine treble allowed to pass through a 1000K volume pot is a bit too bright.
Version 1 has been the vintage Telecaster's least popular wiring circuit. In fairness, there hasn't been much opportunity for Fender to reproduce it. The trademark issue that prompted them to change the Broadcaster's name, also precluded them from reissuing the model that started it all. They did introduce a '51 Nocaster reissue early on in the Relic series, circa 1996, and that should have carried the Version 1 wiring. Did it?... As a Custom Shop creation open to bespoke order, it's bound to have shipped to some customers with the original circuit. But tellingly, the first review samples sent out to the guitar press were bestowed with Version 3. Yes, despite all that effort to perfectly simulate 45 years of ageing, Fender refused to jeopardise their reviews with an obscure, wacko mixer control and an absent tone pot.
And what of Version 2? Well, it's the dark horse of the bunch, and depending on the type of switch installed, it could actually trump the classic Version 3. With a three-way switch that can conveniently be lodged between the back and middle positions, you can get all of Version 3's basic tones, plus that extra comping, blooping and fake bass selection at the front. Since Version 2 didn't have the treble bleed capacitor, reducing the volume makes the tone more muddy, but some guitarists prefer that.
BEST OF ALL WORLDS?
It's impossible not to notice that Fender could have solved the entire wiring dilemma if they'd added a third pot in 1952. They could then have facilitated any mix of bridge and neck pickup, whilst introducing both a conventional universal tone control and the fake bass extravaganza. Subsequent updates would have been non-destructive, and it would not have been necessary to sacrifice any major feature. It would, however, have impacted on the look of the guitar. And that "right first time" element in the visual design, which still leaves some of us in awe over seventy years after the model's birth, would have gone up in smoke.
I'll settle for Version 2 with an extra notch on the switch.
