I know guitar players of all kinds: bedroom shredders, hobbyists, semi-pros, and pro players, and they all have something in common: They all have more than one guitar. With that in mind, we're presenting three mods—divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels—for three common guitars: Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Les Paul.
These three circuits are very different and require very different work to mod them. But they are versatile, and once you get the basic knowledge down, you can apply it to other guitars. For example, you can use the Telecaster circuit mods for all electric guitars with two pickups and a master volume/master tone configuration. The Les Paul circuit can also be used for SG, 335, 339, and many more guitars with two pickups with a volume and tone control for each pickup.
We'll kick this off with beginner mods, requiring only some basic soldering skills (click here if you need a primer on this). Vintage wiring, or '50s-style wiring, is a good starting place for anyone interested in dipping their toes into DIY modding. Parts-wise you'll only require some basic soldering equipment and some small pieces of wire. Let's get started!
The Mod: '50s Wiring
The Gibson '50s wiring is sometimes also called "Vintage Wiring" or even "'50s Vintage Wiring," but it all refers to the same thing—the way Gibson wired up their electric guitars in the late '50s, including the legendary 'Burst Les Paul guitars as well as SGs and 335s of the era. Though it was forgotten for many decades, the method seems more popular now than ever before, garnering a lot of attention in forums and with plenty of myths and urban legends surrounding it.
Electronically, there is nothing too special about this wiring. It simply connects the tone pot to the output of the volume pot (middle lug) instead of the input. So what is so special about it then, you ask? The '50s wiring will have three major influences on your tone:
1. The overall tone gets stronger and more transparent. It's difficult to describe, but it's more “in your face." The tone of late-'50s 'Burst Les Pauls has been described as having a “bloom"—the way the notes open up after leaving the guitar—that is hard to achieve without this wiring.
2. The typical treble loss that occurs when rolling back the volume is lessened and both the volume and tone controls react smoother and more evenly, without the typical hot spots. As a result, it's easier to clean up an overdriven amp by simply rolling back the volume on your guitar a bit.
3. The tone and the volume controls interact with each other in a way similar to some Fender tube amps. When you change the volume, the tone changes a little bit as well, and vice versa. It may feel strange in the beginning, but it doesn't take long to get used to.
As with any of the mods we'll be doing, it's a matter of personal preference, but this one is easy to do—and invisibly reverse—so it's worth a try. Though the wiring is based off of vintage Gibsons, you can rewire any guitar this way to similar effect.
Telecaster(click for standard Tele original wiring diagram)
This is, by far, the simplest mod I can imagine—swap one wire and you are done! If you've never worked in your guitar before, this is a great place to start. There are no special considerations or quirks, just swap the wire marked in red below and your Tele is converted to '50s wiring.
Wiring diagram courtesy of Seymour Duncan Pickups and used by permission. Seymour Duncan and the stylized S are registered trademarks of Seymour Duncan Pickups, with which Premier Guitar magazine is not affiliated.
Stratocaster(click for standard Strat original wiring diagram)
Setting up the '50s wiring on a Stratocaster is not much more complicated than on a Telecaster, but because of the somewhat special arrangement of a master volume plus two tone controls, it requires changing an additional wire. Again, there are no special considerations, so solder along and enjoy the new tones from your Strat.
Wiring diagram courtesy of Seymour Duncan Pickups and used by permission. Seymour Duncan and the stylized S are registered trademarks of Seymour Duncan Pickups, with which Premier Guitar magazine is not affiliated.
Les Paul (also SG or ES-335) - Click for standard Les Paul wiring diagram
The original '50s wiring on a Les Paul is basically identical to the Telecaster mod, with each pickup sporting a volume and a tone control. Because you have two pickups with this arrangement, you'll have to swap two wires instead of one, but it's still pretty simple. Most Les Paul, SG, and 335 players with PAF or PAF-flavored pickups prefer this wiring because it gives a more vintage tone and it is one of the key components for the so-called "bloom" we talked about earlier. Give it a try: I wouldn't be surprised if you never converted back to the modern wiring you had before.
Diagram by Nick Boogers
I hope you were able to test the modding waters successfully and unlock some new tones from your favorite axe. Check back next week for our intermediate mods for Tele, Strat, and Les Paul. We'll be setting up an additional “out of phase" pickup setting, so stay tuned!
Dirk Wacker lives in Germany and is fascinated by anything related to old Fender guitars and amps. He plays country, rockabilly,
and surf music in two bands, works regularly as a session musician for a local studio, and writes for several guitar mags. He's also a hardcore guitar and amp DIY-er who runs an extensive website—singlecoil.com—on the subject.
Now that you've gotten your feet wet with a dead-simple guitar mod, let's move on to the intermediate level. For this mod, we'll be adding an out-of-phase option to Strat, Tele, and Les Paul. In addition to the wire and soldering equipment required for our previous mod, you'll also need a 2PDT switching device like a mini toggle or a push/pull or push/push pot with a 2PDT switch. There are additional considerations for this mod depending on which guitar you're looking to mod, so we'll address those in each proper section.
The Mod: Out-of-Phase
The out-of-phase mod is most common on Strats, and there are a lot of misunderstandings about exactly what the term “out-of-phase" means. When we are talking about "out-of-phase" sounds on a Strat, we are not talking about positions 2 and 4 of the 5-way pickup selector switch. It's a common misunderstanding that these positions are out-of-phase, but they're still in phase. Another common misunderstanding is that physically rotating a pickup 180 degrees (think Jimi Hendrix) will put it out of phase. You will achieve a different tone, especially with a pickup with staggered pole pieces, but it's not out of phase.
My favorite misunderstanding is about the basic structure of an out-of-phase sound: it is important to understand that on a guitar with two pickups you don't have to use two phase switches because reversing the leads of both pickups would put them back in phase again, and you will receive the stock sound. And putting a single pickup out of phase will also have no audible result—playing a bridge pickup alone out of phase will sound the same as in phase. You can only get an out-of-phase sound when you use two pickups together, one of them out of phase—period!
When two pickups are in phase, they work together and reinforce each other. When they are out of phase, the two pickups are working against one another and the resulting sounds are the "leftovers" from these cancellations. The closer the two pickups are, the greater the cancellations, and the sound is thinner and has less volume, so the neck and bridge pickups are usually the best choice for setting an out-of-phase mod.
What does it sound like? Basically, it's a thin, inside-out, squawky kind of sound—two pickups that normally sound full and rich turn into a thin and shrill-sounding couple. You may think, “Why would I want that?" Well, it's great for reggae or funk, where you need a thin sound, and it will cut through a lot of effects or distortion that would otherwise muddy up your tone.
A great example of this sound is Brian May's Red Special. His guitar offers individual out-of-phase switches for each pickup, and he used the sound on a lot of the Queen recordings. James Burton is another famous guitarist who said once that he discovered the sounds on accident on his late '50s Tele while playing with Ricky Nelson. He found out that he could move the 3-way selector switch between the bridge and neck position to get a thin out-of-phase sound from his Tele that can be heard on famous Nelson recordings like “Travelin' Man" and “Fools Rush In." Peter Green is another musician who made use of out-of-phase sounds, but on his famous Les Paul.
When we are talking about out-of-phase options here, we are always talking about electrical out-of-phase. There is also magnetic out-of-phase, but most of the time this is a factory accident or the result of a sloppy repair work on a pickup. Don't confuse magnetic out-of-phase with reverse-wound/reverse-polarity either—this is yet another configuration!
So let's heat up the soldering iron and put some pickups out of phase. In order to achieve this sound (and to return to a regular sound), use a DPDT phase reversal switch (see diagram below). Wiring the phase switch is fairly simple: unsolder the two pickup leads, solder the phase switch "out" leads (hot and ground) to the exact same spot where the pickup leads were, and solder the pickup leads to the "from pickup" terminals on the phase switch as shown below. Mount the switch, close up the guitar, and start enjoying the new sound you have just created! Naturally, you can also use a push/pull or push/push pot for this.
Wiring diagram courtesy of Seymour Duncan Pickups and used by permission. Seymour Duncan and the stylized S are registered trademarks of Seymour Duncan Pickups, with which Premier Guitar magazine is not affiliated.
This is the basic structure for out-of-phase wiring on all guitars: the pickup you want to put out of phase is connected to the DPDT phase reversal switch the way shown above, running the two output wires from the switch to ground and to the pickup selector switch, volume pot or directly to the output jack, depending on the guitar. So the phase reversal switch is additionally inserted in the normal wiring of the pickup.
There are some things to consider when setting up a phase-reversal option, and here are some guidelines.
Stratocaster
There really aren't many special considerations on a Strat—you should connect the middle pickup to the phase-reversal switch, simply because the middle pickup is always involved when two pickups are used together on a Strat, so you will receive two new sounds with only one switch: bridge and middle pickup together out of phase or middle and neck pickup together out of phase. If you also have the "7-Sound" mod on your Strat and you want the bridge and neck pickup together out-of-phase, there is no way around a second phase-reversal switch. One is for the middle pickup, and the other for the bridge or neck pickup, it doesn't matter what pickup you decide on.
Telecaster
Setting up the out-of-phase option on a Tele is fairly straightforward as well, but there are a few additional considerations. In general it does not matter if you connect the bridge or the neck pickup of a Telecaster to the phase-reversal switch, but you will have to unground and reground one of the pickups.
If the pickup's negative wire has continuity with any metal parts—say, the cover or the frame—you must break this connection to separate the metal cover or frame from the coil's negative wire. When you put a pickup out of phase, the negative side of the pickup's coil is now on the positive side of the guitar's circuit. This means that a metal cover or frame (mounting screws, springs, pole pieces, etc.) will have continuity with the hot side. This will make the pickup more susceptible to hum, and it will have the potential for unexpected and unwanted noises if you touch the pickup or its screws while playing. If you accidentally hit it with the strings (that are grounded through the bridge), it can also mute the whole guitar, so you should perform the out-of-phase mod always with the neck pickup of a Telecaster, simply because most players are less likely to touch the neck rather than the bridge pickup while playing. Another benefit is that normally the neck pickup of a Telecaster is also easier to mod—most Tele bridge pickups have a bottom plate with continuity to the negative wire, and you would have to remove the strings and the entire bridge to work on this pickup.
On typical Telecaster neck pickups, there is a metal cover. One of its mounting tabs, folded under the coil, usually has a small, short jumper to the eyelet on the pickups chassis that connects the coil to the negative wire. To unground and reground the cover, all you need to do is carefully clip that little jumper, breaking the connection, and then add a new insulated wire from the cover's tab into the control cavity, where you can attach it to any given ground spot, like the back of a pot. After this little mod, the cover will always stay on the shielded/grounded side of the circuit, providing protection against hum and noise.
Les Paul (or SG/335)
An out-of-phase wiring for Les Paul guitars is a very popular and common modification. The difficulty level depends on the pickups installed in your axe. A lot of humbuckers have four-conductor wiring (beginning and end of both coils) plus a fifth conductor, typically a bare wire running inside the insulated cable that is the ground/shield connection to the chassis of the pickup, which is completely independent and insulated from any wires from the coils. If this is the case with your pickups, simply follow the color code from the manufacturer and solder along.
Many traditionally made humbuckers sport only a two-conductor wiring with a braided/external shield—hence the term “braided shield wire." The external braided conductor is typically soldered to the pickup's metal chassis and used as the ground/shield plus the coil's negative wire together. Now you have a pickup where the metal chassis, cover, screws, and also the entire length of the exposed braid on the wire has continuity with the ground of the guitar. This is not desirable at all. If it's a humbucker without a metal cover or a P-90, you can simply use some heat-shrink, latex, or cloth tubing to insulate the entire length of the exposed braid. While the mounting screws and pole pieces are still connected to the hot side, it's better than stock.
If you have a pickup with a metal cover, it becomes more complicated. The only way to completely fix the problem is to replace the stock wiring with a four-conductor wiring. This is far more complex than we can get into here, and there's a high likelihood you will destroy your pickup if you're not very experienced. Luckily, many pickup companies are offering this service at a decent rate. Alternately, you could simply replace the stock pickups with replacement pickups that already offer the four-conductor wirings from the start.
1. Get a good soldering iron ($30)
2. Always de-solder ($1.53–$15)
Unless you’re starting from scratch, chances are you’ll need to remove old solder to apply the new stuff. I prefer de-soldering braid, but they also make cheap de-soldering pencils that work like irons, but with a suction pump. Be mindful of where you leave it when plugged in as they often come without holders and heat up like a mother. That’s how the castle burned down in Bride of Frankenstein.
3. Use 60/40 rosin core solder ($3.95)
It figures that the best solder would be made from the worst stuff—lead. Rumor has it that rosin core is scheduled to be banned, so get it while you can. Always solder in a well-ventilated area, and/or get a good gas mask. If the lead scares you, try heating up some McDonald’s fries with a burning cigarette. I’m sure that works just as well.
4. Use heat sinks and save your pots ($0.99–$5)
Small, copper alligator clips will suffice for guitar electronics work, or you can buy a larger one specifically designed for this application. Either way, before soldering, clip it to the component to draw excess heat away to prevent frying the circuitry. If using the small clips, remove them with needle-nose pliers to avoid battle scars.
5. Keep sandpaper on hand ($1–$5)
When grounding pickups and/or claw wire (for vibratos), lightly sand the hosting metal so the solder sticks. If you’re a fussy neat freak, ring terminals are also an option, available at RadioShack for cents. I prefer the standard method of using the tops of pots, now that I’m getting to be a better solderer.
6. Heat shrink tubing is your friend ($2.99–$14.95)
7. 4-wire humbucker = 4 tones ($20–$150)
Why not swap out your two-lead humbuckers with newer 4-lead pickups? The extra leads will allow you to split the coils, put them in series or parallel, or change the phase with a simple $3 DPDT switch from RadioShack.
8. Practice on cheap parts ($20–$100)
You can get 4-lead humbuckers on eBay from Hong Kong for $20 and fully wired pickguards for under $50. Make sure they are open-coiled. If they’re capped, they’re probably epoxy-filled and unalterable.
9. Install a kill switch ($1.99)
Otherwise known as an ON/OFF momentary switch. It’s the easiest mod to execute (see our how-to here), and will help build confidence. If you mess this up, check with your doctor—you may be a drummer.
10. Save them phone cables (free with purchase)
11. Ask for directions (time and pride)
Speaking of online forums, you can find a wealth of information and support online, so don’t be afraid to join an online community before you start. Chances are, you’ll find an answer to every electronics question, no matter how lame. I’m a member of the aforementioned guitarnuts2.proboards.com forum—they’re remarkably patient with novices.
12. Heavy metal matters ($40–$100)
If you’re a whammy bar enthusiast like myself, check your tone block (the alloy slab through which you pass the strings). If the block is thin, the bridge is crap. Replace it with a steel or brass block. Or, better still, a titanium one, and say hello to sustaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiin. Ironically, titanium is not heavy metal, but the sustain it delivers is pure Tufnel.
13. Don’t fall for pickup sorcery ($10)
Don’t assume ceramic bar magnet pickups suck before trying them. You can find a set of Chinese, single-coil pups that are hotter than vintage ones for the cost of a three-item plate at Panda Express. Leo Fender would be proud to install them because they’re utilitarian and sound perfectly fine. Tone is a matter of variables.
14. Swimming pool or hot tub? ($50)
Check the body’s routing cavity before starting a mod. If you’re modding a USA Strat, the Alder body will be routed for single-coil-sized pups. So if you want to install a humbucker, make sure it’s the right size. Or, buy a cheaper Agathis body with a “swimming pool” route to allow for any combo of pups and wires. Tonally, it’s like Alder, though some believe the reduced mass affects tone. Maybe, but on the flip side, they’re sausage-finger accessible.
15. Invest in a fretting kit ($40–$200)
16. Mini-pots require big skills ($5)
Cheap guitars often come with cheap mini-pots (though not all mini-pots are cheap). On the one hand, they allow room for more switches. But they’re also a soldering nightmare if you’re not a whiz with an iron. I prefer full-sized CTS pots. And I now wear a magnifying visor (see tip No. 19) having blown my eyesight thanks to mini-pots.
17. Switch your switch ($15)
If you play a cheap guitar, it came with a cheap switch. Replace it with a good one. Check Allparts, Stewart-MacDonald, or eBay for good, American-made switches.
18. Avoid the Floyd ($50–$200)
If you own a USA-made Fender Strat, for the love of God, don’t install a Floyd Rose (like I did). They eat tone, not to mention the value of your guitar. Besides, you can sound just as dated with a good Fender bridge and some Big Bends Nut Sauce. (Remember that Eddie went unlocked for the first three albums.) Or check out the Super-Vee system, which requires no extra routing and can be removed at anytime to revert to your stock setup. If you have a Floyd, replace the tone block with a brass or titanium one from Floyd Upgrades, or K-T-S.com. “And watch your sustain go to eleven,” claims Nigel Tufnel.
19. Get a magnifying visor ($5–$25)
20. Remember how it all started (free)
Always refer back to Eddie’s Frankenstein for inspiration. It’s a testament to the fact that you don’t need to know what you’re doing to know what you’re doing. And who knows? Maybe one day, a repro of your hunk of junk will fetch $20,000.
