RW/RP Tele Pickups with a 4-way Switch?

[danger5oh]

I just ordered a set of RW/RP Piledrivers for my Tele build.  I was just curious as to why the BKP FAQ suggests that wiring RW/RP pickups to a 4-way switch doesn't sound as good as regular pickups.  If I go ahead with the 4-way, what could I possibly expect... a 4th useable tone that just isn't as favorable or is it just going to sound terrible?  Should I just stick with a good ol' 3-way?  If anyone would care to share their experiences with 4-way switches, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[darkbluemurder]

First of all, let's compare the switching options on both switches:

3 way: bridge, bridge + neck in parallel, neck
4-way: all of the above and bridge + neck in series

So the three identical positions on both switches also sound identical - there is no sound degradation due to the 4-way switch.

The bridge + neck in series has more output than the other positions and also more noise - this is why a RW/RP would be beneficial since the single coil noise adds up when both are in series. Personally I could not care less about the series linkage - I play about 70% on the bridge, 25% on the neck and only 5% on other positions, except with the strat where the 25% are split between the neck and the bridge + middle positions.

I have never had a direct comparison between an otherwise identical standard and RW/RP pickup but I can assure you a RW/RP pickup does not sound bad just because it's RW/RP. 

Cheers Stephan

[Plexi Ken]

I got this in an e-mail from Tim,

"I notice you want to use the 4 way Tele mod - RWRP neck option isn't suitable for this (the series tone gets far too bottom heavy and loses clarity) so stock neck is the correct option."

[danger5oh]

Personally I could not care less about the series linkage - I play about 70% on the bridge, 25% on the neck and only 5% on other positions...

Good point.  That's pretty much what my local dealer asked me... do I even have a use for the series option?  Truth is, I'm not sure... every Tele-type guitar I've owned in the past was only Tele shaped and equipped with humbuckers.  I wouldn't mind having the 4th tone option for my first traditional (or at least semi-traditional) Telecaster, but wouldn't be heartbroken just sticking with a 3-way switch.

[Philly Q]

I got this in an e-mail from Tim,

"I notice you want to use the 4 way Tele mod - RWRP neck option isn't suitable for this (the series tone gets far too bottom heavy and loses clarity) so stock neck is the correct option."

Which is interesting - the main purpose of RW/RP being to cancel hum when both pickups are on, I didn't think of it as having a significant effect on the actual tone.

Personally I could not care less about the series linkage - I play about 70% on the bridge, 25% on the neck and only 5% on other positions, except with the strat where the 25% are split between the neck and the bridge + middle positions.

I really like all three positions on a standard Tele, especially the sweeter clean tones from the neck and middle positions.

I did try a 4-way switch once, and didn't like the series option - it sounded like a bad impersonation of a humbucker to me.  But to be fair, the "single-coils" on that guitar were actually hum-cancelling stack types, so maybe it would sound (a lot) better with genuine single-coils.

[Tim]

It is down to personal taste really - some players like to hear a pair of RWRP Tele coils in series but most find that the bottom end gets over accentuated compared to how they sound in parallel(the normal wiring for the mid position of a 3 way switch). Stock wound coils retain more clarity in series when the coils are as far apart as they are on a Tele so you just get a big boost in output. A pair of coils that are RWRP to each other have reduced frequency response the moment they go into series humcancelling and given the relative position of each coil you do get a lot more bottom end and mid range. Stock wound coils are always a safe option if you want to use a 4 way mod on a Tele hence my recommendation in the FAQs while RWRP coils in series on a Tele are not to everyone's liking although it really is down to applications so don't be afraid to experiment.

[danger5oh]

Thanks for the opinions and explanations everyone.  You pretty much answered what I needed to know... that it wouldn't be a total waste of time purchasing and wiring a 4-way, and that the 4th position might be a useable tone for me (I'm a sucker for big bottoms, so it might be right up my alley lol).  There's only one way to find out for sure now!