Telecaster HS Wiring Kit CTS pots, Orange Drops, CRL 3-Way Switch

HS Telecaster Wiring Kit

Our wiring kit for HS (Humbucker/single coil) Telecaster consists of some of the best components available, and is perfect for improving the overall tone and performance of your Tele.

This kit is wired in exaclty the same way as a standard Telecaster 3 way kit, but with two notable differences.

This wiring kit uses 500k solid shaft pots for both volume and tone. The additiona of a 500k resistor wired inline with the single coil acts to "step down" the pot to 250k, thereby taming the high frequencies, producing a more traditional Telecaster tone.

Compatibility

Our Telecaster HS wiring kit will fit genuine Fender guitars, and is also compatible with Squier/import instruments with a little modification. When installing on a Squier or import guitar, you may need to widen the control knob holes to ensure the pots fit. You may also need to replace your current guitar knobs with their imperial sized cousins.

All of our kits come with an easy to follow wiring diagram. For help on using our Stratocaster Standard wiring kit please refer to our video guide on wiring a HS Telecaster

The Telecaster HS Wiring Kit includes:

• 2 x 500k Matched audio taper pots (10% tolerance)
• 1 x Capacitor (Orange Drop or Paper in Oil)
• 2ft black cloth push-back wire
• 2ft white cloth push-back wire
• 1 x CRL USA 3 way switch
• 1 x Switchcraft USA 1/4'' jack socket
• 1 x 500k resistor
• Heat shrink tubing

Orange Drop Capacitor

Orange Drop capacitors are often described as ’bright’ sounding and their primary benefit comes from their reliability, they essentially never go wrong. For a professional guitarist, stability and consistency is what you need in an instrument that has to play shows night after night, which is exactly why Orange Drop capacitors are so popular amongst guitarists and guitar builders.

CTS Audio Taper Pots

CTS pots are typically used by higher end guitar builders and techs but this is not due to any difference in tone. The main reason cited for using CTS pots is that they will last longer due to a more sturdy construction, and for that reason you’ll often find them used in USA-made guitars and guitar gear.

We supply audio taper pots for both volume and tone as these produce a smoother and more rounded sweep. All pots are metered and matched to ensure a perfect balance of tone and volume across all switch positions.

Switchcraft Mono Output Jack

Large guitar manufacturers will very often cut corners by using cheaper components, particularly on the input jack. Switchcraft have a great reputation for using only the highest quality materials in their components, providing a significant durability and performance upgrade over cheaper parts. 

Cloth Push Back Wire

Paper-in-Oil Cap Upgrade

Want an extra vintage tone upgrade? Add Paper-in-Oil caps instead of Orange Drop. Paper in Oil (PIO) capacitors are an older technology, highly sought after primarily due to their use in many vintage instruments such as 50s era Gibsons. The capacitor is literally filled with paper and a special oil before being sealed in thermoplastic, delivering a darker, warmer and smoother tone.

Heastshrink Tubing 

Perfect for insulating joints, and for funnelling wires through tight spots. An excellent and inexpensive way of keeping your wiring tidy. You will need a heat gun or the shaft of a soldering iron to shrink the tubing once fitted!

Treble Bleed Upgrade

This 0.001uF capacitor together with a 130k resisitor are soldered to your volume control, resulting in a more uniform sweep from 1-10 and preventing treble loss at lower volumes

Will this fit my guitar?

Our wiring kit for Telecaster will fit all genuine Fender USA/MIM Telecasters and will also fit the majority of Telecaster type guitars and imported models.

Many imported models use the smaller Alpha pots, so it may be neccesary to drill your pickguard holes to 10mm diameter to accommodate the larger USA pot shafts. If you are upgrading your Alpha pots to CTS then you will also need to purchase imperial control knobs that fit the larger CTS pot shafts.

All of our kits come with an easy to follow wiring diagram. For help on using our Tele wiring kit please refer to our video guide on wiring a HS Telecaster