Nocaster advice

[JamesT]

Hi and thanks in advance! I have about a 3 year old 9.5/6105 Relic Nocaster.

I used to have a 5 way switch PRS and changed it to the "push/pull" plus 3 way switch and the middle positions sort of sounded like a Strat/Tele, but with rewiring with the pot pulled out sounded nothing like the 2,3,4 positions on 5 way.

So, I never redid the wiring on the Nocaster so the neck pick up is unusable and bridge is kind of thin so I onlyu play it with both pickups because it is fat and rich...

It does not sound like any Tele to me with both pickups it just sounds like a wonderful instrament.

My question is do any of you leave it and treat it like a 1 tone pony with both pick ups?

If I rewire it to " modern" will the 2 pickups sound change like the PRS did?

I just play in my house with some B.F. amps... mostly a B.F. Princeton Reverb with a 12" vintage reissue speaker. One by the Ted Webber. However, I cannot remember the exact model off hand as I bought the amp used.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Oh PS... I have a 1983 JCM 800 with a 2x12 1936 cabinet ans it does not sound too goo d me. Am I off base or have y'all ever thought the same.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

James

 

[Boris Bubbanov]

I like the bridge pickup by itself; that's why I bought a No-Caster.

I like blending some neck pickup in over the bridge pickup - I actually find that more satisfactory than access to rolling off the highs.

What I would like to see someone else do (I'll follow, I think) is a full forward position with a sort of "cocked wah" as we see now quite often on modded Esquires. Change the values, change the degree to which the neck pickup is dumbed down so it is not anywhere quite so bassy as stock, but still distinct from the middle (neck only) position.

I must admit, every time I assemble another homebrew with No-Caster pickups, I cut the jumper, run a separate lead to the neck cover and install a four way instead. The neck and bridge No-Caster pickups in series are amazing.

 

[bluesjuke]

James, I well liked the Blender circuit on my Nocaster but once I changed to modern wiring I liked it even better.
The neck pickup by itself is one of the best and having a tone control on it (& Teles in general) is a powerful tool.

So many layers of choices and with the tone control I can still get really close to what the Blender gave me.
The change cost little of what I had but I gained a lot in return.

 

[JamesT]

So it came with a Modern Wiring envelope so I should het it out and change the wiring? Will the 2 pickups still sound the same? Thanks!

The 2 pickups really sing and have sustain and well kind of sound good for Gary Moore Still Got the Blues and Parisian Walkways... THANKS!!!!!!!!!

 

[Snail]

Thanks for the comments. I have a Nocaster on its way and was wondering about the wiring.

 

[JamesT]

Some come with modern wiring now as the vintage wiring made neck unusable. The story is there were no electric bases so the neck es wired to play base. Still vintage wiring with both is great. I saw on Fender.com Some nocasters come with 9.5/medium jumbo frets... I hope yours does. When I bought mine it was a special order and upcharge. The U neck takes getting used to because there is no taper down, but they say that neck makes the difference... big neck - big sound, although I know it is an oversilimplification....

 

[Sean French]

Wire it modern wiring and behold.:AOK

 

[sanhozay]

So, I never redid the wiring on the Nocaster so the neck pick up is unusable and bridge is kind of thin so I onlyu play it with both pickups because it is fat and rich...

Well, I can't suggest srongly enough to change the pickups to allow for three usable sounds. The modern wiring has been the standard for the past 40 years, so don't get too hung up on the vintage jargon. The guitar will come to life! Those pickups are really great sounding in all three notches.

I would also suggest thinking about changing the saddles out and going with the super smooth Callaham enhanced vintage.

 

[bluesjuke]

Yes James, the pickups will sound even better.

 

[jimmyj]

I was under the impression that with the original wiring the front position is neck pickup w/ capacitor, middle position is neck pickup alone, back position is bridge pickup alone or the back knob blended the 2 pickups. If that's the case, what you're missing now is the sound of the 2 pickups.

The reason why so many people think that middle position sounds so good is because it's the neck pickup alone and I love the sound of a tele neck pickup sans capacitor.
I could be mistaken about that original wiring scheme but that's what I've read.

 

[MrMunky]

I was under the impression that with the original wiring the front position is neck pickup w/ capacitor, middle position is neck pickup alone, back position is bridge pickup alone or the back knob blended the 2 pickups. If that's the case, what you're missing now is the sound of the 2 pickups.

The reason why so many people think that middle position sounds so good is because it's the neck pickup alone and I love the sound of a tele neck pickup sans capacitor.
I could be mistaken about that original wiring scheme but that's what I've read.

That wiring scheme is what my stock Nocaster features, and it's what I've found on each "New" Nocaster I've played. No combination of pickups that "modern" switching permits is missing from the "vintage" wiring. All that you lose is a tone control. But you gain the ability to blend in the neck pickup with the bridge.

I've never had any desire to change the wiring on my Nocaster.

 

[jimmyj]

That wiring scheme is what my stock Nocaster features, and it's what I've found on each "New" Nocaster I've played. No combination of pickups that "modern" switching permits is missing from the "vintage" wiring. All that you lose is a tone control. But you gain the ability to blend in the neck pickup with the bridge.

I've never had any desire to change the wiring on my Nocaster.

That sounds pretty darn useful. I use my tone control but I think the blend knob sounds even better.

 

[bluesjuke]

I was under the impression that with the original wiring the front position is neck pickup w/ capacitor, middle position is neck pickup alone, back position is bridge pickup alone or the back knob blended the 2 pickups. If that's the case, what you're missing now is the sound of the 2 pickups.

What's really missing is no tone control which makes the Tele a powerful beast.
The Blend is nice but no match for a tone control.

 

[Aslan]

Jim,
I'm like you and found that I liked the stock setup in my Nocaster and found the blend control very useful but the front position is so bassy that it was useless. Well, I switched the capacitor out to .0033 and the front position now has a wonderful sweet jazzy sound that nicely off-sets the bridge position and the middle position. After people play my nocaster they love the sound and want to know what I did. The capacitor switch takes 5 minutes and is very easy. Try this before you completely change everything, the absence of the tone control gives you a very "pure" sound that is fun to experience in a live band setting.

 

[Aidanspaghetti]

Im all in for the stock wiring! Works great for me and that blend is sweeeeeeeeeeeeet

 

[Mr.Hanky]

Mine came with standard tele wiring, I did not like the other notone method.

Try it, if it doesn't work for you switch it back.

I have a feeling you will keep it once you switch.

 

[buddastrat]

I have mine wired modern. Pickups sound woody and thick. It's not a normal twang. There's a hint of twang but it's ballsy. It's closer sounding to a Les Paul. People think I have humbuckers in it. I really think these are ugly guitars and especially despise the yellow one like I have. But the damn thing sounds so good. It ruins all my others.

 

[JamesT]

Thanks all! Budda Strat mine is nocaster yellow, not used much except in heavy reliced one. I describe it as "ugly @$$ yellow" but it sounds great in the middle position...

when my wife saw it she exclaimed " WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU SELL A BEAUTIFUL TRANSLUCENT PARKER CLASSIC FLY FOR THIS UGLY YELLOW ONE?!"

after she heard it she understood, but after 2 or 3 years still does not understand why Fender painted it this ugly yellow....

 

[sanhozay]

Blackguard Telecaster ugly? Hardly! Possibly the coolest looking electric guitar to ever travel down route 66.

 

[buddastrat]

Thanks all! Budda Strat mine is nocaster yellow, not used much except in heavy reliced one. I describe it as "ugly @$$ yellow" but it sounds great in the middle position...

when my wife saw it she exclaimed " WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU SELL A BEAUTIFUL TRANSLUCENT PARKER CLASSIC FLY FOR THIS UGLY YELLOW ONE?!"

after she heard it she understood, but after 2 or 3 years still does not understand why Fender painted it this ugly yellow....

LOL, I can relate. I'm very close to painting mine black or maybe green!