Where the Telecaster most often loses its tone
On a Tele, all the electronics fit into a narrow control cavity, and the ground runs through the plate itself. This is exactly where a poorly handled pickup swap costs treble: a cold solder joint on the back of a potentiometer, a hastily redone ground, and the guitar sounds dull for no obvious reason. Many guitarists put off changing pickups for this reason alone.
This plate solves the problem by bypassing it. It arrives assembled, wired and workshop-tested. Remove the old one, fit this one, screw your pickup wires into the terminals. Thirty minutes, a screwdriver, nothing to heat.
Vintage, corrected where needed
The wiring remains the classic three-way setup: bridge, both together, neck. No gimmicks, this is what has made the Telecaster since 1952 and there was nothing to reinvent.
Two details still make a real difference. First, the treble bleed: turn the volume down to 5 on a stock Tele and the tone gets thicker and more closed in. Here it stays open, and the volume potentiometer becomes a genuine playing control rather than a simple progressive switch. Then there is the potentiometer taper, reworked by ObsidianWire so attenuation is even from 10 to 0, instead of losing everything in the final two notches.
The capacitor is a 0.047 µF, the classic Telecaster value. The tone control rolls off firmly into the lows, exactly as it should on this guitar.
Components
- CTS 250k potentiometers made to Obsidian specifications, 1/4 inch smooth shaft
- Oak 3-way switch
- 0.047 µF polyester film capacitor
- Switchcraft J11 or Pure Tone multi-contact jack, pre-wired
- Chrome control plate, workshop-assembled
- Plug, Play & Enjoy connectors for pickups
Compatibility, read before ordering
Direct fit for right-handed Fender Telecaster US and Mexico models only. On a Japanese Telecaster or a Squier, fitting requires this plate and suitable knobs, which is exactly what you receive here.
Designed for two single-coil pickups. Knobs must be US format, 1/4 inch smooth shaft: your old splined knobs will not fit. Not suitable for Telecaster Thinline models.
One honest point: on some guitars, the control cavity needs slight enlargement to allow the assembly to fit. A few minutes with sandpaper, nothing more, but it is best to know before opening the guitar.
Installation
No soldering. Your pickup wires screw into the terminals and must be pushed fully home: they are thin, and this is the only step that requires attention. Your original plate comes out intact and goes back into a drawer, the operation is fully reversible.
5-year manufacturer warranty. Stock in France, immediate dispatch.