Due to increased demand for our services, current lead time for prewired assemblies is between two and three weeks. Thanks for your patience. Please read our terms and conditions prior to placing your order. Click here for our shipping policies and shipping rates.

HOW TO ORDER YOUR CUSTOM TELE HARNESS
Select the options below and then add the assembly to your basket. The initial price of every assembly is $0, but after you add it your basket the actual price will be calculated. Please note that you are not commited to purchasing the assembly just by adding it to your basket. To complete the purchase you must then proceed to the "checkout" section.

Custom Wired Tele Harness

Quantity in Basket:none Code: T_PREWIRED Price:$0.00 Shipping Weight: 0.00 pounds

Pickup Set (bridge + neck): <Select One> Lindy Fralin Stock Tele Pickups ($180)Lindy Fralin Blues Special Tele Pickups ($180)Lindy Fralin Custom 2% under Blues Special Tele set - w/metal cover on neck pup ($180)John Suhr Classic T Tele Set, Chrome ($192)Joe Barden Danny Gatton "T" Style Set - $293.95Curtis Novak Vintage Tele Pickups ($185)Stephens Black Guard Broadcaster Bridge w/51' Neck ($225) - TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCKRio Grande Dirty Harry Tele Set (In Stock) ($144) - - out of stock (special order)Rio Grande Vint Tall Classic w/metal cover ($121.60)DiMarzio Twang King ($109)DiMarzio Areal T Bridge + Neck ($140)DiMarzio Areal Hot T Bridge + Area T Neck ($140)No Pickups Solderless Option (with Pickup Purchase): <Select One> Yes, add the solderless option ($35) req. pickup purchaseNo, do not add the solderless option Wiring Style: <Select One> 3 Way Configuration (base price is $70)3 Way Reversed (base price $75)4 Way Configuration (base price is $75)4 Way Reversed (base price $80) Volume Pot Resistance (does not affect price): <Select One> 250K CTS250K Alessandro High End Mil. Spec. ($40 upcharge)500K CTS Tone Control Option: <Select One> 250K CTS Tone w/Orange Drop Cap (no extra charge)500K CTS Tone w/Orange Drop Cap (no extra charge)250K CTS tone w/V-CAP Teflon® Film & Foil ($59.99)500K CTS tone w/V-CAP Teflon® Film & Foil ($59.99)250K CTS tone w/Allparts Vitamin Q Oil & Paper ($11)500K CTS tone w/Allparts Vitamin Q Oil & Paper ($11)250K CTS Tone w/Alessandro .05 uf Wax & Paper Cap ($45)500K CTS Tone w/Alessandro .05 uf Wax & Paper Cap ($45)250K Alessandro Mil. Spec Tone pot w/Alessandro .05 uf Wax & Paper Cap ($85)MTG Mid-Scoop/Tone Push-Pull ($39.95) Volume Kit / Treble Retention Circuit: <Select One> Yes, w/Mallory 150 Series Capacitor + resistor ($3.00)No, Do Not Include a Volume Kit Include Switch Tip: <Select One> Round Black Switch Tip ($2.5)Top Hat Style Black Switch Tip ($2.5)Do Not Include a Switch Tip Control Plate: <Select One> Include a Chrome Control Plate ($14)Include a Gold Control Plate ($23) - special orderNo Thanks, I already have a control plate Knobs: <Select One> Chrome Dome Knobs ($10)Gold Dome Knobs ($14) - special orderNo Thanks, I already have knobs Comments:

Quantity:

DESCRIPTION OF OPTIONS:

Custom wired Tele® assembly with CTS pots / Hovland cap mounted to metal control plate.

Custom wired Tele® assembly w/CTS pots / Hovland cap mounted to wooden template

Custom wired Tele® assembly w/Alessandro High End Components including Alessandro 250K
1W Miliary Specification Carbon Pots and Alessandro .05 uf vintage repro wax and paper capacitor.

 

Pickups

• Rothstein Guitars is an AUTHORIZED DEALER for all these manufacturers listed on this page which means any pickups you purchase purchase from us carries the full manufacturer's warranty.
  • LINDY FRALIN PICKUPS- These are absolutely fabulous pickups. We have installed these pickups in countless guitars and what is rather amazing is how consistently good they sound. They are wound by hand by Lindy and his staff in Richmond, VA. We carry the following 3 configurations:
    • Stock - Bright, clear, classic and twangy!! The neck pickup includes a metal cover and is wound to 7 K with 43 gauge Plain Enamel wire. The Bridge pickup is Wound with 42 gauge Plain Enamel wire to approximately 6.6k (8,800 turns).
    • Custom 2% Underwound Blues Special set w/Metal Cover on neck pickup - This set is "the bomb" for those looking to attain that Roy Buchanan tone. With this set the neck pickup is wound 2% below that of a regular blues special. In other words it is somewhere in between a stock pickup and a blues special. There are 2 benefits to this. First, this pickup will have a bit more top end and spank than a standard Blues Special due to the fact that is slightly underwoun in comparison. Second, since it isn't as dark as a Blus Special pickup, we have these made with the metal cover so you get to keep your vinage look!!
    • Blues Special - The neck pickup comes without the metal cover. It is wound to 7.5K with staggered magnets and 5% more turns than stock. The tone is bright and strong. The bridge pickup is wound with 42 gauge Polynylon to 7.3K for 5% more power and 5% darker than stock sound.This pickup can also be overwound 2% overstock. We don't recommend anything hotter with a cover on it.
  • SUHR PICKUPS- - Awesome Tele pickups by John Suhr, master builder of Suhr guitars. Suhr's Classic T pickups are the result of John Suhr's extensive research into what made the pickups of T-style instruments so special and renowned for their unmistakable sonic quality heard on pop and rock music records of the past half-century. The Bridge pickup retains the twang and the bite of the best vintage T-style pickups while doing away with piercing or harsh highs that are common in pickups of this type. Our Chrome Neck pickup adds clarity and warmth to round out the perfect set of pickups for our Classic T and similar guitars.
  • JOE BARDEN ENGINEERING- Yes, they're back! When I first installed a set into one of my own personal Teles it was almost a religious experience. I couldn't believe how good my guitar sounded. Seriously, they are that good. Hum-cancelling, and all of the spank and twang. I am a believer.
  • CURTIS NOVAK PICKUPS- If you're looking for some monster T pickups then check out Curtis Novak. Curt has been hand winding pickups for 20 years and has studied the methods of the masters. He is quite adept at "scatterwinding" which many feel is one of the secrets to great tone. You will see some very unique options on his site.
  • DIMARZIO - DiMarzio is a fine USA company located in Staten Island New York. I am a huge fan of their Area T Series. Few people realize that DiMarzio actually makes hum-cancelling pickups for many of the master builders such as Roger Sadowksy. DiMarzio has been around for a very long time and practically invented the after market pickup space. Engineer Steve Blucher is world renowned for innovative pickup designs.
  • STEPENS DESIGN PICKUPS- These are killer hand crafted pickups. His Blackguard Broadcaster sets are to die for. When I first heard them I was blown away at the amazing combination of thickness and twang. To quote Dave Stephens "I make my pickups fully wound to make a presence and drive an amp to sing its best." All his Tele designs have been road and stage tested by Steve Rhian who records and tours with the Daryl Dodd band in Texas. Dave Stephens is rapidly becoming known on the scene as a maker of some amazingly toneful handbuilt pickups. His reputation was built over a 4 year period in the Portland, Oregon blues scene, making pickups for the city's best known guitar slingers. His pickups are finding their way into the hands of some well known players now like Jake E Lee (Ozzy Osbourne), Nick Curran (Nick Curran Band and the Fabulous Thunderbirds), Michael Mozart (Oppera), Steve Rhian (Darryl Dodd Band), David Torn, and others.
  • RIO GRANDE PICKUPS -These fine pickups come in an amazing spectrum of both sounds and colors, and the quality is there from winding on down to the packaging. Originated by veteran pickup winder Bart Wittrock in 1993, these pups capture the tone and feel of the vintage pickups we know and love, but with a little more spank.

Solderless Option - only available with pickup purchase We are now offering you a solderless option when purchasing prewired T assemblies with pickups for a $35 upcharge.

• We can wire your assembly with pin and socket connectors, thus eliminating the need for soldering. The pins and sockets are color-coded, so all you will need to do is match the colors and connect corresponding male and female connectors. If you purchase an assembly with a 3 way selector switch, there will be 4 pin/socket pairs. If you purchase an assembly with a 4 way selector switch there will either be 4 or 5 pin/socket pairs (5 ony if you neck pickup includes a metal cover).
• Important Notes - Please Read:
  • Installation - Installing pickup and electronics into a tele (even if completely prewired and solderless) isn't as easy as it sounds. If you don't have experience working on guitars, you should NOT select the solderless option. Instead, I would highly recommend bringing your guitar, the pickups and the prewired assembly to a qualified technician for proper installation. Since the assembly is prewired, the technician won't likely charge you too much more than the solderless option.
  • String Ground - Most Tele bridge pickups establish the string ground via their base plates, thus eliminating the need for a separate ground wire. However, ifyou purchase a Tele bridge pickup that doesn't come with a metal base plate, an additional black wire will be attached to your assembly. This won't wire won't have a pin/socket connector. You will simply need to lay the exposed part of the wire under the bridge plate.

Volume Control

250K vs. 500K

• The general rule of thumb is 250K for single coils and 500K for humbuckers, but you definitely have some flexibility here. A 500K pot will give you a brighter tone, usually appropriate for hotter or overwound pickups which can use the extra highs.

CTS Pots vs. Alessandro High End Military Spec. Pots

• The standard pots that come with our prewired assemblies are high quality CTS pots. These pots are excellent and quite reliable. However for the truly discriminating player demanding the most toneful option, the Alessandro pots (retail price of $50 per pot) are simply the finest pots you can put into a guitar with the famous Alessandro proprietary custom taper. These are solid shaft 250K 1W Miliary Specification Carbon Pots. The proprietary audio taper pots eliminate the "jumpiness" you will find in lesser quality pots. The Alessandro pots will be a $40 upcharge per pot in your prewired assembly. Please note they are not available in push-pull-pots.

Volume Kit

• A volume kit (also know as a "treble retention circuit" or "high-pass filter") is used to prevent the loss of highs associated with lowering the volume on your guitar. We use a Mallory 150 series metalized polyester tubular capacitor in parallel with a 150K resistor.

Tone Control

Standard Tone

• Standard tone cuts high frequencies as you roll down the pot counterclockwise.Select between 250K and 500K (same rule of the thumb from above applies).
• SBE Orange Drop capacitors will be used at no extra charge, or for an upcharge you may select between Alessandro High End wax and paper capacitors, Vitamin Q Paper & Oil capacitors, and the ultra high quality V-Cap TFTF Teflon® Film and Foil capacitors. The price will vary depending upon which capacitor you select. Read about capacitor choices here. Tone caps will be .047 uf (except for Alessandro which are .05 uf), unless otherwise specified by you in the comments section. Please note that Hovland capacitors are no longer available as the company has gone out of business.

Mid-Scoop/Tone Switch

• Read about this versatile tone control here. Mounted on a 500K push-pull pot.When the push-pull switch is down this functions as a standard tone control which cuts highs.
• When the switch is in the up position it becomes a mid-sucker that scoops mids as you turn the knob counterclockwise for an almost acoustic tone. I find this a good sound for clean funky rhythms.

 

Wiring Configuration

3 WAY - standard Tele wiring: 3 way switch, volume, tone (from left to right)

• Pos 1 = bridge onlyPos 2 = bridge/neck (in parallel)
• Pos 3 = neck only

3 WAY REVERSED - same as above, with 3 way switch at the end: volume, tone, 3 way switch (from left to right)

• Pos 1 = bridge onlyPos 2 = bridge/neck (in parallel)
• Pos 3 = neck only

4 WAY – Our favorite Tele mod! 4 way switch, volume, tone (from left to right)
Please read more important detail about the 4 way mod here

• Pos 1 = bridge only
• Pos 2 = bridge/neck in parallel (like a standard Tele)
• Pos 3 = neck only
• Pos 4 = bridge/neck in series (louder with more bottom)

4 WAY – Same as above, with 4 way switch at the end: volume, tone, 4 way switch (from left to right)
Please read more important detail about the 4 way mod here

• Pos 1 = bridge only
• Pos 2 = bridge/neck in parallel (like a standard Tele)
• Pos 3 = neck only
• Pos 4 = bridge/neck in series (louder with more bottom)

Control Plate

• Choose between chrome ($14) or gold ($23). Otherwise your assembly will be mounted to a wooden template. Please note gold control plates must be special ordered and will increase the lead time on your order.

Knobs

• Choose between standard dome knobs in either chrome ($10) or gold ($14). Please note gold knobs must be special ordered and will increase the lead time on your order. If you have your own knobs, they must tighten with a set screw, and not be the "push-on" knobs often found on some import guitars.

How Long Will It Take? - please read before ordering

The best things in life are worth waiting for. Each assembly is wired and tested one at a time to your specs by hand. We have been getting very popular lately so our lead time is currently between 1 and 3 weeks.