Telecaster Modification – 4-Way Switching

I love the sound of a Telecaster. It’s a great workhorse to have in your arsenal because you can use it for so many styles of music – country, of course, but also, blues [Albert Collins], rock [Jeff Beck], fusion [Mike Stern], Jazz [Ed Bickert], and the list goes on. I believe you can never have too much of a good thing and I wondered if I could work the horse even more to get additional tones out of those two pickups.

I picked up a very nice USA Peavey Reactor [Telecaster copy] and wanted to upgrade the pickups and electronics. That seemed like a perfect time to try out a common modification – adding a four-way switch.

Here’s the wiring diagram I used



I replaced the stock 250k pots with 500k pots because I wanted a really bright sound and added a Sprague Orange Drop 047µF Capacitor. I love this mod because you get the three classic Tele tones, plus the more powerful, Humbucker-like sound of the pickups in series. If you’re playing rock or blues, it’s nice to have the option of a more beefy tone at the flick of a switch – something most Tele players don’t have.

This is one mod that’s definitely worth doing. Highly recommended.

Peavey Reactor - Great Telecaster Copy

I love Craigslist. I just picked up this Peavey Reactor for only $125. These typically sell for $200-$300 on eBay and this one is in mint condition so I would expect it to sell near the top of that range. There is literally not a scratch on it and no fretwear.

The Peavey Reactor is a really nice copy of the Fender Telecaster that was produced around '93-94 and is made in USA. It features a superb, fast playing and smooth two-piece maple neck and three piece poplar body. The pickups are decent and quite usable, but not great. The neck pup sounds rather muddy for my tastes, but the bridge pup delivers some nice treble tones and bite. With the current pickups, it is ideal for blues and rock, and although you could play country on it, it is not as twangy as you would expect compared to many of the Fender Teles.

I am planning on swapping out the pickups, getting a new pickguard, changing the pots and adding a 4-way switch for some more tonal options. I am noticing some tuning issues, so the tuners may have to go - or it could just be the old strings that I haven't changed yet.

For the money this is a great guitar with excellent build quality. It is certainly superior to many of the Mexican, Chinese, and Indonesian imports that are flooding the low end of the market and could give the USA Fender Telecasters a run for the money - if you upgraded the electronics. If you see one under $300, give it serious consideration.

I'll post pics of my upgrades when they are done.