Both our review models here are very tidily routed for different pickup configurations, a one-size-fits-all production ploy reflecting the other models in this mini-range and the more expansive Player Series. So, removing the Tele’s scratchplate, the body has a humbucking rout at the neck and another single coil rout in the middle position. Likewise, the Strat is routed for HSH so you could easily swap scratchplates down the road, too, and load in HSS, HSH, HH or even HS pickup configurations – good news for us modders. Both neck pockets are tight fitting, too, and neither neck has a shim.
The circuits on both are clearly designed to work with these new Noiseless pickups. The Strat uses 1meg-ohm audio taper pots with a single .022 microfarads tone cap, a four-pole lever switch and a pull-push switched pot. The treble-bleed circuit is a little unusual in that wired between the input and output lug of the volume control is a 47kohm resistor in series, which then passes to a parallel-linked 150k resistor and 470 picofarads capacitor. The Tele uses the same value pots, tone cap and treble-bleed circuit with a standard two-pole, three-way lever switch.