Fluctating volume between pickups

Question

I have a squier telecaster. I don't exactly have the expertise to fix the problem I have. However, I have been trying to find what is wrong but I can't seem to figure it out nor can I have someone look at my guitar (for now).

I switched to my bridge pickup and volume seemed to significantly decrease and buzz also became much louder - the buzz decreased in noise when I touched the strings. I switched to the neck pickup... Now, it's doing the same as the bridge pickup? I continued playing my guitar, trying to find the problem.

I switch back to my bridge pickup - It's a normal volume again, buzz gone. As I switch between the 3 pickup positions sometimes it will be quiet for neck and/or bridge or sometimes it works completely fine as a whole. It seems to consistently change. However, when both pickups are engaged everything seems to be fine. I don't know why this is happening - anything online isn't really helping me but maybe I haven't dug deep enough yet.

Any input would be of amazing value :)

Answer 1

All happy Telecasters are alike; each unhappy Telecaster is unhappy in its own way.

As such, it seems likely that this question will be of little use to people who are not you. I'll write something, but it is likely you should visit a repair shop.

But going forward:

• You describe switching from the bridge pickup to the bridge pickup. It kinda doesn't matter — the behavior described shouldn't be position-specific — but it does demonstrate confusion.
• You do not indicate if this is new or used. If this is a new Squier, than this is a problem that falls under warranty and it should go back. If it is old, it is possible that it has modified electronics. I've done that to some of my Telecasters. In that case, there is no warranty. The only wiring easier than Telecaster wiring is EVH one-pickup, volume-only wiring. You can do it, ask Seymour Duncan how, but taking it to the repair shop is easier.
• I'm curious about your rig and your environment. There are things that can make a single-coil pickup make horrible unmusical noises, such as bad grounding in the house/venue and neon lights in the area.

There is enough that it could be, and most of it having the same answer, that I'll just repeat that answer: ask a guitar repair professional who can inspect and test and deal with all the variables. We can't see, hear and touch your instrument, when if we could, most answers would end with "take it to a repair shop" anyway.

Answer 2

Just remembered this post! It was a very simple problem - just needed to clean out the switch hahaha

Answer 3

My first move would be to spray switch cleaner into the 3-way switch, and both pots, and the socket. Probably taking off the plate to do this. That may reveal a loose wire, or a badly soldered joint. Move the switch and rotate the pots.

If it's a new guitar, as Dave says, it goes back to the seller.