Rail Hum-Canceling Tele with two rail pickups

Parts and values

“Example part” means any part with the same value and lugs will do; the source does not name a brand. “Generic” stands in for an unspecified pickup: check your own pickup's lead colours before you solder.

Specific to this wiring

• On the Area T neck, the black and white leads are joined; the green and gray leads go to the volume casing; the red lead goes to the switch.
• On The Chopper T bridge, the red and green leads are joined; the white and bare leads go to the volume casing; the black lead goes to the switch.
• The tone signal enters at the tone pot's middle lug (wiper) from the volume wiper; the capacitor sits on an end lug.
• The switch tags are not labelled, so they are mapped by what each does.
• The source specifies custom-taper pots. The simulator treats them as linear, so settings between the knob ends are approximate.

Connections

In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path.

What each position does

Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.

• The source's custom-taper pots are not reproduced: both pots are simulated with a linear track, so settings between the knob ends are approximate.
• Both rail pickups are simulated as generic side-by-side four-conductor humbuckers; hum cancelling and phase describe the generic pickup models, not measured DiMarzio pickups.
• Pickup resistance is not specified, so no numeric meter readings are given.

Before you solder

• Identify every lead on your pickups against the source's colours.
• On the Area T neck, the black and white leads are joined; the green and gray leads go to the volume casing; the red lead goes to the switch.
• On The Chopper T bridge, the red and green leads are joined; the white and bare leads go to the volume casing; the black lead goes to the switch.
• The tone signal enters at the tone pot's middle lug (wiper) from the volume wiper; the capacitor sits on an end lug.
• The switch tags are not labelled, so they are mapped by what each does.
• The source specifies custom-taper pots. The simulator treats them as linear, so settings between the knob ends are approximate.
• Use a small amount of solder, heat both surfaces, and hold the joint still as it cools. Lead-free solder may have a matte finish.

Ticks are kept in this browser only, as a reminder. They are not a check of your joints. New to soldering? Read the soldering cheat sheet.

Check before plugging in

• Position 1: continuity from jack tip to sleeve through the neck pickup only.
• Position 3: continuity through the bridge pickup only.
• The taped series joints on both pickups should read open to ground.

Measure across the output jack with a multimeter on its resistance range. No exact readings are given where the source does not specify the pickups.