Tinkercaster
DiMarzio wiring

Telecaster with a rail-style bridge and a single-coil neck

Rail-style four-conductor bridge, single-coil neck · Three-way Tele switch · One volume · One tone

DiMarzio's Telecaster harness with a four-conductor rail-style bridge pickup (The Chopper T) and a Twang King single coil in the neck, on a three-way Tele switch. It uses 250K custom-taper volume and tone pots, a .022 µF capacitor and a Switchcraft two-conductor jack.

Open interactive diagram ↗
Telecaster with a rail-style bridge and a single-coil neckTelecaster with a rail-style bridge and a single-coil neck: Rail-style four-conductor bridge, single-coil neck · Three-way Tele switch · One volume · One tone. Original Tinkercaster drawing with labelled terminals.Twang King neckTwang King neckChopper T bridgeChopper T bridgeThree-way switchVolume 250K custom taper · 250k250kTone 250K custom taper · 250k250k.022µF · 22nF22nFOutput jackBridge groundwhiteblackredgreenblackwhitebareT1T2T3T4T5T6T7T8lug1lug2lug3lug1lug2lug3abtipsleeveground

Viewed from the back of the controls, as you solder them. Open the interactive diagram to zoom, move components and try the switches.

Parts and values

In the drawingValuePart
Twang King neckSource: Neck pickup, Twang King™ neck DP172 (WHITE, GRAY, BLACK)—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Chopper T bridgeSource: Bridge pickup, The Chopper T™ bridge DP384 (RED, WHITE, BLACK, GREEN, BARE)—Humbucker (four-conductor, DiMarzio colours)Generic
Three-way switchSource: Three-way switch for Tele® (EP1105)—CRL 3-Way BladeExample part
Volume 250K custom taperSource: Volume 250K custom taper pot (EP1200)250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
Tone 250K custom taperSource: Tone 250K custom taper pot (EP1200)250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
.022µFSource: .022µF capacitor (EP1022)22nFOrange Drop .022µFExample part
Output jackSource: Switchcraft® output jack, 2-conductor (EP1301)—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge groundSource: TO BRIDGE GROUND—Bridge ground wireGeneric

“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

  • The three-way switch enables bridge, bridge & neck, neck.
  • On the bridge pickup, the black and white leads are joined at one solder dot.
  • The neck pickup's gray lead goes to the volume casing with its black lead. The board draws only the white and black leads, because the stand-in single coil has no third lead.
  • The tone signal enters at the tone pot's middle lug (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.

#FromToHow
1Neck blackVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
2Bridge greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
3Bridge bare shieldVolume casingDrawn thin grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
4Volume casingVolume top lugTo a pot casingblack
5Volume top lugTone casingTo a pot casingblack
6.022 µF capacitorTone casingTo a pot casing
7Tone casingJack sleeveWireblack
8Bridge ground wireJack sleeveLabelled TO BRIDGE GROUND.Wireblack
9Neck whiteSwitch top-row first lugWirewhite
10Bridge redSwitch bottom-row fourth lugWirered
11Switch bottom-row first lugSwitch bottom-row second lugJumpergrey
12Switch bottom-row second lugSwitch top-row third lugJumpergrey
13Switch top-row third lugSwitch top-row fourth lugJumpergrey
14Switch top-row fourth lugVolume bottom lug (input)Wirelight grey
15Bridge blackBridge whiteBoth end at one solder dot with nothing else on it.Joined and insulatedblack
16Volume middle lugJack tipWiredark grey
17Volume bottom lugTone middle lugWirelavender
18Tone bottom lug.022 µF capacitorWire
19Neck grayVolume casingDrawn beside the black to the top-left casing dots; not drawn on the board because the stand-in pickup has no third lead.To a pot casinggray

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Neck—Twang King neck.
Bridge and neckThe sheet lists bridge & neck as one of the three settings.Twang King neck and Chopper T bridge (both coils) in parallel.
Bridge—Chopper T bridge (both coils).

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.
  • The rail-style bridge pickup is simulated as a generic side-by-side four-conductor humbucker; 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

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 single coil only.
  • Position 3: continuity through the bridge pickup only.
  • The joined black–white leads on the bridge pickup 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.