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Tinkercaster

Lollar Pickups wiring

Lollar Les Paul 50s wiring, 4-conductor humbuckers

Two humbuckers · Toggle · Two volumes · Two tones

Lollar's Les Paul 50s wiring for two 4-conductor humbuckers: 3-way toggle, two 500k volumes and two 500k tones with .022 µF caps on the volume wipers. Transcribed from the manufacturer wiring sheet and checked against the engine.

Viewed from the back of the controls, as you solder them.

Open interactive diagram ↗
Lollar Les Paul 50s wiring, 4-conductor humbuckersLollar Les Paul 50s wiring, 4-conductor humbuckers: Two humbuckers · Toggle · Two volumes · Two tones. Original Tinkercaster drawing with labelled terminals.Neck humbucker (4-conductor)Bridge humbucker (4-conductor)500k500k22nF500k500k22nFblackwhiteredgreenbareblackwhiteredgreenbareT1T2T3T4T5lug1lug2lug3lug1lug2lug3ablug1lug2lug3lug1lug2lug3abtipsleevegroundNeck humbucker (4-conductor)Bridge humbucker (4-conductor)Pickup selector toggleNeck volume 500kNeck tone 500kNeck tone .022uFBridge volume 500kBridge tone 500kBridge tone .022uFOutput jackBridge ground wire

Open the interactive diagram to zoom, move components and try the switches.

Parts and values

In the drawingValuePart
Neck humbucker (4-conductor)Source: Neck humbucker (4-conductor lead wire)—Lollar Imperial HumbuckerExample partSame wiring for Lollar High Wind Imperial, Lollar Low Wind Imperial, Lollar Imperial F-spaced Bridge, Lollar El Rayo
Bridge humbucker (4-conductor)Source: Bridge humbucker (4-conductor lead wire)—Lollar Imperial HumbuckerExample partSame wiring for Lollar High Wind Imperial, Lollar Low Wind Imperial, Lollar Imperial F-spaced Bridge, Lollar El Rayo
Pickup selector toggleSource: Pickup selector switch (leads 'Bridge', 'Neck', 'Ground', 'Hot')—Switchcraft 3-Way Toggle (two output tags)Example part
Neck volume 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Neck tone 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Neck tone .022uFSource: Neck tone capacitor .022uF22nFOrange Drop .022µFExample part
Bridge volume 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Bridge tone 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Bridge tone .022uFSource: Bridge tone capacitor .022uF22nFOrange Drop .022µFExample part
Output jackSource: Output jack (lugs 'Hot' and 'Ground')—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge ground wireSource: Bridge Wire to Ground—Bridge ground wireGeneric

Every pickup is the maker's own. “As specified” means the sheet names that part. “Example part” means the sheet names no model: the pickup shown is one of the maker's with the same leads, and any pot, cap or switch with the same value and lugs will do. “Generic” is a plain part such as a ground wire. “Not on the sheet; stand-in” means the sheet prints no value for that part, so the value shown is the usual one, not the maker's.

Connections

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

#FromToHow
1Neck humbucker greenNeck volume casingGreen runs down with the bare lead to the left solder dot on the neck volume.To a pot casinggreen
2Neck humbucker bareNeck volume casingShield or groundbare
3Bridge humbucker greenBridge volume casingGreen curves right with the bare lead to the left solder dot on the bridge volume.To a pot casinggreen
4Bridge humbucker bareBridge volume casingShield or groundbare
5Neck volume lug 1Neck volume casingThin line from the right lug up to the lower-right solder dot on the casing.To a pot casingblack
6Neck volume casingNeck tone lug 2On the sheet the same bare line continues from the neck volume's lug 1 to the neck tone's middle lug; drawn from the casing, the same ground node (see transformations).Wireblack
7Neck tone lug 2Neck tone casingTo a pot casingblack
8Bridge volume lug 1Bridge volume casingTo a pot casingblack
9Bridge volume casingBridge tone lug 2On the sheet the same bare line continues from the bridge volume's lug 1 to the bridge tone's middle lug; drawn from the casing, the same ground node (see transformations).Wireblack
10Bridge tone lug 2Bridge tone casingTo a pot casingblack
11Toggle lead 'Ground' (Tag 5)Neck volume casingLarge solder dot on the right of the neck volume.To a pot casingblack
12Output jack lug 'Ground'Neck volume casingRound the bottom and up the right edge to the same large solder dot.To a pot casingblack
13Bridge tone casingNeck tone casingTo a pot casingblack
14Bridge Wire to GroundNeck tone casingLarge solder dot on the neck tone.To a pot casingblack
15Toggle lead 'Neck' (Tag 1)Neck volume lug 2Wireblack
16Toggle lead 'Bridge' (Tag 2)Bridge volume lug 2Hops over the neck pickup cable without joining it.Wireblack
17Toggle Tag 3Toggle Tag 4Short bar joining the two centre tags.Wirewhite
18Toggle Tag 3Output jack lug 'Hot'Hops over both ground wires; no junctions.Wirewhite
19Neck humbucker redNeck humbucker whiteRed and white end together in one hatched (taped) tip below the cable: joined and insulated.Joined and insulatedred
20Neck humbucker blackNeck volume lug 3Black runs left and down into the neck volume's left lug (lug 3 in this back view, lugs pointing down).Wireblack
21Bridge humbucker redBridge humbucker whiteRed and white end together in one hatched (taped) tip below the cable: joined and insulated.Joined and insulatedred
22Bridge humbucker blackBridge volume lug 3Black runs down the left side and into the bridge volume's left lug (lug 3).Wireblack
23Neck volume lug 2Neck .022uF capacitorWireblack
24Neck .022uF capacitorNeck tone lug 1The tone's lugs point up on the sheet, so its left lug is lug 1.Wireblack
25Bridge volume lug 2Bridge .022uF capacitorWireblack
26Bridge .022uF capacitorBridge tone lug 1Wireblack

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Toggle 1 · neckWritten from the drawn wiring: the toggle lead labelled 'Neck' to the neck volume's middle lug, the lead labelled 'Bridge' to the bridge volume's middle lug, the two centre tags joined and run to the jack lug labelled 'Hot'; red and white joined and taped on both pickups.Neck humbucker (4-conductor) (both coils).
Toggle 2 · bothWritten from the drawn wiring: the toggle lead labelled 'Neck' to the neck volume's middle lug, the lead labelled 'Bridge' to the bridge volume's middle lug, the two centre tags joined and run to the jack lug labelled 'Hot'; red and white joined and taped on both pickups.Neck humbucker (4-conductor) (both coils) and Bridge humbucker (4-conductor) (both coils) in parallel.
Toggle 3 · bridgeWritten from the drawn wiring: the toggle lead labelled 'Neck' to the neck volume's middle lug, the lead labelled 'Bridge' to the bridge volume's middle lug, the two centre tags joined and run to the jack lug labelled 'Hot'; red and white joined and taped on both pickups.Bridge humbucker (4-conductor) (both coils).

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

  • Pot tapers are not printed on the sheet; the simulator treats the pots as linear.
  • The Lollar pickup definitions are unverified catalog entries.

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

    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.