TinkercasterParts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck pickupSource: Neck pickup (White and Black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| Bridge pickupSource: Bridge pickup (White and Black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| 3-Way switch | — | CRL 3-Way BladeExample part |
| Volume 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Blend 250k | 250k | No-Load Blend PotExample part |
| .05 capSource: .05 cap (drawn green) | 50nF | Orange Drop .05µFExample part |
| 15k resistor | 15k | 15 kΩ ResistorExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
“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
- Source legend (3-way switch settings): 1. Bridge pickup with blend to allow neck pickup to be added. 2. Neck pickup alone (blend does nothing). 3. Neck pickup with .05 cap (very warm sound. blend does nothing).
- Lead colours are printed: the sheet labels each pickup's leads "White" and "Black". Roles are inferred by function: White = hot (it goes to the switch), Black = ground (it goes to the volume's Solder spot).
- The 15k resistor is drawn between the second and third lugs of the switch's left row.
- Beside the switch, the wires from the right row's top and second lugs and from the left row's third lug meet at one point; the wire from the top-right lug continues down to the blend. The board shows the other two soldered onto that wire.
- The switch lugs are not numbered on the sheet; they are mapped by what they do so that board positions 1-3 match the sheet's settings 1-3. The right row's third lug is drawn empty.
- The blend is drawn as a single 250k pot with three lugs, and only its left and middle lugs are wired. The sheet does not say it is a no-load pot. The board uses the catalog's no-load blend pot and wires only gang A lugs 1 and 2.
- Below the volume, the wires from the volume's left and middle lugs and the wire from the switch cross with hops: the volume's left lug goes to the blend's middle lug, the switch wire to the blend's left lug, and the volume's middle lug to the jack Tip.
- Source legend: the grey 'Solder' spot = location for ground (earth) connections.
- The volume has two Solder spots on its casing. The pickup blacks and the .05 cap go to the upper one, and the volume's right lug is bent onto the lower one.
- The volume's upper Solder spot and the blend's Solder spot are joined by a line drawn dashed.
- No bridge ground wire is drawn on this sheet.
Connections
In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path.
| # | From | To | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck Black | Volume casing (upper Solder)Hops over the switch-common wire. | To a pot casingblack |
| 2 | Bridge Black | Volume casing (upper Solder)Hops over the switch-common wire. | To a pot casingblack |
| 3 | .05 cap | Volume casing (upper Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 4 | Volume right lug | Volume casing (lower Solder)Lug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing |
| 5 | Volume casing (upper Solder) | Blend casing (Solder)Drawn dashed in the source. | To a pot casing |
| 6 | Blend casing (Solder) | Jack Sleeve | Wireblack |
| 7 | Neck White | Switch left row, second lug | Wirewhite |
| 8 | Bridge White | Switch left row, top lug | Wirewhite |
| 9 | Switch left row, second lug | 15k resistor | Wireblack |
| 10 | 15k resistor | Switch left row, third lug | Wireblack |
| 11 | Switch right row, top lug | Blend left lugCrosses the volume-lug wires with hops below the volume. | Wireblack |
| 12 | Switch right row, second lug | Top-right-lug wire (junction beside the switch) | Wireblack |
| 13 | Switch left row, third lug | Top-right-lug wire (junction beside the switch) | Wireblack |
| 14 | Switch right row, bottom lug | .05 cap | Wireblack |
| 15 | Switch left row, bottom lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack |
| 16 | Volume left lug | Blend middle lug | Wireblack |
| 17 | Volume middle lug | Jack Tip | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge, blend adds neck | Bridge pickup with blend to allow neck pickup to be added. | Bridge pickup. |
| Neck alone | Neck pickup alone (blend does nothing) | Neck pickup. |
| Neck with .05 cap | Neck pickup with .05 cap (very warm sound. blend does nothing) | No pickup reaches the output. |
Not simulated: this circuit is drawn for reference only.
- blendNoLoad: the engine does not simulate the no-load blend pot, so positions are not analysed and the board is published topology-only.
- In position 1 the neck pickup is added through the 15k resistor and the blend track. Its level depends on where the blend is set and is not modelled, so the expected state lists only the bridge pickup.
- The 15k resistor / .05 µF network in position 3 is transcribed as drawn; its filtering is not simulated.
- Pickup resistance and magnet polarity are not specified, so no numeric meter readings or hum-cancelling claims 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 2: the meter across the jack should read the neck pickup directly.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.
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.