TinkercasterParts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck pickupSource: Everything Axe neck pickup | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Middle pickupSource: Everything Axe middle pickup | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge pickupSource: Everything Axe bridge pickup | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| 5-Way SwitchSource: 5-way switch | — | Oak Grigsby 5-WayExample part |
| Volume 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
| Ground wire to bridge | — | Bridge ground wireGeneric |
| Tone 250k (A)Source: Tone 250k (upper, labelled A here) | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Tone 250k (B)Source: Tone 250k (lower, labelled B here) | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 µF tone capSource: .047 cap | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample 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
- Neck and bridge pickups: red & white soldered together and taped off.
- Green & bare wires from all pickups get soldered here: the upper solder spot on the volume casing, which also takes the ground wire to the bridge.
- For middle pickup, green, bare and WHITE must be soldered here (the same upper solder spot). The middle pickup's black and red ('middle black & red') both go to the switch.
- The bridge black, middle black & red and neck black go to three lugs in one row of the switch; that row's common runs across to a lug on the other row, where it is soldered, and on to the volume's input lug.
- Two more lugs on the switch's other row are wired to the tones: the third lug to tone A's middle lug, the bottom lug to tone B's first lug (with the lug mapping used, tone A works in positions 2 to 4 and tone B in positions 4 and 5). Tone B's middle lug is wired to tone A's lug that carries the .047 cap; the cap's other leg goes to the solder spot on tone A's casing.
- The two tone casings are wired together, and tone A's solder spot is wired to the volume's lower solder spot.
- The source does not number the switch tags or positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (bridge, bridge + middle, middle, middle + neck, neck).
- The volume's outer lug is bent onto the casing under the lower solder spot, which is wired to the jack sleeve.
- Legend: the grey Solder spot marks the location for ground (earth) connections. Jack: Tip (hot output); Sleeve (ground), the inner, circular portion of the jack.
Understand this wiring
- Seymour Duncan humbucker wire colors
See the pickup, recognise its two halves, and learn where each coloured wire goes.
Connections
In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path.
| # | From | To | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 2 | Neck bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 3 | Middle green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 4 | Middle bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 5 | Bridge green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 6 | Bridge bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 7 | Ground wire to bridge | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack |
| 8 | Volume bottom lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the lower solder spot. | To a pot casing |
| 9 | Volume casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack |
| 10 | Middle white | Volume casingDrawn with the middle green and bare into the upper solder spot. | To a pot casingwhite |
| 11 | .047 cap | Tone A casing | To a pot casing |
| 12 | Tone A casing | Tone B casing | To a pot casingblack |
| 13 | Tone A casing | Volume casing (lower solder spot) | To a pot casingblack |
| 14 | Bridge black | Switch wired row, top lug | Wireblack |
| 15 | Middle black | Switch wired row, second lugRuns beside the middle red ('middle black & red'). | Wireblack |
| 16 | Neck black | Switch wired row, third lug | Wireblack |
| 17 | Switch common (wired row, bottom lug) | Switch opposite row, top lugSoldered at that lug on its way to the volume. | Wireblack |
| 18 | Switch opposite row, top lug | Volume input lug | Wireblack |
| 19 | Middle red | Switch wired row, second lugRuns beside the middle black ('middle black & red'). | Wirered |
| 20 | Switch opposite row, third lug | Tone A middle lugHops over the tone B wire. | Wireblack |
| 21 | Switch opposite row, bottom lug | Tone B first lug | Wireblack |
| 22 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
| 23 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
| 24 | Volume middle lug | Jack tipHops over the tone-ground and sleeve wires. | Wireblack |
| 25 | Tone B middle lug | Tone A cap lug | Wireblack |
| 26 | Tone A cap lug | .047 capDrawn as one line with the tone B wire; hops over the tone-casing link. | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge | No tone (neither tone lug is connected). | Bridge pickup (both coils). |
| Bridge + middle | Tone A. | Middle pickup (coils in parallel) and Bridge pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Middle | Tone A. | Middle pickup (coils in parallel). |
| Middle + neck | Tone A and tone B. | Neck pickup (both coils) and Middle pickup (coils in parallel) in parallel. |
| Neck | Tone B. | Neck pickup (both coils). |
Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.
- Tone reading is topology-only: with the mapping used, tone A should load positions 2 to 4 and tone B positions 4 and 5, with no tone in position 1; the engine does not report tone B in position 5 (it names only tone A in positions 2 to 4).
- Hum cancelling and phase describe the generic pickup models, not a measurement of the Everything Axe 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
- In each switch position, the meter across the jack should read the selected pickup, or two in parallel in positions 2 and 4.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.
- The neck and bridge taped red–white joints should read open to ground.
- In position 1 neither tone should affect the output; if one does, check which lugs of the switch's second row carry the tone wires.
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.