Tinkercaster
Seymour Duncan wiring

Two single-coil-sized humbuckers and a single coil, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and tone

SCH · Single coil · SCH · 5-way blade (auto-split) · One volume · One tone

Seymour Duncan sheet: single-coil-sized humbuckers in the neck and bridge and a single coil in the middle, on a 5-way blade whose second pole splits the humbucker in positions 2 and 4, with one volume, one tone and a .047 cap. The sheet prints no pot values.

Open interactive diagram ↗
Two single-coil-sized humbuckers and a single coil, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and toneTwo single-coil-sized humbuckers and a single coil, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and tone: SCH · Single coil · SCH · 5-way blade (auto-split) · One volume · One tone. Original Tinkercaster drawing with labelled terminals.Neck single-coil-sized humbuckerNeck single-coil-sized humbuckerMiddle single coilMiddle single coilBridge single-coil-sized humbuckerBridge single-coil-sized humbucker5-way bladeVolume · 250k250kOutput jackBridge groundTone · 250k250k.047 cap · 47nF47nFblackgreenwhiteredbarewhiteblackblackgreenwhiteredbareT1T2T3T4T5T6T7T8lug1lug2lug3tipsleevegroundlug1lug2lug3ab

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
Neck single-coil-sized humbuckerSource: Neck single coil sized humbucker—Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic
Middle single coil—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Bridge single-coil-sized humbuckerSource: Bridge single coil sized humbucker—Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic
5-way bladeSource: 5 way blade—Oak Grigsby 5-WayExample part
Volume250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
Output jackSource: Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge groundSource: Bridge Ground—Bridge ground wireGeneric
Tone250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
.047 cap47nFOrange 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

  • Title: 1 SINGLE COIL SIZED HUMBUCKER | 1 VOLUME 1 TONE | 5 WAY BLADE Auto-Split.
  • The neck and bridge pickups are drawn as Seymour Duncan Research boards (pads Finish, R, W, Gnd, B, G, Start); their leads leave in a cable of black, red, white, green and bare.
  • Neck, middle and bridge hot leads (neck black, middle white, bridge black) go to three lugs in one row of the blade; that row's bottom lug is the common and its white loops round under the blade to the volume's first lug.
  • On the blade's other row the top lug is empty. The bridge red & white go together to the lug next to it, a black runs from the third lug to the volume's Solder spot, and the neck red & white go together to the bottom lug; the neck pair carries the hop where the two pairs cross.
  • Neck and bridge green and bare, and the middle black, go to the Solder spot on the volume casing, which also takes the ground wire to the bridge and the wire to the jack sleeve.
  • The volume's outer lug is bent onto the casing under the Solder spot.
  • The volume's first lug is wired to the tone's outer lug; the tone's middle lug carries the .047 cap to the tone casing, and the tone Solder spot is wired to the volume's.
  • The source does not number the blade's lugs or positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (bridge, bridge + middle, middle, middle + neck, neck). The second row is mapped so that the title's auto-split holds (see the terminal mapping and limits).
  • 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.
  • The tone cap is printed '.047 cap'; no pot values are printed.

Understand this wiring

All Seymour Duncan wiring guides →

Connections

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

#FromToHow
1Neck greenVolume casing (Solder spot)Neck green to the Solder spot on the volume casing.To a pot casinggreen
2Neck bareVolume casing (Solder spot)Neck bare (drawn grey beside the green) to the Solder spot on the volume casing.Shield or groundbare
3Middle blackVolume casing (Solder spot)Middle black runs down beside the bridge pickup and back to the Solder spot on the volume casing.To a pot casingblack
4Bridge greenVolume casing (Solder spot)Bridge green to the Solder spot on the volume casing.To a pot casinggreen
5Bridge bareVolume casing (Solder spot)Bridge bare (drawn grey) to the Solder spot on the volume casing.Shield or groundbare
6Blade opposite row, third lugVolume casing (Solder spot)Black from the opposite row, third lug (between the two red/white lugs), round to the Solder spot on the volume casing; it carries a hop over the red/white pair.To a pot casingblack
7Volume third lugVolume casing (Solder spot)Volume outer lug bent onto the casing under the Solder spot.To a pot casing
8Volume casing (Solder spot)Jack SleeveBlack from the volume Solder spot to the jack Sleeve (ground).To a pot casingblack
9Bridge Ground wireVolume casing (Solder spot)Bridge Ground wire to the volume Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
10.047 capTone casing (Solder spot)Other cap leg to the tone casing under its Solder spot.To a pot casing
11Tone casing (Solder spot)Volume casing (Solder spot)Black from the tone Solder spot to the volume Solder spot; it carries a hop over the white wire to the jack.To a pot casingblack
12Neck blackBlade wired row, second lugNeck black (from the neck cable) arcs over the top of the blade to the wired row, second lug from the common.Wireblack
13Neck redBlade opposite row, bottom lugNeck red runs with its white from the neck cable, carries the hop over the bridge pair beside the volume, and lands on the opposite row, lug furthest from that row's empty end lug (bottom).Wirered
14Neck whiteBlade opposite row, bottom lugNeck white runs with its red to the same opposite-row bottom lug.Wirewhite
15Middle whiteBlade wired row, third lugMiddle white loops over the blade to the wired row, third lug from the common.Wirewhite
16Bridge blackBlade wired row, top lugBridge black (from the bridge cable) to the wired row, lug furthest from the common.Wireblack
17Bridge redBlade opposite row, second lugBridge red runs with its white from the bridge cable, passes under the neck pair at the hop, and lands on the opposite row, lug next to that row's empty end lug.Wirered
18Bridge whiteBlade opposite row, second lugBridge white runs with its red to the same opposite-row lug.Wirewhite
19Blade wired row, bottom lug (common)Volume first lug (input)White from the wired row common (bottom lug) loops round under the blade to the volume input lug.Wirewhite
20Volume middle lugJack TipWhite from the volume middle lug to the jack Tip (hot output).Wirewhite
21Volume first lug (input)Tone outer lugWire from the volume input lug to the tone lug at the end nearest the volume.Wireblack
22Tone middle lug.047 capTone middle lug to one leg of the .047 cap.Wireblack

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Position 1: bridge humbuckerBridge black on the wired row's top lug; the bridge red & white lug is bridged to nothing that is grounded.Bridge single-coil-sized humbucker (both coils).
Position 2: bridge split + middleThe floating second-pole common joins the bridge red & white lug to the grounded lug: the auto-split.Middle single coil and Bridge single-coil-sized humbucker (split to one coil) in parallel.
Position 3: middleMiddle white only; the grounded lug touches neither red & white lug.Middle single coil.
Position 4: middle + neck splitThe floating second-pole common joins the neck red & white lug to the grounded lug: the auto-split.Neck single-coil-sized humbucker (split to one coil) and Middle single coil in parallel.
Position 5: neck humbuckerNeck black only; the neck red & white lug is not grounded.Neck single-coil-sized humbucker (both coils).

Not simulated: this circuit is drawn for reference only.

  • The sheet prints no pot values; 250k stand-ins are used.
  • The blade's second-pole lugs are unlabelled and mapped by function: the reading that reproduces the 'Auto-Split' title (the lug next to that pole's empty common is live in positions 1-2, the bottom lug in positions 4-5), matching the published Strat Stack Plus/SCH five-way sheet and the lug order DiMarzio prints for its five-way (EP1104). Read the other way round (as in the blocked 1SCH_1S_1SCH_5W_1V_AS draft), the grounded lug would only meet the humbucker that is switched off, and nothing would split.
  • The second pole's common is drawn empty: it floats and only bridges its own throws, so in positions 2 and 4 it joins one humbucker's red & white to the grounded lug.
  • The single-coil-sized humbuckers are modelled by a generic four-conductor humbucker; hum cancelling and phase describe the generic models.
  • 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: tip to sleeve reads the full bridge humbucker.
  • Position 2: the bridge red & white read ground, and the reading drops to one bridge coil in parallel with the middle.
  • Position 4: the neck red & white read ground, and the reading drops to one neck coil in parallel with the middle.
  • Position 5: tip to sleeve reads the full neck humbucker.

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.