Seymour Duncan wiring

Single-coil-sized bridge humbucker and two single coils, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and two tones

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

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

Single-coil-sized bridge humbucker and two single coils, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and two tonesSingle-coil-sized bridge humbucker and two single coils, 5-way blade with auto-split, volume and two tones: Single coil · Single coil · SCH · 5-way blade (auto-split) · One volume · Two tones. Original Tinkercaster drawing with labelled terminals.Neck single coilNeck single coilMiddle single coilMiddle single coilBridge single coil sized humbuckerBridge single coil sized humbucker5-way bladeVolume (value not printed) · 250k250kNeck tone (value not printed) · 250k250kMiddle tone (value not printed) · 250k250k.047 cap · 47nF47nFOutput jackGround wire to bridgewhiteblackwhiteblackblackgreenwhiteredbareT1T2T3T4T5T6T7T8lug1lug2lug3lug1lug2lug3lug1lug2lug3abtipsleeveground

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—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Middle single coil—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Bridge single coil sized humbucker—Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic
5-way bladeSource: 5 way blade—Oak Grigsby 5-WayExample part
Volume (value not printed)Source: Volume250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
Neck tone (value not printed)Source: Upper tone (neck)250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
Middle tone (value not printed)Source: Lower tone (middle)250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
.047 cap47nFOrange Drop .047µFExample part
Output jackSource: Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
Ground wire to bridge—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

  • Title: 1 SINGLE COIL SIZED HUMBUCKER | 2 SINGLE COILS | 1 VOLUME | 2 TONE | 5 WAY BLADE Auto-Split.
  • The bridge pickup is drawn as a Seymour Duncan Research board (pads Finish, R, W, Gnd, B, G, Start); its cable leaves from under the board and fans out beside the volume into black, red, white, green and bare.
  • Neck white, middle white and the 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 the outside of the blade to the volume's first lug.
  • On the blade's other row the top lug is empty. The bridge red and white run together to the lug next to it, and a black runs from the lug below that to the upper tone's Solder spot.
  • Bridge green and bare, and the neck and middle blacks, go to the Solder spot on the volume casing, which also takes the Ground wire to bridge and the wire to the jack sleeve.
  • The volume's third lug is bent onto the casing under the Solder spot.
  • Upper tone: a white from the blade's neck lug goes to its middle lug; its third lug carries the .047 cap to the upper tone's Solder spot; its first lug is drawn with an empty eyelet. The black from the blade's grounded lug also lands on this Solder spot.
  • Lower tone: a white from the blade's middle-pickup lug goes to its first lug; its middle lug is wired to the upper tone's third lug (the cap lug), so both tones share the one cap; its third lug is drawn with an empty eyelet. Its Solder spot is wired to the upper tone's, which is wired to the volume's.
  • On the blade's other row, the bottom lug is drawn with a solder dot but no wire leaves it.
  • 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 read from its common, the lug diagonally opposite the first row's common (see the terminal mapping).
  • Legend: Solder = location for ground (earth) connections. Jack: Tip (hot output); Sleeve (ground). The inner, circular portion of the jack.
  • The only value printed is '.047 cap'; no pot values are printed.

Connections

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

#FromToHow
1Blade opposite row, third lugUpper tone casing (Solder spot)Black from the opposite row, third lug, down past the volume to the Solder spot on the upper tone casing.To a pot casingblack
2Bridge greenVolume casing (Solder spot)Bridge green to the Solder spot on the volume casing.To a pot casinggreen
3Bridge bareVolume casing (Solder spot)Bridge bare (drawn grey) to the Solder spot on the volume casing.Shield or groundbare
4Neck blackVolume casing (Solder spot)Neck black runs down to the right of the bridge pickup and back to the volume Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
5Middle blackVolume casing (Solder spot)Middle black runs down beside the neck black and back to the volume Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
6Ground wire to bridgeVolume casing (Solder spot)Ground wire to bridge from the volume Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
7Volume third lugVolume casing (Solder spot)Volume third 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
9.047 capUpper tone casing (Solder spot)Other cap leg to the upper tone Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
10Upper tone casing (Solder spot)Volume casing (Solder spot)Black from the upper tone Solder spot to the volume Solder spot; the white to the jack carries a hop over it.To a pot casingblack
11Lower tone casing (Solder spot)Upper tone casing (Solder spot)Black from the lower tone Solder spot up to the upper tone Solder spot.To a pot casingblack
12Neck whiteBlade wired row, second lugNeck white runs down past the middle pickup and over the bridge board, then loops over the top of the blade to the wired row, second lug from the common.Wirewhite
13Middle whiteBlade wired row, third lugMiddle white runs beside the neck white and loops over the blade to the wired row, third lug from the common.Wirewhite
14Bridge blackBlade wired row, top lugBridge black leaves the bridge cable beside the volume and runs up to the wired row, lug furthest from the common.Wireblack
15Bridge redBlade opposite row, second lugBridge red runs from the bridge cable across the volume to the opposite row, lug next to that row's empty top lug.Wirered
16Bridge whiteBlade opposite row, second lugBridge white, drawn running beside the red from the cable, to the same opposite-row lug.Wirewhite
17Blade wired row, bottom lug (common)Volume first lug (input)White from the wired row common loops round below the blade to the volume's first lug.Wirewhite
18Blade wired row, second lug (neck)Upper tone middle lugWhite from the neck lug loops left round the blade and down to the upper tone's middle lug.Wirewhite
19Blade wired row, third lug (middle)Lower tone first lugWhite from the middle-pickup lug passes under the neck white's hop at the top left of the blade and runs down the outside to the lower tone's first lug.Wirewhite
20Volume middle lugJack TipWhite from the volume middle lug down to the jack Tip (hot output).Wirewhite
21Upper tone third lug.047 capUpper tone third lug to one leg of the .047 cap.Wireblack
22Lower tone middle lugUpper tone third lugWhite from the lower tone's middle lug to the upper tone's third lug, where the cap leg also lands.Wirewhite

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Position 1: bridge humbuckerBridge black on the wired row's top lug; the floating second common touches only the red & white lug, so nothing is grounded.Bridge single coil sized humbucker (both coils).
Position 2: bridge split + middleThe floating second-pole common joins the 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.Middle single coil.
Position 4: middle + neckNeck and middle whites together.Neck single coil and Middle single coil in parallel.
Position 5: neckNeck white only.Neck single coil.

Not simulated: this circuit is drawn for reference only.

  • The sheet prints no pot values; 250k stand-ins are used.
  • The blade's lugs are unlabelled and mapped by function. The second row is read from its common, the empty lug diagonally opposite the first row's common: T8, then T7 (positions 1-2), T5 (2-4), T6 (4-5).
  • The second pole's common is drawn empty: it floats and only bridges its own throws, so in position 2 it joins the bridge red & white to the grounded lug.
  • The single-coil-sized humbucker is modelled by a generic four-conductor humbucker; hum cancelling and phase describe the generic model.
  • Both tones share the one .047 cap: the lower tone's middle lug is wired to the upper tone's cap lug. The engine names only the upper (neck) tone in positions 4 and 5 and does not model the middle tone's route through the shared cap.
  • The upper tone's white lands on its middle lug and the cap on its third lug, so it works as a variable resistor between those two lugs; it is modelled as drawn.
  • 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.
  • Positions 3 to 5: the bridge humbucker is out of circuit.

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.