Tinkercaster
Parts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck humbuckerSource: Seymour Duncan Neck Pickup (humbucker) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge single coilSource: Seymour Duncan Tele 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 |
| Tone 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 capSource: .047 cap (drawn green) | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
| Ground bridge wireSource: ground brige wire (sic) | — | 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
- The neck humbucker's black lead goes to a common lug at the top of one side of the switch; the bridge single coil's white lead goes to the common at the bottom of the other side.
- Red & White wires get soldered together and taped off: the humbucker's red and white leads are joined, taped, and touch nothing else.
- The humbucker's green and bare leads, the bridge single coil's black and the ground bridge wire (labelled 'ground brige wire' on the sheet) all go to the volume's solder spot.
- Three short jumpers join four of the other lugs into one output, which runs to the volume's input lug. Two lugs stay empty.
- The source does not number the switch positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (neck, both, bridge).
- The volume and tone casings are joined by a wire drawn dashed in the source.
- Jack legend: 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. Choose Show to highlight a connection in the drawing.
| # | From | To | How | Drawing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck humbucker green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Bridge single coil black | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 3 | Ground bridge wire | Volume casing | Shield or groundblack | |
| 4 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 5 | .047 cap | Tone casing | To a pot casing | |
| 6 | Tone casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 7 | Volume casing | Tone casingDrawn dashed in the source. | To a pot casing | |
| 8 | Neck humbucker bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare | |
| 9 | Neck humbucker black | Switch top-right lug (common) | Wireblack | |
| 10 | Bridge single coil white | Switch bottom-left lug (common) | Wirewhite | |
| 11 | Switch top-left lug | Switch second left lug | Jumperblack | |
| 12 | Switch second left lug | Switch third right lug | Jumperblack | |
| 13 | Switch third right lug | Switch bottom-right lug | Jumperblack | |
| 14 | Switch bottom-right lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 15 | Neck humbucker red | Neck humbucker whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 16 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack | |
| 17 | Volume left lug | Tone left lug | Wireblack | |
| 18 | Tone middle lug | .047 cap | Wire |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | — | Neck humbucker (both coils). |
| Neck + bridge | — | Neck humbucker (both coils) and Bridge single coil in parallel. |
| Bridge | — | Bridge single coil. |
Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.
- Hum cancelling and phase describe the generic pickup models, not a measurement of any specific Seymour Duncan model.
- 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 blade position, the meter across the jack should read the selected pickup, or both in parallel in the middle.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.
- The taped red–white joint should read open to ground.
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.