Tinkercaster
Parts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck pickupSource: Seymour Duncan Neck Pickup (humbucker) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge pickupSource: Seymour Duncan bridge single coil (white and black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| 3-Way Switch | — | CRL 3-Way BladeExample part |
| Neck Volume 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Bridge Volume 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
| Bridge GroundSource: bridge ground wire | — | 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 the neck volume's input lug; its green and bare leads go to the neck volume's solder spot.
- Red & White wires get soldered together and taped off: the humbucker's red and white leads are joined, taped, and touch nothing else.
- The bridge single coil's white lead goes to the bridge volume's input lug and its black lead to the bridge volume's solder spot.
- Each volume's middle lug goes to a common lug on the switch: neck volume to the top-right lug, bridge volume to the bottom-left lug.
- Three short jumpers join four of the other switch lugs into one output, which runs to the jack tip. Two lugs stay empty.
- The two volume casings are joined, the bridge volume casing goes to the jack sleeve, and the bridge ground wire ends on the neck volume's solder spot.
- The source does not number the switch positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (neck, both, bridge).
- 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 | Neck volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Bridge single coil black | Bridge volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 3 | Neck volume right lug | Neck volume casing | To a pot casing | |
| 4 | Bridge volume right lug | Bridge volume casing | To a pot casing | |
| 5 | Neck volume casing | Bridge volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 6 | Bridge volume casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 7 | Bridge ground wire | Neck volume casing | Shield or groundblack | |
| 8 | Neck humbucker bare | Neck volume casing | Shield or groundbare | |
| 9 | Neck volume middle lug | Switch top-right lug (common) | Wireblack | |
| 10 | Bridge volume middle lug | Switch bottom-left lug (common) | Wireblack | |
| 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 | Jack tip | Wireblack | |
| 15 | Neck humbucker black (hot) | Neck volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 16 | Bridge single coil white | Bridge volume left lug (input) | Wirewhite | |
| 17 | Neck humbucker red | Neck humbucker whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | — | Neck pickup (both coils). |
| Neck + bridge | — | Neck pickup (both coils) and Bridge pickup in parallel. |
| Bridge | — | Bridge pickup. |
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 selected pickup's volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.
- The taped red and white joint should read open to ground and to every other lead.
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.