TinkercasterParts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck pickupSource: Neck pickup (white and black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| Middle pickupSource: Middle pickup (white and black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| Bridge pickupSource: Bridge pickup (white and black leads) | — | Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic |
| Standard 3-way lever switch | — | CRL 3-Way BladeExample part |
| Volume Pot 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Tone Pot 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| .02 capSource: .02 cap (drawn green) | 20nF | 0.02 µF Film CapacitorExample part |
| Volume Pot "blend" 250k | 250k | No-Load Blend PotExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
| Ground wire from 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
- The sheet has no switch-position legend. The lever-switch lugs are mapped by what they do (neck, both, bridge), as on the standard Tele sheet.
- The middle pickup's white goes to the middle lug of the pot labelled Volume Pot "blend" 250k. That pot's left lug goes straight to the jack Tip, and its right lug is grounded to its casing. So the middle pickup is not switched by the lever switch.
- Both the main volume's middle lug and the blend pot's left lug end on the jack Tip.
- Lead colours are drawn, not printed: the sheet prints no lead names. Each pickup is drawn with one light-grey lead and one black lead, and several signal wires are also drawn light grey. The grey pickup leads are transcribed as white. Roles are inferred by function: grey = hot (it goes to the switch or the blend), black = ground (it goes to the Solder spot).
- The middle pickup's white crosses the bridge pickup's white with no joint or hop drawn; they are transcribed as separate wires.
- The blend control is drawn and labelled as a standard three-lug volume pot. The board uses the catalog's no-load blend pot, as directed for blend controls, and wires only gang A lugs 1 to 3.
- The tone pot is drawn lugs down like the volume. Its right lug takes the signal from the volume, its middle lug the .02 cap, and its left lug is drawn empty.
- The volume and tone Solder spots are joined by a line drawn dashed.
- The 'Ground wire from bridge' ends on the volume's Solder spot.
Connections
In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path.
| # | From | To | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck black | Volume casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 2 | Middle black | Volume casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 3 | Bridge black | Volume casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 4 | Ground wire from bridge | Volume casing (Solder) | Shield or groundblack |
| 5 | Volume right lug | Volume casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 6 | .02 cap | Tone casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 7 | Tone casing (Solder) | Jack SleeveDrawn grey. | Wirewhite |
| 8 | Volume casing (Solder) | Tone casing (Solder)Drawn dashed in the source. | To a pot casing |
| 9 | Volume casing (Solder) | Blend casing (Solder)Hops over the middle white. | To a pot casingblack |
| 10 | Blend right lug | Blend casing (Solder) | To a pot casingblack |
| 11 | Neck white | Switch right row, top lug (common)Drawn grey. | Wirewhite |
| 12 | Bridge white | Switch left row, bottom lug (common)Drawn grey. | Wirewhite |
| 13 | Switch left row, top lug | Switch left row, second lug | Jumperblack |
| 14 | Switch left row, second lug | Switch right row, third lug | Jumperblack |
| 15 | Switch right row, third lug | Switch right row, bottom lug | Jumperblack |
| 16 | Switch right row, bottom lug | Volume left lug (input)Drawn with hops over the pickup ground wires. | Wireblack |
| 17 | Middle white | Blend middle lugDrawn grey; crosses the bridge white with no joint drawn. | Wirewhite |
| 18 | Volume middle lug | Jack TipDrawn grey. | Wirewhite |
| 19 | Volume left lug | Tone right lug | Wireblack |
| 20 | Tone middle lug | .02 cap | Wireblack |
| 21 | Blend left lug | Jack TipDrawn grey; hops over the middle white. | Wirewhite |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck, plus middle through the blend | — | Neck pickup and Middle pickup in parallel. |
| Neck + bridge, plus middle through the blend | — | Neck pickup and Middle pickup and Bridge pickup in parallel. |
| Bridge, plus middle through the blend | — | Middle pickup and Bridge pickup in parallel. |
Not simulated: this circuit is drawn for reference only.
- blendNoLoad: the engine does not simulate the no-load blend pot, so positions are not analysed and the board is published topology-only.
- The sheet gives no switch-position legend; the expected states follow the drawn wiring, with the middle pickup reaching the tip through the blend in every position. How much middle pickup you hear depends on the blend setting, which is not modelled.
- Pickup resistance and magnet polarity are not specified, so no numeric meter readings or hum-cancelling claims 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
- With the blend turned fully down (wiper at its grounded lug), each lever position should read the neck, both in parallel, or the bridge across the jack.
- With the main volume at zero, the volume's middle lug should read as a short to the casing.
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.