Seymour Duncan wiring

Telecaster with two humbuckers, one volume and one tone

Two humbuckers · Three-way blade · One volume · One tone

A Tele harness for two Seymour Duncan humbuckers (or single-coil-sized humbuckers) on a three-way blade, with one 250k volume and one 250k tone with a .047 µF capacitor. The middle position runs both pickups in parallel.

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Viewed from the back of the controls, as you solder them. Select a component to move, rotate or flip it. Follow wires and try the switches in simulation mode. Use Full screen for a closer look.

Parts and values

In the drawingValuePart
Neck PickupSource: Seymour Duncan Neck Pickup—Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic
Bridge PickupSource: Seymour Duncan Bridge Pickup—Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic
3-Way Switch—CRL 3-Way BladeExample part
Volume 250k250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
Tone 250k250kCTS 250k Audio PotExample part
.047 capSource: .047 cap (drawn green)47nFOrange Drop .047µFExample part
Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge ground wireSource: 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 source says the pickups can be full humbuckers or single-coil-sized humbuckers.
  • Red & White wires get soldered together and taped off (on each pickup).
  • Each pickup's black lead goes to a common lug on the switch: the neck to the top of one side, the bridge to the bottom of the other. Three short jumpers join four other lugs into one output to the volume.
  • The source does not number the switch positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (neck, both, bridge).
  • The green and bare leads of both pickups and the bridge ground wire go to the volume casing; the volume and tone casings are joined by a wire drawn dashed.
  • Jack: Sleeve (ground), the inner, circular portion of the jack; Tip (hot output).

Connections

In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path. Choose Show to highlight a connection in the drawing.

#FromToHowDrawing
1Neck greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
2Neck bareVolume casingShield or groundbare
3Bridge greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
4Bridge bareVolume casingShield or groundbare
5bridge ground wireVolume casingShield or groundblack
6Volume right lugVolume casingLug bent onto the casing.To a pot casing
7.047 capTone casingTo a pot casing
8Tone casingJack sleeveWireblack
9Volume casingTone casingDrawn dashed in the source.To a pot casing
10Neck blackSwitch top-right lug (common)Wireblack
11Bridge blackSwitch bottom-left lug (common)Wireblack
12Switch top-left lugSwitch second left lugJumperblack
13Switch second left lugSwitch third right lugJumperblack
14Switch third right lugSwitch bottom-right lugJumperblack
15Switch bottom-right lugVolume left lug (input)Wireblack
16Neck redNeck whiteSoldered together and taped off.Joined and insulatedred
17Bridge redBridge whiteSoldered together and taped off.Joined and insulatedred
18Volume middle lugJack tipWireblack
19Volume left lugTone left lugWireblack
20Tone middle lug.047 capWire

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Neck—Neck Pickup (both coils).
Neck + bridge—Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel.
Bridge—Bridge Pickup (both coils).

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 humbucker, or both in parallel in the middle.
  • The red and white joint on each pickup should not touch ground or any lug.
  • With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.

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.