Tinkercaster
Parts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck Tele stackSource: Seymour Duncan neck Tele stack (drawn as a Tele neck cover) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge Tele stackSource: Seymour Duncan bridge Tele stack (drawn as a Tele bridge pickup) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)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 |
| 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
- 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.
- Ground connections are made at the spots marked Solder. The jack sleeve (ground) is the inner, circular portion of the jack; the tip is the hot output.
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 green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Neck bare | Volume casing | Shield or groundbare | |
| 3 | Bridge green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 4 | Bridge bare | Volume casing | Shield or groundbare | |
| 5 | bridge ground wire | Volume casing | Shield or groundblack | |
| 6 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 7 | .047 cap | Tone casing | To a pot casing | |
| 8 | Tone casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 9 | Volume casing | Tone casingDrawn dashed in the source. | To a pot casing | |
| 10 | Neck black | Switch top-right lug (common) | Wireblack | |
| 11 | Bridge black | Switch bottom-left lug (common) | Wireblack | |
| 12 | Switch top-left lug | Switch second left lug | Jumperblack | |
| 13 | Switch second left lug | Switch third right lug | Jumperblack | |
| 14 | Switch third right lug | Switch bottom-right lug | Jumperblack | |
| 15 | Switch bottom-right lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 16 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 17 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 18 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack | |
| 19 | Volume left lug | Tone left lug | Wireblack | |
| 20 | Tone middle lug | .047 cap | Wire |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | — | Neck Tele stack (both coils). |
| Neck + bridge | — | Neck Tele stack (both coils) and Bridge Tele stack (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge | — | Bridge Tele stack (both coils). |
Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.
- Each Tele stack is simulated as a generic four-conductor humbucker; hum cancelling and phase describe that model, not a measurement of a Seymour Duncan Tele stack.
- 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.
- 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.