# Three Live Wire active singles, five-way blade, volume and two tones Canonical page: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/seymour-duncan/three-live-wire-singles-five-way-volume-two-tones 3 Live Wire actives · 5-way blade · 100k volume · Two 100k tones (neck, middle; shared .022) · Stereo jack · Two 9 V batteries Three Seymour Duncan Live Wire active single coils on a five-way blade into a 100k master volume and two 100k tones (middle and neck) that share one .022 cap through the second pole of the blade. Two 9-volt batteries in series feed the joined red pickup leads, and the stereo jack's ring switches the battery negative. Drawing: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/seymour-duncan/three-live-wire-singles-five-way-volume-two-tones.svg (back of controls) ## Parts and values - Neck Live Wire: Neck Live Wire; compatible example (Live Wire Active Single Coil) - Middle Live Wire: Middle Live Wire; compatible example (Live Wire Active Single Coil) - Bridge Live Wire: Bridge Live Wire; compatible example (Live Wire Active Single Coil) - 5-way blade: 5 Way Blade; compatible example (Oak Grigsby 5-Way) - Master volume 100k: Master volume 100k; 100k; generic (100K Pot) - Output jack (stereo): OUTPUT JACK(stereo); compatible example (Switchcraft \#12B) - Battery 1 clip: 9-Volt Battery (left); compatible example (9V Battery Clip) - Battery 2 clip: 9-Volt Battery (right); compatible example (9V Battery Clip) - Tone 100k (upper): Tone 100k (upper); 100k; generic (100K Pot) - Tone 100k (lower): Tone 100k (lower); 100k; generic (100K Pot) - .022 cap: .022 cap; 22nF; compatible example (Orange Drop .022µF) ## Specific to this wiring - Source heading: 'This wiring works for all Live Wires HSS sets'. The drawing shows three single-coil Live Wires, and the board follows the drawing. - Source note at the volume casing: 'Bare wires from ALL pickups get soldered here'. - Source note at the red splice: 'All red pickup wires join here'. The red lead of the right-hand battery clip (labelled 'Red') also runs into this splice. - The two 9-volt batteries are drawn in series: the left clip's red lead and the right clip's black lead meet at a sleeved joint between the batteries. - Jack labels on the source: 'Tip (hot output)', 'Sleeve (ground). The inner, circular portion of the jack', 'Ring (battery ground)', 'OUTPUT JACK(stereo)'. - The blade lugs are not numbered on the source. The pickup-side row is mapped by the labelled whites (bridge top, middle second, neck third, common at the bottom). The black jumper from that common lands on the top lug of the second row, which is mapped to the second pole's common (T8). - The source does not say which pickup each tone controls. With the second row's common at its top lug, position 1 sits at the same end of both rows because both wipers ride one carriage, so from that common the lugs run bridge contact (T7, second lug, empty), middle contact (T5, third lug, lower tone) and neck contact (T6, bottom lug, upper tone). So the lower tone follows the middle pickup (positions 2 to 4) and the upper tone the neck pickup (positions 4 and 5); the lug map is by function, not printed. - The .022 cap sits on the upper tone's third lug; the lower tone's middle lug is jumpered to that same lug, so the two tones share the cap. - The sheet prints 100k for the pots and gives no taper. ## Connections 1. Neck Live Wire bare lead → Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) (case, bare) 2. Middle Live Wire bare lead → Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) (case, bare) 3. Bridge Live Wire bare lead → Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) (case, bare) 4. Master volume 100k third lug → Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) (case): Lug bent up onto the casing. 5. Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) → Output jack (stereo) Sleeve (ground) (case, black) 6. .022 cap leg B → Tone 100k (upper) casing (Solder spot) (case, black) 7. Tone 100k (upper) casing (Solder spot) → Tone 100k (lower) casing (Solder spot) (case, black) 8. Tone 100k (upper) casing (Solder spot) → Master volume 100k casing (Solder spot) (case, black) 9. Neck Live Wire white lead → 5-way blade pickup-side row, third lug from top (neck) (wire, white) 10. Middle Live Wire white lead → 5-way blade pickup-side row, second lug from top (middle) (wire, white) 11. Bridge Live Wire white lead → 5-way blade pickup-side row, top lug (bridge) (wire, white) 12. 5-way blade pickup-side row, bottom lug (common) → 5-way blade second row, top lug (common) (wire, black) 13. 5-way blade second row, top lug (common) → Master volume 100k input lug (wire, black) 14. 5-way blade second row, third lug → Tone 100k (lower) first lug (left) (wire, black) 15. 5-way blade second row, bottom lug → Tone 100k (upper) middle lug (wire, black) 16. Neck Live Wire red lead → Battery 2 clip red lead (wire, red) 17. Middle Live Wire red lead → Battery 2 clip red lead (wire, red) 18. Bridge Live Wire red lead → Battery 2 clip red lead (wire, red) 19. Master volume 100k middle lug → Output jack (stereo) Tip (hot output) (wire, black) 20. Battery 1 clip black lead → Output jack (stereo) Ring (battery ground) (wire, black) 21. Battery 1 clip red lead → Battery 2 clip black lead (wire, red): Joined inside a drawn sleeve between the two batteries. 22. Tone 100k (upper) third lug (lower right, cap lug) → .022 cap leg A (wire, black) 23. Tone 100k (lower) middle lug → Tone 100k (upper) third lug (lower right, cap lug) (wire, black) ## What each position does - Bridge: No pickup reaches the output. Source: Positions are not printed on the sheet; derived from the standard five-way contact table. Active pickups: wiring topology only. No tone on the signal (second-pole map by function). - Bridge + middle: No pickup reaches the output. Source: Positions are not printed on the sheet; derived from the standard five-way contact table. Active pickups: wiring topology only. Lower (middle) tone on the signal (second-pole map by function). - Middle: No pickup reaches the output. Source: Positions are not printed on the sheet; derived from the standard five-way contact table. Active pickups: wiring topology only. Lower (middle) tone on the signal (second-pole map by function). - Middle + neck: No pickup reaches the output. Source: Positions are not printed on the sheet; derived from the standard five-way contact table. Active pickups: wiring topology only. Both tones on the signal (second-pole map by function). - Neck: No pickup reaches the output. Source: Positions are not printed on the sheet; derived from the standard five-way contact table. Active pickups: wiring topology only. Upper (neck) tone on the signal (second-pole map by function). - Active Live Wire pickups and their battery supply are not simulated (engine limit: active); the board is wiring topology only. - The sheet prints 100k with no taper; the audio taper of the catalog part is an assumption. - Which pickup each tone follows depends on the second-pole lug map made by function; the sheet does not state it. ## Check before plugging in - With no plug in the jack, the battery negative should read open to ground; with a stereo plug inserted, the ring should connect it to the sleeve. - The joined red leads should read the battery positive (the two batteries in series) against ground with a plug inserted. ## Source Tinkercaster's own drawing of the Seymour Duncan diagram 3aS\_5W\_1V\_2T, revision 1. Not the manufacturer's artwork and not endorsed by Seymour Duncan. See also [all wiring diagrams]().