TinkercasterParts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck pickupSource: Seymour Duncan single-coil-sized humbucker (neck) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Middle pickupSource: Seymour Duncan single-coil-sized humbucker (middle) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge pickupSource: Seymour Duncan single-coil-sized humbucker (bridge) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| 5-Way SwitchSource: 5-way switch | — | Oak Grigsby 5-WayExample part |
| Volume 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| Tone 250k | 250k | CTS 250k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 µF tone capSource: .047 cap | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample part |
| Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
| Ground wire to 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
- On each pickup, the red and white leads are soldered together and taped off.
- Green & bare wires from all pickups get soldered here: the upper solder spot on the volume casing, which also takes the ground wire to the bridge.
- The neck, middle and bridge black leads go to three lugs in one row of the switch; that row's common runs across to a lug on the other side, where it is soldered, and on to the volume's input lug.
- The source does not number the switch tags or positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (bridge, bridge + middle, middle, middle + neck, neck).
- The volume's right lug is bent onto the casing under the lower solder spot, which is wired to the jack sleeve.
- A wire from the volume's input lug runs to the tone's left lug (tone drawn with lugs up); the tone middle lug takes the .047 cap to the tone casing, and the tone casing is linked to the volume casing.
- Legend: the grey Solder spot marks the location for ground (earth) connections. Jack: 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.
| # | From | To | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neck green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 2 | Neck bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 3 | Middle green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 4 | Middle bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 5 | Bridge green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen |
| 6 | Bridge bare | Volume casing | To a pot casingbare |
| 7 | Ground wire to bridge | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack |
| 8 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the lower solder spot. | To a pot casing |
| 9 | Volume casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack |
| 10 | .047 cap | Tone casing | To a pot casing |
| 11 | Tone casing | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack |
| 12 | Bridge black | Switch wired row, third lug | Wireblack |
| 13 | Middle black | Switch wired row, second lug | Wireblack |
| 14 | Neck black | Switch wired row, top lug | Wireblack |
| 15 | Switch common (wired row, bottom lug) | Switch opposite row, top lugSoldered at that lug on its way to the volume. | Wireblack |
| 16 | Switch opposite row, top lug | Volume input lug | Wireblack |
| 17 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
| 18 | Middle red | Middle whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
| 19 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred |
| 20 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack |
| 21 | Volume input lug | Tone left lug | Wireblack |
| 22 | Tone middle lug | .047 cap | Wire |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge | — | Bridge pickup (both coils). |
| Bridge + middle | — | Middle pickup (both coils) and Bridge pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Middle | — | Middle pickup (both coils). |
| Middle + neck | — | Neck pickup (both coils) and Middle pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Neck | — | Neck 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 switch position, the meter across the jack should read the selected pickup, or two in parallel in positions 2 and 4.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short.
- Each taped red–white joint should read open to ground.
- Turning the tone down should load the selected pickup through the .047 µF capacitor.
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.