Seymour Duncan wiring

Two humbuckers with a three-way blade and one volume

Two humbuckers · Three-way blade · One volume · No tone

Neck and bridge Seymour Duncan humbuckers on a three-way blade with one 500k audio-taper volume and no tone. Each pickup's black lead goes to a switch common.

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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 Blade Switch—CRL 3-Way BladeExample part
Volume 500k audio taperSource: Volume 500k Audio Taper500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge groundSource: 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

  • On each pickup, solder the red and white leads together and tape them off.
  • Each pickup's black lead goes to a common lug on the switch; 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).

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 casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
3Bridge greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
4Bridge bareVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
5Volume right lugVolume casingLug bent onto the lower solder spot.To a pot casing
6Volume casingJack sleeveWireblack
7Bridge ground wireVolume casingShield or groundblack
8Neck blackSwitch top-right lug (common)Wireblack
9Bridge blackSwitch bottom-left lug (common)Wireblack
10Switch top-left lugSwitch second left lugJumperblack
11Switch second left lugSwitch third right lugJumperblack
12Switch third right lugSwitch bottom-right lugJumperblack
13Switch bottom-right lugVolume left lug (input)Wireblack
14Neck redNeck whiteSoldered together and taped off.Joined and insulatedred
15Bridge redBridge whiteSoldered together and taped off.Joined and insulatedred
16Volume middle lugJack tipWireblack

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 switch position, the meter across the jack should read the selected pickup, or both in parallel in the middle.
  • Each taped red–white joint should read open to ground.

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.