Tinkercaster
Parts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| 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 SwitchSource: 3 Way Blade | — | CRL 3-Way BladeExample part |
| Neck tone 500kSource: Neck Tone 500k | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 cap (neck)Source: .047 cap (neck tone) | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample part |
| Bridge tone 500kSource: Bridge Tone 500k | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 cap (bridge)Source: .047 cap (bridge tone) | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample part |
| Volume 500k | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample 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
- On each pickup, solder the red and white leads together and tape them off.
- Each pickup's black lead goes to a lug on its own tone pot, and that lug runs on to a common lug on the switch, so each tone only works on its own pickup.
- Each .047 cap sits between its tone's middle lug and that tone's casing.
- Three short jumpers join four switch lugs into one output, which goes to the volume's input lug; the volume's middle lug goes to the jack tip.
- The grey 'Solder' spots mark the ground (earth) connections.
- The source does not number the switch positions; the lugs are mapped by what they do (neck, both, bridge).
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 | Neck tone casingNeck green runs to the neck tone's solder spot. | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Neck bare | Neck tone casingNeck bare (drawn grey) runs with the green to the same spot. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 3 | Bridge green | Bridge tone casingBridge green runs to the bridge tone's solder spot. | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 4 | Bridge bare | Bridge tone casingBridge bare (drawn grey) runs with the green to the same spot. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 5 | Neck .047 cap | Neck tone casingThe cap's other leg goes to the neck tone's solder spot. | To a pot casingblack | |
| 6 | Bridge .047 cap | Bridge tone casingThe cap's other leg goes to the bridge tone's solder spot. | To a pot casingblack | |
| 7 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 8 | Neck tone casing | Volume casingThe wire hops one crossing wire on its way to the volume's solder spot. | To a pot casingblack | |
| 9 | Neck tone casing | Bridge tone casingStraight down between the two tone solder spots. | To a pot casingblack | |
| 10 | Bridge tone casing | Jack sleeve | To a pot casingblack | |
| 11 | Bridge ground wire | Volume casing'Bridge ground wire' ends on the volume's solder spot. | Shield or groundblack | |
| 12 | Neck tone top lug | Switch top-right lug (common)The wire loops up over the switch to its top-right lug. | Wireblack | |
| 13 | Bridge tone top lug | Switch bottom-left lug (common)The wire runs right and up to the switch's bottom-left lug. | Wireblack | |
| 14 | Switch top-left lug | Switch second left lugShort jumper between the switch's top two left lugs. | Jumperblack | |
| 15 | Switch second left lug | Switch third right lugJumper from the second left lug down to the third right lug. | Jumperblack | |
| 16 | Switch third right lug | Switch bottom-right lugJumper between the switch's bottom two right lugs. | Jumperblack | |
| 17 | Switch bottom-right lug | Volume left lug (input)The wire runs down and round to the volume's left lug. | Wireblack | |
| 18 | Neck red | Neck whiteNeck red and white end in the taped joint above the neck tone. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 19 | Neck black | Neck tone top lugNeck black runs right and down to the neck tone's top lug. | Wireblack | |
| 20 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteBridge red and white end in the taped joint above the bridge pickup. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 21 | Bridge black | Bridge tone top lugBridge black hops over the ground wire and ends on the bridge tone's top lug. | Wireblack | |
| 22 | Neck tone middle lug | Neck .047 capThe cap is drawn on the back of the neck tone. | Wireblack | |
| 23 | Bridge tone middle lug | Bridge .047 capThe cap is drawn on the back of the bridge tone. | Wireblack | |
| 24 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | Only the neck tone acts. | Neck pickup (both coils). |
| Neck + bridge | Both tones act, each on its own pickup's lead. | Neck pickup (both coils) and Bridge pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge | Only the bridge tone acts. | 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.
- The simulator reports one tone control per position; the second tone is wired the same way on the other pickup.
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.
- With the volume at zero, tip and sleeve should read as a short in every position.
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.