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 ToggleSource: 3-Way Toggle Switch | — | Switchcraft 3-Way ToggleExample part |
| Volume 500k | 500k | CTS 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.
- Option (from the source): the green and bare wires can be soldered to the back of the volume pot instead of the toggle switch if that is more convenient.
- The toggle tags are not labelled in the source, so they are mapped by what each does.
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 | Toggle frame lug | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Neck bare | Toggle frame lugDrawn grey beside the green. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 3 | Bridge green | Toggle frame lug | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 4 | Bridge bare | Toggle frame lugDrawn grey beside the green. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 5 | Toggle frame lug | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 6 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 7 | Volume casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 8 | Bridge ground wire | Volume casing | Shield or groundblack | |
| 9 | Neck black | Toggle neck lug | Wireblack | |
| 10 | Bridge black | Toggle bridge lug | Wireblack | |
| 11 | Toggle middle lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 12 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 13 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 14 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Rhythm (neck) | Neck pickup. | Neck Pickup (both coils). |
| Both | Neck and bridge together. | Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Treble (bridge) | Bridge pickup. | 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.