Seymour Duncan wiring

Two humbuckers with a three-way toggle, one volume and one tone

Two humbuckers · Three-way toggle · One volume · One tone

Neck and bridge Seymour Duncan humbuckers on a three-way toggle, then one 500k volume and one 500k tone with a .047 µF capacitor. The red and white leads on each pickup are joined and taped off.

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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 ToggleSource: 3 way toggle (unlabelled)—Switchcraft 3-Way ToggleExample part
Volume 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Tone 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Output Jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
.047 capSource: .047 cap (drawn green)47nFOrange Drop .047µFExample 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.
  • The bridge ground and the jack sleeve both end on the tone casing, which is linked to the volume casing.
  • The toggle tags are not labelled in the source, so they are mapped by what each does.

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
1Bridge ground wireTone casingShield or groundblack
2Neck bare shieldVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
3Bridge bare shieldVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.Shield or groundbare
4Neck greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
5Bridge greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
6Toggle frame lugVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
7Volume right lugVolume casingLug bent onto the casing.To a pot casing
8Tone casingVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
9Tone casingJack sleeveWireblack
10.047 capTone casingTo a pot casing
11Neck blackToggle neck lugWireblack
12Bridge blackToggle bridge lugWireblack
13Toggle middle 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 left lugTone left lugWireblack
17Tone middle lug.047 capWire
18Volume middle lugJack tipWireblack

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Rhythm (neck)Neck pickup.Neck Pickup (both coils).
BothNeck 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 toggle 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.