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 (unlabelled) | — | Switchcraft 3-Way ToggleExample part |
| Volume 500k push/pullSource: Volume 500k push/pull Phase Switch | 500k | 500k Push-Pull DPDTExample 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.
- Only the neck pickup goes through the push/pull switch: its black lead goes to one middle lug and its green lead to the other middle lug.
- Two jumpers cross inside the switch: each top lug is wired to the bottom lug of the other column.
- The lower left switch lug goes to the volume casing; the upper left lug goes to the toggle's neck lug.
- The bridge ground wire, both pickups' bare leads, the bridge green and the jack sleeve all end on the volume casing.
- 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.
- Seymour Duncan phase reversal explained
See what swapping two pickup wires changes when you play two pickups together.
- Reading Seymour Duncan push/pull switch diagrams
Turning the knob and pulling it do different jobs. See the actual part, then try its switch connections.
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 | Push/pull right middle lug | Wiregreen | |
| 2 | Neck bare shield | Volume casingDrawn grey. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 3 | Bridge green | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 4 | Bridge bare shield | Volume casingDrawn grey beside the green. | Shield or groundbare | |
| 5 | Push/pull left bottom lug | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 6 | Toggle side lug | Volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 7 | Volume right lug | Volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 8 | Volume casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 9 | Bridge ground wire | Volume casing | Wireblack | |
| 10 | Bridge black | Toggle bridge lug | Wireblack | |
| 11 | Push/pull left top lug | Toggle neck lug | Wireblack | |
| 12 | Toggle middle lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 13 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 14 | Neck black | Push/pull left middle lug | Wireblack | |
| 15 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 16 | Push/pull right bottom lug | Push/pull left top lugDiagonal jumper across the switch. | Wireblack | |
| 17 | Push/pull right top lug | Push/pull left bottom lugDiagonal jumper across the switch. | Wireblack | |
| 18 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck, knob down | Neck pickup, normal phase. | Neck Pickup (both coils). |
| Both, knob down: in phase | Neck and bridge together, in phase. | Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge, knob down | Bridge pickup. | Bridge Pickup (both coils). |
| Neck, knob pulled: neck reversed | The neck's leads are swapped; on its own it sounds the same as knob down. | Neck Pickup (both coils). |
| Both, knob pulled: out of phase | Neck reversed against the bridge: the phase switch. | Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge, knob pulled | The bridge does not pass through the push/pull. | 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 source does not say which knob position reverses the phase; this follows the usual push/pull behaviour (pulled joins the middle lugs to the lugs nearest the pot).
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, with the knob up or down.
- Knob pulled: the neck green lead should read continuity to the toggle's neck lug and the neck black lead to ground.
- 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.