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 Coil Split 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
- The source says the push/pull coil split switch splits both pickups.
- Each pickup's red and white leads are soldered together onto one middle lug of the switch, not taped off: bridge on the left column, neck on the right.
- The two bottom switch lugs (nearest the pot) are jumpered together and wired to the volume casing; the top row stays empty.
- Both pickups' green and bare leads, the toggle's frame lug, the bridge ground wire 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 coil splitting explained
A humbucker has two coils. See how a switch lets you use just one of them.
- 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 | Volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Neck bare shield | Volume casingDrawn grey beside the green. | 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 | Split switch 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 | Neck black | Toggle neck lug | Wireblack | |
| 11 | Bridge black | Toggle bridge lug | Wireblack | |
| 12 | Toggle middle lug | Volume left lug (input) | Wireblack | |
| 13 | Neck red | Split switch right middle lug | Wirered | |
| 14 | Neck white | Split switch right middle lugShares the lug with the neck red. | Wirewhite | |
| 15 | Bridge red | Split switch left middle lug | Wirered | |
| 16 | Bridge white | Split switch left middle lugShares the lug with the bridge red. | Wirewhite | |
| 17 | Split switch right bottom lug | Split switch left bottom lugShort jumper along the bottom row. | Wireblack | |
| 18 | Volume middle lug | Jack tip | Wireblack |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck, knob down: full humbucker | — | Neck Pickup (both coils). |
| Both, knob down: both humbuckers | — | Neck Pickup (both coils) and Bridge Pickup (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge, knob down: full humbucker | — | Bridge Pickup (both coils). |
| Neck, knob pulled: single coil | The split switch splits both pickups. | Neck Pickup (split to one coil). |
| Both, knob pulled: both split | The split switch splits both pickups. | Neck Pickup (split to one coil) and Bridge Pickup (split to one coil) in parallel. |
| Bridge, knob pulled: single coil | The split switch splits both pickups. | Bridge Pickup (split to one coil). |
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 splits; 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
- Knob down: in each toggle position the meter across the jack reads the selected humbucker, or both in parallel in the middle.
- Knob up: each reading drops to roughly one coil's resistance.
- 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.