Tinkercaster
Parts and values
| In the drawing | Value | Part |
|---|---|---|
| Neck humbuckerSource: Neck Pickup (four-conductor) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| Bridge humbuckerSource: Bridge Pickup (four-conductor) | — | Humbucker (four-conductor, Seymour Duncan colours)Generic |
| 3-way toggle | — | Switchcraft 3-Way ToggleExample part |
| Bridge volumeSource: Volume 500k (left, bridge) | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample part |
| Neck volumeSource: Volume 500k (right, neck) | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample part |
| Master toneSource: Tone 500k | 500k | CTS 500k Audio PotExample part |
| .047 µF tone capSource: .047 cap | 47nF | Orange Drop .047µFExample part |
| Output jackSource: Output Jack | — | Switchcraft #11Example part |
“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 humbucker, solder the red and white leads together and tape the joint off. They must not touch ground or anything else.
- The green and bare leads of each humbucker go to that pickup's volume casing.
- The single tone sits after the toggle, on the output, so it works in every position.
- The toggle's ground lug goes to the bridge volume casing.
- The bridge ground wire goes to the tone pot casing.
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 | Bridge green | Bridge volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 2 | Bridge bare | Bridge volume casing | Shield or groundbare | |
| 3 | Bridge volume right lug | Bridge volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 4 | Neck green | Neck volume casing | To a pot casinggreen | |
| 5 | Neck bare | Neck volume casing | Shield or groundbare | |
| 6 | Neck volume right lug | Neck volume casingLug bent onto the casing. | To a pot casing | |
| 7 | Toggle ground lug | Bridge volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 8 | .047 cap | Tone casing | To a pot casing | |
| 9 | Bridge volume casing | Neck volume casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 10 | Neck volume casing | Tone casing | To a pot casingblack | |
| 11 | Tone casing | Jack sleeve | Wireblack | |
| 12 | Bridge volume middle lug | Toggle left lug | Wireblack | |
| 13 | Neck volume middle lug | Toggle right lug | Wireblack | |
| 14 | Toggle middle lug | Tone left lug | Wireblack | |
| 15 | Bridge red | Bridge whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 16 | Bridge black | Bridge volume left lug | Wireblack | |
| 17 | Neck red | Neck whiteSoldered together and taped off. | Joined and insulatedred | |
| 18 | Neck black | Neck volume left lugRuns over the top of the cavity. | Wireblack | |
| 19 | Tone left lug | Jack tip | Wireblack | |
| 20 | Tone middle lug | .047 cap | Wire | |
| 21 | Bridge ground wire | Tone casingDrawn leaving the page towards the bridge. | Wire | Not drawn |
What each position does
| Setting | The source | Engine result |
|---|---|---|
| Neck (rhythm) | Not tabulated in the source; the neck volume feeds the rhythm lug. | Neck humbucker (both coils). |
| Both | Middle toggle position joins both pickup lugs. | Neck humbucker (both coils) and Bridge humbucker (both coils) in parallel. |
| Bridge (treble) | Not tabulated in the source; the bridge volume feeds the treble lug. | Bridge humbucker (both coils). |
Checked with the Tinkercaster wiring engine against the switching the source describes.
- Pickup resistance is not specified, so no numeric meter readings are given.
- Each humbucker is assumed to be hum-cancelling as designed; the source does not state magnet polarity.
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
- Check that each red/white series joint is insulated and has no direct short to ground. Resistance to ground through a pickup coil is expected; it should not read as an open circuit.
- With both volumes up, tip to sleeve should read a pickup's resistance in the neck and bridge positions, and a lower value in the middle position.
- In this wiring, turning either volume to zero in the middle position silences both pickups.
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.