Tinkercaster
Tonerider wiring

Apex HSS: two single coils and a humbucker, five-way blade, one volume and one tone

Two single coils + bridge humbucker · Five-way blade · One volume · One tone

Neck and middle single coils with a bridge four-conductor humbucker on a five-way blade, then a 500k volume and a 500k master tone with a .022 µF capacitor. The humbucker is not split in position 2: it runs in full with the middle pickup.

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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.

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Parts and values

In the drawingValuePart
Neck pickupSource: Neck single coil—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Middle pickupSource: Middle single coil—Single-coil pickup (two-conductor)Generic
Bridge humbucker—Humbucker (four-conductor, DiMarzio colours)Generic
5-way blade—Oak Grigsby 5-WayExample part
Volume 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
Tone 500k500kCTS 500k Audio PotExample part
.022µfSource: .022µf capacitor (drawn orange)22nFOrange Drop .022µFExample part
Output jack—Switchcraft #11Example part
Bridge groundSource: From Bridge Ground—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

  • Source subtitle: 1 VOL / 1 TONE / 5-WAY BLADE (NO SPLIT IN POSITION 2).
  • On the humbucker, the black and white leads are joined and taped off; the joint touches nothing else.
  • The humbucker's green and bare leads end on a small solder spot on the volume casing.
  • Each single coil is drawn with three leads: a hot (white on the neck, yellow on the middle), a black and a green. The black and green both end on the large solder spot on the volume casing. The board draws only the hot and black leads, because the stand-in single coil has no third lead.
  • The jack sleeve and the wire 'From Bridge Ground' share the lower solder spot on the volume casing.
  • The blade lugs are not numbered in the source; they are mapped by what they do (bridge, middle, neck, common). Only one side of the blade is wired.
  • The pots are drawn tilted; their lugs are named as if viewed from the back with the lugs down.

Connections

In soldering order: grounds first, then the switch, the pickups and the signal path. Choose Show to highlight a connection in the drawing.

#FromToHow
1Humbucker greenVolume casingTo a pot casinggreen
2Humbucker bareVolume casingDrawn grey beside the green.To a pot casingbare
3Neck blackVolume casingThe neck green lead ends on the same spot; not drawn on the board.To a pot casingblack
4Middle blackVolume casingThe middle green lead ends on the same spot; not drawn on the board.To a pot casingblack
5Volume third lugVolume casingShort black link.To a pot casing
6Volume casingJack sleeveWireblack
7From Bridge GroundVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
8Tone middle lug.022µf capacitorCapacitor leg drawn grey.Wire
9.022µf capacitorTone casingTo a pot casing
10Tone casingVolume casingTo a pot casingblack
11Humbucker redBlade top lug (bridge)Wirered
12Middle yellowBlade second lug (middle)Wireyellow
13Neck whiteBlade third lug (neck)Wirewhite
14Blade common lugVolume first lug (input)Wireblack
15Humbucker blackHumbucker whiteJoined and taped.Joined and insulatedblack
16Volume middle lugJack tipWirewhite
17Volume first lug (input)Tone first lugWireblack

What each position does

SettingThe sourceEngine result
Bridge humbucker—Bridge humbucker (both coils).
Bridge humbucker + middleNo split in position 2: the full humbucker runs with the middle pickup.Middle pickup and Bridge humbucker (both coils) in parallel.
Middle—Middle pickup.
Middle + neck—Neck pickup and Middle pickup in parallel.
Neck—Neck pickup.

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 the Tonerider Apex pickups.
  • Pickup resistance is not specified, so no numeric meter readings are given.
  • The single coils' green leads are not modelled; the source grounds them with the black leads.

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 blade position the meter across the jack should read the selected pickup, or the two pickups in parallel in positions 2 and 4.
  • The taped black–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.