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

Canonical page: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/tonerider/apex-hss-five-way-blade-one-volume-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.

Drawing: https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/tonerider/apex-hss-five-way-blade-one-volume-one-tone.svg (back of controls)

## Parts and values

- Neck pickup: Neck single coil; generic (Single-coil pickup (two-conductor))
- Middle pickup: Middle single coil; generic (Single-coil pickup (two-conductor))
- Bridge humbucker: Bridge humbucker; generic (Humbucker (four-conductor, DiMarzio colours))
- 5-way blade: 5-way blade; compatible example (Oak Grigsby 5-Way)
- Volume 500k: Volume 500k; 500k; compatible example (CTS 500k Audio Pot)
- Tone 500k: Tone 500k; 500k; compatible example (CTS 500k Audio Pot)
- .022µf: .022µf capacitor (drawn orange); 22nF; compatible example (Orange Drop .022µF)
- Output jack: Output jack; compatible example (Switchcraft \#11)
- Bridge ground: From Bridge Ground; generic (Bridge ground wire)

## 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

1. Humbucker green → Volume casing (case, green)
2. Humbucker bare → Volume casing (case, bare): Drawn grey beside the green.
3. Neck black → Volume casing (case, black): The neck green lead ends on the same spot; not drawn on the board.
4. Middle black → Volume casing (case, black): The middle green lead ends on the same spot; not drawn on the board.
5. Volume third lug → Volume casing (case): Short black link.
6. Volume casing → Jack sleeve (wire, black)
7. From Bridge Ground → Volume casing (case, black)
8. Tone middle lug → .022µf capacitor (wire): Capacitor leg drawn grey.
9. .022µf capacitor → Tone casing (case)
10. Tone casing → Volume casing (case, black)
11. Humbucker red → Blade top lug (bridge) (wire, red)
12. Middle yellow → Blade second lug (middle) (wire, yellow)
13. Neck white → Blade third lug (neck) (wire, white)
14. Blade common lug → Volume first lug (input) (wire, black)
15. Humbucker black → Humbucker white (insulated, black): Joined and taped.
16. Volume middle lug → Jack tip (wire, white)
17. Volume first lug (input) → Tone first lug (wire, black)

## What each position does

- Bridge humbucker: Bridge humbucker (both coils).
- Bridge humbucker + middle: Middle pickup and Bridge humbucker (both coils) in parallel. Source: No split in position 2: the full humbucker runs with the middle pickup.
- Middle: Middle pickup.
- Middle + neck: Neck pickup and Middle pickup in parallel.
- Neck: Neck pickup.

- 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.

## 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.

## Source

Tinkercaster's own drawing of the Tonerider diagram Apex\_HSS\_1V1T\_Split\_fd98ccdd-0e85-43eb-b7fd-9063476fc1cb, revision 1. Not the manufacturer's artwork and not endorsed by Tonerider.

See also [all wiring diagrams](<https://guitarwiring.app/wiring-diagrams/index.md>).