The wiring reference

Seymour Duncan humbucker wire colors

See the pickup, recognise its two halves, and learn where each coloured wire goes.

Start here · What you are looking at

One pickup. Two coils inside.

A pickup sits under your strings. A magnet and coils of fine copper wire turn string movement into an electrical signal for your amp. This type is called a humbucker: its two coils work together to reduce electrical hum.

1 Screws you can adjust

2 Smooth metal posts

A typical humbucker with its cover removed, viewed from the strings.

1 The screw coil

The row with screw heads. There is a coil of fine wire underneath this half of the pickup.

2 The smooth-post coil

The other row has smooth metal posts, called slugs. “Slug coil” simply means the coil around that row.

What is a coil?

Lots of turns of thin copper wire, with an end at each side. Two coils give us four coloured wire ends to connect.

Why do some diagrams say “north” and “south”?

Those names describe magnetic polarity, not the top and bottom of the guitar. On the conventional Seymour Duncan humbucker shown here, north refers to the smooth-post coil and south to the screw coil. Other designs can differ. “Inner” and “outer” depend on which way the pickup is installed.

Background: Seymour Duncan’s anatomy of a humbucker.

See what changes

Follow the wires coming out of the pickup

Wire exit drawn separately for clarity. The grey sleeve covers the red/white solder joint.

Black carries the signal onward
Connect it where your complete diagram shows the pickup output. Diagrams often call this wire hot.
Join red and white
This makes the two coils work together. Cover the solder joint with heat-shrink tubing or electrical tape so it cannot touch other metal.
Green and bare go to ground
Ground is the shared electrical return, usually connected to the metal back of a volume control and the return contact on the output jack. The bare wire connects the pickup’s shielding to that ground.

These colours apply to conventional Seymour Duncan four-conductor humbuckers. Other brands can use different colours.

When you are ready to wire it

Applies to

Conventional passive, four-conductor Seymour Duncan humbuckers. Check model-specific instructions for active pickups, connectors, stacked pickups and vintage braided leads.

Match the lead to its job

The table below describes the conventional series connection. A modification can change a colored lead’s job; the bare shield still belongs to ground.

Standard series wiring · Seymour Duncan four-conductor humbucker
Lead	Coil connection	Standard connection
Black	Smooth-post coil: one end	Signal output (hot)
White	Smooth-post coil: other end	Join to red; insulate the joint
Red	Screw coil: one end	Join to white; insulate the joint
Green	Screw coil: other end	Coil return to ground
Bare	Shield	Ground; never use as a hot lead

The standard series connection

Black is the signal output. Red and white join the two coils in series. Green is the coil return; green and the bare shield connect to ground in this arrangement.

Identify the pickup model and confirm its lead code.
Join red and white, then insulate the joint so it cannot touch ground or another terminal.
Route black to the pickup’s signal destination shown in your complete diagram.
Connect green and bare to the diagram’s ground network.

Changing brands? Match functions, not colors

The source chart also includes other manufacturers. Their colors are not interchangeable with Seymour Duncan’s. The source chart’s north/south labels identify magnetic polarity, and start/finish identify coil ends. They do not mean neck/bridge. Confirm those functions using the exact pickup’s documentation before translating a circuit.

A brand name alone does not establish compatibility with every model or production revision. The bare shield is not an extra coil lead.

Changing brands? Match functions, not colors
Source chart brand	North start	North finish	South finish	South start
Seymour Duncan	Black	White	Red	Green
DiMarzio	Red	Black	White	Green
Gibson	Red	White	Green	Black
Lawrence	Red	White	Green	Black
Fender	Green	White	Black	Red
Jackson	Green	White	Red	Black
Peavey	Red	Green	White	Black

Before connecting the pickup

Keep the insulated series joint separate from the grounded shield. If you are adding coil splitting or phase switching, use the complete modification diagram instead of applying the standard series connections unchanged.

Source and interpretation

Original explanation by Tinkercaster, based on these Seymour Duncan sheets: WD_Pickup_Color_Codes. The guide describes the stated configuration; it does not establish compatibility with every pickup or switch.

Seymour Duncan’s wiring diagram library ↗

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Seymour Duncan. Refer to your exact component’s instructions when a detail differs.

See it in a complete diagram

Put it in a complete circuit

Use a complete wiring diagram to see how the pickup, controls and output connect. Our public diagrams are free to view and explore.

Browse Seymour Duncan diagrams →

Understand this wiring

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.

All Seymour Duncan wiring guides →