[wiring diagram] humbucker, single coil and 3 ways switch

chatlut

New member
Hi.


I need your help to wiring my guitar with :


1 humbucker (bridge)
1 single coil ( neck)
1 volume (no push pull)
3 way toggle switch (neck, split humbucker, bridge)

I don't know where to solder the black, red and white wires of the humbucker.
I don't know if it is possible...

Best regards.

HS wiring diagram.jpg - Click image for larger version  Name:	HS wiring diagram.jpg Views:	1 Size:	35.2 KB ID:	6188197
 
Last edited:
I'm not in front of anything I can use to draw up a schematic, but see if this makes sense.

A 3-way switch, Fender / Oak Grisby type, has two sets of four contacts. I'll call one set of four the left (Lfor short) and the other the right (R). Each set of four contacts has a common (COM) lug and three other.lugs that make contact in turn when switched between position 1 (usually the bridge pickup) and position 3 (usually the neck.

Now here's how to wire the 3-way to get what you want.

The neck single coil hot (white or yellow) goes to the P3 lug on one side of the switch. The neck ground (usually black) goes to ground in the back of your volume pot casing.

The bridge humbucker hot (black) goes to the P1 lug on the same side of the switch as the neck hot connection. Add a jumper wire so the bridge hot is also connected to the P2 lug. The bridge humbucker ground (green) and the baseplate / shield wire (bare) go to ground on the back of the volume pot. Red and white get discussed below.

Connect the Common lug on the side where all your pickup hots are connected to your volume pot "in".

Now for the humbucker middle or red and white wires. Connect both of those to the P2 lug on the other side of the switch. Connect the common lug on that side of the switch to.ground.

In P1 the bridge humbucker is connected with both coils active and in series, by virtue of the red and white being connected to each other but not to ground. The neck single coil hot is not connected.

In P2 the humbucker black is connected by virtue of the jumper, but the green, red, and white are all grounded. That leaves the south coil grounded at both ends so it is ineffective. The north coil is grounded by white being connected to ground and the black hot means it's active.

In P3 only the neck single coil is connected.

Hope this helps. 20220802_063631.jpg
 
There is a variation of this if you want the neck single coil plus one coil of the humbucker active in P2.

Connect the bridge humbucker as described above.

Connect the neck single coil hot to the common out and not to P3. The neck hot is permanently connected to the volume pot but you control the neck being on or off by switching the ground as described below.

On the side of the switch where you have the red and white connected to the P2 lug and that side's common connected to ground, add a jumper from P2 to P3 and connect the neck single coil ground to the P3 lug.

In P1 you get both humbucker coils. The neck pickup ground is disconnected so the neck is inactive.

In P2 you get the bridge north (slug) coil. Both ends of the south (srew) coil are grounded so it is inactive. The bridge hot is permanently connected, but now the neck ground is also connected, so it becomes active.

In P3 you get the neck only. The neck hot is permanently connected, so too is its ground. The bridge humbucker hot is disconnected, so neither humbucker coil is active.
 
There's another variation possible using a four way switch that gives:

P1 = Bridge full humbucker
P2= Bridge north (slug) coil
P3 = Bridge north (slug) coil plus Neck single coil
P4 = Neck single coil only.

This needs a Fender 4-way switch and has the Bridge hot permanently connected, switching the Bridge grounds to select coils. The Neck is conventionally connected this time around.
 
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