Wiring Up Guitar Electronics 3, Organizing Wire, Connecting Volume Pots and Switch

[megatron804]

I'm using 22 gauge shielded wire...just wondering if you could solder the shielded wire and the striped wire together and then solder it to the lugs of the pots,reason why is because the wire under the shield is very thin once stripped from the rubber.

if this is done would it cancel out any noise eliminating properties that the shielded wire has?

[johnplanetz]

@megatron804 - no, you should not solder the shield to the inner wire. Use the shield as the ground return, and the inner wire as the signal. As long as the inner wire is sound (you didn't accidentally cut into it while stripping off its cover), you should be fine. Don't worry about its thinness.

[krisjingle]

so, how would i wire up two volumes, two tones , two single coil pick ups (neck and bridge.) i went to Seymour Duncan .com and followed a diagram they had , however some how the volume and tone both turn up and down the sound ......what did i do wrong ? thank you.

[johnplanetz]

@krisjingle - Sounds like a simple wiring error. Don't be disheartened- it's totally normal to make a few mistakes. Just double/triple check each wire connection against your diagram and make sure everything's where it's supposed to be. If you want some more diagrams for reference, see the wiring diagram archive at guitarelectronics . com. Also, I often suggest that it's very useful to connect everything up with alligator leads before soldering to make sure you understand the circuit.

[sUop99]

thx i just need to re connect my wire, i did something stupid on accident an 2 wires broke

[muaythai4lifelife]

Hi John, as you know on a 2 volume and 2 tone guitar you can decide to make the wiring chosing how to wire the volume controls, independent from each other or having only a master volume when the 3 way selector switch is in the middle position.

I heard the 2 ways of wiring may have different sound result, is it true or is a misconception? Thanx!

[MIKMIKOYKOY16]

where can i buy those wires? especially the wire use in connecting the input jack?

[johnplanetz]

@MIKMIKOYKOY16 - there's many online resources. Stewmac, guitarpartsresource, guitarelectronics, mojotone, allparts, tubedepot, etc. You could also go to the big electronics sites like mouser, digikey, etc, but for those you need a good understanding of what you want..

[KIDWICKED369]

on the switch how do you figure out wich lug is for wich position in a neck bridge and both type configuration?

[johnplanetz]

@KIDWICKED369 - if you're confused about how a switch works, take a multimeter and test for each switch position, which lugs are connected together. It'll become very obvious, very quickly :) If you're looking for diagrams, search for "Les Paul Switch Wiring" and you should find some resources. There's also the guitar wiring diagram archive at the guitarelectronics website.

[david99soad]

good work :) tnx also for the great tips :) I'm into soldering but with ur help, I'll have more confidence to make myself a guitar I'm working on :) BTW, after you heat the solder with the soldering iron, the solder cools, not dries XP

[zackypooofillinois]

hey i hada tone knob die out or something and i was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to get a new one. like where's a good place to get one. i tried radio shack but nothing said tone knob... lol they had resistors and such but idk what that stuff is. i'm new to this and want to know if there is some sort of technical name for a tone knob or anything like that or am i going to have to resort to the internet.

[FallenPrey33]

lmfao "through the f hole"

[TheLeftyStrat]

0:27 "You dont wanna see a jumble of spaghetti through the f-hole" HAHAH!

[mxzvt]

sorry im starting on this, ive noticed that pots and the pickup selector have various lugs, how do you know exactly which one you should conect with? thanks for the help! :)

[johnplanetz]

@mxzvt - best thing you can do is use a multimeter, in resistance mode. hold the two multimeter leads to two of the lugs, and move the pot or flip the switch. then try two other lugs, etc. map it out, and soon you'll understand what's connected to what in each switch or pot position. if you don't have a multimeter, at least buy an inexpensive one. you won't regret it!

[MitjaShi]

@johnplanetz I measured my 500k pots with a multimeter on the 200kohm setting and it showed 14.5. What does this mean? I held the negative lead to the lug which was grounded and the hot lead to the center lug.

[johnplanetz]

@MitjaShi - see my video "Potentiometers - How They Work, Disassembly and Exploration". You need to measure across the two outer lugs to get the overall pot value. if you measure from center lug to outer lug, you're seeing the resistance based on the current shaft position. Also, if you're measuring the pot in-place in the circuit, there may be interactions with the other circuit components.

[wombweasel222]

i have a gibson lespaul copy is it possible to take out 2 of the potts just leaving the volume treble and pickup selector switch and replace them with kill switches like bucketheads signature gibson

[johnplanetz]

@wombweasel222 - yes, replacing a volume pot with a switch is simple from a wiring perspective. a volume pot is ground on one side and signal on the other, with the output in the middle. Using a SPDT switch, wire it exactly the same way (ground on one side, signal on other, output in the middle). with the switch on one side, your output is tied to ground (like having the pot turned down to 0). and with the switch on the other side, you're pickup is connected directly to the output.

[klnat8]

@johnplanetz could you do a video on how to do this with two humbuckers 2 tone knobs a 5 way switch and a volume control knob? i have a 1990 jackson rhoads professional and im clueless on how to solder everthing together.

[johnplanetz]

@klnat8 - see my blog at planetz for some articles on humbucker wiring.

[BlackAngusYoung]

@wombweasel222 You may be interested to know there is a product by Shadow called a "kill-pot." It is a pot that also works as a kill switch when pushed in like a button. I have one on my strat copy and find it very cool. I guess you'd need two on a Les Paul or you could somehow make it a master volume, as I plan to do with my LP one day.

[wombweasel222]

@BlackAngusYoung ok mate thanks for the information

[thefrenchman555]

f hole bahahahaha

[easypsphacking]

When soldering to the switch, would I solder the braded shield to the top lug? In my diagram, the top lug is running to ground, so is that where the braded shield would connect?

[johnplanetz]

@easypsphacking - yes, solder the braided shield to ground.

[muddypuddlerules]

thank you. il prolly get ure diagram though. haha

[muddypuddlerules]

(i learned from trial and error) but anyways im not so sure how to soter the pickup were on the pot and to the input. any advice?? anyone?

[johnplanetz]

@muddypuddlerules - wire the pickup signal wire to the left lug of the volume pot, and wire the center pot lug to the tip of the jack. Wire the right volume pot lug to the back of the volume pot, along with the pickup ground, bridge ground and jack ground. That's it. If you need a diagram, check the guitarelectronics site (check my blog for links). Have fun!

[muddypuddlerules]

ok so i have a jackson charvel from the 80s. my friend who is a drummer had it and ATTEMPTED to wire it. im rebuilding it. it was a fiberglass coating and a goldtop finish. it was painted black. i tore it apart and im painting it white. but ive got the basic idea of what to do but just to comfirm i want to ask you. im just puting in one master volume with no switch and just from the volume pot to the pickup to the input. im not sure how to go about that. i know how to wire a strat.

[sixstringsmark]

You're so neat and organized that it makes my own wiring jobs look deplorable! Nice work however :-)

[broeder6x6]

ohh god, lots of work inside!!

not sure if i should do this.

do i have to have shielded wire?

[johnplanetz]

For short runs of wire, it's not so important. But you should try to use shielded wire for longer runs.

[bozzy168]

great video's, have been really helpful to me. where does ground wire from the switch go to?

[johnplanetz]

To a common ground point. All grounds are electrically connected, ultimately to the ground lug of the jack. For some background info, see my vid on guitar grounding. For more info, search for guitar star grounding, avoiding ground loops, etc.

[redoubt9000]

I'm having trouble wiring up my 3-way switch

It has four lugs on each side of the wafer, I can't refer to my old switch as it's a completely different one heh

I'm looking at the wiring diagrams and they show one wire, from any of the pots, and they split to connect to one lug on switchseach side. For example a wire leading from the left most lug of a volume pot, splits, and connects to the very top right lug and very bottom left lug on the switch. Is this a hot and ground wire being connected?

[johnplanetz]

If you're confused about how the switch works, I suggest you use a multimeter to test which lugs are connected together at each switch position. (To test for connection with multimeter, use resistance mode at any scale- then touch two circuit points. If they're connected you'll see 0 resistance. If not, you'll see high/infinite resistance). Write it down and make sure you understand it. Then the circuit diagrams should start to make more sense.

[iggypoprocks1337]

lol helpful but he kept saying

'now watch as i heat the pot'

L

LO

LOL

LO

L

[johnplanetz]

did i? :)

[mjdoherty4]

great stuff ! i am installing a telecaster alnico bridge pickup. it has a blue wire and yellow wire. on the blue wire there is a tab. does that get grounded to the body or the bridge ? thanks.

[johnplanetz]

Yes, if that's the wire shield, then it should be soldered to ground (like the back of a pot).

[mjdoherty4]

it just kind of loops off of the pickup and has a tab on it. so i screwed it to the body. but the rest of the blue wire continues to the controls where i soldered it to the pot. sound right?

[peake1]

Hey, i'm building my own guitar and the electronics part is confusing me atm.

I plan to have a humbucker at the bridge, single coil in the middle and a neck humbucker. I want to have one master volume and one tone control, and a simple 3 way switch.

Confused as to what kind of pots to buy, how i'd wire them, what kind of switch etc.

[johnplanetz]

Sounds like a fun project!

Look at the wiring diagrams at the guitarelectronics website. There's several diagrams for HB/SC/HB with one vol and one tone. There's many other diagrams there you can refer to for ideas.

Good luck!

[peake1]

@johnplanetz

I don't understand it :\ what is meant by north - start, north finish, bare or shield etc. I'm hopeless with electronics.

[johnplanetz]

If you want to DIY, you'll need to learn some fundamentals. You'll need to read a book or two. But learning by experimentation is really key for good understanding. I have some good beginner's book and resource recommendations in the FAQ at my blog.

Good luck!

[peake1]

The only thing i've done prior to this is a switch from a single coil to a humbucker on a strat, which I did by studying the existing wiring and working it out.

I have a guitar with the HB/SC/HB set up like the one I want on my custom, should I just wire it the same way?

[johnplanetz]

Sure, that's a fine way to get started.

[peake1]

@johnplanetz

Do I need to buy a specific type of pot?

Thanks for taking time to reply to a noob like me btw.

[johnplanetz]

You could use the same pots as in your other guitar, if you're happy with them. See my other vids on selecting and understanding pots, tapers, etc.

[artofshredding1]

hey thanks for all these helpful videos!

i'm putting two humbuckers in my guitar and need a 3-way pickup selector. All of the wiring diagrams i've seen show 3 prongs coming off the 3-way pickup selector, but the only 3-way switches i can find have 4 prongs on them. How would i go about wiring this?

[johnplanetz]

You typically just solder the two center lugs together and treat them as one. If you're in doubt, use a multimeter and experiment with the switch in the three different positions to see which lugs get connected together in each position.

-John

[artofshredding1]

@johnplanetz thanks alot!

[0xNecrox0]

Hi, um I need to replace pots for my Epiphone Les Paul... it has four pots. Where would I buy these.. and would you recommend I do this myself or should I find a professional I have no soldering experience whatsoever D:

[johnplanetz]

You'll need to balance the cost for tools (like soldering iron, pliers, etc) and energy/time to practice and learn, versus paying a guitar tech to do the work. If you think you'll do more electronics projects later, then this is a great chance to get started!

You can find pots at many online stores, like allparts, guitarfetish, guitarpartsresource, and electronics sources like mouser and digikey. And you can sometimes find them in-store at GC.

Good luck!

[HappyLarry0]

i really appreciate you vids and think they are really informative, especially the soldering tips

[HighPhoenixStudios]

hey i have a gibson sg guitar and i have to replace the 3 way switch. does it matter what switch it is?

[johnplanetz]

You don't need to get an official Gibson branded one, if that's what you mean. Those are pricey. Switchcraft makes good replacements at about half the price.  Be sure to open up the guitar to check the style of the switch. I believe SG's require a right-angle switch. For example, Switchcraft part number EP-4365-000

[PaulDavidMusic]

I'm trying to wire up a switch and I'm a little confused. It's a switchcraft LP style switch and it has 5 little prongs. I'm just wiring two pickups and it would be great if you could help me figure out the connections.

[johnplanetz]

Depends on your pickup and volume pot configuration.

Take a look at the wiring diagrams at the guitarelectronics website. Youtube won't let me post the url here, but just search for guitarelectronics diagrams, They have a bunch of diagrams - you should be able to find your configuration there. If you need more help, contact me at my blog.