Soldering LP Style Toggle Switch

PDC

PDC

Well-known member
Soldering is by far my weakest skill. Sometimes I luck out swapping pickups in my single hum / single vol guitars and they sound great - sometimes they buzz and hum and cause me to rip everything out and start from scratch.

Bridge Humbucker - Neck Lil’ Humbucker - single volume - LP style 3-way toggle. I’ve gotten it to work once. And I’ve F’d it up royally more than once. What goes where? (Both pickups are 4-conductor as opposed to braided - which is a bit more self explanatory)

I welcome anyone’s thoughts, advice, guidance - Short of give up and take it to a legit repair shop… I‘ve got that option figured out as a last resort.

Thank you.
 
Thank You! I think I’ve got this figured out. Hot from each pickup goes to one of the ‘input’ tabs on the switch - output tab goes to end lug on Volume just like with a single hum / single volume / no tone (EVH) schematic.

I got a but confused because ‘most’ online schematics for 3-way toggle switches are for LP style guitars - 2 volumes & 2 tones. And they have the hot tab of the switch connected to the hot tab of the input jack. For the life of me, I could not sort that out in my head when using a single volume with no tone controls.

But here’s my question now - do I still ground both pickups to the back of the volume pot? Or do I solder my pickup grounds to the ground lug of the 3-way toggle switch, then send a lead from the ground lug of the switch over to the volume pot?
 
PDC said:
Thank You! I think I’ve got this figured out. Hot from each pickup goes to one of the ‘input’ tabs on the switch - output tab goes to end lug on Volume just like with a single hum / single volume / no tone (EVH) schematic.

I got a but confused because ‘most’ online schematics for 3-way toggle switches are for LP style guitars - 2 volumes & 2 tones. And they have the hot tab of the switch connected to the hot tab of the input jack. For the life of me, I could not sort that out in my head when using a single volume with no tone controls.

But here’s my question now - do I still ground both pickups to the back of the volume pot? Or do I solder my pickup grounds to the ground lug of the 3-way toggle switch, then send a lead from the ground lug of the switch over to the volume pot?
Click to expand...
to the back of the pot ....
 
Here's how to properly hold your soldering iron.

stockphotofail.jpg
 
GOHOINC said:
Not sure what you mean in terms of what goes where...

Do you mean what order in the signal path the components sit? Or specifically what lugs to put what wires on the components?

Bad soldering can still work, but bad wiring will generally not...

Unless you are doing something custom, try the wiring diagrams on seymour duncans website... https://www.seymourduncan.com/resources/pickup/wiring-diagrams
Click to expand...
Didn't even realize this little thing existed. Makes life so much easier. Thanks for posting that link!
 
GOHOINC said:
You want the 2 hum, 1 volume 3 way toggle diagram based on your description. The lil humbucker is still a humbucker, just smaller... Same wiring.
Click to expand...

If the OP is still looking, here is SD's illustration from the earlier link:
NOTE: the insulation colors (and thus start/finish) is for SD humbuckers. Other pickups may differ.

2H_3G_1V.jpg
 
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