adam79
Tele-Meister
I'm wiring two HBs, 3 way lever switch, 1 volume and 1 tone. I found two different wiring diagrams and I'm wondering what the difference is between them.
HH Wiring
bgmacaw
Doctor of Teleocity
It looks like the difference is in the switch. The one on the left has what looks like a PCB board switch while the one on the right has a traditional 3 way that requires a jumper wire. The grounding paths are also drawn differently as are the positioning of the pots (facing vs not facing).
I just recently wired up a couple HH setups like this for my recent builds. One thing to watch out for is accidentally getting your wiring reversed and hooking up things backwards.
I just recently wired up a couple HH setups like this for my recent builds. One thing to watch out for is accidentally getting your wiring reversed and hooking up things backwards.
LutherBurger
Poster Extraordinaire
The first drawing has the switch's common lugs connected to the volume pot, and the second has them connected to the pickups.
The tone pot is also wired differently in the two drawings.
They're just different ways to achieve the same goals. If you're new to this, the second diagram will be easier to follow.
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adam79
Tele-Meister
I didn't have the 2nd, Tele, diagram when I did the wiring. It was my first time doing it and I screwed up somewhere along the way.. The neck works fine, but the middle and down positions of the switch do the same thing, and the tone pot doesn't work. I think that both positions have both pups going. I'm gonna take a look inside soon.
bigben55
Friend of Leo's
I've wired a bunch of guitars using the Seymour Duncan diagrams. I'd use that one. That said, I'd look into 50s wiring. It's just what lugs on the pots are used for the tone cap. I also use a Kinman style treble bleed, which just goes on the vol pot lugs
adam79
Tele-Meister
That's interesting, cuz neither of the diagrams I posted have the cap linked to the volume pot.. it goes to a different lug on the tone in each and then to ground. I'm unfamiliar with what results from wiring it with any of those 5 options.
There is no functional difference in those two diagrams. None.
Also, when wiring the tone circuit, it doesn't matter which order the pieces are in. Cap to pot to ground, or pot to cap to ground. And it doesn't matter which of the two tone pot lugs is used for the cap.
That article of Dirk's is extremely misleading. It implies there's a thing called 60s wiring, and that it's different from what he calls 'modern'. They're functionally identical. It's like focusing on whether someone taught you to tie shoes by going right over left, or left over right. It doesn't matter!
Also, you seem to have misinterpreted his diagram of 50s wiring. It's not about the tone cap. It's all about which VOLUME pot lug the tone circuit connects to. Normally it's the volume input, so the unaffected signal bleeds off any treble before it gets to the volume pot. With 50s, the entire signal goes through the volume pot, and the output is fed to the tone circuit, where treble is bled off. (No, I'm not talking about treble bleed circuits LOL).
Maybe this will help. In the two grids below, the top one shows standard wiring, and the bottom 50s. There is zero difference between any of the four diagrams in each grid. And between the two grids, the ONLY difference is in the red circle near the bottom. The wire is moved from volume input, to output.
Again, no difference, as you see below. The outermost (let's call it lug #3) of the volume pot is always grounded - it's the only way the pot works. Grounding the cap there is just convenience. It doesn't matter where a ground connects, as long as all grounds are ultimately connected.
Also, when wiring the tone circuit, it doesn't matter which order the pieces are in. Cap to pot to ground, or pot to cap to ground. And it doesn't matter which of the two tone pot lugs is used for the cap.
That article of Dirk's is extremely misleading. It implies there's a thing called 60s wiring, and that it's different from what he calls 'modern'. They're functionally identical. It's like focusing on whether someone taught you to tie shoes by going right over left, or left over right. It doesn't matter!
Also, you seem to have misinterpreted his diagram of 50s wiring. It's not about the tone cap. It's all about which VOLUME pot lug the tone circuit connects to. Normally it's the volume input, so the unaffected signal bleeds off any treble before it gets to the volume pot. With 50s, the entire signal goes through the volume pot, and the output is fed to the tone circuit, where treble is bled off. (No, I'm not talking about treble bleed circuits LOL).
Maybe this will help. In the two grids below, the top one shows standard wiring, and the bottom 50s. There is zero difference between any of the four diagrams in each grid. And between the two grids, the ONLY difference is in the red circle near the bottom. The wire is moved from volume input, to output.
Again, no difference, as you see below. The outermost (let's call it lug #3) of the volume pot is always grounded - it's the only way the pot works. Grounding the cap there is just convenience. It doesn't matter where a ground connects, as long as all grounds are ultimately connected.
LutherBurger
Poster Extraordinaire
The second diagram is laid out better and is easier to understand than the first, so if you can cleanly pull everything apart and start over, I recommend using it.
But if you want to simply get it working without tearing everything down first, post a photo of your pots and switch, and the folks here will be able to tell you exactly what needs to be done. Good luck.
