Push-Pull pot wiring a tapped neck pickup

[Stefan Eff]

Hi,


can some expert please explain how to wire a tapped neck singlecoil pickup (2 hot wires, 1 ground) to a push pull pot? I‘ve found this drawing from Don Mare but I don’t get it…sorry. Thanks for help!




* the singlecoil pickup is an overwound Tele-Neckpickup. The third wire is a tap at 6.4 kO (to achieve a less beefy tone as an option)

[Cunamara]

Those CTS pots are a little confusing to look at. Notice the bottom six terminals with 1, C1 and 2 in one column and 3, C2 and 4 in the other column. These exactly correspond to the diagram. In the diagram, the black wire is soldered to the ground, which would be the metal casing of the volume potentiometer. That might be how you're using this potentiometer, or you could use this as the tone potentiometer; the switch is electrically, isolated from the potentiometer function, so it doesn't matter; it's mainly what's more convenient for wiring and fitting everything in the control cavity. And also whether it's more convenient for you to push/pull the volume knob or the tone knob to make the switch. I would go with the tone knob, myself, because it would be farther away from my hand as I am picking and I wouldn't be as likely to bump into it when it was pulled into the out of position. If this is the tone pot, you will solder the capacitor to it exactly like in whatever wiring diagram you are using, ignoring the presence of the switch for that purpose.

in the diagram, the yellow wire is soldered to terminal 3 and the white wire is soldered to terminal 4. A wire is soldered to terminal C2 and that goes to the volume pot input lug. For what it's worth, C1 and C2 are the common terminals; the signal goes into the other terminals and comes out of the common terminal, depending on which way the switch is set. The common terminal is always "on" on one side of the switch; the other two terminals are either on or off.

Now look at the little holes on your pot which also are labeled with the same numbers. The holes correspond to the terminals below. You can solder the black wire to the metal casing of the volume potentiometer. Now, depending on what is more convenient for the layout of the wiring under the control plate, pick a "side:" 1, C1 and 2 or 3, C2 and 4. It doesn't matter which side, just be consistent. Solder the yellow wire to either hole number 1 or hole number 3; solder the white wire to hole number 2 or hole number 4. Then solder a wire from either C1 or C2 to the input lug on the volume pot.

[Stefan Eff]

Those CTS pots are a little confusing to look at. Notice the bottom six terminals with 1, C1 and 2 in one column and 3, C2 and 4 in the other column. These exactly correspond to the diagram. In the diagram, the black wire is soldered to the ground, which would be the metal casing of the volume potentiometer. That might be how you're using this potentiometer, or you could use this as the tone potentiometer; the switch is electrically, isolated from the potentiometer function, so it doesn't matter; it's mainly what's more convenient for wiring and fitting everything in the control cavity. And also whether it's more convenient for you to push/pull the volume knob or the tone knob to make the switch. I would go with the tone knob, myself, because it would be farther away from my hand as I am picking and I wouldn't be as likely to bump into it when it was pulled into the out of position. If this is the tone pot, you will solder the capacitor to it exactly like in whatever wiring diagram you are using, ignoring the presence of the switch for that purpose.

in the diagram, the yellow wire is soldered to terminal 3 and the white wire is soldered to terminal 4. A wire is soldered to terminal C2 and that goes to the volume pot input lug. For what it's worth, C1 and C2 are the common terminals; the signal goes into the other terminals and comes out of the common terminal, depending on which way the switch is set. The common terminal is always "on" on one side of the switch; the other two terminals are either on or off.

Now look at the little holes on your pot which also are labeled with the same numbers. The holes correspond to the terminals below. You can solder the black wire to the metal casing of the volume potentiometer. Now, depending on what is more convenient for the layout of the wiring under the control plate, pick a "side:" 1, C1 and 2 or 3, C2 and 4. It doesn't matter which side, just be consistent. Solder the yellow wire to either hole number 1 or hole number 3; solder the white wire to hole number 2 or hole number 4. Then solder a wire from either C1 or C2 to the input lug on the volume pot.

Hey, thanks a lot. That’s pretty informative and helpful.

If I got you right the switch of the pushpull pot doesn’t need a ground, correct? C1 or C2 can be soldered to the input lug of the volume pot OR the neck pickup lug of the three-way switch correct (telecaster wiring)?