Common Electric Guitar Wiring Diagrams

Note: each wiring diagram is shown with a treble bleed modification (a 220kΩ resistor in parallel with a 470pF cap) added to the volume pots.

ES-335 Prewired Standard Assembly

P-GMOD-6

Connect your neck pickup to the pigtail labeled "N" and your bridge pickup to the pigtail labeled "B". Solder your pickup leads to the pigtails after installing this assembly

pigtail wire cross section
wiring diagram for P-GMOD-6

Solder your pickup's hot conductor to the pigtail inner conductor and solder your pickup's ground wire to the outer shield of the pigtail. You might find it easier to use a tie wrap to hold the wires together while soldering.

wiring diagram for pickup

Les Paul (Short & Long Shaft) Prewired Standard Assemblies

P-GMOD-3

Modern Wiring

wiring diagram for selector switch

On vintage 2-conductor pickups the outer shield is the ground conductor. It should be soldered to the volume pot bodies (along with the outer shields of the selector switch wires).

wiring diagram for P-GMOD-3

"Modern" Volume Potentionmeter Connections (Closeup)

1. Grounded

2. (1) cap lead, (1) resistor lead, (1) selector switch wire

3. (2) cap leads, (1) resistor lead, (1) pickup hot wire

volume connections for modern potentiometers

"Vintage" Volume Potentionmeter Connections (Closeup)

1. Grounded

2. (2) cap leads, (1) resistor lead, (1) selector switch

3. (1) cap lead, (1) resistor lead, (1) pickup hot wire

volume connections for vintage potentiometers

PRS-style 3-Way Prewired Standard Assembly

P-GMOD-4

Solder the pickup ground conductors to a potentiometer body wherever you find it to be most convenient.

Wiring diagram for P-GMOD-4

SG Prewired Standard Assembly

P-GMOD-7

Ground the bridge ground wire and the pickup wire shields to potentiometer bodies

Wiring diagram for P-GMOD-7

Stratocaster 5-Way Vintage-Series Prewired Standard Assembly

P-GMOD-2

Wiring diagram for P-GMOD-2

Telecaster 3-Way Vintage-Series Prewired Standard Assembly

P-GMOD-1

Wiring diagram for P-GMOD-1

By Kurt Prange (BSEE), Sales Engineer for Antique Electronic Supply - based in Tempe, AZ. Kurt began playing guitar at the age of nine in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is a guitar DIY'er and tube amplifier designer who enjoys helping other musicians along in the endless pursuit of tone.

Note that the information presented in this article is for reference purposes only. Antique Electronic Supply makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this article, and expressly disclaims liability for errors or omissions on the part of the author. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, is given with respect to the contents of this article or its links to other resources.