Humbucker Wiring

I often get asked how to decipher the colors on humbucker pickups, and how to wire them up.   Different manufactures use different wire colors.   Can’t we all just get along? 🙂

First, refer to this great color chart, courtesy of Seymour Duncan (at right).  If your pickup manufacturer isn’t on this list, try this StewMac pickup color codes page, which includes Fralin, Barden, etc.  Another option is this color code chart at Guitar Electronics.

If your pickup doesn’t seem to match any of these color code charts, you can use the techniques described in this FAQ by Tim Stanley on identifying the wires using a multimeter.

Once you know which wire is North Start and Finish, and South Start and Finish, then you can refer to the humbucker circuit diagrams at GuitarElectronics.com.  They have every variation imaginable, with coil tapping, push pulls, series/parallel, 3-way levers, 5-way levers, etc.

Here’s a typical Gibson wiring with 2 volume, 2 tone and a 3-way toggle switch: