Without the right pots, your guitar wouldn't sound too good; and without a selector switch, it would be impossible to adjust between the pickups, so you’d usually be stuck with one, probably unimpressive tone.
Fortunately, pots and switches work “behind the scenes”, so you don't normally have to think about them that much. However, understanding how they’re wired may allow you to fix minor issues or even rearrange your guitar's pickup selection to better serve your needs.
So, let's get started with the basics.
What are guitar pots and switches?
Pots or potentiometers are variable resistors that are used in a broad range of electronic applications. In guitars, they allow users to adjust input resistance, thus enabling guitarists to change the instrument’s performance based on which pot is adjusted - volume, tone, or both.
Most modern guitars also feature capacitors, which further expand the capabilities of pots, so that you can shape the tone even further by attenuating or diminishing the input of certain frequencies.
Switches have the same function, forming a bridge between the pickups, pots, and other pieces of hardware, allowing users to turn desired combinations on or off.
How to Wire a Guitar Switch
Before you can wire your pots, you should first route the wires of your pickups to the selector switch. This way, you can open or close the circuits of the pickups or pickup combinations you don’t need, and instead of hundreds of wire ends you only have a single “input” to direct to the potentiometers.
Switches comprise two components - the lugs, and the so-called “blade”. Lugs or terminals are slots where pickup wires should go, same as with pots. However, switches have two sides, and there are dozens of ways to route them to the terminals.
In classic Telecasters with two pickups, the bridge is typically connected to the second lug of side A while the neck is usually connected to the third lug of side B. Experiment with different variations until you’re satisfied with how they work.
How to Wire Guitar Pots
Guitar potentiometers typically feature three terminals, often called “lugs”. These lugs are essentially slots where external hardware can be connected via wires.
A resistance track is located within the pots; its ends are connected to the first and third lug, but there is still ample space for additional wires to be attached to these terminals.
With your pickups connected to the switch, you’ll need to connect the input wire to the closest lug on the pot; the central lug is the output wire that goes into the capacitor while the last lug goes to the ground. You can replace the positions of the first and second lug, but the furthermost terminal should always go to the ground.
