Can anybody explain this wiring please? In layman's terms. And nicely!

[vinorange]

It's from a recently acquired from this parish, rather nice, Daphne blue CIJ Fender P bass. I think it's a 70s re-issue as the pickups have baseplates.

When I look at the wiring I get confused as it's so different from standard....

Thanks

[hooky_lowdown]

[Woodinblack]

The wiring looks fine - what is the issue.

There is a white and black from the pickup, and another black from the metal frame (or something earthy) and there is another black from the bridge. All the blacks go to the earth of the pots and the bottom of the volume tone, the pickup hot goes to the pot centre, the output goes to the cap to the tone and to the jack.

Its actually the way you would traditionally wire a jazz (or any two pickup instrument) than a P, but its not wrong as such, on a p you would generaly swap the centre and hot of the pot around.

 

Is there a problem with it?

 

[Woodinblack]

3 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

 

So yes, this is traditional P wiring, yours is wired like a jazz, so the output of the pickup goes to the centre and the output of that goes to the jack.

 

[vinorange]

There's nothing up with it at all. It just had me baffled but then I'm easily baffled.

 

Thanks for the explanations. I'll lock myself away somewhere and make sure I understand.

[vinorange]

Isn't mine different as the cap goes to the left lug of the tone pot instead of the middle? Mine also has a link from middle tone lug to right vol lug (as you look at it) and the hot tone output comes from the left vol lug not the middle so it differs a bit.

Maybe it does the same thing but differently....

It sounds fine btw.

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by vinorange

[Woodinblack]

That's the only place a cap should be. Although you see it on the pot, it is effectively across the output, which is where it needs to be.

if you had a j or pj bass (or even p ultra) with another pickup this would be the correct wiring. It's unusual it's this way, but not necessarily wrong.