StewMac Single-Coil Pickup Wiring Diagrams

Standard three single-coils with one volume and two tone controls

SSS + 5W + 1V2T

Three single-coils with one volume and one tone control

SSS + 5W + VT

Two single-coils with a coil-cut bridge humbucker

SSH + 5W + VT

One single-coil with volume and tone

S + VT

One single-coil with two coil-cut humbuckers

HSH + 5W + VT

Our middle position pickups are RWRP

StewMac single-coils are designed to capture the tone and response of vintage single-coils. Unlike vintage pickups, our middle position pickups are reverse-wound and the magnets have reversed polarity (RWRP). Wired with our neck and bridge pickups, this gives you hum-cancelling output when your 5-way selector switch is in positions 2 and 4.

Higher output for bridge pickups

Many players choose our overwound single-coil for use in the bridge position. This is because a string's vibrating energy is less near the bridge than it is at the neck or middle positions. The overwound's higher output compensates for this, to give a nicely balanced output between all three pickups: neck/middle/bridge.

Setting your pickup height

Leave about 1/8" between the Low-E polepiece and the bottom of the string when fretted at the highest fret, and a 3/32" gap for the High-E. If single-coils are set too high, their magnetic pull on the wound strings can cause false notes.