Wiring

Pick the voicing you're building and you'll get its bench-side wiring reference: the selector map, connection points, and the published harness.

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Lipstick Velvet Arc Torch

Relay Torch uses a five-way blade for its GFS VEH bridge humbucker, Mean 90 middle pickup, and Professional Series Alnico II neck humbucker. An A500k master volume controls the output without a treble bleed. The A500k push-pull tone pot provides a standard modern 22 nF tone branch and switches the global Edge Contour.

Relay Torch wiring diagram showing three pickups, a five-way selector, the six-lug tone push-pull Edge switch, rear-view A500k volume and tone controls, output jack, ten operating states, and common ground. — Relay Torch wiring reference · Rev 1.0 · September 12, 2026
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The blade and tone push-pull show functional contacts, not a manufacturer-specific physical lug layout. Identify the contacts on the parts in hand with a continuity meter. The diagram's colored paths show circuit roles, not guaranteed GFS lead colors.

What each switch position does

Five-way blade	Edge down (tone pushed)	Edge up (tone pulled)
1 — Bridge	VEH bridge humbucker	VEH bridge humbucker through Edge
2 — Bridge + middle	VEH + Mean 90 in parallel	VEH + Mean 90 through Edge
3 — Middle	Mean 90	Mean 90 through Edge
4 — Neck + middle	Alnico II + Mean 90 in parallel	Alnico II + Mean 90 through Edge
5 — Neck	Alnico II neck humbucker	Alnico II neck humbucker through Edge

The Edge network is a 2.2 nF (0.0022 µF, 222) capacitor in parallel with a 150 kΩ resistor. Those two components form one network that is switched in series with the selected pickup signal. It affects every blade position. This passive contour removes some low-frequency energy relative to the highs; it does not add gain.

The standard tone branch takes its feed from the volume input, after the Edge switch, and runs through the A500k tone pot and 22 nF (0.022 µF, 223) capacitor to ground. This is modern master-tone wiring. The tone feed does not come from the volume wiper, and the tone pot is not a no-load control.

Parts and lead identification

Bridge: GFS VEH humbucker, wired full series in every position.
Middle: GFS Mean 90 P90-type pickup, with hot, return, and shield or case ground as supplied.
Neck: GFS Professional Series Alnico II humbucker, wired full series in every position.
Controls: Five-way blade, A500k master volume without a treble bleed, A500k push-pull master tone, 22 nF tone capacitor, and mono output jack.
Edge Contour: 2.2 nF capacitor and 150 kΩ resistor in parallel, switched in series with the selector output when the tone control is pulled up.

Use the supplied guide for each specific GFS lead version and confirm with a meter; wire colors are not interchangeable across pickup models. Insulate an unused single split lead, or join and insulate two separate series ends when the pickup supplies those instead. Keep a separate case or shield lead grounded.

Connection map

Match the boxed labels in the diagram. Every GND symbol belongs to one common ground network. The A1/A2/A3 push-pull labels describe a generic terminal map; check the actual switch with a continuity meter before soldering.

Node	Connect these points
`B`, `M`, `N`	Bridge, middle, and neck pickup hot leads to their respective five-way selector inputs. The selector connects them to its common in the five positions above.
`SEL`	Five-way common output ↔ push-pull `A1` ↔ one end of both Edge components.
Edge output branch	Join the other ends of the 2.2 nF capacitor and 150 kΩ resistor and wire that joint continuously to push-pull `A3`.
`BUS`	Push-pull common `A2` ↔ A500k volume input ↔ A500k tone input. Down joins `A2–A1` for a direct path; pulled up joins `A2–A3` to insert the Edge network.
`OUT`	Volume wiper to mono output-jack tip. No treble-bleed component bridges `BUS` and `OUT`.
Tone branch	`BUS` to tone pot CCW end; tone wiper through the 22 nF capacitor to `GND`. Leave the tone pot CW end unused.
Unused pole	Leave push-pull `B1`, `B2`, and `B3` open and insulated.
`GND`	Pickup returns and separate shields/cases, grounded volume-track end, tone-cap return, pot cases, conductive selector chassis, cavity shield, bridge/string ground, and jack sleeve.

Pot orientation: In the rear view with shafts pointing away and solder lugs down, the physical left/center/right terminals are CW/wiper/CCW. The volume's left/center/right lugs are BUS/OUT/GND. The tone's left/center/right lugs are unused/capacitor/BUS. Both knobs should brighten or increase level when turned clockwise.

Push-pull contacts: The generic map uses A2 as the common. Down connects A2–A1; pulled up connects A2–A3. The B pole is unused. Confirm which physical lugs make these connections in both mechanical states before soldering.

Build outline

Identify the pickup leads, actual five-way contacts, and push-pull common and throws by continuity. Confirm the switch makes a direct SEL–BUS path down and an SEL–Edge network–BUS path pulled up.
Wire each pickup hot to its blade input and complete the GND network. Build the A500k volume, modern A500k tone branch, 22 nF cap, and output jack.
Wire SEL to A1 and to one end of both Edge components. Join their other ends at A3; wire A2 to BUS. Leave the B pole open and insulate all unused pickup series-junction leads.
Test the complete harness in every selector and push-pull combination before installing it in the guitar.

Bench checks

Meter the five-way selector: SEL must connect only to bridge, bridge + middle, middle, neck + middle, or neck in the listed positions. Verify both push-pull contact states separately.
With the volume full up, confirm no near-zero-ohm short from jack tip to sleeve. At volume zero, the tip should reach ground. DC resistance varies with pickup and pot tolerances; measure the isolated pickups rather than using fixed advertised resistances as pass/fail limits.
Tap-test all ten selector/contour states at low amplifier volume. The contour should affect whichever pickup selection is active; it must not add a pickup or change the five-way map.
Turn both knobs from stop to stop. Clockwise should increase volume and brighten the tone. Listen to all pickup combinations for unexpected cancellation and verify that rolling down volume cleans up without a treble-bleed network.