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.

Select your voice

This is the bench-side reference for the Relay Torch harness. It gives you the selector map, pickup roles, labeled connection points, and the published base wiring without trying to turn the page into a full soldering class.

Control Layout

5-Way Blade

1

Bridge

Bridge humbucker alone.

2

Bridge + Middle

Bridge humbucker and Mean 90 in parallel.

3

Middle

Mean 90 alone. This is the main Torch destination.

4

Neck + Middle

Neck humbucker and Mean 90 in parallel.

5

Neck

Neck humbucker alone.

Volume - Standard 500k audio taper.

Tone (push-pull) - The published base harness uses the pot as a standard tone control. The push-pull switch lugs stay open until the Torch edge contour is finalized.

Pickup Layout

  • Bridge: GFS VEH Humbucker, bridge cavity, strongest driven voice.
  • Middle: GFS Mean 90, middle cavity, main Torch voice.
  • Neck: GFS Professional Series Alnico II Humbucker, neck cavity, rounded supporting voice.

Reference Labels

LabelComponentWireDescription
BP-HBridge Pickup (VEH)redHot output wire
BP-GBridge Pickup (VEH)blackGround wire
MP-HMiddle Pickup (Mean 90)redHot output wire
MP-GMiddle Pickup (Mean 90)blackGround wire
NP-HNeck PickupredHot output wire
NP-GNeck PickupblackGround wire
SW-BP5-Way SelectorBridge input lug
SW-MP5-Way SelectorMiddle input lug
SW-NP5-Way SelectorNeck input lug
SW-OUT5-Way SelectorSelector common/output lug
VOL-INVolume Pot (500k)Input lug from selector
VOL-WVolume Pot (500k)Wiper/output lug to jack
VOL-BVolume Pot (500k)Back of pot, tied to ground bus
TON-INTone Pot (500k push-pull)Tone input lug, tapped from VOL-IN
TON-WTone Pot (500k push-pull)Tone wiper lug to capacitor
TON-BTone Pot (500k push-pull)Back of pot, tied to ground bus
TON-A1Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole A, lug 1 - leave open in this revision
TON-A2Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole A, lug 2 - leave open in this revision
TON-A3Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole A, lug 3 - leave open in this revision
TON-B1Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole B, lug 1 - leave open in this revision
TON-B2Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole B, lug 2 - leave open in this revision
TON-B3Tone Push-Pull SwitchPole B, lug 3 - leave open in this revision
CAP-HTone CapacitorHot leg from tone wiper
CAP-GTone CapacitorGround leg to ground bus
J-TIPOutput JackTip lug (hot)
J-SLVOutput JackSleeve lug (ground)
GNDGround BusCommon ground point for pot backs, pickup grounds, shielding, and jack sleeve

Wiring Map

FromToNotes
BP-HSW-BPBridge pickup hot to bridge selector lug
MP-HSW-MPMiddle pickup hot to middle selector lug
NP-HSW-NPNeck pickup hot to neck selector lug
SW-OUTVOL-INSelector output to volume input
VOL-INTON-INTone feed tapped from volume input
VOL-WJ-TIPVolume output to jack tip
TON-WCAP-HTone wiper to capacitor hot leg
BP-GGNDBridge pickup ground
MP-GGNDMiddle pickup ground
NP-GGNDNeck pickup ground
VOL-BGNDGround the volume pot body
TON-BGNDGround the tone pot body
CAP-GGNDCapacitor return to ground
J-SLVGNDJack sleeve to ground bus

Leave TON-A1 through TON-B3 open in this published revision. Those six switch lugs are reserved for the Torch edge contour and are intentionally unused in the base harness.

Build Outline

Outline

  1. Shield the cavity first

    Torch puts strong midrange right at the center of the selector map, so keep the control cavity quiet before any hardware goes in.

  2. Build the base 5-way harness on the bench

    Wire all three pickups to the selector, then complete the volume, standard tone branch, and output jack before you think about installation.

  3. Keep the ground scheme simple

    Use one ground bus for shielding, pickup returns, pot backs, capacitor ground, and jack sleeve.

  4. Install only after the selector map is proven

    Verify the 5-way positions and tap-test response before the harness goes into the body.

Sanity Checks

Checks

  1. Continuity

    In each selector position, SW-OUT should connect only to the expected pickup lug or lugs. Position 3 should isolate the Mean 90.

  2. Resistance

    With volume full up, measure between J-TIP and J-SLV. Expect roughly 11.2 kOhm in position 1, 8.7 kOhm in position 3, and 7.6 kOhm in position 5, with positions 2 and 4 reading lower because the pickups are in parallel.

  3. Tap test

    Plug into an amp at low volume and tap each pickup with a metal screwdriver. Make sure the Mean 90 is isolated in position 3 and blended only in positions 2 and 4.