WL-1 wiring question

[davemc98]

Working on my first build (Pitbull WL-1 model) and the wiring that came with the kit doesn't really match what is shown on the wiring diagram: https://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-co..._tele_2014.pdf

My kit's pickups have the yellow/red wiring shown in the diagram, so that's fine, but other than that it only came with two short lengths of red wire and a slightly longer length of black wire, along with a skinny black wire that I assume is meant to be used as the "ground to bridge" shown in the diagram. The diagram doesn't show these three extra red/black wires from my kit, but it shows a brown wire, blue wire, purple wire, green wire, and two grey wires. (*I plan to shield the cavities, so according to the diagram the purple wire may not be necessary). Still that leaves me with brown/blue/green/grey wires on the diagram that I don't have. I'm probably being too literal, but even if I substitute red or black for some of these other colors, I'm not sure which to use. Thanks in advance for anyone who has any guidance to offer, I expected the wiring to the be the most challenging part but wanted to make sure my kit isn't missing anything before I try to work through it.

[McCreed]

My advice is don't pay too much attention to wire colours on the diagram. Focus on where the individual wires go. You only need to think of it all as simply positive & negative.

Skinny black wire: bridge to centre ground (as you surmised)
Heavier black wire: connect between pots AND volume to switch ground AND from centre ground to output jack ground.
Heavier red wire: positive lugs between pots AND positive lug tone pot to switch AND volume pot to output jack positive lug.

Clear as mud, right?
Hope this helps.

[agus]

Ok, so I shared your exact pain. A lot. With several kits. And I know a fair amount about electronics.

To echo McCreed - ignore the colors. These are ancient electronics basically, and you're probably like me, accustomed to more modern diagrams etc.

The pickups (aka PUPS) will have a coax pair - the skinny internal wire, whatever color it is, surrounded by a braided wrap. MOST OF THE TIME. The braid part is ground (earth).

GROUND IS GROUND. All grounds must connect to the ground of the simple switch, which is in my experience, the body of the case of the switch. That also connects to the ground of the sleeve of the jack.

So what you end up with is skinny wire (inside the braid) of neck pickup going to the back of the two lugs soldered together, and skinny wire (inside the braid) of the bridge going to the front of the switch two lugs.

So the middle part is the "combined output" selected by neck or bridge, also grounded. It runs through the pots and cap, and then finally to the tip.

Exactly as depicted, but trust me - I know EXACTLY what you are asking. I built www.excitotron.com and I was still goin' Whaaa??? reading that - my guitar player friends with much less experience than I were "what's your problem?"

[agus]

In your case, one lug on front and back, I didn't look closely enough. To once again echo the above from McCreed - ignore the colors.

[davemc98]

Thank you both, I feel a little less confused now

[davemc98]

So I noticed that the aforementioned black and red wires are similar to the pickup wires, with white/hot wire wrapped in bare wire. I can see where the pickup wires are meant to be split with hot/bare attached to different points, but for the other connection points it doesn’t look like it would work that way. If I just need to connect ground to ground with the bare portion of the black wire, do I just let the hot portion dangle off to the side? Normally I’d “cap” a wire if it wasn’t connected to anything but I don’t know if that concept exists with guitar wiring.

[Rossc0]

I think the best advice about wiring any of the kits is google it. Haven't built a WL, but found clear and concise diagrams for everything I've built so far including heaps of interesting mods.

[McCreed]

"...do I just let the hot portion dangle off to the side? Normally I’d “cap” a wire if it wasn’t connected to anything but I don’t know if that concept exists with guitar wiring."

There shouldn't any wires that aren't connected. All your ground wires (black or bare wires from pickups) should be soldered to the back of the pots/switch lug/output jack per diagram.
All the "hot" wires (red or white from pickups) should be connected to pot lugs/switch lugs/output jack as per diagram. Again, forget about the colours in the diagram, just think "hot & ground" and the connection points of each.
Nothing unconnected or dangling