Pickups and Electronics - 1-Conductor Pickup Passive Wiring - Single 1-Conductor Pickup Passive Setup with Volume and Tone

Oct 29, 2026

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Pickup and electronics wiring guidance for Bartolini passive setups using 1-conductor cable. Details basic connections such as braided shield to ground, pickup cable routing, and the use of passive volume and tone controls with recommended pot taper options and capacitor values. Explains how capacitor lower values brighten tone and gives typical ranges for bass and guitar. Includes multiple sample passive wiring diagrams for single, dual pickups, blend pots, and variations like reverse-phase wiring, while noting diagrams are examples and not tied to specific prewired harness contents.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Pickups and Electronics

1-Conductor Pickup Passive Wiring

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1-Conductor Pickups Passive Wiring (Reverse Phase)

PICKUPS AND ELECTRONICS 1-Conductor Pickup Passive Wiring Single 1-Conductor Pickup Passive Setup with Volume and Tone Bartolini pickups are precision magnetic transducers designed and built to bring out the fullest response from electric guitars and basses. They are hand assembled in California from quality materials and carry a 1-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. Most Bartolini pickups can be used with standard passive tone and volume controls. The diagram below is a very simple setup for passive tone and volume for a single pickup using 1-conductor cable. Connect Braided shield to ground Pickup Cable * Most audio-taper pots use a 15% taper. We think that a 30% taper is better for the volume control (30A250K), and 10% taper is better for the tone control (10A250K) . 500KΩ pots will give basses a brighter tone but are more commonly used with guitar humbucker pickups. Ground 250K* Audio Volume 0.047uF capacitor** Tone Out A capacitor of lower value will provide brighter tone. For bass common values are between **0 .068uF (darkest tone) and 0.022uF (brightest tone), and for guitars between 0.033uF(dark) and 0 .010uF(bright) . This diagram shows 2 pickups connected to a blend pot as part of a Bartolini pre-wired harness. Bridge Pickup Cable Blend pots may be 5A5C taper or MN taper. 5A5C reduces volume for each pickup slightly at center detent for more even volume overall. MN will be louder at center. Preferences vary. We usually use 5A5C. Blend © all rights reserved Bartolini, Inc. 2021 PICKUPS AND ELECTRONICS Dual 1-Conductor Pickups Passive Wiring Dual 1-Conductor Pickups Passive Setup with 2 Volumes and 1 Tone Connect braided shield to ground Ground 0.047uF capacitor Bridge Volume Out Neck Volume Tone Bridge Pickup Cable This diagram shows one example of a very simple passive setup of one tone and two volume controls for two pickups using a 1-conductor cable. 250K Audio 250K Audio 250K Audio 473 Neck Pickup Cable 5A5C250K Blend Connect green and bare wire to ground Ground 0.047uF capacitor Out Blend Tone Volume Dual 1-Conductor Pickups Passive Setup with Blend, Volume, and Tone Neck Pickup Cable This diagram shows one example of a very simple passive setup of Blend, volume and one tone controls for two pickups using a 1-conductor cable. 250K Audio 473 250K Audio Bridge Pickup Cable These sample wiring diagrams do not represent what is included with any Bartolini prewired harness or pickup but are only examples of how Bartolini 4-conductor cabled pickups can be switched for tonal variations. PICKUPS AND ELECTRONICS Dual 1-Conductor Pickups Passive Wiring Dual 1-Conductor Pickups in a Passive Setup with 2 Volumes and 2 Tones This diagram shows one example of a very simple passive setup using 2 volume controls and 2 tone controls with two 2 pickups using 1-conductor cables. * Most audio-taper pots use a 15% taper. We think that a 30% taper is better for the volume control (30A250K), and 10% taper is better for the tone control (10A250K) . 500KΩ pots will give basses a brighter tone but are more commonly used with guitar humbucker pickups. Connect braided shields to ground Bridge Volume Bridge Pickup Cable 250K Audio Ground 0.047uF capacitor 473 473 250K Audio Neck Tone Bridge Tone Out A capacitor of lower value will provide brighter tone. For bass common values are between 0.068uF (darkest tone) and 0 .022uF (brightest tone), and for guitars between 0.033uF(dark) and 0 .010uF(bright) . These sample wiring diagrams do not represent what is included with any Bartolini prewired harness or pickup but are only examples of how Bartolini 4-conductor cabled pickups can be switched for tonal variations. © all rights reserved Bartolini, Inc. 2021 PICKUPS AND ELECTRONICS 1-Conductor P-Bass Passive Wiring Typical P Bass set up using a Passive Volume and Tone Pi

FAQs

How should the braided shield be connected in these passive pickup setups?

Connect the braided shield to ground as shown in the diagrams for the various 1-conductor passive setups.

What capacitor guidance is given for controlling tone brightness?

Lower capacitor values provide a brighter tone. The document lists common bass values between 0.068uF (darkest) and 0.022uF (brightest), and guitar values between 0.033uF (dark) and 0.010uF (bright).

Do the sample wiring diagrams reflect every Bartolini prewired harness exactly?

No. The diagrams are examples only and do not represent what is included with any specific Bartolini prewired harness or pickup; they are presented for tonal variation wiring concepts.

Oct 29, 2026

Upload by Dipper