Wiring a cheap Palmer V

[mathman]

Wiring a cheap Palmer V.  So, I am finally getting around to trying to wire an old cheap Palmer V that my good friend did a refinish job on.  I bought some Seymour Duncans here on the HFC and I am finally getting ready to put it together.  It originally had a single volume with switch and two tones.  I am thinking two volumes and two tones.  Any pluses or minus either way?

Never completely wired a guitar before so this is a new adventure.  Any advice or tips and trick.  I do have a nice soldering setup.

[Jack C]

I have no idea how to do the work, but I do love 4 knobs on a guitar.  Allows you to do the Townshend/Page trick of lowering the neck volume and making that your clean channel.

[BTMN]

https://hamerfanclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sunburstarchtop.pdf
 

 

I have used this diagram for a couple rewires I had done on three knob guitars. Works great. Just to be clear I didn’t do the work but I asked them to use this diagram. YMMV.
 

😎👍❤️🏁

Edited December 4, 2025 by BTMN

[Dave Scepter]

Source: Seymour Duncan https://share.google/VROdHheqF4a7D376X

Clean and tin the soldering iron tip with solder and during the procedure, keep it clean by wiping with damp sponge... it might be easier to use a piece of cardboard as a template... lay out the controls using a pencil to punch holes in the cardboard to hold the potentiometer shafts in place while point to point soldering, then install in guitar, then finish humbucker wiring.

Edited December 4, 2025 by Dave Scepter

[hamerhead]

A lot of pickup sites have a wiring diagram page. I found those to be helpful when doing standard-ish wiring.

YouTube is another good place to search for better soldering techniques (than what I have).

 

ETA: If you don't want to add a hole, you could keep 2 volumes separate and get 2 tones with a concentric pot.

Edited December 4, 2025 by hamerhead

[mathman]

Well, my ignorance is apparent to me now.  I thought I could just add a second volume and not have the three way switch.   All the wirings that I seem to find all seem to include the switch.  So I will just stick to the single volume, 3 way and two tones.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Dave Scepter]

23 minutes ago, mathman said:

Well, my ignorance is apparent to me now.  I thought I could just add a second volume and not have the three way switch.   All the wirings that I seem to find all seem to include the switch.  So I will just stick to the single volume, 3 way and two tones.

 

Thanks for the help!

FYI, you really don't need the "switch" You can use the volumes to activate/control/blend whichever pickup or both...

Edited December 4, 2025 by Dave Scepter

[velorush]

2 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

it might be easier to use a piece of cardboard as a template... lay out the controls using a pencil to punch holes in the cardboard to hold the potentiometer shafts in place while point to point soldering, then install in guitar, then finish humbucker wiring.

I'd not only second this but absolutely recommend using the cardboard template. You'll forego burning the guitar, especially if you're, as it seems, not too experienced at this. An easy way of creating the template is to tape a piece of paper to the control area of the guitar and use a pencil to lightly darken the paper. The holes will appear as darker shapes on the paper. Cut out the holes, then flip the paper upside down (the control cavity is a mirror image since the controls mount from the other side). 

ETA: template for a semi-hollow - required since the harness has to be completed prior squeezing in through the bridge pickup route.

ETAA: I wasn't being anal retentive or even artistic including the F-hole or the outer rim of the body because in this case I didn't want the wiring to show through the F-hole and wanted enough slack so the wires ran out of sight, along the outer rim. 

50 minutes ago, mathman said:

Well, my ignorance is apparent to me now.  I thought I could just add a second volume and not have the three way switch.   All the wirings that I seem to find all seem to include the switch.  So I will just stick to the single volume, 3 way and two tones.

If that's your intent (Volume, Volume, Tone, no switch), you're looking for a Jazz Bass wiring diagram:

Be aware, however, that the hole for the switch is likely a good bit larger than the holes for Volume and Tone. If that's the case you'll need some sort of sleeve to make up the difference. 

Edited December 4, 2025 by velorush

[Dave Scepter]

Also, don't feel overwhelmed, you're basically just wiring 1 volume and 1 control x2

[mathman]

4 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

Also, don't feel overwhelmed, you're basically just wiring 1 volume and 1 control x2

Thanks,  but I guess my ignorance is demonstrating my ignorance!   hahahah.  

[mathman]

5 hours ago, velorush said:

I'd not only second this but absolutely recommend using the cardboard template. You'll forego burning the guitar, especially if you're, as it seems, not too experienced at this. An easy way of creating the template is to tape a piece of paper to the control area of the guitar and use a pencil to lightly darken the paper. The holes will appear as darker shapes on the paper. Cut out the holes, then flip the paper upside down (the control cavity is a mirror image since the controls mount from the other side). 

If that's your intent (Volume, Volume, Tone, no switch), you're looking for a Jazz Bass wiring diagram:

Be aware, however, that the hole for the switch is likely a good bit larger than the holes for Volume and Tone. If that's the case you'll need some sort of sleeve to make up the difference. 

Thanks for this.  You are right the switch hole is definitely larger.  I think I am going to get a new three way switch and just stick to the single volume and two tone with 3 way switch that is came with.  

[mathman]

Also, I was considering creating a wood template to do the wiring but the cardboard box is a better idea at this point.

 

Thanks again.  HFC is the best palace on the internets.....  err spelling.... Or maybe not!  😀

[Jack C]

6 hours ago, mathman said:

Also, I was considering creating a wood template to do the wiring but the cardboard box is a better idea at this point.

 

Thanks again.  HFC is the best palace on the internets.....  err spelling.... Or maybe not!  😀

There’s no better palace that I’m aware of. 

[Dave Scepter]

17 hours ago, mathman said:

Thanks for this.  You are right the switch hole is definitely larger.  I think I am going to get a new three way switch and just stick to the single volume and two tone with 3 way switch that is came with.  

Also, it's not very difficult to just glue a dowel, cut off, then re-drill the new hole... the washer will cover up the patch 

[mathman]

Putting in new pots and new 3 way.  3 way will be here later.  The original wiring had a 4.7nF (0.0047uF ) capacitor on what I think was the tone pots. Should I put them back on the new setup?  I also have one that the google says is a Cornell Dubilier (CDE) 715P Series Orange Drop® film capacitor.  I think it is 47uf also.  The google says these are generally for single coils but will be humbuckers.

Should I use them on the tones?  Should I consider one on the volume pot?  supposedly keeps the highs when you lower volume.  Definitely something I do when playing.

[mathman]

Got my cardboard template setup.  And a better picture of the guitar.

[Dave Scepter]

It's obviously your guitar and your choice, but personally, if it was my guitar, I'd rather have 2 volumes and 1 tone control... just my 2 cents 🤣

[mathman]

I can agree but the layout of the pots don't really work for that.  maybe I could get a special pull push pot that works as volume for both pickups....

Lots of shit is possible but I've only replaced pickups (once) and input jacks (few times) at this point.   KISS method going on here. 😀

[Dave Scepter]

40 minutes ago, mathman said:

I can agree but the layout of the pots don't really work for that.  maybe I could get a special pull push pot that works as volume for both pickups....

Lots of shit is possible but I've only replaced pickups (once) and input jacks (few times) at this point.   KISS method going on here. 😀

Just switch the 2 existing tone pots with the 1 volume pot around... they're all 500k, correct?.. if so, switch them and use your 1 existing volume pot as the 1 tone.... without a capacitor they're all volume controls

Edited December 6, 2025 by Dave Scepter

[mathman]

The layout is not optimal for that.  Too far to reach volumes

[mathman]

I know that some capacitors can wear out. (See home A/C system). Is that an issue with a guitar? As with much of the inter webs lots of pontification about knowledge but not always providing knowledge.  Seems the use rate of a tone pot capacitor is way different than the capacitor starting your compressor.  So, wanting the knowledge of esteemed guitar gurus of HFC...  Reuse the old capacitors or buy new.  I think after exploring the interwebs, I am not putting a capacitor on the volume pot for now.

(if my inquiries are getting tedious, feel free to ignore or make fun of them.) either way is good!

I am waiting on parts for a project I started years ago.  It is what it is at this point....

[mathman]

Some waiting photos...from it's previous life.

 

[hamerhead]

20 hours ago, mathman said:

 

Love that!

2 volumes/1 tone, but put the bridge volume in the nearest hole and a concentric tone in the farthest. That damn switch hole is in the wrong place! 

[Dave Scepter]

10 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

2 volumes/1 tone, but put the bridge volume in the nearest hole and a concentric tone in the farthest. 

 That's exactly what I was saying...

[Hbom]

New switch. New pots. Might as well go all the way and do a new cap too. Even the fancy boutique capacitors are pretty cheap in the overall scheme of what you are doing.

 

Edited December 7, 2025 by Hbom