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Signal Forge
Inspect the supported circuit and compare electrical response within the tool’s stated modelling limits.
- Capacitance
- Ability to store charge per voltage difference; measured in farads. Guitar values commonly use µF, nF and pF. Learn more →
- Resistance
- Opposition to current in a resistive path; measured in ohms (Ω). Learn more →
- Potentiometer
- A resistive track with two ends and a movable wiper. Learn more →
- Audio / log taper
- A non-linear relationship between rotation and wiper resistance, commonly used for volume controls. Exact laws vary. Learn more →
- Linear taper
- A nominally linear relationship between rotation and wiper resistance. Learn more →
- Wiper
- The moving contact on a potentiometer track. Learn more →
- Lug
- A physical terminal for making an electrical connection. Learn more →
- Ground
- The circuit reference and return node; not automatically mains protective earth. Learn more →
- Shield
- A conductive screen intended to reduce interference coupling into signal wiring. Learn more →
- Hot
- The signal-bearing conductor or node relative to the circuit return. Learn more →
- Series
- Components connected consecutively so the same branch current passes through them. Learn more →
- Parallel
- Branches connected across the same two electrical nodes. Learn more →
- Treble bleed
- A network between a volume input and wiper that changes reduced-volume frequency response. Learn more →
- Tone capacitor
- A capacitor in the tone branch that contributes frequency-dependent impedance. Learn more →
- Pickup conductor
- A lead connected to a coil end or shield; its colour follows a convention. Learn more →
- Coil start
- One winding end identified as the start in a documented convention. Learn more →
- Coil finish
- The other winding end identified as the finish; electrical phase also depends on winding and magnetic orientation. Learn more →
- Series link
- The local connection between two coil ends in a series humbucker. Learn more →
- Selector contact
- A conductive switch surface that connects or disconnects terminals. Learn more →
- Common
- A shared selector output contact in the supported pickup circuit. Learn more →
- Tip
- The signal contact of the supported mono output jack. Learn more →
- Sleeve
- The return contact of the supported mono output jack. Learn more →
- Load
- The impedance presented to a source by the rest of the circuit. Learn more →
- Input resistance
- The resistive part of the external input load represented in the model. Learn more →
- Cable capacitance
- The cable’s capacitance between signal and return, included as a load assumption. Learn more →
Explore this on the bench
Inspect the supported circuit topology, contacts and conductive paths. Each example opens a supported starting circuit; it does not identify your actual guitar or pickup measurements.
Continue learning: Guitar wiring circuits explained → · Potentiometers explained →