Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

[fenderlover Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fenderlover]

I'm not quite sure which term it is (split, series, etc.) but how close to a single coil pickup will it sound if I disconnect one the coils on a humbucker? More specifically, I have a Hot Rails SHR-1 on bridge and Little '59 on neck (both single-coil sized humbuckers). I love the way these sound dirty, but for clean, IMO, nothing beats that single coil sound.

[Robert S. Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Robert S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

If you are looking for a split humbucker to sound exactly like a Strat or Tele pickup you will be disappointed in most cases. There are too many construction differences to nail true single coil tone with a split HB.

That being said, you can get some very nice single coil tones from a split HB and I find that the best and most useful split tones are found by splitting 2 HBs to opposite coils and running them both at the same time. I get some very nice and useful single coil tones that way that sound very representitive of what you might get from a Strat or Tele with 2 pickups selected.

Some of the hotter neck pickups (the DDn in particular) sound great split both clean and under a bit of gain.

[Tony_H Ultimate Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tony_H]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

This thread might be of use to you:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=8642

Tony

[Kent S. Volume Enhanceologist Find all posts View Profile Close Kent S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

If you are looking for a split humbucker to sound exactly like a Strat or Tele pickup you will be disappointed in most cases. There are too many construction differences to nail true single coil tone with a split HB.

That being said, you can get some very nice single coil tones from a split HB and I find that the best and most useful split tones are found by splitting 2 HBs to opposite coils and running them both at the same time. I get some very nice and useful single coil tones that way that sound very representitive of what you might get from a Strat or Tele with 2 pickups selected.

Some of the hotter neck pickups (the DDn in particular) sound great split both clean and under a bit of gain.

Robert have you ever taken out all the screws from a HB so you just have the one coil picking up the strings? It's just something fun to try as a humbucking singly type of thing, try it sometime if you get bored and want something a little different, If you're got double row adjustable poles even better.

[Robert S. Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Robert S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

I have heard of such heresy, but I've never been "bored" enough to try it.

[Tony_H Ultimate Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tony_H]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

Robert have you ever taken out all the screws from a HB so you just have the one coil picking up the strings? It's just something fun to try as a humbucking singly type of thing, try it sometime if you get bored and want something a little different, If you're got double row adjustable poles even better.

Hey Kent, what exactly happens when you do this?

I assume the pup has the tonal properties of the slug coil (i.e. sounds like a single-coil, or rather like a split HB), but is still hum-cancelling. Is this the case?

The thing is, I have this PGn wired for coil split with a push-pull pot. Originally it was wired so that the screw coil was active when split. I did this so the pups would be humcancelling when both split and both on. I recently rewired it so that now the slug coil is active when split. I was curious if there is any difference, and in all honesty I couldn't hear it.

What I want to know is, when I take the screws out, will the pup sound pretty much like a split HB with a slug coil active? Or will it sound different? (I mean tonally different, apart from the fact that - as I assume - with the screws out, the pup remains humcancelling whereas when split it is not humcancelling).

Heck, I haven't been intrigued by pup tinkering this much in a long time! I guess I'll just try and take the screws out, and hear for myself.

[Tony_H Ultimate Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tony_H]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

So I tried this and I'm no longer intrigued

I took all the screws from the coil and then played the guitar and switched between split and full modes. I use DigiTech Genesis 1 on the Brit Stack (crunch) and Black Face (clean) settings, with a British 4x12 cab model to evaluate tones of my guitars.

Well, with the screws out, the difference between full HB and split modes was barely perceptible, I'd say the split mode sounded like 10% more trebly and wire-y. But I wouldn't take this to the bank.

So the poles went back in and this time I screwed them all the way down into the bobbin (I had to gouge out some wax first). I played the guitar through the Genesis again, and to be honest, I wasn't sure anymore what I was hearing and how it compared to the other settings that I had tried.

So I just adjusted the pup and polepieces as high as I could to get as much juice as possible without the magnetic pull getting too annoying, and left it at that.

No disrespect to exercises like this - if you have good ears this can make difference. But for my part, I guess I just have listened to too many heavy metal records through my headphones to tell the difference anymore.

OK, back to work now.
Later
Tony

[Kent S. Volume Enhanceologist Find all posts View Profile Close Kent S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

I have heard of such heresy, but I've never been "bored" enough to try it.

Heresy ...

[Kent S. Volume Enhanceologist Find all posts View Profile Close Kent S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

So I tried this and I'm no longer intrigued

I took all the screws from the coil and then played the guitar and switched between split and full modes. I use DigiTech Genesis 1 on the Brit Stack (crunch) and Black Face (clean) settings, with a British 4x12 cab model to evaluate tones of my guitars.

Well, with the screws out, the difference between full HB and split modes was barely perceptible, I'd say the split mode sounded like 10% more trebly and wire-y. But I wouldn't take this to the bank.

So the poles went back in and this time I screwed them all the way down into the bobbin (I had to gouge out some wax first). I played the guitar through the Genesis again, and to be honest, I wasn't sure anymore what I was hearing and how it compared to the other settings that I had tried.

So I just adjusted the pup and polepieces as high as I could to get as much juice as possible without the magnetic pull getting too annoying, and left it at that.

No disrespect to exercises like this - if you have good ears this can make difference. But for my part, I guess I just have listened to too many heavy metal records through my headphones to tell the difference anymore.

OK, back to work now.
Later
Tony

No, no, no ... I'm sorry guy, the idea wasn't to do split stuff, the idea was that taking out all the poles on one pup effectively makes the other coil a dummy coil (although I believe it still picks up string movement, just lower in volume than the other, as there is still magnetic field under that coil), basically making a single coil type tone while still being hum-cancelling. It's not something you can switch between. I've used dummy coil before with singles, but those are away from the magnets on the other pup, being that this new dummy coil is right next to the other coil, and has a magnet under it;although, be it a reduced magnetic field it's kinda a psuedo effect similar.
Sorry if you thought it was something else, maybe I should have been a little clearer on that. I'm not surprised that there wasn't much difference between full and split modes.
Regarding the difference between inner and outer coils, while a lot does depend on individual pups, the differences are subtle, but noticeable ... on individaul pup I prefer the outer coil on the neck, as that sounds a bit more like a single coil in the neck, and the inner coil on the bridge, as that sounds a bit more like a strat, the outer there sounds to me a bit brighter, but lacks some warmth and mids ... it's a bit teleish to me ... just as the inner coil on the neck is a bit brighter and has a bit more bite ... it makes a bit beter lead sound sometimes. It does depend on whether or not the difference is enough to merit doing it wih your rig though, it's more of a fine tuning thing, than anything else I feel, still worth it in my opinion. YMMV ...

[Tony_H Ultimate Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tony_H]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

No, no, no ... I'm sorry guy, the idea wasn't to do split stuff, the idea was that taking out all the poles on one pup effectively makes the other coil a dummy coil (although I believe it still picks up string movement, just lower in volume than the other, as there is still magnetic field under that coil), basically making a single coil type tone while still being hum-cancelling. It's not something you can switch between. I've used dummy coil before with singles, but those are away from the magnets on the other pup, being that this new dummy coil is right next to the other coil, and has a magnet under it;although, be it a reduced magnetic field it's kinda a psuedo effect similar.
Sorry if you thought it was something else, maybe I should have been a little clearer on that. I'm not surprised that there wasn't much difference between full and split modes.

I think I got your point - I believe we mean the same thing although the conclusions we make are different I guess. Perhaps I spent too much time "inventing" the obvious
And thanks for your input - I appreciate it although it may not appear so.
Peace
Tony

[Kent S. Volume Enhanceologist Find all posts View Profile Close Kent S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

I think I got your point - I believe we mean the same thing although the conclusions we make are different I guess. Perhaps I spent too much time "inventing" the obvious
And thanks for your input - I appreciate it although it may not appear so.
Peace
Tony

I just didn't follow closely enough to realize that you were talking about the ability of splitting a pup ... somehow i got the mistaken impression that you just wanted to kill one coil (remaining single coil constantly), removing one set of poles just gives different way of achieving something similar.A lot of it most certainly does depend on the individual pups though as to the exact results obtained.

[Fusion1 Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close Fusion1]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker



Do you mean something like this? I suggested doing this to a Full Shred or Screamin Demon a week or so ago and I don't know if anyone tried it.

[Boston Joe Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boston Joe]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

Do you mean something like this? I suggested doing this to a Full Shred or Screamin Demon a week or so ago and I don't know if anyone tried it.

I like that! Rather like a Precision pickup for a guitar.

In my experience, the only "humbucker' that can give you a real working single coil tone is a stacked single coil design. The HS series by Dimarzio work well, as I'm sure SD's own versions. Actually, Eric Johnson splits an HS-2 for his Strat--throaty and glassy.

[strat_master Super Toneologist Find all posts View Profile Close strat_master]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

id say get a guitar with single coils altogether, like a strat, and stick to your axe right now for harder stuff where buckers are needed.

[Kent S. Volume Enhanceologist Find all posts View Profile Close Kent S.]

Re: Turning off one of the coils in a humbucker

I like that! Rather like a Precision pickup for a guitar.

In my experience, the only "humbucker' that can give you a real working single coil tone is a stacked single coil design. The HS series by Dimarzio work well, as I'm sure SD's own versions. Actually, Eric Johnson splits an HS-2 for his Strat--throaty and glassy.

And they don't really even capture it ... the VV series come a closer though.
Yeah, that pole pieces layout is *kinda* similar to the Fender Wide Range humbucker like the Tele deluxes,customs, and Starcaster had ... don't know what the Lead series had though.