Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

[ryevick]

I'm about to split the humbucker in my Stratocaster bridge which is a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates. I ran across this recommendation that helps to strengthen the split coil. Have you done this or is this a normal practice?

I'm going to be requesting a push push pot. I'm wondering about the pot value as well... as mentioned in the link above.

Thoughts?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

It's becoming more common. All you have to do is add a resistor to the red/white (using SD colors) ground connection. If you haven't done it before, I'd recommend using a 10k trim pot so you can find out what electrical value you like.

 

[jimilee]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

That’s pretty clever


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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

Try using a capacitor from the series connection to ground. It’s an old Bill Lawrence trick. It splits the pickup in the high frequencies, but leaves both coils in the lows. Helps retain a little bit of hum cancelation and gives a fuller tone.


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[Alpione]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

PRS does it for their splits. The split coils sound much stronger, less volume loss.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

Do whatever the PRS SEs use. As stated above, there is practically zero volume drop, and they sound like single coils.

 

[ryevick]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

Try using a capacitor from the series connection to ground. It’s an old Bill Lawrence trick. It splits the pickup in the high frequencies, but leaves both coils in the lows. Helps retain a little bit of hum cancelation and gives a fuller tone.

Is there somewhere that gives detailed instructions on how to do this that I can look at?

 

[ryevick]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

Try using a capacitor from the series connection to ground. It’s an old Bill Lawrence trick. It splits the pickup in the high frequencies, but leaves both coils in the lows. Helps retain a little bit of hum cancelation and gives a fuller tone.

Do whatever the PRS SEs use. As stated above, there is practically zero volume drop, and they sound like single coils.

Are these the same method? If not what's the difference?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

Is there somewhere that gives detailed instructions on how to do this that I can look at?

When you split a humbucker you typically take the series connection between the coils and connect it to ground. This shuts off one coil.

So the trick is between that series connection and ground to add a .02uF cap. What that does is shift the frequency where the coil gets cut. So it retains some of the low frequencies from the coil you are cutting. That gives you some humcancelation while the high frequencies only come from one coil. So you get a single coil tone with added girth and less hum.

Are these the same method? If not what's the difference?

I don’t know about the PRS method, but if you insert a resistor in the series to ground point you are leaving in some of the cut coil. How much depends on the value of the resistor.

A benefit of the cap method is the high end isn’t dulled by having both coils reproducing the upper harmonics. So you get a true single coil tone in the highs, and a humbuckerish tone in the lows.

Plus you can change the cap value to tune the single coil tone.

Gibson is doing this now and calling it a “Frequency Compensated Coil Tap."

It’s a very old trick. I think it even showed up in old Carvin wiring diagrams from the 70s. I read an article in Guitar Player magazine where Bill Lawrence talked about it.

Also people forget about wiring humbuckers in parallel. You get almost the exact same tone as a coil cut with no hum. That’s how I do my guitars. I hate hum, and humbuckers never sound like single coils when coil cut anyway. Always weak and thin.



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[ryevick]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

When you split a humbucker you typically take the series connection between the coils and connect it to ground. This shuts off one coil.

So the trick is between that series connection and ground to add a .02uF cap. What that does is shift the frequency where the coil gets cut. So it retains some of the low frequencies from the coil you are cutting. That gives you some humcancelation while the high frequencies only come from one coil. So you get a single coil tone with added girth and less hum.



I don’t know about the PRS method, but if you insert a resistor in the series to ground point you are leaving in some of the cut coil. How much depends on the value of the resistor.

A benefit of the cap method is the high end isn’t dulled by having both coils reproducing the upper harmonics. So you get a true single coil tone in the highs, and a humbuckerish tone in the lows.

Plus you can change the cap value to tune the single coil tone.

Gibson is doing this now and calling it a “Frequency Compensated Coil Tap."

It’s a very old trick. I think it even showed up in old Carvin wiring diagrams from the 70s. I read an article in Guitar Player magazine where Bill Lawrence talked about it.

Also people forget about wiring humbuckers in parallel. You get almost the exact same tone as a coil cut with no hum. That’s how I do my guitars. I hate hum, and humbuckers never sound like single coils when coil cut anyway. Always weak and thin.



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well i'm not doing this particular mod, i like the concept though, i can add a cap later, i wish there were video demos of this before and after also a wiring diagram, i'll see what it sounds like being split with new shielding first

 

[Oarb00]

Re: Add A Resistor When Splitting A Humbucker?

I am wanting to add series/split/parallel switching to my Sterling Sub4 also. I hav

e installed an SD alnico pickup and the SD 3 band eg and it sounds awesome. There is not room for a blade switch that I have a wiring diagram for but a mini toggle will fit between the Jack and the stack pot. I found a diagram for wiring a 3 way toggle to get my desired results but it doesn't show the 3.3k resistor SD recommends. My question is where do I install the resistor?
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