Advice: best pups for split coil setup

[TinPan]

Before I start, this is still the same Gibson SG I have been working with over the past few months, I have been installing pup's for quite some time (40+ years) However things have changed so much over the years so Im going to ask you guy's to throw some suggestions my way. I have a pair of (restored) p-rails on the way from the custom shop (new 5 wire cable's being installed) but before I go ahead and install them (Im installing a split coil push pull system, w/o extra toggle switches) I recently found out that p-rails are not the best pups for this set up. So give me some advice for the best pups to use. The guitar will be used mostly for blues (bell tones required) and classic rock covers and recording originals, sometimes will need clean single coil sound and sometime heavy crunch.

Suggestions please!
Don

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Sentient neck and 59/Custom Hybrid bridge. That set can do just about anything well and fits your description to a t. Don't let the heavy metal advertising of the Sentient fool you, it is tonally between a 59 and a Jazz neck and is among the more versatile neck humbuckers.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

What do you mean by PRails aren’t for this use? Have you heard that with your ears or read it on the internet?

I can get all those tones from the ones in my 335. The single coils don’t sound specifically like a Strat, but they do sound like a single coil more than a split humbucker does.

The parallel setting of each PRail chimes very nicely.


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[TinPan]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

What do you mean by PRails aren’t for this use? Have you heard that with your ears or read it on the internet?

I can get all those tones from the ones in my 335. The single coils don’t sound specifically like a Strat, but they do sound like a single coil more than a split humbucker does.

The parallel setting of each PRail chimes very nicely.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I learned it here in this forum "with push pull pots and p-rails your still getting the p90 and single coil when engaging the push pull" If you have a way to get a single coil w/o the p90 combined let me know.

 

[TinPan]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Sentient neck and 59/Custom Hybrid bridge. That set can do just about anything well and fits your description to a t. Don't let the heavy metal advertising of the Sentient fool you, it is tonally between a 59 and a Jazz neck and is among the more versatile neck humbuckers.

I will give em a look

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Also check out the Stag-Mag

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

https://goo.gl/images/oX5eSN

Here's the diagram for getting each option out of the p rails with push pulls or switches.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

WLH are made for splitting, classic rock, blues and work well in SGs and LPs

 

[TinPan]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

https://goo.gl/images/oX5eSN

Here's the diagram for getting each option out of the p rails with push pulls or switches.

Ok very interesting I like it, however Gibson SG 2 vol 2 tone pots not 1 vol 1 tone

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Ok very interesting I like it, however Gibson SG 2 vol 2 tone pots not 1 vol 1 tone

This is no biggie. Everyone who read schematics and know how to solder properly can do that for you. You just need two new pots, your choice on the volume or on the tone pots.

 

[VinceT]

Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Ok very interesting I like it, however Gibson SG 2 vol 2 tone pots not 1 vol 1 tone

That’s OK, the push/pulls are physically mounted on the pot, but independent, so you can have them on (e.g.) just the tone pots or just the volume pots.


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[VinceT]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Hamerfan and I, typing at the same time!


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[TinPan]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

OK you all convinced me to stick with my p-rails, And this diagram https://goo.gl/images/oX5eSN is the best to date, but may I ask is there one with "2 p-rails, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way, 4 push/pulls, (no mini toggles) ? I have 4 CTS p/p pots to work with.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

There used to be one with 4 push pulls but not now. But all you have to do is only wire half the switch on the tone and wire the other half of the switch on the volume based on the drawings that are there. Or try to google for the old 4-PP one if someone has it archived online.

 

[robertkoa]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

Also check out the Stag-Mag

I wonder why Seymour D does not make a StagMag Hybrid.
So it splits into a single coil but in Hunbucker Mode has a second deep coil with standard Alnico 3 to enhance the Humbucker sound.

I used the stag mag long ago - split is great but humbucker suffers because coils are identical .

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Advice: best pups for split coil setup

I wonder why Seymour D does not make a StagMag Hybrid.
So it splits into a single coil but in Hunbucker Mode has a second deep coil with standard Alnico 3 to enhance the Humbucker sound.

I used the stag mag long ago - split is great but humbucker suffers because coils are identical .

I've always championed a 5-2 Stag Mag design. Tack onto that hybrid coils and I think that would make for a unique pickup that would be at home in any HSS super Strat.