Coil Splitting a PG

[Benjy_26]

After some *cough* modifications to the control cavity of my LP, I was able to fit a push/pull pot so that I can split the PG set that I have in my Lester. They sound great split! Clean, sparkly and chimey, they kind of remind me of my drummers Roc Jet. I know that the PG has unbalanced coils. I was wondering which coil doe the PG split to when following SD's standard schematics, the strong coil, or the weak coil? Also, how can I wire them so that when both are split and in the middle position they will cancell hum (like a modern strat in the #2 and 4 pos)?

Thanks for the help, gentlemen.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

After some *cough* modifications to the control cavity of my LP, I was able to fit a push/pull pot so that I can split the PG set that I have in my Lester. They sound great split! Clean, sparkly and chimey, they kind of remind me of my drummers Roc Jet. I know that the PG has unbalanced coils. I was wondering which coil doe the PG split to when following SD's standard schematics, the strong coil, or the weak coil? Also, how can I wire them so that when both are split and in the middle position they will cancell hum (like a modern strat in the #2 and 4 pos)?

Thanks for the help, gentlemen.

I couldn't tell you which coil is which as far as the hotter coil, take your meter and check each coil individually ... if one coil is wound hotter with the same gauge wire, then it will be higher in resistance. For humcancelling you need one north coil, and one south coil (same as a humbucker) ... the screw coil is the south, and the slug coil the north on standard SD's.
A ground tap mutes the south coil, a hot tap mutes the north coil (when wired black ...hot; green ... ground ... reversed it's the opposite).

 

[jeremy]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

youll need to switch the phase of one of the pups when split to get humcancelling, it actually flips the coil when split so by itself you can have two split coil tones from the same pup selecting either coil. i have that mod on my pg loaded axe and it works well

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Thanks fof the info, gentlemen.

youll need to switch the phase of one of the pups when split to get humcancelling, it actually flips the coil when split so by itself you can have two split coil tones from the same pup selecting either coil. i have that mod on my pg loaded axe and it works well

To switch the phase on a the pickup to get humcancelling in the mid position, do I swap the green and black wires, or do I flip the magnet. I assume that this will give me an out of phase sound in normal humbucking operation, right?

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

youll need to switch the phase of one of the pups when split to get humcancelling, it actually flips the coil when split so by itself you can have two split coil tones from the same pup selecting either coil. i have that mod on my pg loaded axe and it works well

Well, that's one way to do it, but it would put it out of phase with the other pup, a simpler way is to alternate a ground tap with a hot tap. You don't need to flip the phase ... it depends on what coils he wants on ... he will need a north and a south coil though. He can select whatver coil he needs via which wires he chooses to use as his taps, and whether or not he uses a ground tap, or again a hot tap. Done properly they both effectively mute the other coil. Benjy, which way do you want the pups facing and which coils do you want on, I believe what Jeremy is referring to is if you want to couple the inner or outer coils (ala PRS) then yeah you have to flip the magnet to get the actual physical coils you want (changing the phase won't help here).
Or you can reverse mount the one pup if you don't mind having the pup turned around (very subtle difference in tone). I already explained which coils are effected via the tap type in my previous reply (reread). To be honest if you are planning on using the split pups by themselves as well, the it better to have the bridge inner coil on, and the neck outer, as they tend to give a little truer SC type tone. For that hook 'em both up as normal and ground tap the bridge and hot tap the neck. If you reverse the taps, you'll get the opposite coils active (outer bridge/inner neck).

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Sorry, I'm kinda slow at this. :smack:

What you're saying, Kent, is that instead of using the red and white I should use the black and green on one pickup to short the opposite coil? I assume that I would then use the red and white as my hot and ground leads, right?

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Sorry, I'm kinda slow at this. :smack:

What you're saying, Kent, is that instead of using the red and white I should use the black and green on one pickup to short the opposite coil? I assume that I would then use the red and white as my hot and ground leads, right?

That's not a hot tap if that's what you're asking, that another way to do it, and depending on which way something is being wired I'll use that as well (people have this bizarre concept that hot and ground and the serie link are engraved in stone or something ... it doesn't matter to the pup one way or the other which *side* you use). Read the FAQ part of the site about pups and their wiring.
Well, Jeremy (no offense) kinda confused me, because I'm not sure why he brought up the idea of electrically reversing the phase, or flipping the magnet, flipping the magnet is simply done so that you can get the magnetic polarity of the coil you want to be on with another coil correct for hum-cancelling (ie. both inners or outers are the same polarity,therefore if you wanted those coils on together (say the screw coils) then you'd have to reverse the magnet on one pup so that it's screw coil was north when the other was south, and then correct it's phase.
What specifically are you trying to do Benjy? Which way are the pups facing (LP style = screw coil of bridge toward bridge; screw coil of neck towards neck)? Which coils do you want on, on which pups? The answer to your question depends on those answers first.
****If you asking about standard wiring, standard facing, then you can only have either the outer of one pup and the inner of the other and be hum-cancelling. Like I already stated given the *standard* wiring, a ground tap will mute the screw coil, a hot tap will mute the slug coil.****
I'm not sure what you refer to as the standard SD split ... as I thought they had a couple of ways of doing it .. post a link to the schematic you are referring to, although I think I answer your question about which coil got turned off. Again reread my posts and check the FAQ area of the site.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

What I want to do is to have humcancelling operation in the midlle position when both humbuckers are split. My pickups are LP style (screws on neck p'up facing neck, bridge p'up facing bridge). I don't mid if I get an inner coil and an outer coil working as long as I get humcancellation in the mid position. To be honest, I have no clue what a hot tap and a ground tap are. What I mean by the standard way of splitting is that you would solder red and whit together, solder those wires to the middle lug on a push/pull knob, and a lead from the outside lug of that switch to ground.

I guess what I need to do is break open the back of my LP and start tinkering again.

 

[Mattt]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

I have no idea which coil i'm using... but my PG neck sounds fantastic split.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

What I want to do is to have humcancelling operation in the midlle position when both humbuckers are split. My pickups are LP style (screws on neck p'up facing neck, bridge p'up facing bridge). I don't mid if I get an inner coil and an outer coil working as long as I get humcancellation in the mid position. To be honest, I have no clue what a hot tap and a ground tap are. What I mean by the standard way of splitting is that you would solder red and whit together, solder those wires to the middle lug on a push/pull knob, and a lead from the outside lug of that switch to ground.

I guess what I need to do is break open the back of my LP and start tinkering again.

What you just described is a ***ground tap***, hence it connects to ground.
What you want is the following:
Bridge pup: Black ... hot, green ... ground, red & white as tap line (use one half of a DPDT switch to connect it to ground when activated ... like you described above) ...
Neck pup: Red ... hot, white ... ground, black & green as tap line ... (use the other half of the DPDT switch to connect it to ground when activated ... like you expalined above).
That will give you want you want, as well as provide the best balance in terms of which coil is left on when using them split alone as well.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Thanks a bunch Kent! I just have a hard time visualizing wiring in my head. I fI have stuff in front of me, it's much easier. I'll try it as soon as I get home tonight. Thanks again!

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Thanks a bunch Kent! I just have a hard time visualizing wiring in my head. I fI have stuff in front of me, it's much easier. I'll try it as soon as I get home tonight. Thanks again!

That's why you draw it out ... :duh:

Benjy ... come over here a minute ... no closer ...
:butkick: :chairshot .... :laugh2: :laugh2:

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

:blackeye: :laugh2:

I know, I know. Sometimes I just put the cart before the horse. :burnout:

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

I split the PGn in my PRS and it's killer and straty sounding. I don't know which coil is being used though, I had it done by someone else.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Coil Splitting a PG

Ok, wired it up with the red as hot and white as ground (black and green as tap line). It sounds great. Hey TC, what do you have paired with yours? I have the set and when both are split they sound almost acoustic. Quite a lovely sound.