Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

[locoblade]

Hi guys,

I have a guitar here and I'm trying to decide what I want, primarily I'd love to have a good single coil tone, but I'm partial to the humbucker note too. The question is what difference is there in sound between a tapped (or split for the pedantic) humbucker and a regular single coil? Is there any?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

welcome to the forum!!

i dont think using the correct terminology is being pedantic

there is definitely a difference in tone between a split bucker and a single coil. what type of single coil tone are you trying to get? if you use a vintage type bucker the split tone will typically be bright and thin, 8k /2 = 4k which is pretty weak. most vintage toned singles are around 6k. if you use a hotter humbucker 16k /2 = 8k which will give you a tone that most people would consider better.

 

[locoblade]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

Cool, that makes a lot of sense, it sounds like it's gonna come down to which tone I want more, single coil or humbucker. I've always tended away from hotter tones, especially for humbuckers. hmm

BTW I didn't mean to come across negative, it's just it annoys me a little bit when you say tapped and some smart arse corrects you, even though you both know what is meant :laughing:

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

I've always split my humbuckers, always interested in how they sound. Most have a brittleness that is just not cool when split. Some work though. Here are some examples, in mahogany 24 3/4 and 25-inch scale guitars:

BRIDGE
Duncan Custom Custom: best of the lot: unsplit, the Custom is fairly hot but retains some of the PAF vibe, similar cry under OD, turned down it approaches the '59 in character - not as sweet as the '59 but then not as shrill either. SPlit it is pretty darned close to the Alnico2 pro single in my Strat - decent bottom end, fairly clean and sweet. If you PM me I'll record a little demo for you.

Tone Zone: Not at all vintage sounding though sweet if you go gentle on it, the TZ is very sensitive to attack. Split it is still big, makes a heck of a singlecoil! Not very stratlike, more like a p90

Duncan JB - not at all vintage sounding, as a full bucker can be sweet but can also be annoying. Split though it is a really nice pickup, good mids, not as much bottom as the TZ. Would not be mistaken for a strat but a usable sound nonetheless and at ~8K a lot of power for a split HB.

Neck
Jazz - the best neck pup IMHO, clean and sweet and round as a bucker, split has a nice woody tone, not as full as a strat neck pup (decent low end but a bit thin in the middle), but eminently usable.

PAF Pro
the Pro IMHO is a bit dark for a neck pickup -- some will call it smooth and it does have a sweet top end. It works well with a lot of gain in a tone stack that dumps low-end. Split it has a brittle quality that is not real attractive

 

[MikeS]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

There's nothing pedantic about the difference between splitting and tapping. They are two completely different things. Splitting refers to disabling one of the coils of a humbucker, while a coil tap is a second lead coming off a coil that is used to lower the resistance of that coil.

I agree that the higher output humbuckers split better than the lower output models. It may not be a question of whether you favor a single coil or humbucker tone, but rather what type of humbucker tone you prefer. For a vintage vibe at a higher output I'd recommend any one of the customs. They all have a high enough output to support splitting without getting too thin.

BTW, welcome aboard.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

A SPLIT is a humbucker TAPPED between th two coils. That's called being authoritative! And I agree - we all know what we mean when we use either term!

And on to the topic- Is it my ears or is a tapped (< you know what I mean) bucker quieter than a regular single? doesn't the mag field of the other coil cancel some of the hum?

 

[romo]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

I recently did my first coil split in my Les Paul with a Pearly Gates neck. I don't have a strat so I can't really compare too well, you definitely lose volume when running it as a single coil and it sounds quite a bit thinner than the humbucker. That said, I do really like getting a single coil sound from my LP and when switching on a clean boost it actually sounds really good...the boost adds back that edge you lose when eliminating one of the coils but keeps the single coil pickup character.

 

[locoblade]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

Really appreciate the advice here guys, I'm starting to feel good about what I want from this guitar. Dave Z, I was already tending towards a jazz neck pickup so I'm happy about that, I think between both the website's and your description of the custom custom that that might be a what I'll end up in the bridge too.

Where's the best place to get these things?

 

[locoblade]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

Well guys, just thought I'd let you know I got the suggested custom custom and jazz setup, and I'm thrilled to bits with them. I was already quite happy with the pickups I had, but the sd's have transformed the thing, the humbuckers sound great fantastic balance, and I can't believe the quack when I "split" them, the only problem I have now is deciding which I prefer more! So thanks a bunch for the help, I've a little website for the guitar here that some might find interesting: http://www.iol.ie/~locoblade/guitar/guitar.html

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

I've said this in other threads and I'll sy it again here. I find you get a more realistic single coil tone by using a series/parallel switch or push/pull than when you do a series/split.

 

[Artie]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

That looks like an interesting, and unique, project. Is that two, 5-way switches? I likey.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

I think the best idea is a humbucker with one coil actually tapped about half way so when you throw the switch you get all of one coil and half the other one, which would give you +/-6k on a PAF clone. On a bridge pickup, let the screw coil be the one that's tapped so you have all of the slug coil for some extra beef.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

I've said this in other threads and I'll sy it again here. I find you get a more realistic single coil tone by using a series/parallel switch or push/pull than when you do a series/split.

I don't know about it being more "realistic", but I definitely prefer it. Wiring a humbucker in parallel gives it that single coil snap, but rounds out the tone a bit more than a split coil.

It really depends on the humbucker too. I find that the JB in my Strat sounds better parallel than split, whereas when I had the Pearly Gates in there I preferred the split tone.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

Well guys, just thought I'd let you know I got the suggested custom custom and jazz setup, and I'm thrilled to bits with them. I was already quite happy with the pickups I had, but the sd's have transformed the thing, the humbuckers sound great fantastic balance, and I can't believe the quack when I "split" them, the only problem I have now is deciding which I prefer more! So thanks a bunch for the help, I've a little website for the guitar here that some might find interesting: http://www.iol.ie/~locoblade/guitar/guitar.html

a 5-way per bucker, very nice! I'd like to see the schematic for that tonal beast!! Also like that you used ash for the back, good balance with the mohogany, yes yes!

I don't know about it being more "realistic", but I definitely prefer it. Wiring a humbucker in parallel gives it that single coil snap, but rounds out the tone a bit more than a split coil.

It really depends on the humbucker too. I find that the JB in my Strat sounds better parallel than split, whereas when I had the Pearly Gates in there I preferred the split tone.

I've never had the pleasure of playing a guitar with a PG so I couldn't say. It's all a matter of preference really.

When I start building guitars I want to build a Strat with a JB in the bridge and it'll be push/pull galore! Glad to know (and not surprised) the series/parallel is the way to go for a JB.

 

[locoblade]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

Yeah I'm definitely thinking the ash has a lot to do with the springy sound, kinda puts back in what you'd lose with the hollow body and the mahogany. The real thing I can't believe is how smooth it sounds now, I'm sure it's something to do with the extra sustain, but it's just so playable

With the 5 way switches I had the choice between parallel and either split coil - I found myself hardly ever using the parallel option - yes it's louder and there's no hum, but it just doesn't sound as quacky to my ears, kinda like it can't decide what to sound like.

As far as schematics are concerned, I mostly did it out of my head - funnily I find this way easier, I didn't even bother writing anything down for the way I have it now, the only thing I got wrong was I had the volume pots spinning the wrong way. But if you really want me to write either out I can. The 2x5way was deceptively simple, you wired each switch up the exact same, it works out being a glorified split switch if you get what I mean. I'd recommend it though, I found that as long as whoever was playing actually understood the effect of splitting coils etc. then the switches were very intuitive.

P.S. if you liked that you might like this: http://www.iol.ie/~locoblade/bass/bass.html

 

[ginormous]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

...Is it my ears or is a tapped (< you know what I mean) bucker quieter than a regular single?...

To my experience, yes, split/tapped (to-may-to, to-mah-to) pups are quieter than single coils, because they're still cancelling hum even with the tap.

Another solution, somewhat old-school but cool nonetheless: Dan Armstrong came out with the Tone-L-Filter back in the day. Basically, it's a small coil wired series/parallel into a switch, giving a good approximation of a single coil without losing the hum cancelling properties of a bucker.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

To my experience, yes, split/tapped (to-may-to, to-mah-to) pups are quieter than single coils, because they're still cancelling hum even with the tap.

Not true. The other coil is completely out of the circuit so you will get hum in single coil mode.

 

[tc]

Re: Difference between coil tapping and actual single coils?

stag mag anyone??