Does anyone sell an actual TAPPED humbucker?

[St_Genesius]

Not split. Tapped. Two coils, each with two strengths of output.

It seems like a gimmick someone would have tried at some point, but I can't recall ever seeing it.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I think it's called a volume knob.

 

[Blille]

I believe there are a few Duncans that you can get tapped. Not sure there are humbuckers.

It makes most sense imho for high output single coils where you can also get a more traditional output. Like the SSL5T.

 

[PFDarkside]

PRS does it, not sure you can buy them aftermarket. Theirs is like a 120% tap for splitting, which is pretty clever.

MJ can do it at the custom shop for sure.

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, there are no SD production tapped humbuckers. You rarely read about them, either.

 

[Blille]

I would love a tapped SD P Rails tapped HB. Still on my dream list for the custom shop.

I really feel like half the P90 would make the series mode useful and distinct from the modes.

 

[St_Genesius]

I have not often found a high output humbucker with the volume knob down to sound that much like a low output humbucker, but okay.

I think it's called a volume knob.

 

[uOpt]

Would be annoying since you now need a 6 conductor cable.

Haven't seen such a pickup.

 

[skelt101]

Couldn't one effectively DIY a tapped humbucker by placing a resistor between the coil(s) and ground on a switch (a la PRS) or the Spin-A-Split mod? :dunno:

 

[St_Genesius]

Yes, you would. As for how annoying it would be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Two more solder points, plus whatever you needed to make the switching work. Above my electronic pay grade.

And I haven't either. Which, given some of the other gimmicks I've seen brought to market, surprises me a bit.

Would be annoying since you now need a 6 conductor cable.

Haven't seen such a pickup.

 

[Artie]

I once had a tapped Strat Quarter Pound. When I hit the switch for the "tapped" sound, it was . . . lacking. It was fun for a moment or two.

 

[zionstrat]

hmm, I'm a bit surprised at the responses..Tapped are absolutely fantastic but they take a lot of work and a super switch or two.

One of the best applications is combining single coils into a humbucker.. automatically reducing output to avoid volume jumps.

Also, it's superb way to get overwound and even underwound tones out of a single pup. I've gone as far as two taps, but that was many years ago and I'm not young enough to try it out again.. frankly the real challenge is breaking wire and reproducing the exact tap lenghth each and every time. Something that isn't easy to do at home.

I've tried to get interest in the following pup many many times but I think most people don't understand what tapped is and they get it confused with splits.

These pickups have a coil within a coil to ensure humbucking in either setting... It's definitely got its own voice but the closest way to describe it is an underwound p90 and an overwound p90 in one pickup.

Unfortunately they're not in production, I've bought mine off the internet from people who don't understand what they've got and sell them out of their vox guitars

http://www.planetz.com/vox-coaxe-interview-with-vox-rd/

 

[freefrog]

Couldn't one effectively DIY a tapped humbucker by placing a resistor between the coil(s) and ground on a switch (a la PRS) or the Spin-A-Split mod? :dunno:

Clever and interesting idea but IMHO, it would just load down the pickup, a bit like a lowered tone pot would do.

Something that I've done more than once is "virtual unwinding" inspired by the good ol' Lawrence Q filter and effectively equivalent to virtual tapping : I put a LR network in parallel with the pickup that I want to "aleviate". Like a second pickup in parallel, but a dummy one. It can even be done with some cheapo humbucker deprived of its baseplate and magnet (but not of its magnetic poles since they contribute to inductance). This in series with a resistor and the whole in parallel with the pickup = realistic LRC specs.

I share below a pic of what it gives with a Gibson 496R and Gibson 500T, itself in parallel with a switchable LR filter.

Ignore the bottom waving dotted line (translating the phase response) and focus on the upper "mountains" showing the resonant frequencies of pickups: orange line = 500T at full power. Blue Line = 496R. Purple line = 500T in parallel with its dedicated LR filter. I don't think the resonant frequency of a tapped 500T (properly wired) would be really different. And it puts the resonant frequency of the 500T at the same place than with the 496R, giving really similar sounds to both pickups.

Not to mention that it works musically. ;-)

FWIW (= my two cents).

 

[hamerfan]

zhangbucker uses one tapped coil in a humbucker for a more convincing single (or better one and a half) coil tone. He calls Splat Option.

 

[beaubrummels]

Clever and interesting idea but IMHO, it would just load down the pickup, a bit like a lowered tone pot would do.

Something that I've done more than once is "virtual unwinding" inspired by the good ol' Lawrence Q filter and effectively equivalent to virtual tapping : I put a LR network in parallel with the pickup that I want to "aleviate". Like a second pickup in parallel, but a dummy one. It can even be done with some cheapo humbucker deprived of its baseplate and magnet (but not of its magnetic poles since they contribute to inductance). This in series with a resistor and the whole in parallel with the pickup = realistic LRC specs.

I share below a pic of what it gives with a Gibson 496R and Gibson 500T, itself in parallel with a switchable LR filter.

Ignore the bottom waving dotted line (translating the phase response) and focus on the upper "mountains" showing the resonant frequencies of pickups: orange line = 500T at full power. Blue Line = 496R. Purple line = 500T in parallel with its dedicated LR filter. I don't think the resonant frequency of a tapped 500T (properly wired) would be really different. And it puts the resonant frequency of the 500T at the same place than with the 496R, giving really similar sounds to both pickups.

Not to mention that it works musically. ;-)

FWIW (= my two cents).

I'm not seeing the volume drop? Or am I missing something with the graphs? I thought the point of tapping a coil was to reduce the volume?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

+1 on the Splat option from Zhangbucker. I have one and IMO it's superior to a resistor split.
Of course, it might just be because the humbucker itself is awesome.

Splat only taps one of the coils, not both.

 

[freefrog]

I'm not seeing the volume drop? Or am I missing something with the graphs? I thought the point of tapping a coil was to reduce the volume?

The tweaked sofware used in this case automatically aligns resonant peaks but volume differences can still be seen: the orange line is 3dB above the others up to resonant frequency, showing how the 500T full up boosts fundamental notes - going from 82Hz to a bit more than 1318hz on the highest E, 24th fret, with a standard 6 strings electric guitar.

The "virtually tapped" 500T has almost the same output level than the 496R, which is logical since the LR network gives them very close DCR & inductance.

While I'm at it, "synchronicity" talked this week: https://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/10022/alternatives-coil-tapping