JB Split Coil

[Indie P Bass]

been a long time since I've been on this board, but I've come up with a question. Now, I'm starting an alt-country-folk whatever jigger (to get an idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8TF8UaWz1s yeah, it's live, but it's my favorite song by them. If you really want, you can scrounge a bit and hear some of their more, "acceptable radio music" on there pretty easily). Now, I've got a small problem: I've got crap for this type of music. So, I know what I'm doing with the acoustic (Rare Earth Humbucker, maybe a DI box... maybe straight in, I don't know) but my electric situation is a little less than ideal. So, I've got a Vox, a marshall and 3 guitars with humbuckers. I'm thinking coil splitting.

It took too long to get to that question. But I've got a JB bridge and a 59 in my Paul and I was looking to coil split it. Turns out, though, that my 59 is a single conducter, so that won't split... the JB will, though. So, I'm thinking I'll just split the JB... but I have no idea how it sounds or what it entails. Or if it'll be worth it. I've scoured the forum and found little help. I was hoping someone had a comparison of a JB being split clean. And could tell me how to actually do it.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: JB Split Coil

I have a guitar with two JB's, both with coil splitting switches. Tonally, when they're split they sound similar to Strat pickups, but with a bit more bass. They're very usable, and in a Les Paul, I'm thinking that a split JB in the bridge position would be fuller and richer than the tones that come out of most single coil guitars.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=coil_splitting

If you want a lighter tone even closer to that of a Strat with the chime, then that can be done as well if you use the de-mud mod with the component values in my sig. Then if you run the wire for splitting the pickup off the side of the white pickup wire, the mod will clean up the split tone even more. That gives a clearer, lighter single coil sound.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: JB Split Coil

I have a guitar with two JB's, both with coil splitting switches. Tonally, when they're split they sound similar to Strat pickups, but with a bit more bass. They're very usable, and in a Les Paul, I'm thinking that a split JB in the bridge position would be fuller and richer than the tones that come out of most single coil guitars.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=coil_splitting

If you want a lighter tone even closer to that of a Strat with the chime, then that can be done as well if you use the de-mud mod with the component values in my sig. Then if you run the wire for splitting the pickup off the side of the white pickup wire, the mod will clean up the split tone even more. That gives a clearer, lighter single coil sound.

yeah, cause what I'm thinking, is I can get a nice, smooth tone out of the 59 in the neck, but I want a bit more attack, like a two pickup tone... but the JB kind'a makes it TOO much. If it's like a smooth neck tone with a stratty tone under it, it might be exactly what I'm looking for (short of spending money I don't have on a JB for the neck, and then getting rid of my favorite pickup combo or buying a new guitar). I really wish I went fender instead of vox at this point, but... what are you going to do? (answer: make sure I always play shows with my friend's band and use his Hot Rod Deluxe [I think])

Ok, so looking at that schematic... all I have to do is ground one and not ground the other... simple enough... but which one do I want active? The inner or outer? And is there absolutely no way to split the 59 single conducter? I'm hoping there's some trick to it or something. In anycase, this looks a lot easier than I thought it was, and I'll just do it myself isntead of paying 15 bucks for someone to solder three joints.

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: JB Split Coil

yeah, cause what I'm thinking, is I can get a nice, smooth tone out of the 59 in the neck, but I want a bit more attack, like a two pickup tone... but the JB kind'a makes it TOO much. If it's like a smooth neck tone with a stratty tone under it, it might be exactly what I'm looking for (short of spending money I don't have on a JB for the neck, and then getting rid of my favorite pickup combo or buying a new guitar). I really wish I went fender instead of vox at this point, but... what are you going to do? (answer: make sure I always play shows with my friend's band and use his Hot Rod Deluxe [I think])

Ok, so looking at that schematic... all I have to do is ground one and not ground the other... simple enough... but which one do I want active? The inner or outer? And is there absolutely no way to split the 59 single conducter? I'm hoping there's some trick to it or something. In anycase, this looks a lot easier than I thought it was, and I'll just do it myself isntead of paying 15 bucks for someone to solder three joints.

I wouldn't recommend a JB in the neck position for most people. In a Les Paul, a '59 like you have is better in most cases. The bridge JB split does have a bit more of a clear, immediate attack, with lower output. Combined with a full humbucker neck pickup, it has an interesting tone as well. It could be close to what you're looking for.

The single-conductor 59's definitely can't be split as they are. If you're willing to do some slightly crazy soldering work and don't mind getting your hands dirty, it's possible to change the pickup to 4-conductor.... But it's a pretty challenging and time intensive process. It would probably be easier to buy a used 4-conductor '59 and sell the single-conductor one.

When wiring the pickup for splitting, most people just split to the slug coil. It has a bit of a punchier, stronger tone.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: JB Split Coil

My Hamer came w/a factory issue JB in the bridge. I did a split using a push/pull on the tone pot. I thought the split was very good. IME, hotter pups split very well.

I have since replaced the JBb w/a Custom 5 b, and I have the C5 split also. While my personal preference for a HB pup is the C5, the JB split was better than the C5 split, in the sense that the JB split was a fuller SC sound.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: JB Split Coil

yeah, it's kind'a hard to find a recording of the idea of what tone I want. If it makes any sense, I'm going to be the rhythm in the group, but there's not much out there that's a simple find...
I guess this is kind of what I'm thinking, but with a thicker overall tone (which is where the humbuckers come in), but I still want that clarity and attack (which is where the splitting comes in, I've only got humbuckers). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U5R-_wTG6I the jag in this one is what I was thinking, but I know I can't get that sound withiout a new guitar, but something closer to it than the paul does.

 

[jumpinjackf1ash]

Re: JB Split Coil

I split a JB in the bridge of my LP one time...it is a verrry useable tone...very clear and full of bass...I prefer it to any real single coil I've had in the bridge position on a strat.

 

[iron_iguana]

Re: JB Split Coil

Have you thought of putting the JB in Parallel mode instead of split? I have a push-pull on my LP to put it in this mode and like it. I personally did not like the split sound of the JB in the bridge position (too thin sounding). Parallel also gets rid of the hum.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: JB Split Coil

actually I hadn't thought of parellel... do you have any sound samples or something?

 

[iron_iguana]

Re: JB Split Coil

I don't. Anyone else have a JB split vs JB in parallel sound sample?

 

[hanumanlangur]

Re: JB Split Coil

yeah, it's kind'a hard to find a recording of the idea of what tone I want. If it makes any sense, I'm going to be the rhythm in the group, but there's not much out there that's a simple find...
I guess this is kind of what I'm thinking, but with a thicker overall tone (which is where the humbuckers come in), but I still want that clarity and attack (which is where the splitting comes in, I've only got humbuckers). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U5R-_wTG6I the jag in this one is what I was thinking, but I know I can't get that sound withiout a new guitar, but something closer to it than the paul does.

Yeah, I think a split bridge JB can give you something that isn't too far off from that.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: JB Split Coil

yeah, I just did it (what may well be the ugliest pot replacement ever) and nailed it. It's exactly what I was expecting, not quite what I wanted most (that'd be a tele), but I got exactly what I was expecting and am happy. I'll put up a sample.
To describe it though, it doesn't sound like a strat or a tele... I would actually say... it sounds almost like a jaguar, only... less fender-y. It's a tough one to explain, in a few, I'll have it up. But, with the neck humbucker and the bridge split, it sounds... just great. A good, thick tone with snap and attack, still. Why don't more manufacturers put single coils in the bridge and a humbucker in the neck?

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: JB Split Coil

here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz_KS0T4ifI
let no board member ever wonder what the JB coil tapped into a Line 6 recreation of a vox and fuzz face sounds like!