Pearly Gates - Are coil splits worth bothering with?

[ThreeChordWonder]

The PGs for the SG/V should arrive today.

I'm debating whether it's worth putting in push pulls for coil splits and or phase flipping the neck.

Opinions please.

 

[Securb]

I had one split i the neck of my Strat, it was one of the strattiest sound I got out of any of my guitars. Very Nile Rodgersesque

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I'd say go for it. I might use resistor split wiring for the bridge pickup myself, though.
Out of phase is a cool sound but I found I almost never used it. Might not be worth the trouble.
Then again, for those occasional it's wonderful to have available for those occasional moments...

 

[GuitarStv]

The PG is around the same resistance as '59s, right? I find the '59 neck to be too bright and low output to be all that useful for me when split. I actually ended up removing all the coil split wiring as it was never used.

 

[Clint 55]

Imo partial splits work better than full splits. You still get the effect without it killing the sound. Oop just sounds dead to me so I would never use it.

 

[zionstrat]

I know you didn't ask, but reminder that the PG is wonderful parallel to self... Brighter, more percussive and him canceling.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ Humbuckers are hum-bucking whether the coils are connected series or parallel. That's why they're called humbuckers. I thought the reason they are normally connected in series was to stop them getting muddy(er)?

 

[idsnowdog]

The PG split is too bright and weak.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

The PG split is too bright and weak.

Thanks. That's the sort of in a nutshell answer I wanted.:beerchug:

 

[Chistopher]

My favorite coil split sound comes from a PGn in my Strat. That being said, I'm not the biggest fan of single coils to begin with.

 

[Securb]

My favorite coil split sound comes from a PGn in my Strat. That being said, I'm not the biggest fan of single coils to begin with.

Same here I don't find it overly bright or weak. I am not a single-coil guy but when I need the tone like when we do Long Train Running the PGn split is my go to.

 

[zionstrat]

^ Humbuckers are hum-bucking whether the coils are connected series or parallel. That's why they're called humbuckers. I thought the reason they are normally connected in series was to stop them getting muddy(er)?

Series has more power and rolls off the highs.. parallel has a somewhat single coil tone.

And far as humbucking, splits are not humbucking but parallel is- so it can be a good variation if you play in noisy environments.

 

[Aceman]

It is worth it if you like using those sounds.

 

[Mincer]

I dig the PG split better than parallel. Especially in the neck position, for cleaner sounds.

 

[Dudeman7]

I've only ever used a split PG in one guitar, and never by itself. In that guitar, I have a PGn and a CC bridge. The split positions use one coil from each humbucker and they are magical together.

You're probably familiar with the wiring scheme since it has been discussed on here a number of times. IMO, the Pearly Gates is a perfect choice for the neck position with that wiring since it is bright, detailed and sensitive whether split (with another coil) or by itself in humbucker mode.

Either way, it wouldn't hurt to try splits in your guitar. Even if you don't like a solo PG split, you may love it when combined with another pickup. And.....you already have to wire the guitar so you might as well try it while you're in there.

 

[Clint 55]

The PG split is too bright and weak.

Which is why you partial split.

 

[hamerfan]

More or less:

split as single coil: too weak for most applications
partial split: fatter than split, can be tweaked to perfection with different resistors (or resistor/cap combo)
parallel: solid tone, clearer and less mids than series

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I did the wiring last night.

500k pots, 10% tolerane, 0.022 uF caps (I even used big orange ones just for the looks). No coil splits, no phase flips.

Thanks for your input guys, but the KISS mantra (keep it simple, stupid) has been applied to this one.

 

[BeKindRewind]

In my experience , what I used the pearly gates for the coil splits were awesome. I had it on a HSH setup with auto splits on 2/4 though where it would split the humbucker, and do the neck/middle & bridge/middle positions like a Strat. I was in a blues band and it worked amazingly well to switch between the ZZ top PAF sounds and very convincing Strat sounds.

 

[Chistopher]

I've actually stopped doing partial splits in my guitars. Every time I use a split i want a cleaner sound, so the volume drop helps