Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

[cyberpunk409]

hey guys,

im wanting to get a push/pull pot installed for the bridge humbucker (APH-1) in my epi LP. I initially wanted the push/pull pot to split the humbucker, so i could have a single coil sound. My guitar tech advised against this, saying that doing that for the bridge position humbucker produces a thin/tinny sort of sound. He recommended that i make it a phase push/pull pot instead.

Can anyone explain to me please, if and how this would be better. I'm interested on your thoughts since i dont know much about in-out of phase wiring.

cheers

 

[joelap]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

has your tech ever heard an out of phase pickup? haha j/k


...but seriously, has he?

To me, coil splitting is one of the biggest improvements you can make to an axe to make it more versatile. I cant understand why anyone would advise you against that? In my dual humbucker schecter, I had a split for each pickup, and I would use my JB full-on humbucker mode for heavy parts, and for quick cleans, switch it to the neck and use it split as a single coil. Perfection. Putting a split on a bridge humbucker doesnt make it any thinner or tinnier than a normal strat bridge pickup, so....

Out of phase makes it sound like a mosquito, literally. Almost like you're playing through an old transistor radio where you hear upper midrange and highs and thats about it. Definately go splits, and its so easy to do you wont need your tech to do it.

 

[britishgeetah]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

So in what situation would you actually use an out of phase pickup?

 

[dani]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

or you may wanna use the p/p pot as a parallel switch. almost single coil-y but hum free.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

im assuming that he is concerned about splitting a 7.6k bridge pup, leaving 3.8k which is pretty weak.
out of phase can be a cool thing but only with independant volume controls. if both pups are the same volume you get the thin mosquito, trebly tone. if you roll back one of the volumes so there is only partial phase cancellation you can get some very cool and useful tones. a little honky maybe but still cool.
on one of my main guitars i use a split and a phase on my bridge pup and there are lots of available options

parallel might be even lower in volume than split since youll have a 1.9k pup

 

[cyberpunk409]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

dani, so whats the difference between parallel and split then? soundwise i mean...

 

[britishgeetah]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

So in what situation would you actually use an out of phase pickup?

yeah.

 

[joelap]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

I had an APH-1 in the neck of my schecter, and when split it wasn't weak at all IME. I only used it for clean breaks during a modern grunge style song though, so it was perfect for me at least.

I'd like to try that varying degrees of out of-phaseness. I'll try it on my strat someday I think.

 

[britishgeetah]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

can you do out of phase on with single coils?

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Push/Pull pot - splitting or phase, which is better?

Go parallel instead. It gives you a clean bright 3D sound without the hum. Split tends to be noisy and thin and out of phase with itself is thin and honky.