SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

[tomswaelen]

I have recently purchased a Godin SD like the one in the picture below:

I am, of course, putting other pickups in it. I have pretty much decided on two Seymour Duncan SSL-3 Hot for Strat pickups and a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker in the bridge. As you can see, the Godin has only one volume and one tone knob, which suits me fine. A couple of questions though:

- would it be possible to coil-tap the Pearly Gates pickup with a push-pull pot on either the volume or tone knob (doesn't matter which)
- if the middle pickup were reverse-wound, reverse-polarity, would this give a more 'interesting' sound than the standard Strat sound? Would a RWRP pickup give good tone together with the humbucker in regular or coil-tapped mode?

 

[Arkitkt]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

1. The four-conductor wiring in most HBs will allow you to split the Humbucker, leaving ony one of the coils active. I don't think you can coil-tap a PG.

as for the second question - RW/RP does not change the tone at all. It only eliminates the SC-hum in the in-between positions. Depending on which HB-coil is left active, either the middle or the neck SC should be RW/RP.

 

[tomswaelen]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

1. The four-conductor wiring in most HBs will allow you to split the Humbucker, leaving ony one of the coils active. I don't think you can coil-tap a PG.

Coil-tapping is the technique where you deactivate a coil of the humbucker right? So that it sounds more like (basically is) a single coil?

Why isn't that possible with a Pearly Gates? (I'm no pickup expert)

 

[Arkitkt]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

Coil-tapping is the technique where you deactivate a coil of the humbucker right? So that it sounds more like (basically is) a single coil?

Why isn't that possible with a Pearly Gates? (I'm no pickup expert)

What you describe is coil-splitting. Coil tapping is basically tapping the windings on the PU at any point, so that only a part of the windings on the coil are actively contributing to the tone.

 

[tomswaelen]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

What you describe is coil-splitting. Coil tapping is basically tapping the windings on the PU at any point, so that only a part of the windings on the coil are actively contributing to the tone.

My apologies. So coil-splitting is possible in the above configuration, using a push-pull pot?

 

[Arkitkt]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

My apologies. So coil-splitting is possible in the above configuration, using a push-pull pot?

Absolutely. You'll find a wiring schematic either on the wiring-site or do a search here in the forum. We've discussed the same thing last week. Or search through ArtieToo's posts. He's the resident wiring guru. :dance: :dance:

 

[Artie]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

btw - That is one gorgeous axe. :cool3:

 

[Arkitkt]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

btw - That is one gorgeous axe. :cool3:

+1


BTW, unless you want to use the HB together with one of the SCs, you could go with this schematic. You wouldn't even need the push-pull switch.:

 

[tomswaelen]

Re: SD pickups, coil-taps, and RWRP pickups

+1


BTW, unless you want to use the HB together with one of the SCs, you could go with this schematic. You wouldn't even need the push-pull switch.:

I do plan on using the HB and the middle pickup together... I would like to have as many tonal possibilities as possible, you see...