Splitting stacked coils

[Xochitl]

Hello!

I'm new here and I'm trying to understand why the SD diagrams split stacked coils as the STK-S4 in strat positions 2 & 4. The thing I least understand is the claim that this position is hum cancelling. I believe it shouldn't as you're not pairing opposite coil polarities (ie.: North-South). Am I right or wrong?

If I'm right, is the split done for sound character (the strat "parallel hollow" kind of tone) even if it wouldn't be noiseless?

If I'm wrong, how this positions can cancel hum?

If I don't split stacked coils, would those positions (2 & 4) be respectful of the classic strat tone or not?

Thanks for the input and for sharing your experience.

PS:
To the administrator > Sorry for double posting!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

welcome to the forum!!

as soon as the whipmaster gets off break (union guy) he will commence the beating


that diagram shows a hot rails or other side by side single coil bucker in the bridge. to get a more traditional notch position tone you'd want to split that pup. to get hum cancelling in that #4 position you'd need to split the middle pup.

im not sure why they are splitting both pups in the #2 position. i thought the notch tone with the classic stack + was pretty darn good. it might be due to the fact that when you have a stack design you usually lose a little output and when two pups are in parallel you loose even more output so by splitting the coils you might get some of the output back? i have no idea, im just guessing

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

Thanks!

I agree on the first comment. And I'm not "fluent" enough with wiring diagrams to see if it's the south-coil of the bridge pup which is on in the 4th position.

Your second comment seems to me a wise guess! But even so, this 2nd position couldn't be hum canceling...

Let's wait for the whipmaster!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

actually it could be if the neck and middle pups are rp/rw and i kinda remeber the middle pup being reverse polarity than the others

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

Ok. I didn't see it on the diagram.
Edit: Thumbs up! You're right!

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

Hello!

I'm new here and I'm trying to understand why the SD diagrams split stacked coils as the STK-S4 in strat positions 2 & 4. The thing I least understand is the claim that this position is hum cancelling. I believe it shouldn't as you're not pairing opposite coil polarities (ie.: North-South). Am I right or wrong?

If I'm right, is the split done for sound character (the strat "parallel hollow" kind of tone) even if it wouldn't be noiseless?

If I'm wrong, how this positions can cancel hum?

If I don't split stacked coils, would those positions (2 & 4) be respectful of the classic strat tone or not?

Thanks for the input and for sharing your experience.

PS:
To the administrator > Sorry for double posting!

Uh, the "classic stack" set has a middle pickup that's set up so that, if all three pickups are split, they're just like a normal stratocaster. I used to own the neck and middle and it worked as advertised when split: they DO cancel hum. Then again, if you don't split, they also cancel hum, so might as well not split I guess

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

And what's up with a split humbucker? I mean if I split the neck (not RW/RP) and my bridge humbucker to get the kind of G&L S-500 extra Tele position ?

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

And what's up with a split humbucker? I mean if I split the neck (not RW/RP) and my bridge humbucker to get the kind of G&L S-500 extra Tele position ?

Splitting, at least with a Classic Stack, basically shuts off the smaller, second coil, making the pickup a "true" single coil, in this case. As for humbuckers, it shuts off one coil, so the result sounds like a single coil, but not totally. For 75% of those listening to you play, a split humbucker will do the trick.

I think I still have some clips on my website of me playing tracks split and not split. It's in the "music" section. I also have my soundclick site, but I doubt any of those clips are split.

If you have to, think of splitting a humbucker as a nice option to have, for versatility, rather than giving you a "true" single coil. But the classic stack, that definitely will give you a true single coil when you "split" it.

And no, I don't think it will give you the exact sound of a G&L unless you're playing that exact guitar in stock form. I'm not familiar with that guitar. However, me experience with splitting in my ESP (hot rodded combo: jazz neck, JB bridge) is that when used together and split, it gives me a nice tone. It's useful for variety of sounds too, like with Jazz full but JB split, for putting the JB in a "less power" mode.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

I once had a SH-4 / SH-1 combo with a tap switch. Splitting was nice, but not up to my strat (even if I think its single-coils could be better).
I'm not after the true single-coil thing as I believe only a true single-coil sounds like a real one (plus there are a lot of different flavors in the sc world :smokin: ) and, as my strat is an HSS one with an OFR, I won't get the 200 % real strat. :no: That's why I wrote "kind of".
I'm at the same time looking for personality and versatility. :reporter: May be an oxymoron! :eek13:
I'm asking because I'm hesitating between splitting or not the new stacked coils sc I'm to receive and put in my strat. Is it worth the extra effort? Is it consistent with the fact I've got an humbucker in the bridge? I'm going by numbers as I can't experiment and, I'm starting to believe that I will leave them stacked (even if I still should split the bridge humbucker). Should be easier too! :fingersx:

Thanks for your help!
Advices are still welcome though!


BTW, the S-500 is a nice guitar! :dance:

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

I once had a SH-4 / SH-1 combo with a tap switch. Splitting was nice, but not up to my strat (even if I think its single-coils could be better).
I'm not after the true single-coil thing as I believe only a true single-coil sounds like a real one (plus there are a lot of different flavors in the sc world :smokin: ) and, as my strat is an HSS one with an OFR, I won't get the 200 % real strat. :no: That's why I wrote "kind of".
I'm at the same time looking for personality and versatility. :reporter: May be an oxymoron! :eek13:
I'm asking because I'm hesitating between splitting or not the new stacked coils sc I'm to receive and put in my strat. Is it worth the extra effort? Is it consistent with the fact I've got an humbucker in the bridge? I'm going by numbers as I can't experiment and, I'm starting to believe that I will leave them stacked. Should be easier too! :fingersx:

Thanks for your help!
Advices are still welcome though!


BTW, the S-500 is a nice guitar! :dance:

Depends. Do you like the sound of the Deftones? of Megadeth? That's the JB. Do you like the sound of Sevendust? That's the CC. If you only want a super strat anyways, you can get those pickups, but I'd say use the Tone Wizard.

Depends on how many pots you have as well. It's always good, in my opinion, to mod them with push/pull, just in case you want the ability. Better to have an ability available than to need it later and then go have the guitar modified, in my opinion.

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

I'm not looking for pups. I'm above all trying to understand how stacked coils behave.
For example, if they are tuned to sound like real sc but without the 60 cycle hum, why should they be split? For the moment, I understand they're only a really good emulation, that should be split for the more realistic in between positions.

Here's the babe!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

the classic stack + is the best humfree single coil ive heard at getting a vintage strat tone. there are other good ones, like kinmans, but i still prefer the tone of the classic strat +.

that said, if you a/b the cs+ to an antiqutiy strat single coil there is a noticable difference. i think some true single coils sound better than the cs+ but they hum

 

[Xochitl]

Re: Splitting stacked coils

Next guitar should be with real sc then! GAS on!
Thanks. I think I have to try now...