Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

[Guitar Toad]

I have a million questions...here's another one...Ok so you get a vintage output and hot pickup all in one. This may be a dumb question but here it goes...ready?...if you have a hot single coil pickup and turn the volume down is that the same effect as having it tapped?

Does your analysis go something like this: The tapped coil has fewer windings and the voicing of the pickup will be different than the fully wound feature of the same pickup.

What are your pro's and con's of tapped SC pickups?

 

[Artie]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I use both tapped SSL-6's and tapped QP's. (Soon to have a tapped SSL-3.) The difference is much more than volume. Its the whole character of the pup. Its the closest thing to getting two pups in one. The next best thing is splitting a humbucker.

When you tap a hot single, it becomes closer to a vintage single sound. More chime, more jangle, more high-end, (due to less inductance). Its the whole ball of wax.

Great value. I love 'em. (If you couldn't tell.)

Artie

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I like jangle and chime.

Does the 50's mod preserve jangle and chime with a hot pickup when turning the volume down?
Do you have the 50's mod on your guitars Artie?

 

[Artie]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I don't use the 50's mod, but thats because of my oddball playing environment. I play strictly at home, in a home studio. I have so many level controls between me and the speakers that I never touch the volume on the guitar. Thus, the 50's mod would do me no good.

I believe Lew, and others, love it though.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I don't use the 50's mod, but thats because of my oddball playing environment. I play strictly at home, in a home studio. I have so many level controls between me and the speakers that I never touch the volume on the guitar. Thus, the 50's mod would do me no good.

I believe Lew, and others, love it though.

Thank you Artie for your kind responses. A tapped single must be the best bang for the pickup buying buck.

Why doesn't everyone have a tapped SC in the bridge of their strat?

 

[Artie]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I think its just because, a tapped single, in its tapped mode, is close to a vintage single, but not exact. And some folks have no need for the "hot" option, so why bother with the additional switching necessary for a tapped pup. Thats my guess.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

Hey Artie -

I've got a variable tap on a QP (dial-a-tap), but I lose high end as I gradually increase the tap. It gets darker, with less output.

Is this what I should expect or something unusual?

BTW there's a steel plate under the QP, if that makes any difference.

Chip

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I would guess that in the bridge of a Strat, many people don't want the vintage bridge tone. EVERYONE wants to beef it up, it seems. Just check out the newbie posts here.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

Yes, I'm pretty much a noobie. I won't argue on that point

Right now I have the 7.4K Tex Mex that can stock in my JV strat. I like it, but compared to the neck TH it simply pales. I want better tone in the bridge position and I'm pretty sure that I want hotter as well. But with a DS-1 the Tex Mex gets really hot sounding as anything would with a DS-1 I reckon

I'm not sure how hot a SC I need in the bridge. I'm gonna roll the dice and gamble on the Texas Hot Custom bridge that usually comes at around 9.8K. I had been wondering about ordering a tapped version from the custom shop to get what Artie talks about. I'm betting the off the shelf version will be great and add tons more mojo to my strat.

I'm sure that the Texas Hot Custom Bridge will be better than the stock Tex Mex.

Edit: I was curious what advantages, besides the obvious, the tapped verisons would offer.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

Is there anything opposite (the tapped tone is very vintage and jangly whereas the untapped side is not the best hot pickup but still ok)

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

James, the full-on QP sounds just like a QP without a tap lead.

GT - one advantage of a tapped, hot pickup is that you get better balanced output when combined with a low output pup. If I combine the QP full-on with an SSL, I hear mostly the QP. Rolling off the output of the QP with the dial-a-tap, I can get to a nice balance between the two pickups so it sounds "like a Strat should" in the notch position.

Chip

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

GT - one advantage of a tapped, hot pickup is that you get better balanced output when combined with a low output pup. If I combine the QP full-on with an SSL, I hear mostly the QP. Rolling off the output of the QP with the dial-a-tap, I can get to a nice balance between the two pickups so it sounds "like a Strat should" in the notch position.

Chip

That's a great point. I plan to install the middle RW/RP Texas Hot, ~6.3k, with the Custom Bridge, ~9.8k. The custom bridge pup will likely overpower the middle pup in the notch tone. Thanks for pointing that out. It would still be noise-cancelling but dominated by the tone of the bridge. A tapped pup may be good for me. I like the notch tones.

Chip, Thanks.

Perhaps another solution is to stay with vintage output and lean on my DS-1.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I have yet to find any cons to having tapped QPs in one of my teles.

Artie's right about the volume vs tapped issue. The character of the pickup is completely different when tapped. Tapped gets you pretty close to a vintage tone, although some of the finely tuned ears around hear won't hear the resemblence. Also remember that rolling back the volume can tend to attenuate certain frequencies.

What I love about the QP is that full on, it's damn near as fat as most of the humbuckers I've got installed in other axes. Fat, full, and really drives the amp. Tapped is an entirely different animal. IMO, tapped pickups have got to be the best value on the market.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

Thank you Artie for your kind responses. A tapped single must be the best bang for the pickup buying buck.

Why doesn't everyone have a tapped SC in the bridge of their strat?

Other than guys who just want vintage-tone-only, I don't know. I made two tapped singles for my Strat and because I love being able to go from jangle to smashmouth with the pull of a push/pull. Tapped singles really are two pickups in one.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

That's a great point. I plan to install the middle RW/RP Texas Hot, ~6.3k, with the Custom Bridge, ~9.8k. The custom bridge pup will likely overpower the middle pup in the notch tone.

Actually you'd be surprised but it won't. The best bridge/middle notch tones I've ever had are my current 10.8k/7.4k tapped homemade AND a the Duncan Custom bridge 9.7k -- both times with a stock Fender middle. VERY clucky. I didn't think it would work either but in both cases, they were/are great.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

Actually you'd be surprised but it won't. The best bridge/middle notch tone I ever got was my current 10.8k/7.4k tapped homemade AND a Custom bridge 9.7k. VERY clucky. I didn't think it would work either but in both cases, they were/are great.

OOO! That's some great info, Zhangliqun!

Other than guys who just want vintage-tone-only, I don't know. I made two tapped singles for my Strat and because I love being able to go from jangle to smashmouth with the pull of a push/pull. Tapped singles really are two pickups in one.

What's the going price for your Tapped pickups?

Smashmouth mode loses all the jangle, eh?

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

I think its just because, a tapped single, in its tapped mode, is close to a vintage single, but not exact.

That problem can be solved by taking a vintage output single coil and just adding a few hundred to a thousand turns on the existing coil. The old hot lead is now the tap, and the end of the added turns is the main.

No more "close" or "almost" -- you're there on the tap.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

OOO! That's some great info, Zhangliqun!



What's the going price for your Tapped pickups?

Smashmouth mode loses all the jangle, eh?

Not much jangle at 10.8k, very P90 to overwound PAF. Really smashes the front end of my Maxon overdrive. But the 7.4k tap has plenty of air and chime -- very "hot vintage".

A couple of folks in here have sent me some old dead/unwanted pickups just to see what I can do on a rewind. If you or anyone else is interested, let me know. Can't beat the price -- free...

That said, I do recommend the Duncan Custom Bridge. I had the Alnico 2 version and it was great, sounded exactly like what you want. Sounds so good and so versatile as is, you may not even need a tapped version.

 

[Jester700]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

One thing is, even though the output of a middle is less than a hot bridge model, they generally have lower impedance too, so in a parallel connection they contribute more to the signal (as more current flows through that part of the circuit). This isn't the same in a series connection, if your guitar has this.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Tapped Single-Coil Pickups

The middle pu contributes more to the signal (assuming same resistance and magnets) because its physical positioning relative to the length of the string means it sees much more movement from the string.

The relationship you're talking about is actually the opposite because there is more in play than just resistance -- there is more coil wire in the magnetic field to generate more current in a hotter (higher resistance) pickup. The hotter wound (higher resistance) pickup will generate more signal at a given position on the string.