Which coil scheme is more useful

[Bowtomecha]

Which is more useful, inner coils of humbuckers in parallel and hum canceling, or inner coils in series and canceling but with a partial split?
I’m thinking that in parallel, they retain more of the in between quack, but in series and with a partial split, they would be louder and could be more balanced with the other humbucker positions. But I’m not sure of how the tone would be. Since the coils involved are from different pickups, I think the humbucking effects would be skewed so I’m not sure if the series with partial split would be even noisier or not.

 

[Chistopher]

It depends on you and the pickups

 

[Mincer]

I love the inner coils in parallel, and never cared for any series pairing of 2 coils of different humbuckers...partial split or not. The parallel version is quieter, but also strattier, in a delightful way.

 

[Artie]

I agree with Mincer. And two coils don't need to be exactly the same to still be reasonably hum-cancelling.

 

[Juanhanglo]

I run some both inner, parallel.

Others I run neck outer and bridge inner. There is no issues with noise on this one. Come to think of it, the dark matter 2s are quieter than lace sensors when split.

Neck outer/bridge inner is the most fenderesque version, IMO.
It gives you the "right" neck position, and a less shrill bridge. Win/win.

Anyrhing split/series loses the high end that I want when splitting. Also the volume drops for cleaner stuff gets compromised. Its not that far off both buckers combined either.

 

[Artie]

Neck outer/bridge inner is the most fenderesque version, IMO.
It gives you the "right" neck position, and a less shrill bridge. Win/win.

Yup. That's how I like to do it. No mag flip, or reverse-wiring needed to be copacetic.

 

[Coma]

I run some both inner, parallel.

Others I run neck outer and bridge inner. There is no issues with noise on this one. Come to think of it, the dark matter 2s are quieter than lace sensors when split.

Neck outer/bridge inner is the most fenderesque version, IMO.
It gives you the "right" neck position, and a less shrill bridge. Win/win.

Anyrhing split/series loses the high end that I want when splitting. Also the volume drops for cleaner stuff gets compromised. Its not that far off both buckers combined either.

That sounds pretty rad, I wanna try that! Got a wiring diagram for it?

 

[Artie]

That sounds pretty rad, I wanna try that! Got a wiring diagram for it?

Yes, but it requires a dual-humbucker guitar that uses a Fender style 3-way. I haven't figured any way to do it with an LP-style toggle. And believe me, I've tried. I have two Schecters that beg for that wiring. But they're both LP-style switches.

 

[Mincer]

Inner parallel and outer parallel are both really great sounds.

 

[Artie]

I love those sounds too, but ideally, you want to do the mag-flip, reverse-wire, on the neck, to keep everything hum-cancelling. It's not a big deal, but a lot of folks don't like messing with a new pup.

 

[Artie]

That sounds pretty rad, I wanna try that! Got a wiring diagram for it?

You have to examine this closely to understand how it works. But it does. It only looks convoluted.

 

[GuitarStv]

I like inner coils or outer coils parallel - both sound great to me. That said, I've found that a straight split to the coil closest to the neck is often the most useful of fancy humbucker wiring options. It gives you a pretty decent single coil sound and does great cleans. You will get some hum though.

 

[magillver]

Just get a pair of Triple Shot rings, then do a push/pull switch for placing the two humbuckers in series or parallel and you get all of the possible combinations, and without *too* much trouble...

 

[switchman]

Hello @Artie have you tried your virtual middle with a 4PDT- On-On-On? I think there is a way to do it but I don't have one of those switches to test the idea anymore. I put the 6 sound Freeway Ultra toggle in my only guitar that has the toggle-volume-tone layout.

I always did inner coils in series on my guitars with the mag flip. Plus both full humbuckers in parallel the standard center position sound. Over time I've come to think its pointless to have both the difference is very subtle.

 

[Artie]

Hello @Artie have you tried your virtual middle with a 4PDT- On-On-On? I think there is a way to do it but I don't have one of those switches to test the idea anymore. I put the 6 sound Freeway Ultra toggle in my only guitar that has the toggle-volume-tone layout.

I always did inner coils in series on my guitars with the mag flip. Plus both full humbuckers in parallel the standard center position sound. Over time I've come to think its pointless to have both the difference is very subtle.

Yes. I have that diagram somewhere in my archives. If I find it, I'll post it. Mind you, I have hundreds of diagrams on my 'puter. Might take me awile to find it.

 

[Juanhanglo]

That sounds pretty rad, I wanna try that! Got a wiring diagram for it?

Its just a simple coil split/tap.

Its a bit more work to do both inners or both outers.

I find both have drawbacks.

Outers has a shrill bridge sound that causes more of a scoop in the middle position

Inners, you lose the "proper" neck coil position. Inners on a 24 fret exacerbates that effect.

Both neck side coils is the best of all worlds.

 

[switchman]

Inners, you lose the "proper" neck coil position. Inners on a 24 fret exacerbates that effect.

interesting I never thought about that..I first did inners purposely trying to get a sound close to a middle pickup on a 2 humbucker guitar I didn't want to rout or buy a 3rd pickup on. I'm ~that person~ who actually plays the middle pickup of a Strat by itself - a lot - and walks by dozens of Les Pauls to pickup the 3 P-90 non-reverse Firebird Less high frequency cancellation using coils closer together too.

 

[Artie]

interesting I never thought about that..I first did inners purposely trying to get a sound close to a middle pickup on a 2 humbucker guitar I didn't want to rout or buy a 3rd pickup on. I'm ~that person~ who actually plays the middle pickup of a Strat by itself - a lot - and walks by dozens of Les Pauls to pickup the 3 P-90 non-reverse Firebird Less high frequency cancellation using coils closer together too.

I do too, if its the right pup. Cool Rails, Vintage Rails, Duckbucker, and STK-S4 Plus, all sound good to me as a standalone middle.

And the best, was an SSL-5 that I accidently poked with an Exacto knife. Forum bro Zhangliqun, (Dave Plummer), rewound it for me. One of the best sounding singles I've ever heard.

 

[ehdwuld]

I put a toggle on my headless Ehdwuld branded guitars

Just to do the inner coils - outer coils thing

My pickups are half rails btw
So I am choosing rails or poles

Mine do sound quite different
Again maybe something else

Simple switch though

3 way on-off-on

Middle position does nothing
So the standard humbucker s

Either side selects one coil or the other on each humbucker