Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

[blueman335]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I'd rather spend energy playing and singing than fiddling with stuff.

Golden Boy: are you saying that you're so busy cramming notes into a song, that you don't have a moment to spare? That every ounce of energy goes into that and when you stop, you collapse on the stage & have to be carried home? Slow down & enjoy some dymanics; loud, soft, fast, slow. Let your music breathe. It's not a race. You're paid by the gig, not the note.

If you're playing all night at a gig, it's going to be a lot more interesting to the audience if you change your tone to fit various songs (I'm assuming that your song list has some variety to it). Playing with the same tone for hours is going to get stale at some point, whether you realize it or not.

All we're saying is that variety & contrast is what makes music interesting to listen to, including variety in tone, plus it also keeps your playing fresher. If you haven't got a second to spare to change your tone over the course of an evening, you may want to take a look at your playing style. Sometimes less is more.

 

[lex666]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

How to get a single coil sound with a guitar correctly wired using push/pull pots:

Pull knob.

Done.

Just as easy as rolling down the volume.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I like the PRS 5-way rotary switch. No push-pulls or extra switching, and no weird-ass settings that no one will ever use. If I had a Les Paul (God forbid), the first upgrade would be SD 4 conductor pickups and a rotary switch.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

How to get a single coil sound with a guitar correctly wired using push/pull pots:

Pull knob.

Done.

Just as easy as rolling down the volume.

Can you go over that again? Now, what do you do? Wait, let me write this down...

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I understand Golden Boy's point. I think it is too easy to take the point of a simpler guitar set-up...and associate it with being simplistic. Lots of detail is lost at higher volumes when playing in front of a crowd...so why bother?

I gots P-Rails, and chose to wire only two of the four modes (HB and P90).

Hell, do pretty girls (guitars) need extra makeup?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I think it is too easy to take the point of a simpler guitar set-up...and associate it with being simplistic...I gots P-Rails, and chose to wire only two of the four modes (HB and P90).

Ah...but you did use two modes for that PU, HB & single coil, which is exactly the point we're making.

I have a lot of complicated alternative wirings on my guitars, & understand that not everyone is into that. But a single push-pull for coil cut or coil swap is not complicated or confusing. If you can step on a stomp box, you can lift a push-pull. Tuning a guitar is a lot more complicated.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

Ah...but you did use two modes for that PU, HB & single coil, which is exactly the point we're making.

I have a lot of complicated alternative wirings on my guitars, & understand that not everyone is into that. But a single push-pull for coil cut or coil swap is not complicated or confusing. If you can step on a stomp box, you can lift a push-pull. Tuning a guitar is a lot more complicated.

Actually, I was going for a P90 tone, and I have no cash for another guitar. Phat Cats are soft A2's...and my oddball Gibson will not fit Gibson or any other metal covered pickups through the tight rings and small body pockets. The splitter switch was already there from the factory.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I understand Golden Boy's point. I think it is too easy to take the point of a simpler guitar set-up...and associate it with being simplistic. Lots of detail is lost at higher volumes when playing in front of a crowd...so why bother?

I think it's just annother trick up your sleeve...the singer is about to come back in and you don't want to overpower the vocal, but you want to smack the guitar...pull up and you have 2/3 the volume you had a second ago. You'd also get some more sparkle from the single coil rather than a turned-down HB.

Plus, with the volume knob the amount of reduction is variable, whereas the coil split is instantly the same amount less each time, which makes for super fast transitions...either one works, but the flavors are different.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

Golden Boy: are you saying that you're so busy cramming notes into a song, that you don't have a moment to spare? That every ounce of energy goes into that and when you stop, you collapse on the stage & have to be carried home? Slow down & enjoy some dymanics; loud, soft, fast, slow. Let your music breathe. It's not a race. You're paid by the gig, not the note.

If you're playing all night at a gig, it's going to be a lot more interesting to the audience if you change your tone to fit various songs (I'm assuming that your song list has some variety to it). Playing with the same tone for hours is going to get stale at some point, whether you realize it or not.

All we're saying is that variety & contrast is what makes music interesting to listen to, including variety in tone, plus it also keeps your playing fresher. If you haven't got a second to spare to change your tone over the course of an evening, you may want to take a look at your playing style. Sometimes less is more.

There's people that cannot function without a 2 or 3 channel amp. Footswitch breaks or stuck with a single channel amp- and they're ****ed- no idea what to do. People that rely solely on their pedals for "their sound" are deer in the headlights without their pedals or their pedal board. Just having the wealth of sounds available from a single pickup guitar and a volume and tone knob are, in all actuality, enough for the average bar band player.

For all the twiddling and concentration and effort gone into the nuances of your tone- no one but you notices. For 40 years people have argued about what guitar Clapton used on "Crossroads." I've heard it from Firebird to SG to LP Custom to 335. Heck, I've heard from people on the intArwebs say they were at the show and give answers. To top that off, you're going to get some intArweb guy swearing he's "nailing" the Crossroads tone with a Jackon Soloist through a Quadraverb. It seems inconceivable to me that experienced players and music lovers can't tell the difference between a FB-I and a 335 on a live recording. But that's how it goes.

So then we go to how much of a nuance is perceptible to the average listener. Yeah, it sounds different- but aside from a volume difference or a major tonal jump, the average person isn't going to hear it in the context of a song. In fact, pretty much no one but you is going to pay any mind to it.

While I believe playing is about as much about you as it is for the audience- and chasing your sound can be a good thing- the minute it starts detracting from what really matters- that's not a good thing. On the other hand, if you're not getting the voicings you "hear" out of your gear, then you need to go looking for something. If you think you need coil taps and other bells and whistles- cool, but the vast majority of players don't. For you coil taps and phase reversal stuff may be your thing- for me it's mucking the whole thing up.

For myself, I like the bridge pickup, and I like the neck pickup. I use them with variations of the volume and tone knobs. That's fine for me. I don't see the need to mod a LP beyond a treble bleed cap on the neck. I don't even need that, I just like it. I prefer to make things easy for myself. I changed my selector switch on my Tele so I don't bump the volume when switching pickups. I changed the switch on my L-2000 because I didn't like trying to balance the mini-toggle in the center position- I never use the bridge pickup soloed, so it makes more sense to have a 2 position switch with neck solo and neck + bridge available.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

For myself, I like the bridge pickup, and I like the neck pickup. I use them with variations of the volume and tone knobs. That's fine for me.

Do you have your guitar(s) wired so that you can blend the PU's (independent volume controls)? That's a small thing goes a long way to making an otherwise stock guitar have more tonal variety.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

Do you have your guitar(s) wired so that you can blend the PU's (independent volume controls)? That's a small thing goes a long way to making an otherwise stock guitar have more tonal variety.

Yes.

Even the Tele- from bridge to neck- Neck vol, neck tone, bridge vol, switch. 500k pots on the volumes, treble bleed on the neck vol.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

While I believe playing is about as much about you as it is for the audience- and chasing your sound can be a good thing- the minute it starts detracting from what really matters- that's not a good thing. On the other hand, if you're not getting the voicings you "hear" out of your gear, then you need to go looking for something. If you think you need coil taps and other bells and whistles- cool, but the vast majority of players don't. For you coil taps and phase reversal stuff may be your thing- for me it's mucking the whole thing up.

You've put some thought into this, and know what you like and why. You subscribe to the KISS theory, it works for you; I can respect that. I'm at the other end of the spectrum, & see simple things as an irresistible invitation for modifications. A PU with 4-wire leads calls to me...The only time I don't use push-pulls is when my HB's have single-wire leads (it pains me when that happens).

 

[Gunny47]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I just got my Antiquity loaded LP back from the shop. They put in 4 conductor wiring and did the Jimmy Page mod. Most people here say that the Antiquity humbucker is probably the worst pickup to put in coil taps, and is not worth it at all, but I must disagree. The coil tap on the bridge pickup is so great for rhythm sounds, with my AC booster it pretty much sounds like a tele. I love it. I couldn't tell you how many times I arpeggiated Aadd9 with my DD7 set on modulation delay (chorusy), my Deja Vibe on the fast vibrato setting, the AC booster set to clean boost and the Line 6 Verbzilla on a little bit. Nailed that Andy Summers tone....with a freaking Lester!

Both pickups tapped and on at the same time is a cool tone too. I really like all the options I get with that guitar with the 4 push/pulls. Phase I don't think I'll use all too much. Series/parallel is a sweet option. The coil taps I definitely will use a lot. I think it's a worthwhile mod for my setup.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Why don't Les Pauls come with Coil Taps?

I certainly understand where TGB is coming from... there's a point where switching schemes become too complicated to operate. However, versatility does not have to be complicated. Anyone can wire a myriad of tones into a guitar given enough switches. Whenever I lay out a diagram I try to find the least complicated solution for my needs.

What really matters is if a player can manipulate his gear without detracting from his music. Some can cope with the complication, others despite whether or not they could, choose not to. There's no shame in that. Heck, I'm a prime example... 99% of the time I run no pedals at all. I like the purity of guitar--->amp. If that means that my tonal variety has to come from a few smartly placed switches on the guitar, so be it.