Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

[Shred Star]

I'm putting a bridge and neck set of GFS Fat Pats (4-wire Humbuckers) into an Ibanez RG120L (H/H). I plan to use a 3-way blade selector switch, a single volume pot (Bourns 500k) and a DPDT on/off/on mini toggle switch (where the other knob hole is drilled) to perform the coiling tapping I'd mentioned in the topic. I am almost certain that I've included all of the details needed for review and after reading a few articles such as this http://jbepickups.com/coil-tapping-vs-coil-splitting/ I simply want to know if a scheme such as this is do-able. I do not want to drill any additional holes into my guitar and want to avoid using SD's coil-splitting pickup rings (for aesthetic reasons). Any and all feedback/suggestions/alternatives are welcome. :feedback:

 

[blueman335]

Re: Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

A coil has to be wound for coil tapping, you can't do it on a normally wound coil, it's too late. Also, it's much better to use a push-pull volume or tone pot than a mini-toggle. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Shred Star]

Re: Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

A coil has to be wound for coil tapping, you can't do it on a normally wound coil, it's too late. Also, it's much better to use a push-pull volume or tone pot than a mini-toggle. Back to the drawing board.

Thanks for correcting what seems to be an extreme miscalculation on my part, it was an honest mistake that I could have avoided by doing more research on the art of coil-tapping. Being that I am left-handed and this is a left-handed guitar however, I have scoured the internet for left-handed push/pull guitar potentiometers, only to find none. I've wired a schecter with emgs using right-handed pots that operate completely backwards, so I suppose I could buy a right-handed/standard push-pull pot and just settle for that. Again, thank you blueman.


Edit: Upon looking at GFS' website and the exact model of pickups I have purchased, within their description I have found this; "You want some vintage MEAT in your sound? Try the Alnico V "Fat Pat". The "PAT" refers to Patent- as in the vintage "Patent Applied For" pickups found on vintage Gibsons. We took the vintage humbucker formula, wound em very firm, full and hot, and potted them well to withstand the assault of modern amplification. What do they sound like? Very full, very round, very warm but with a terrific amount of edge- really a great vintage sounding pickup but with tons of balls. Compare this to any $200 Boutique pickup!

Big fat Alnico Magnets- Vintage style coil windings- black Delrin bobbins, Nickel plated polepieces, baseplate engraved with our famous GFS logo- Coil tappable wiring- These are high quality, wax potted pickups. In fact- they're vacuum impregnated- so I can stand in front of my SLO-100 with NO SQUEAL. This is a very round and warm ALNICO magnet humbucker pickup. Bridge pickups are full, fat and HUGE, Neck pickups are loud and bluesy- A terrific set. Wound FAT and HOT- Bridge is 14k Neck 10K.
You get one BRAND NEW retail packaged GFS Fat PAF pickup- As with all GFS high end pickups it's packaged with all installation parts and complete wiring instructions."

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

I think that blueman is trying to point out that you (and the GFS website) are probably using the term "coil tapping" incorrectly (which is a very common mistake). It is more likely that you want to wire for coil splitting, which is where one of the two coils of a humbucker is shut off, simulating a single-coil. The article you to which you linked explains the difference, so if you're actually looking for coil tapping, you've found the wrong humbucker... the GFS Fat Pat isn't set up for tapping, but rather for splitting. As blueman said, "Back to the drawing board."

However, if you want to split the coils (as implied by your reference to the Seymour Duncan Triple Shots) you're on the right track. You can certainly use a DPDT On/Off/On for splitting the coils. In the center position the humbuckers will function as normal and the other two positions will split each humbucker separately. The only drawback to that is that you can't run BOTH in split mode when you have your 3-way blade in the center position... you can run both HBs, Neck HB & Split Bridge, or Bridge HB & Split Neck. If that's what you want then you're golden.

Another option would be to use a 2-way mini for the splits and have it split both HBs at the same time. That would, however, eliminate the ability to run both pickups with only one pup split. Your choices would be both HBs or both split, but not a mix of the two.

A third option would be to employ two switches (one for each pickup) for splitting. That would give you all the combinations. You could make one of the switches a push-pull on your volume pot if you want to avoid drilling more holes. By the way, the reason you can't find left-handed pots is that they don't exist... at least not under that label. To make a pot run left-handed, you just reverse the order of wiring to the three lugs.

Hope that helps!

 

[Shred Star]

Re: Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

Thank you everyone for all of your help, I am going to employ the third option suggested by Briguy, however I will use two dpdt switches and drill an extra hole. Again, I appreciate the corrections, feedback and guidance to get me where I needed to go. ~ Cheers!

 

[htwheelz67]

Re: Wiring H/H using GFS Fat Pats with coil-tapping - Feedback please.

might as well use all your options, 3 way mini toggle series/split/parallel, I have a few fat pats and they sound very good, one of the best offerings GFS makes along with the Mean 90 (one of my fav HB sized P90's made) the Fat Pat does not sound good in every guitar, works great in strats, also have one in an Epi Les Paul just slightly better than stock, I put one in a 24.75 scale strat and it just nailed it. Its very similar to a JB with 250k pots but slightly lower output and more vintage sounding, overall good pickup for cheap. I think its GFS copy of a custom 5. It splits well, I have never tried it in parallel but probaly like a bright PAF.