Why would you coil tap a HB?

[CyberStrat]

I'm in the process of stripping down my squier 51 and upgrading components, pups, etc. The guitar comes stock with a coil tap.

I wondering when a person would use that feature?

When I rewire everthing, I'm going to add a tone control & 3 way switch and think I'm going to drop the coil tap, unless there would be a good reason to keep it.

Any ideas on where to order parts from? When it comes to switches, is there a standard hole spacing? is there a difference between an import or US made switch?

I'll have more questions later.

Thanks,

Cyber

[phantomman]

If'n you switch one of the coils in an HB out of the circuit, the pickup in effect becomes a single coil. Used in unison with the guitar's existing SC you can -- theoretically -- git some Tele or Duo-Sonic type tones from it. An' (if'n in this configuration) one of the pickups is out-of-phase, you might even coax some Strat quack out of it as well.

HTH

[NTBluesGuitar]

An' (if'n in this configuration) one of the pickups is out-of-phase, you might even coax some Strat quack out of it as well.

I think Andy Summers's Tele has that goin' on. Lots of famous songs with that sound in it! A little weak sounding, but with the proper compensation, it's a usable sound.

[CyberStrat]

Great explaination, I might just keep it

[CJ Neel]

Split humbuckers sound like crap for the most part, unless they're overwound to begin with, then when split they do sound OK...

[phantomman]

Split humbuckers sound like crap for the most part, unless they're overwound to begin with, then when split they do sound OK...

Ayup. I shoulda mentioned the drop (substanial) in gain. But a Fulltone OCD or other good hot-shot pedal at the front end can hepp thangs out (as TJ mentioned).

[pseudocat]

Split humbuckers sound like crap for the most part, unless they're overwound to begin with, then when split they do sound OK...

A mod I like better is to wire a humbucker so the coils are switchable from series to parallel. A parallel wired humbucker sounds, to my ears, anyway, less midrange-heavy, and more "open" and "jangly" than series. Series wiring is the classic, thick, heavy humbucker sound.

As far as switches go, don't skimp. Cheap switches are more headache than they're worth, IMO. After using a couple of cheap, crappy ones that eventually fell apart, I use CRL switches now, and I don't gripe about the price.

[phantomman]

As far as switches go, don't skimp. Cheap switches are more headache than they're worth, IMO. After using a couple of cheap, crappy ones that eventually fell apart, I use CRL switches now, and I don't gripe about the price.

WORD!

Same wif pots, jacks, an' wiring.

[CJ Neel]

Ditto on parallel wiring for humbuckers, but you'll still see the same drop in dc resistance as if they were split. The advantage is have them next to each other as opposed to just one side of the 'bucker...

[curtisstetka]

There are some manufacturers who make humbuckers that are designed to sound better when split. I imagine one of the coils is wound more than the other. I think you sacrifice some hum-canceling as a result. I have no experience with them - just pointing out that I've seen them here and there.

[thegeezer]

It gives you one more tonal option and that is a good thing.
Jerry

[curtisstetka]

I'm not sure I agree completely with you there, geezer. Sometimes having too many controls, switches, and doohickeys on your guitar can be a detriment. There can be a potential to distract one from actually playing.

Once upon a time I had my Strat wired up such that I could select any combination of pickups and have them either in series or parallel - all three in series, outside two in series or parallel, etc.

Ultimately I got rid of it all and went back to standard wiring. It was just a mess when it came time to play, remember what setting I was on, and try to figure out how to get to the setting I wanted. And really, when I came right down to it, there were only about 3 settings I liked. Some of the combinations were downright fugly and unusable.

[yankeerob]

All of the above is true - which is why most of us older guys use straight forward set-ups - and will use different guitars for different things... most off the shelf HB's sound pretty awful if you just short one coil for SC and even parallel wiring isn't a true winner either - a good pup winder will ask you what sound yer after and how you want to use yer pups - then wind 'em accordingly - the Bulldogs on my Italocaster are about as good as I've ever heard but Hayden asked me loadsa questions about what I was after... and then delivered the goods (about a week later too!) - they're not cheap but they do what I want - a push-pull vol pot, TBX tone control and I'm away with what would appear to be standard Tele wiring - and I'm way with Curtis on 'simple' - all my Strats and S-types have two Gibbo style toggles and a vol control - any combo of three pups and the little bit of roll-off on a straight through vol control is as much tone differentiation as I'll ever need (you needn't even mod the body to do this though I'd get a replacement pickguard and keep the original if yer worried about 'vintage value')... the rest is in the hands

[pseudocat]

I've got a pair of Zhangbuckers that I wouldn't dream of running as parallel. Same with my Ibanez Super 58's -- they're perfect the way they are.

But my GFS Memphis? Yeah, now we're talkin'. It sounds great in parallel.

Depends on the pickup.

[thegeezer]

I stated options were nice, I didn't say you use them all the time in one song. At 58 I have been on the road for over forty years and I still like options, isn't that what pedals give you. I have a SSH strat with riogrande pups and my humbucker splits nicely, in the 4th position on the blade it quacks.
Jerry

[JM3]

I split my Duncan JB in a Paul and love the sibgle coils sound overdriven and clean

Did the same in my SG

Esquire and strat

[Russ]

Split humbuckers sound like crap for the most part, unless they're overwound to begin with, then when split they do sound OK...

Those are my thoughts as well. Its like if you get a 14K HB and split it you get a sort of but not good single coil sound and when ya run it HB it sounds like poop! IMO

[thegeezer]

Mine splits nicely as I have said, but you are right most don't, they seem too lack in one position or the other. Oh I use a Rio Grande Muy Grande pup in the bridge.
Jerry