coil tapping humbuckers

MAMMOTHvolume · #1 09-10-2010, 11:21 AM

Just about to make myself a bass and i'm in two minds at the minute whether to go with just single coils (prefered sound) or to go with humbuckers and coil tap.

My question is when you tap a humbucker even with one coil grounded will it still have an effect on the sound of the other coil, acting as a dummy load etc. Or will it be able to work effectively as a single coil with no real noticable difference?

RedLeg · #2 09-10-2010, 11:22 AM

when in single coil mode, that pickup is a single coil, no humbucking, no load. It is just like a jazz bass.

**line6man** · #3 09-10-2010, 11:23 AM

That would be coil splitting, not tapping.

When you split a humbucker into single coil mode, the other coil is disconnected from the circuit.
Typically you would just short the unused coil out.

MAMMOTHvolume · #4 09-10-2010, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeg

when in single coil mode, that pickup is a single coil, no humbucking. It is just like a jazz bass.

yes but is the other coil not going to have an effect on it?

**line6man** · #5 09-10-2010, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAMMOTHvolume

yes but is the other coil not going to have an effect on it?

Nope. The other coil is either disconnected or shorted.

RedLeg · #6 09-10-2010, 11:29 AM

for what it is worth. I had 2 coil splits on my fless loaded with nordy DC's. and I actually preferred the sound on parallel as opposed to true single coil. I was using 2 500k vols, and the single coil mode was too darn bright, so I opted for one 4PDT for series/parallell mode for both pups.

mech · #7 09-10-2010, 11:29 AM

There will also be a decent volume decrease when going from HB to SC and an increase in hum pickup.

mech

MAMMOTHvolume · #8 09-10-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Nope. The other coil is either disconnected or shorted.

okay thanks, was just wondering if having the other magnets so close would effect the field in any other way that might cause a noticible difference.

SGD Lutherie · #9 09-10-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeg

for what it is worth. I had 2 coil splits on my fless loaded with nordy DC's. and I actually preferred the sound on parallel as opposed to true single coil. I was using 2 500k vols, and the single coil mode was too darn bright, so I opted for one 4PDT for series/parallell mode for both pups.

I advise people to use parallel instead of single coil when splitting humbuckers. The reason is that one coil from a humbucker is not wound as hot as a single coil, so it tends to sound weak. And of course it hums.

Parallel sounds almost exactly the same, doesn't hum, and you are getting the output from both coils.

mmbongo · #10 09-10-2010, 04:38 PM

All three is the way to go. Get an on/on/on switch. To me, parallel has never sounded close to cutting a coil. On my Warwicks & G&L's, series is of course thickest and meatiest. Parallel is lower output, almost like coil cut but still thicker. Does not have the punch or grit of coil cut. Coil cut mode is my favorite. Tons of lows, and very very snappy.

A440Hz · #11 09-10-2010, 04:43 PM

There was a wiring question thread recently in which the OP was arguing (based on some info from someone at TGP or some such) that having another coil that was unattached to the circuit could cause excess noise.

Shenanigans. You're fine either disconnecting the hot lead of the coil being switched out, or grounding it. I like SGD's parallel suggestion, though.

The only other issue here, though it's a slight one--you can't remove the magnetic pull of the inactive coil. Permanent magnets are just that. Again, not a huge deal, but just something to consider. Stacked and split-coil humbuckers, being that they're both composed of one row of magnets and not two, don't have any more magnetic pull than a normal single-coil.

One future experiment I'm itching to try is two split-coils right next to each other in a P-pickup location. That way, I can get P, reverse-P, J, and dual-coil (quad-coil, really) tones. Not perfectly, mind you--locations and coil dimensions can't all be perfectly done to get all setups to match the originals. But I think it could get pretty close.

SGD Lutherie · #12 09-10-2010, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A440Hz

The only other issue here, though it's a slight one--you can't remove the magnetic pull of the inactive coil.

Yes, but depending on the humbucker it could be less pull than something like a Jazz bass pickup. Most humbuckers use steel poles charged with a magnet. You will get less string pull that way. Even with my neo pickups, they read about 300G at one blade. A typical alnico pole piece on a Fender pickup reads between 600-800G.

Either way, it wont affect the tone of the bass.

Luis Fabara · #13 09-10-2010, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

I advise people to use parallel instead of single coil when splitting humbuckers. The reason is that one coil from a humbucker is not wound as hot as a single coil, so it tends to sound weak. And of course it hums.

Parallel sounds almost exactly the same, doesn't hum, and you are getting the output from both coils.

...Then it wouldnt be splitting, just parallel.
In my opinion, parallel fron 2 near coils, does not sound like single coil.

In soapbar sized (p2 size) pickups, the single coil mode will sound thin and weak, true. But in MM or larger pickups, single coil is awesome. Works good on 250k pots.And sounds very distinct than parallel.

SGD Lutherie · #14 09-10-2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luis Fabara

...Then it wouldnt be splitting, just parallel.
In my opinion, parallel fron 2 near coils, does not sound like single coil.

In soapbar sized (p2 size) pickups, the single coil mode will sound thin and weak, true. But in MM or larger pickups, single coil is awesome. Works good on 250k pots.And sounds very distinct than parallel.

Depends on the pickups. Not all soapbars are made the same. Mine sound very similar in parallel to single.

Series/Parallel/Single

You gotta say they are almost exactly the same. Single is slightly brighter.

Luis Fabara · #15 09-10-2010, 07:50 PM

I would say: less bass, extended highs, thinner, clearer.
The closer the coils are, the less noticeable, but the effect of picking the string in 2 different places is there.

If you run 2 of this in parallel, the difference in single coil will be much more noticeable. This happens with all pickups.

I want a Wal pickup.

Luis Fabara · #16 09-10-2010, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmbongo

All three is the way to go. Get an on/on/on switch. To me, parallel has never sounded close to cutting a coil. On my Warwicks & G&L's, series is of course thickest and meatiest. Parallel is lower output, almost like coil cut but still thicker. Does not have the punch or grit of coil cut. Coil cut mode is my favorite. Tons of lows, and very very snappy.

Exactly. This applies to all pickups I have tested. Even Quad coils in soapbars behave the same way.

I like 4 way wiring, with rotary switches. this allows single/parallel/series/single. Im expecting some of those switches for my Mozina Bass. In MM sized pickups it does make a difference wich coil you use.

SGD Lutherie · #17 09-10-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luis Fabara

I want a Wal pickup.

Very soon now...

Quote:

I like 4 way wiring, with rotary switches. this allows single/parallel/series/single. Im expecting some of those switches for my Mozina Bass. In MM sized pickups it does make a difference wich coil you use.

On my bridge pickups the two coils sound very different too. They are voiced differently.

**line6man** · #18 09-10-2010, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Very soon now...

Oh no you don't! Not before you make me a P bass pickup!

Unfortunately though, after all my waiting, right now I can't squeeze a set of pickups into the budget anymore.

(*Damns everything to hell and pulls up couch cushions looking for quarters.

)

SGD Lutherie · #19 09-10-2010, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Oh no you don't! Not before you make me a P bass pickup!

I have some prototypes made... no bass to fit them into yet though.

Quote:

Unfortunately though, after all my waiting, right now I can't squeeze a set of pickups into the budget anymore.

(*Damns everything to hell and pulls up couch cushions looking for quarters.

)

That seems to be the way it is at the moment...

**line6man** · #20 09-10-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

I have some prototypes made... no bass to fit them into yet though.

That seems to be the way it is at the moment...

I thought you said a friend was loaning you a Deluxe P that you were going to try some pickups with?
I'll have to dig up the PM.