Rob DiStefano
Active Member
Single tapping a single coil pickup will render two voices, double tapping yields three voices. What matters most is the full coil turn count and then just where the tap(s) is(are) set. For example, a Tele bridge bobbin is wound to 11000 turns and a tap is set at 8500 turns - this yields a fat full coil modern rock/blues voice whilst the tap renders old school country tones without the shrill treble.
Pickup splitting is a reference for dual coil series connected humbuckers, where the pair of coils is disengaged to create a pair of true single coils where each can be used separately in a parallel connection or where only one coil is used. Almost all humbuckers have their bobbins series connected, where each bobbin is wound in the same direction and the finish leads are joined so that the two bobbins are RW (reverse wound) to each other - if the magnetism for each coil is different, the result is RP (reverse polarity of one coil to the other). This creates the quintessential ubiquitous humbucker that exhibits good output and good midrange.
Most folks split a dual coil humbucker by sending a ground (via a switch) to the where the finish leads are joined, thus grounding out one coil whilst the other coil happily sings away. Now that pup is a single coil, and this is where concerns can all too easily arise. Most humbuckers get their output and voice from that two bobbin series connection - this fully defines the designed voice of said pickup. A series connection of a pair of bobbins doubles the output.
DCR values are the devil, but can illustrate the foible of splitting a humbucker. A typical humbucker of the PAF persuasion will be in the 8k to 9k DCR range. Let's be generous and call it a "hot" 9k. Since the coils are wired in series, to achieve that 9k each coil must be pushing 4.5k DCR. So a coil is split and shunted to ground. Now only one coil is firing at 4.5k DCR = wimp tone, wimp output, yuk - a really sucky tone.
However, it the guitar in question has a pair of humbuckers, bridge and neck, and BOTH are split at the same time, where one coil of one humbucker is split so that it's clockwise wound and has South top polarity, and the other humbucker's split coil is firing as counter-clockwise with North top polarity, those two split coils that live in different parts of the guitar can now be made to form either parallel or series humbucking connections that actually have sonic music making validity. How nice.
In the above scenario, the wind direction and top polarity only matter if they're different for each coil. What the coil direction and top polarity values actually are don't matter a fig as long as they're different for each coil.
Pickup splitting is a reference for dual coil series connected humbuckers, where the pair of coils is disengaged to create a pair of true single coils where each can be used separately in a parallel connection or where only one coil is used. Almost all humbuckers have their bobbins series connected, where each bobbin is wound in the same direction and the finish leads are joined so that the two bobbins are RW (reverse wound) to each other - if the magnetism for each coil is different, the result is RP (reverse polarity of one coil to the other). This creates the quintessential ubiquitous humbucker that exhibits good output and good midrange.
Most folks split a dual coil humbucker by sending a ground (via a switch) to the where the finish leads are joined, thus grounding out one coil whilst the other coil happily sings away. Now that pup is a single coil, and this is where concerns can all too easily arise. Most humbuckers get their output and voice from that two bobbin series connection - this fully defines the designed voice of said pickup. A series connection of a pair of bobbins doubles the output.
DCR values are the devil, but can illustrate the foible of splitting a humbucker. A typical humbucker of the PAF persuasion will be in the 8k to 9k DCR range. Let's be generous and call it a "hot" 9k. Since the coils are wired in series, to achieve that 9k each coil must be pushing 4.5k DCR. So a coil is split and shunted to ground. Now only one coil is firing at 4.5k DCR = wimp tone, wimp output, yuk - a really sucky tone.
However, it the guitar in question has a pair of humbuckers, bridge and neck, and BOTH are split at the same time, where one coil of one humbucker is split so that it's clockwise wound and has South top polarity, and the other humbucker's split coil is firing as counter-clockwise with North top polarity, those two split coils that live in different parts of the guitar can now be made to form either parallel or series humbucking connections that actually have sonic music making validity. How nice.
In the above scenario, the wind direction and top polarity only matter if they're different for each coil. What the coil direction and top polarity values actually are don't matter a fig as long as they're different for each coil.
