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Coil Split a Humbucker? Or add a series/parallel switch instead?


guitarcapo

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Originally posted by guitarcapo

Having done both I like the sound of series/parallel switching over just tapping a humbucker. You get hum canceling both ways, richer tone...and less of a volume drop. Any body else have an opinion?

Usually,I prefer the split.

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I put two 3-way mini toggles (single/series/parallel) in my PRS Santana SE with Duncan humbuckers - Jazz/neck & Custom Custom/bridge. The 3-way opens up a whole world of tonal possibilities. Highly recommended.

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i too really like the parallel/series option.

 

though my volume changes between the two.

 

i also like the option to split the humbucker.

 

i really like them both. guess it just matters what kind of mood my ears are in.

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Coil Split a Humbucker? Or add a series/parallel switch instead?


Having done both I like the sound of series/parallel switching over just tapping a humbucker. You get hum canceling both ways, richer tone...and less of a volume drop. Any body else have an opinion?

 

 

would it be possible to do a coil split with a pot? so you could get a variety of tone?

the pot is just a switch anyway...

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  • 1 year later...
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awesome ideas. 3 questions:


1. is switching noisy?


2. where's the best place for an extra switch on a les paul?


3. toggle or push-pull switch?


thanks

 

i know little about the switching these guys talk about but, here's the options :

 

adding a switch involves drilling holes which is probably very expensive. heres slash's and pete townshend's les pauls respectivly:

 

Slash-LP-lg.jpg

mini toggle is for selection between Piezo bridge and Alnico II pups

 

 

311468300-01.jpg

 

One of them switches taps the Dimarzio Super Distortion in the middle, the other knocks it out of phase

 

*i could be wrong on all of the above

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... toggle or push-pull switch?

I like the mini toggles the best. They seem more reliable.

 

431294.jpg

 

FWIW I had a guitar with the lead humbucker hooked up to a 3-way mini DPDT. I had series/single coil/parallel. Anyhow I rarely used anything but the series humbucking. The other two were rather thin sounding. But that might have been because I didn't include a tone control.

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...i do like the sound of both humbuckers splitted and on together with hum-cancelling...

 

...simulates some strat slinkiness for clean tones...

 

...i don't like too many switches though cos changing positions for quick tone change is all important...

 

recently i did this thread ... http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977707

 

for using a 3-way rotary switch to do something like this...

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2 push pull pots.


pot #1) series/parallel

pot #2) series/single coil when pot #1 in series



good stuff.
:thu:

 

wondering if you could post the schematic for the series/parallel pot and the master coil splitter diagram.

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I have a couple of guitars that have humbuckers wired series/parelle, coil split, and in phase/out of phase with the middle coil. I can also select which coil of the humbucker is combined with the middle position of a HSH setup. The whole thing is set up on a 5 way strat switch, a push pull pot and two mini toggles. It is my most versatile guitar, and can produce a ton of sounds.

 

In regards to the OP's question, I don't prefer any of the sounds over any others, but the series/parallel option is certainly one I use a lot.

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I recently installed a set of Triple Shot pickup rings on my SG loaded with Duncans 59 & JB. The Triple shot pickup ring is made by Duncan (go to their website). It gives you series/parallel and split (and the split goes 2 ways allowing you to play either coil). No special wiring, drilling, pots, etc required. The only draw back is the small switches on the pickup ring which take a little getting use to. I like them, really easy to install and no perminate damage to the guitar or wiring (totally reversable).

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actually parallel will drop the volume more than splitting

 

 

i don't think that's correct - with parallel you should get 70% of the volume that series was. i suppose splitting depends on the bucker and which coil you choose because in a lot of buckers one coil is hotter than the other

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The series is normal humbucker type sounds. My guitar wired in this fashion have dimarzio X2N or dimarzio PAF pro pickups in them, so they sound like those pickups, super hot or a boosted PAF, respectively. In parallel mode the X2N output is dropped a bit and it has more of the output of the PAF pro in series. Not a huge difference in sound, but a much lower output. The PAF pro in parallel is also lower output than in series, but it sounds a bit different, with more of a very fat single coil type sound. I can't think of a better description than that. In split mode the PAF pro is pretty anemic and sounds like a weak single coil. It is a little bright and nasal. The X2N sounds surprisingly good in split mode, probably because the humbucker is so hot that the split coil is also pretty good output. It sounds a lot like a strat single coil, but with more of a midrange punch. I pretty much only use the split to give a quack type sound with the middle coil, and it works very well for that application.

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