digitaldave Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Can anyone explain the difference between series / parallel wiring as used in the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus, as opposed to coil split / tap as used on other Les Pauls (e.g. Gibson Les Paul Studio)? I've seen a couple of posts that suggest they aren't the same thing, but the overall effect is very similar... Also, does anyone know why the series / parallel switching on the Tribute Plus is done via the tone controls instead of the more usual volume controls? Thanks, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaldave Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 I've one some searching around and found some answers to the question regarding the difference between series/parallel and coil split. However, I'm still none the wiser about why the Tribute Plus has the push/pull knobs on the tone controls instead of the more usual volume controls... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDTRFB Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 as I understand it, coil tapping (or coil splitting) involves actually shutting off one of the two coils, so only 1 coil is audible. It is a true single coil sound, and it has the normal single coil hum. Whereas in series/parallel switching, both coils are always on and audible. Series is the normal setting for a humbucker. The signal of one coil passes to the next one, making a fat sound. In parallel, both coils fire at the same time but do not pass from coil to the other. It produces a more single coil type of sound (while still humbucking). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Essentially, yes. But don't confuse coil-split (the norm as per those les Paul's) with coil tap which is basically taking the signal from a certain point in the winding rather than just one coil altogether. Cool tap gets you much closer to that "strat quack" especially if you flip the pickups. You also have to have a 4-conductor or "lead" pickup. Usually with a red, green, black, white, and bare wire for each pickup. Having pickups out of phase can and does cause certain frequencies to cancel out which depending on your setup could be a lighter more jangly sound (you might want that for some styles). Two humbuckers are normally in-phase and parallel of each other, yes. In my experience with my Epi ES-175 premium w/ full Jimmy Page wiring, the coil split opened up a new world with the Gibson 57 classic pickups. It really does sound like a true single coil, hum and all. Now my buddies Gibson SG, the coil split sounds weak and lifeless in comparison. Series/parallel on the ES sounds a lot closer to a P90 to my ears in which the pickups interact in slightly different ways than with out of phase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Phase is more akin to flipping the polarity. A sigbal from both pickups with out of phase engaged (that's also slightly depending on which pickup is set to be out-of-phase) you will get normal signal from one, and a signal that is canceling certain frequencies from the other because of its now skewed, out of phase position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Summers Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 One other option is variable coil tap. Coil tap does not have to be just on or off - with proper wiring you can vary the contribution of the second coil. Usually done as a custom mod, it does come standard on one guitar I know (F Jag Custom Players HH). The effect is nice - humbucker to single coil and anywhere in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Whoops, see even I mixed the two up and didn't notice it. I meant to say "coil split" gets you closer to the strat quack. With all the confusion on the web with these two terms, it's very easy to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Not to keep hijacking this answer but to address the second part digitaldave, I have never seen any direct evidence as to why the series and phase are normally done on the tone pots other than "that's the way it's usually set up." You could probably with a little planning do the same thing on a volume pot. I personally use 4 mini toggles instead of push/pull pots because the action of flipping the switch is much smoother to me than pulling up a knob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaldave Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks for all the replies everyone. So if I've understood it correctly, running a hu bucket pickup in parallel gives you something sounding like a single coil, but with the advantage of reducing the hum? Thanks, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Correct. Coming from what I hear when playing mine with the switch flipped to parallel, it gives the humbucker a very p90/soapbar type tone. It's slightly beefier than just single coil and yes, since both coils are still active when you flip the series/parallel switch you will still get hum canceling. Not to be confusing, but combining coil split, parallel, and phase switching gives you a full "Jimmy Page" wiring scheme. This can allow you to get hum cancel with both HBs set to single coil with the series switch, effectively turning both separate single coils into a "virtual" humbucker since they can work together, not just side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTLWes Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Some people even set up 'dummy coils' which don't transmit an audio signal, but when paired with another single coil can give you hum canceling. Basically another type of 'virtual humbucker' but it's not as common a practice on production guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaldave Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks for the very informative replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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