Coil-Tapping and the ES-Style Guitars

[Ignatius]

So I was listening to Tom Petty earlier this afternoon, and I realized that he has a truly great guitar sound throughout his career, a sound that in many ways defines American roots rock for me because it encompasses sounds one hears in classic country and early electric blues as well. Bob Dylan sometimes had a sound similar to that of the Heartbreakers, and they all even toured together at one point. And we know that Bob and Tom were part of the great Wilbury sound too.

 

I know that there are times when the Heartbreakers are using semi-hollow and hollow-body guitars, but I also know that there is plenty of Telecaster/single-coil sound going on as well. Obviously, one could pick up a Telecaster at some point in one's life, but then I also got to thinking about the Alvin Lee 335, and it occurred to me that perhaps a single-coil sound could be very interesting in a 335 or similar-type guitar. Has anyone experimented with coil-tapping in an ES-style guitar, and if so, what did you do?

 

EDIT:

What differences might arise from in-phase or out-of-phase wiring options if one installed coil taps on each of the humbuckers? Or would I be better thinking about parallel vs. series?

 

And from what I've found on the internet, should I instead be talking about coil splitting, rather than coil-tapping?

 

Any thoughts/ideas/experiments would be much appreciated.

 

Ignatius

[spitball]

I have never modified a guitar's electronics, so I cannot offer advice there. However, I did own a Yamaha SA-2200 for a while. It had individual pickup coil-tapping capability. It was very cool.

[Ignatius]

Hey Spitball--

 

I value the input on sound. I am by no means an electronics guy so this work will definitely be done in the shop by a professional when and if it happens. Instead, I am just thinking about whether the idea works. How did the Yamaha sound in single-coil mode? I had a cheapo solidbody that did this years ago, and I found that you could get a decent Strat-like sound of a coil-tapped humbucker: not quite a Strat but good enough for most situations and interestingly unique enough as well. How did the body of the Yamaha impact that sound for you?

 

Thanks for any impressions you can add.

 

Ignatius

[spitball]

The Yamaha's basic tone was beefy, sustained and compressed; similar to a solid body tone, yet with some semi-hollow aspect for sure. Considerably different than my '67 ES-335 with the trapeze tail. I recall that the Yamaha's coil-tapping did produce very pleasing tones (which I admitted I could personally live without based on what tones I like best). There were many configurations because each pickup could be split independently via pulling the tone pot...quite versatile. Now, whether the tapped tones were "Strat"-like or "Tele"-like I honestly can't recall too well. This is becuase I more recently owned an ES-345 with Varitone, who's quirky palette is more fresh in my memory. Just like the Yamaha, I enjoyed the Varitone 345, but didn't feel it was crucial. My 335 is the only semi with me these days, keeping company with my Strat. If finances allowed, I would have kept all three semis.

[Ignatius]

Great stuff, Spitball. Thanks for the helpful input, and your description of the separate push-pull tone-pot switches is very helpful in thinking through how this might be done if I were to do it.

 

Thanks again.

 

Ignatius

[spitball]

No problem. I think the SA-2200 configuration would be the way to go.

[qblue]

My ES-347 had a coil-tap installed when I bought it new in 1993. It thins the sound a bit, but it sounds like humbucker "lite". It won't sound like a fender Strat, though. It's better. And it won't be as glasslike as that bridge pickup on a Telecaster.

 

Coil-taps can only work with 4-wire Humbuckers, like the Dirty fingers pickups (Series 7) that are installed in my guitar. I thought that I would put in the Classic '57 PAF pickups at one time, but because they are only 2 lead pickups, they cannot be split.

[Ignatius]

My ES-347 had a coil-tap installed when I bought it new in 1993. It thins the sound a bit' date=' but it sounds like humbucker "lite". It won't sound like a fender Strat, though. It's better. And it won't be as glasslike as that bridge pickup on a Telecaster.

 

Coil-taps can only work with 4-wire Humbuckers, like the Dirty fingers pickups (Series 7) that are installed in my guitar. I thought that I would put in the Classic '57 PAF pickups at one time, but because they are only 2 lead pickups, they cannot be split. [/quote']

Hey qblue--

 

I like "better than a Strat." That actually sounds like just what I am looking for. I assumed when I first saw this post added to the thread that it would confirm I should stop looking at ES models, and now you've definitely revived that search (which makes me very happy!).

 

Ignatius

[qblue]

Ignatius:

 

I suppose if you want to try this insanity (coil-splitting or coil-tapping) I would send it to the custom shop, because it's gonna need a hole drilled for a switch, with new solders, to disable one of the coils. :)

 

The '57 PAF H-buckers won't work, but one of the burstbuckers or those awesome 'Dirty Fingers' pickups I have, probably would. The Dirty fingers I have are covered w/ a gold plated cover, and the newer ones are uncovered. It doesn't matter; these pickups are dense and complex sounding. I have problems explaining the dense but crystal clear sound. I guess the sound is "dark" sounding, especially in the humbucker position, but the sound only minimally clears in the single coil position (Humbucker lite).

 

The schematics are on this site; I know the 335 and 347 differ in two ways: The pickups and the level of the finish (I think the 347 finish is more 'amplified'). And except for the coil-tap, the electronics are the same. There are also some differences in the neck construction: mahogany in the 335 and 3 piece maple in the 347. There is also a rosewood fingerboard on the 335, but an ebony fingerboard (think violin/viola) on the 347. Large pearl inlays are notable on the 347; the famous dot-inlays are on the 335(or block-inlays in the L. Carlton model).

 

The 369 is virtually to the 347, except it has the narrow headstock, I'd suppose for higher gauge strings, and uncovered pickups. There is a 355 model with three pickups and no F-holes but was limited edition, made for a some studio musicians, just before the Kalmazoo factory closed (see Mitch Holder). The CS series I know nothing about, except they are smaller semi-hollow bodies (336 and 339, including KS); it will make the guitar sound brighter. The Johnny A guitar is a new departure, in that it is a hollow-bodied beast.

[Ignatius]

Hey qblue--

 

I don't think it would be quite as difficult as you suggest if one replaces the pickups with 4-wire options and then uses push-pull knobs for the corresponding tone controls. I still would have a luthier do it, but I don't think it will involve the sort of massive renovation you mention: a lot of replacement, yes, but not cutting up the body or drilling into it.

 

I'm still not convinced that it will give me a P-90 sound anyway. Another option might be to explore the humbucker-size P-90s although I don't hear much that convinces me these are equal in sound to the full-fledged P-90. I'll just have to keep pondering and thinking through different options.

 

Ignatius