Info on coil tapping SG G-400

[w1av]

Hi,

 

I have been reading about coil tapping here and there and I am really curious. OK I have a Gibson SG Special with humbuckers.....I also have an Epi LP CLassic with GFS Mean 90 P90's in it.....and I also have two Epi SG Juniors with the dog ear P90's....I have been playing the SG juniors pretty exclusively now both at home, recording and at gigs. I get alot of compliments on the tone and "bite' the guitar has. People have now associated ME with the SG Jr! Anyway I have found that the P90 pickup is for me....I love the tone....so much that I had P90's installed on my beautiful LP Classic. It gives that guitar a WHOLE NEW SOUND while still retaining that classic LP tone.....but less bassy and more mids/highs....just what I like.

OK so my question is I am looking at buying a G-400 just to add to my SG collection. Coil tapping comes into mind because I still want the tone of humbuckers, but I also want a thinner "p90" sound without having to replace anything. Since P90's are single coil but have bigger magnets therefore giving the great tone they are known for.....buy coil tapping a humbucker, isnt that going to give you a weird tone? One half of a humbucker???? I never played a coil tapped guitar and the videos on Youtube just dont give you the real true tone. So I am really looking for the best of both worlds by coil tapping the G-400. But is it worth it money-wise and tone-wise? Thanks

[gearhead]

It'll have a much "thinner" sound to it for sure! Only thing is that all the G-400's I've seen only have 2 conductor wiring, so you either have to take the pups apart, separate the coil wires and add leads on or replace the pups...........

[Vic Flick]

Hi' date='

 

I have been reading about coil tapping here and there and I am really curious. OK I have a Gibson SG Special with humbuckers.....I also have an Epi LP CLassic with GFS Mean 90 P90's in it.....and I also have two Epi SG Juniors with the dog ear P90's....I have been playing the SG juniors pretty exclusively now both at home, recording and at gigs. I get alot of compliments on the tone and "bite' the guitar has. People have now associated ME with the SG Jr! Anyway I have found that the P90 pickup is for me....I love the tone....so much that I had P90's installed on my beautiful LP Classic. It gives that guitar a WHOLE NEW SOUND while still retaining that classic LP tone.....but less bassy and more mids/highs....just what I like.

OK so my question is I am looking at buying a G-400 just to add to my SG collection. Coil tapping comes into mind because I still want the tone of humbuckers, but I also want a thinner "p90" sound without having to replace anything. Since P90's are single coil but have bigger magnets therefore giving the great tone they are known for.....buy coil tapping a humbucker, isnt that going to give you a weird tone? One half of a humbucker???? I never played a coil tapped guitar and the videos on Youtube just dont give you the real true tone. So I am really looking for the best of both worlds by coil tapping the G-400. But is it worth it money-wise and tone-wise? Thanks

 

A tapped bucker won't have the same ballsy sound as a P-90, it will be a thinner, more Fenderish tone. Part of the P-90 mojo comes from the wide bobbin which creates a broader magnetic field. You might consider the Duncan P-Rail which is designed to produce a more authentic P-90 tone when split. I haven't personally used them, but I do plan to try them some day.

[StewartB]

A tapped bucker won't have the same ballsy sound as a P-90' date=' it will be a thinner, more Fenderish tone. Part of the P-90 mojo comes from the wide bobbin which creates a broader magnetic field. You might consider the Duncan P-Rail which is designed to produce a more authentic P-90 tone when split. I haven't personally used them, but I do plan to try them some day.

 

I have done a fair bit of coil tapping mods on guitars and would agree with Jerrymac & Gearhead - the tone won't be like a P90. It would sound "fenderish" - that is, thinner and lacking the bass response you get from a P90. You may be disappointed with the result.

 

The reason for coil tapping, as I see it, is to make a guitar suitable for many music styles and avoid changing guitars during a gig. Works for some but depends on your taste in music. I eventually went back to changing guitars if I wanted a single coil sound.

 

Converting the Epi two conductor pup to splittable might be tricky depending on your skill. The only real way to be sure is give it a go. If you don't like it, change it back. Maybe you could go to a music store and play a couple of coil tapped axes just to see what you think first?