fhallack Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi, I have a Les Paul Studio (2001 I think) with stock pickups 490r/498t. I think about buying a new 490r with 4 wires to make a COIL TAP. (I think it is hard to change my 2-wire 490 into a 4-wire 490, so I prefer to buy one). Do you think COIL TAP is really nice? Or not? I would like to have a sound of a single coil. (Of course I know it will never sound like a telecaster, but I would like to have something close to it). Sorry the bad english, Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glp2012 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 While your English may be poor, you seem to have a "firm grasp" of the phonic qualities of English words (as exhibited by your choice of user name). Now, to answer your question, coil tap is worth it...nothing "beats" the repetition of "pulling your knob(s)" to make beautiful music. Am I imagining all this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi, I have a Les Paul Studio (2001 I think) with stock pickups 490r/498t. I think about buying a new 490r with 4 wires to make a COIL TAP. (I think it is hard to change my 2-wire 490 into a 4-wire 490, so I prefer to buy one). Do you think COIL TAP is really nice? Or not? I would like to have a sound of a single coil. (Of course I know it will never sound like a telecaster, but I would like to have something close to it). Sorry the bad english, Thanks. Some humbuckers have a better sound than other when tapped for single coil, I have a guitar with a GFS pickup on the bridge position and the sound while using it as a single coil is very nice. I think there is a way to modify a 2-wire humbucker by adding a wire in the right spot to be able to coil tap it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojjett Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hi fhallack, I would say if you want the variety, go for it. I've also got an LP Studio, w/the stock PUPs, & I've decided to take the plunge. I'm waiting for a set of the SD hotrodded pickups, also w/coil splitting capabilities. Previously, I was getting a rather muddy sound out of my 490r, so I did a magnet swap w/moderate success. Now I just want a cleaner neck pup. No doubt I'll do some experimenting w/the coductor wires as well. One thing I would suggest is to choose whatever pup suits you best. If you really like the 490r, go for it, otherwise you might want to consider something else. The market is just saturated w/choices. The other possibility is to just get yourself a Stratocaster, & then you'll have 2 cool guitars . Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vega1 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yes, it is absolutely worth it. Got a LP Studio Deluxe with coil taps and love it to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 While your English may be poor, you seem to have a "firm grasp" of the phonic qualities of English words (as exhibited by your choice of user name). Now, to answer your question, coil tap is worth it...nothing "beats" the repetition of "pulling your knob(s)" to make beautiful music. Am I imagining all this? WTF dude, give the guy a break Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hi fhallack, I would say if you want the variety, go for it. I've also got an LP Studio, w/the stock PUPs, & I've decided to take the plunge. I'm waiting for a set of the SD hotrodded pickups, also w/coil splitting capabilities. Previously, I was getting a rather muddy sound out of my 490r, so I did a magnet swap w/moderate success. Now I just want a cleaner neck pup. No doubt I'll do some experimenting w/the coductor wires as well. One thing I would suggest is to choose whatever pup suits you best. If you really like the 490r, go for it, otherwise you might want to consider something else. The market is just saturated w/choices. The other possibility is to just get yourself a Stratocaster, & then you'll have 2 cool guitars . Good luck +1.... "The other possibility is to just get yourself a Stratocaster, & then you'll have 2 cool guitars" I have split coils in my PRS and don't use them because I have a strat with single coils. But, if you only have one guitar, then I would suggest what pretty much everyone else is gonna suggest and say go try some out at a guitar shop. See what works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhallack Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 "glp2012", ?????????????????? For the others, thanks for the help. I would like to try classic 57 in the neck and burstbucker #3 in the bridge, but Gibson doesn't sell burstbucker #3 with four-conductor wiring... So I wouldn't be able to split the burstbucker #3, but only the classic 57... I'll think about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 "glp2012", ?????????????????? For the others, thanks for the help. I would like to try classic 57 in the neck and burstbucker #3 in the bridge, but Gibson doesn't sell burstbucker #3 with four-conductor wiring... So I wouldn't be able to split the burstbucker #3, but only the classic 57... I'll think about it... I've read a lot of good things about Seymour Duncan pickups in a Les Paul if you don't mind having non-Gibson parts installed on your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malchik Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 "glp2012", ?????????????????? For the others, thanks for the help. I would like to try classic 57 in the neck and burstbucker #3 in the bridge, but Gibson doesn't sell burstbucker #3 with four-conductor wiring... So I wouldn't be able to split the burstbucker #3, but only the classic 57... I'll think about it... In my opinion, a Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio beats a Gibson pickup any day of the week. I'd look into the vast options they offer. And I mean VAST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Split coil humbuckers don't sound as good as regular single coils, IMO. They're too weak. Taking a pickup that's designed to sound good as a two coil pickup and then just splitting off one of the coils isn't necessarily going to make a good sounding pickup. It really doesn't work that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Personally, I like a series parallel switch more than a coil tap for a humbucker. Switching a humbucker from series to parallel give you that sort of thinned out more delicate Strat sound (not totally but sorta) without losing the hum bucking ability. Also the signal drop isn't as bad as with a coil tap. There is still a huge signal loss, just not as much as cutting the pickup to a single coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I don't think there is anything wrong or bad about a coil tap, but for me, I don't think they really offer anything but a 'gimmick'. Using ONE of the coils of a humbucker is not really the same as a true single coil, at least as far a quality is concerned. I don't expect, or try for, the one coil of a humbucker to perform as well as a single coil that is designed to perform well. I MUCH prefer a humbucker designed to perform well using both coils, without consideration for how it would perform as a split coil. So, I prefer to put the effort into the quality of the wiring and controls rather than comprimise with a switch or push/pull pot. And as for getting that 'thinner' sound or volume drop a coil tap would provide, I prefer the tone of a humbucker with the volume rolled down. I do have a guitar with push'pull pots and H-90's, and I have it wired for out of phase rather than the coil split it came with. Much cooler for me. I think SEARCY has an excellent idea in that a phase switch is more of a good usable option to consider over a coil tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemingway Jones Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I have coil taps on my Les Paul, splitting some 57's nicely. I don't think of them as a gimmick or a selling point, or anything other than another tone capability to add variety to your sound. It's great for going from fat to thin; say if you're playing "Since I've Been Loving You" or anytime you want to add some texture. It's another tool to add to your sound and it's better to have it and not need it, than to want it and not have it. Go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I have coil taps on my Firebird.. 3 P90s each with a tap and a phase switch on the tone knob.. Its amazing to have so many sounds on one guitar... and I agree they arnt a gimmick.. But it does take some time to find the best positions for the sounds you want. Not only will you be able to split your coil but that used with the tone and volume knobs allow for so many sounds out of one instrument without digital effects. Heres a vid I did where I go through quite a few of the positions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6zE5MbLxCQ&feature=youtu.be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glp2012 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 fhallack Every year, a co-worker sent a Christmas card with a burned pine tree on the front. I said: "Why would you give me a phallic symbol for Christmas?" and he said: "You are the first person who has ever noticed that." I assumed your name was a play on the word since fhallack and phallic would sound similar. That's why I asked if I was imagining it. Oh, and the coil taps are great. It makes your one guitar sound like many! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 I have a Gibson Sonex with a coil tap and I think it sounds great. Here's an example with the coil tap on and off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgisARcRwbA&feature=relmfu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasdw Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 OK. First post but been reading for a while. I'm considering coil tapping a LP Custom. My question is this: does the coil tapping modification change the sound of the humbuckers in any way? In other words...with the coil knob pushed "in" will she sound exactly like she did pre-modification? Thanks for your wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Nope. Your old tone will be there till you hit the switch to activate the tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasdw Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Nope. Your old tone will be there till you hit the switch to activate the tap. Thanks Searcy. I'm so in love with the sound of the stock LP Custom that I'm hesitant. I'm considering this because I want a little more range in my sound. But I don't wan't the basic fat smooth humbucker tone altered. I am a 100% clean player so tone is crucial. In fact, I'm so scared of modifying an LP Custom that I just put another one on layaway so I can modify one and keep one stock. I was also pushed in this direction by the recent change in fingerboards. Now I'll have 2 LPC's both with ebony fb's...one to modify (eventually) and the other for stock. Is that over the top? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I've Never used "coil taps" (except in demoing them, at a store)...probably never will. If I need single coil sounds, I use my Strat, or Telecaster. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Coincidentally the last newsletter from Stew-Mac shows how to modify a humbucker to add a coil tap. http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0160.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumanJHawkins Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 OK. First post but been reading for a while. I'm considering coil tapping a LP Custom. My question is this: does the coil tapping modification change the sound of the humbuckers in any way? In other words...with the coil knob pushed "in" will she sound exactly like she did pre-modification? Thanks for your wisdom. Take this with a grain of salt, as I am talking from theory rather than experience. But it is possible that your guitar would not sound as well if you modified a 2-conductor to a 4-conductor to enable coil-tap... A standard 2-conductor pickup has a shielded conductor. A 4-conductor pickup has 4 unshielded conductors that are twice as long (because the signal travels the length of the wire down to the switch, then back to the pickup, then back down to the output. If you use push-pull pots, you have an added issue that the push-pull pots are only made by the less preferred vendors. I believe Alpha is the best you will find, as CTS or RS superpots and the like are not available as push-pull. All of this should not add up to much difference, especially if you use a good switch instead of a push-pull pot. But in a world where people argue over which oil in paper capacitor with an exactly equal capacitance value sounds better, I don't think it is fair to say coil tap won't affect tone. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOSTVENTURE Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 What you might consider, is going down to the local shop and play a guitar with the coil split already installed. While every humbucker sounds different, the general tone and volume of the split coil is much the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 it is possible that your guitar would not sound as well if you modified a 2-conductor to a 4-conductor to enable coil-tap... A standard 2-conductor pickup has a shielded conductor. A 4-conductor pickup has 4 unshielded conductors No, standard 4 conductor wire is shielded and grounded just like 2 conductor. that are twice as long (because the signal travels the length of the wire down to the switch, then back to the pickup, then back down to the output. No. If your using the 4 wire to facilitate a coil tap at the junction between the windings you're only moving the ground, not the signal. When the coil tap is not engaged and the humbucker is functioning normally the sound will be exactly the same as it always was assuming the tap is installed properly. If you use push-pull pots, you have an added issue that the push-pull pots are only made by the less preferred vendors. I believe Alpha is the best you will find, as CTS or RS superpots and the like are not available as push-pull. No. If not having CTS pots in your guitar keeps you awake at night you can rest assured. DiMarzio push pulls are made by CTS. All of this should not add up to much difference, especially if you use a good switch instead of a push-pull pot. But in a world where people argue over which oil in paper capacitor with an exactly equal capacitance value sounds better, I don't think it is fair to say coil tap won't affect tone. It won't add up to any difference at all. Take that to the bank, as I am talking from experience rather than theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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