The only 'stupid questions' are the ones you are Too Afraid To Ask. "Coil Tap vs Coil Split: What's the difference?" is the question for this TATA video. Let's dig deep into this troublesome terminology and expose the truth of these wrongly interchangeable terms. Leave your TATAs in the comment section and I'll make a video answering them. More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars 30% OFF CSGuitars Merchandise with discount code "MAY30": csguitars.bigcartel.com/ Website: www.csguitars.co.uk Contact: colin@csguitars.co.uk
There are some PU's that can 'split' and/or tap the 2nd PU to cancel out Hum and to try and stop the drop in volume. I am sure the High Performance Gibson allowed you to pick between a 'split' and a 'tapped' sound with Dip switches. I think some of the confusion lies though with the manufacturers of the PU's/Guitars where they will state that the PU's can be split with whatever method of switching utilised but what is happening is that one PU is still fully active whilst the other is 'tapped' to reduce Hum and/or volume drop off. Its difficult for many to hear the 'difference' because you can't really compare a split/tapped humbucker with a Single coil because PU's vary. As a PRS fan, I have a 594 (with the option to split the coils - or tap), the 509 (again the option to split the two SC's working as a Humbucker - or is one tapped) and of course the Custom 24 which, in a couple of positions (2 & 4) are listed as 'split' - either just the neck with Bridge as Humbucker or both PU's split together. Point is, its not easy to actually find out accurately if its a proper 'split' where one PU is literally turned off or if one (or both) are 'tapped'. Then of course there is the 'new' TCI pick-ups which are said to be a 'split' with the most lifelike Single Coil sound with no drop off in volume. This is somewhat confusing too because if this is the 'best' split SC sound, then are all the others just tapping one (or Both) coils? If they are 'split', then why do people feel they don't sound like a 'true' Single Coil? I am, and was aware before your interesting video, of the difference between a Split and a Tapped Humbucker. However, I am not sure of whether a guitar is actually 'splitting' the coils, tapping both or just tapping one of the coils. The information, even from the manufacturers websites can be inconsistent or even inaccurate - stating the Push/Pull or Mini-Toggle is 'splitting' the coil yet it seems that some 'tapping' (of at least 1 of the coils) appears to be in place. As you say, its not just guitarists that are incorrectly stating that their guitars offer coil 'splitting' when in fact its more of a tapping or vice versa, but even the official websites will use 'split' and 'tap' as interchangeable words that essentially mean the Humbuckers will go from a 'full' humbucker sound to one that sounds more 'Single coil' like - although rarely as Single coil like as true Single coil - which again adds to the confusion. If they are 'split', then why don't they seem as comparable to a Single Coil? If they are 'split' as the manufacturer states, then why is there little/no hum and little/no volume drop off? I am sorry this has ended up as more of an essay but I too would like to be more accurate and receive accurate information too - whether the guitar I am buying is actually splitting the coils or at least tapping 1, if not both coils. It seems to me that 'every' humbucker guitar is listed as having 'coil splits' - at least All the guitars I look at. Yet some could very well be just tapped or just tapping one coil to preserve volume and cancel hum for example. I love your TATA video's and your knowledge is very helpful but I do wish that sometimes you would give demonstrations of things rather than just talk - split it up with some actual examples if possible and maybe even what to look out for (or more listen out for) when trying to determine if the PU is split or tapped.
How about parallel vs series vs coil split? There's a couple of videos out there comparing these three, but to tell you the truth they really say very little about demystifying why there's tonal changes within the pickups.
I have seen that modern metal bands have a very special sound, and use special pickups like TITAN NAZGUL PEGASUS AND FISHMAN my question is: this sound comes only of these pickups or comes from a combination of some special rig settings and extended instruments, may be you can do a video of this modern metal sound
@@DMSProduktions music retail expert huh? Can you explain the relationship between string gauge, string tension, scale length, and overall string length?
The rule is: Low into high is fine, cuts output by 50%, O/tranny does not work as hard and is a bit quieter. High into low, is a NO go! Will make your o/tranny work twice as hard to put out wattage that isn't there and will COOK it! (Requiring a replacement!) Your amp will be louder, (for a short time) then fail!
To clarify this a skosh: Low impedance output from an amp (4ohms) into a higher impedance input speaker (16 ohms nominal) is not a problem. 8 or 16 ohm output from an amplifier into a 4 ohm load (speaker) will melt your shit in a hurry.
Pouring too much water into a small cup makes a mess (too high amp signal into a low cab), but you can always pour a small amount of water into a big cup (a low input signal into a high cab)
@@DMSProduktionsyou said that in a way that does make it clear what is meant by low and what by high. It's ambiguous whether "low into high" means plugging the cab into the amp, or the amp into the cab. It makes sense that output from the amp goes into the input of the cab, but it's not immediately apparent to someone who doesn't know as much. This is why the other comment said "to clarify this".
ok here's a strange one. Why can I play through my looper and have 2 (or more) guitar parts and the amp sounds fine, but if two guitars plug into one amp and it all sounds Shite??? I may be stupid but i'm not afraid to ask :)
If your looper has only one output, It means your separate guitar parts are summed ay the output, carrying only one signal to the amp. When you try to plug more than one guitar (separate outputs) they're no longer being summed and act as two distinct signals. I hope that was clear :)
Thanks yes but I'm still kerfuffled by the phasing issues, lucky I have a few amps so no one needs to share. I'd just like to see some O scope vids of what happens to the signals as the wave form changes from input to preamp and so on through the circuit finally resulting distortions at the driver.
@@PooNinja If you're plugging into the same input using a Y connector then both guitars are wired in parallel. When this happens the differences in current are substracted and the final output is that wobbly, out of phase sound. The same thing happens when using position 2 and 4 of a standard stratocaster guitar, where the middle pickup is wired in parallel with either the bridge or the neck, it doesn't sound as bad because the currents in the pickups are very similar to each other, some frequencies are still lost though, specially in the high end of the spectrum
As an electrical engineer, adding the example of the transformer really clarified much more the difference and I really appreciate how much work and concise detail you put into your videos! I am waiting now for your full explainer for amplifier speaker cabinets (and I will do some research myself to understand better!)
The terms "splitting a humbucker "and "tapping a humbucker" are interchangable. They both mean the same thing and both are correct. "Tapping a coil" could be misconstrued by someone who is being purposely obtuse but within context they should know what is meant..
Got tired of scrolling! Transformers also have split coils (+tapped coils). Most amps need a high voltage for the tube amplifier circuit (several hundred volts) AND separate low voltage (12 volts) for the heater element in the tube. These transformers have 2 coils that are split from each other with separate connections, but are wound together on the same core.
There's a wonderful video from PRS where Paul is talking about his new model called the 608 (I think) and he describes the new pickups he made just for that guitar. It's a humbucker that when switched, it cuts off half the magnets like a split, but engages another 3000 winds on the pickup to boost the volume back up to make up for the loss of the entire row of magnets it shut off. So basically you're turning a humbucker into a P90. The video explains it better but that's the gist of it. Magic!
yeah also the switch, and the potentiometer pull/push for coil split or coil tap isnt the only methood of switching coils or /tap For example take the peavey T60 and the peavey T40 a bass and a guitar made over 30 years ago had the design and innovation no other did at the time, basically before manufacturers of guitars and pickups started going with the more discreet push/pull potentiometers, peavey had the brilliant idea to integrate this into the potentiometer itself with no pulling or pushing. When you set the tone at 10 the pickup would effectively be an actual true single coil, as you rolled off the tone to about a 7 it would switch to the more darker louder humbucker mode, but heres the gist of it all, between 7 and 10 if you went into say an 8.5, it somewhat sounds like a true P90. I said this cant possibly be this is amazing, well lads get ready to have your heads blown off. As if that wasnt enough, they also added a switch with the ability to have both pickups out of phase, legend says that a celebrity picked up a guitar made by gibson off a store bought it, and the guys that made that specific guitar accidentally wound 1 of the pickups in reverse ( i cant remember if it was both or just 1) and essentially it gave him a nasally type sound when he switched to both pickups on. I bet with a little bit of modification the Peavey T60s and the Peavey T40s could be wired in series and paralel, by adding yet another switch or we can have a push pull pot to make it happen, i truly believe that as far as re inventing the wheel no other manufacturer did it best then Peavey.
If I ever wanted to study electrical and electronics engineering, I want Colin Scott to be my professor! Colin has the great talent to explain mind boggling things in layman's language. Another winner from Colin!
Well, then there's the Triple Shot pickup rings by Symour Duncan. You can turn on or off either coil at any given time with two micro switches on the ring. Also you can switch between series and parallel wiring. Put two of things on an HH style guitar, with a concentric pot and you've got a very versatile guitar. I went 1 step further and added another concentric pot to my guitar to have 1 main "standard" tone knob, and a separate type of tone roll off, both set as masters to either humbucker!
Yeah I've even seen guitar reviews, which try to differentiate which guitar has a "true" coil split and which one "only" has an allegedly cheaper coil tap. Makes absolutely no sense after Colin explained it.
I have Seymour Duncan Designed and looked it is 4 wires and shield. Red and white are connected together. Black is to ground (on the volume pot) and green is just hanging out. I am not sure how that even works if white is N start and red is south ends how is this even working?
@@ScienceofLoud I did and in their scheme it shows red, and white, are tied together with green going to ground and the black going to a tone pot. I guess on SD they can't be split?
@@ScienceofLoud I didn't see a diagram (but I do now and interesting). These are covered Duncan designed. I find it odd that SD show their red and white tied together (so that would mean they don't want splitting). As I said I am not even sure how this is working but it does. Being covered how will I know if it works? I probably should buy a 5 way switch as this is only a 3 way.
@@ScienceofLoud I am also having a horrible time finding replacement pots for this guitar and Fender is a lost cause. I tried eBay, Amazon, and Mouser but nothing the same size. If I can find them I will buy some with switches on them so I can split too. Know where I could find some smaller ones? These are all D500k which will go to B500K for the tones and A500K for the volume.
There are even Coil-Tapped Humbuckers with an additional Coil-Split. I've seen that on a one-of-a-kind shred beauty from the eighties. But I can not tell if the pickups were one-of-a-kind too or if it was a small serie from a boutique builder.
I'm glad you made this video, because when I bought my Schecter guitar, there was a paper dongle on one of the knobs that said, "Coil Tap" but both the pickups are humbuckers so they must have meant "Coil Split"
Based on what I’ve learned from this video, I want a guitar with dual full humbuckers that can be split. When I’m on full overdrive I want that full sound, in the clean channel, I want that single coil sound so therefore, coil split it is! That is what I want right???...
Bonus round, with the Lace Alumitone pickups, the pickup itself is wired to an output transformer, which is in turn(no pun intended) tapped. The resulting impedance change causes the response of the system to change, all while remaining hum canceling.
Hey Colin, do you have a link for a wiring diagram, for my SG mod? I am installing coil splitting fleor push push pots for volume, and regular pots for tone. Guidance appreciated. So many online to pick from, my heid is spinning.
Everywhere else too! The whole world, (bar N America) runs on 50Hz AC! Shits me how so many in other countries PANDER to US viewers re 60 Hz hum when THEY are the minority of mains power AC users! ONLY the US/CA experience 60 Hz hum, everywhere else it's 50!
so can you truly coil tap a humbucker? as in keeping a humbucker a humbucker but cutting the output? this could give you two humbuckers in one. going from a high gain to a medium or low gain pickup.. i don’t know if it’s even possible but sounds like it could be a cool idea
should work as u described; each coil will have to be tapped individually and wired to a switch to engage the the two diff outputs so would be a hassle to make; most engineers, builders, and technicians will probs tell u to find another more convenient way to change the gain on your guitar output signal
i actually looked into this and gibson did this very thing on a guitar. it used a volume pot that controlled the volumes for both windings. volumes for both full up sounds like a normal humbucker but turn one down and it starts losing gain little volume and starts to sound more like a p90 without the hum. this was not splitting the coil it was tapping the coil but with volume controls not a on or off switch. allowed for interesting tones because you could control the volume for both individual winds
Great video and here is another couple of daft questions. Can you tap one of the coils of a a humbucker and then split it by turning one of the coils off with a separate switch, and with both coils on, but one tapped, what would the effect be? Would this just give less noise cancellation and reduced output, or provide weird artifacts like phasing issues?
F**king sweet brother! Well done and I do have an issue with asking, LMAO, it really don't help, that I build, customize, repair guitars, from scratch, and I hand pick and cut my own trees, I'm doing a set of 3 electrics atm, all made from a certain rock maple, birds eye maple, my point to all this is, in a self taught player, and builder! LOL welder by trade specialize in stainless, and incorporate that in Every guitar, with a hand full of questions too stupid to ask, I really appreciate the concept, and this one, was one I NEEDED answer in this build, for I'm at that stage, (I will send you pics, to further better explain) sorry for the novel length comment! LOL and I thank you for the video! CHEERZ!
An effects loop is easy to understand if you think of it as this: An opportunity for you to put some "effects" in the middle of your amp, not in front of it. I'll explain... All guitar amps have two main sections. 1) a "preamp" (or "preamplifier") and 2) a "power amp" (power amplifier). The preamp is the section that you plugin to and it has levels for EQ, Gain, etc. It adds colour, gain, and possibly some volume to the signal coming straight out of the guitar. BUT! It's not the actual amplifier (when you think of the amplifier as being the part that takes your signal and boosts it ((amplifies it)) much, much louder than it comes out of your guitar) which is why it's called the "preamp" - it comes before (pre) the amp. The power amp, on the other hand, is the last stage of the guitar amp and it's where your signal is boosted and output to your speaker(s). So, the effects loop is basically a couple of jacks that allow you to add in some stuff between those two things, if you so choose. And many guitarists have discovered that they prefer certain effects pedals to come either before or after the "preamp" section. So you won't often see a distortion or overdrive pedal in an effects loop (though it totally works!) because most guitarists like it to run into the preamp (between your guitar and the amp). And similarly, many guitarists prefer the sound of delay or reverb pedals AFTER the preamp (try both and see if you can hear the difference) - so, in order to get it to come after the preamp, they need to use an effects loop, otherwise the signal gets sent to the power amp and comes out the speakers - there is no other place for them to put it! The effects loop "send" is just the line coming out of the amp and it should go into the Input jack on your pedal(s). Wire up one or more in succession, then take the Output of the last pedal and run a cable back into the effects Return jack. You've just completed the circuit and "looped in" your pedals to the section AFTER the preamp but BEFORE the power amp. Hope this helps!
@@GSHYBR1D The effects loop also opens up really cool possibilities for other things. On some amps (Fender, primarily, I believe), they will list the Effects Send as the "Pre Out" and the Effects Return as "Power In". You don't, strictly speaking, NEED to have the whole loop connected to get sound. If you have an amp modeller or a pedal that has a Preamp built in, you can actually run those straight into the Effects Return/Power In and it will amplify your modeller/preamp while bypassing the amp's built in preamp. To do this, you'd go: Guitar > Preamp Pedal/Amp Modeller > Effects Return. Then you'd use the amp's Master Volume to control the output level. So you're basically just using the amps power amp and not the preamp, so you don't get the color and tone of the amp. This may be desirable if you are trying to amplify a Line 6 Helix or Axe FX amp modeller so you can jam live or get some volume on stage from a real speaker cabinet. Using both the preamp and power amp sections in combination with an amp modeller is the basis for something called the "4 cable method" (sometimes abbreviated as 4CM) which allows you to have a single unit (like a Line 6 Helix, let's say) have effects in front of the amp and in the effects loop. It'd take a lot more work to describe how that flows, but it's a fun read - if you feel like going down the rabbit hole, google it!
For power transformers intended for international markets, it certainly makes sense, and is common practice, to split the primary coils, which are wired or switched in series or parallel depending on your country's mains voltage. Hammond takes this a step further with taps on the primary windings to fine tune for 100, 110, 120, 200, 220, or 240V mains.
The don’t normally, but occasionally can give a kind of out of phase sound, which you can hear from someone like Peter Green(early Fleetwood Mac and the Blues Breakers after Clapton)
@@jordanlake471 IF wired out of phase with the other or the magnet itself is reversed in the pick up, as is the case with Greenie! Listen to the original version of Black Majic Woman!
This is actually something I've been wondering about. I always got mixed results whenever I tried looking it up so I struggled to fully understand the difference between the two
The strings tend to slightly vibrate behind the nut and a hair band helps this issue by muting anything past the nut. Some say it adds clarity but I never found an audible difference tbh
Rewired Gibson custom shop custom buckers on believable single coil sounds so many sounds available I use in my Sg, I originally had 57 classics pick ups in the SG that was also kind splittable but the difference with the custom Buckers is phenomenal
Sorry for the cheeky question but need advice please FFS. I have an HSH config, and would like to know if what I wish is possible: These are my pickups, all from dimarzio: Neck & Bridge: Transitions, Middle: Area-T (from neck). This middle pickup is hum-canceling, so I guess that it's probably coil-tapped, it comes with 3 wires. I'd like my 5-way switch to have these options, all in humbucker mode: Neck - Neck+Bridge - Middle - Middle+Bridge - Bridge. I'd like that one push/pull switch would render all these (or only the Neck & Middle ones) into split coil mode. PLease advise FFS, is this posible? THANKS AN ORGY
Thank you so much! Despite all my research this is the first place that actually explained 1. How pull push pots actually work (it was very unclear if they used the turn of the pot or 'popped' in and out) and 2. That push pull pots weren't the only option (they appear in almost all split coil wiring diagrams)
Really interesting and helpful! Could you (should such a thing interest you!) do both? I.e. have a humbucker that you can split to a single coil and then tap for a more vintage sound?
This was a great video. I'll definitely stop trying to be cool and just call em split coils.....which actually sounds dope! Why don't people just start calling it split coils?!?! Also that pun at the 100% gold heh!
To activate coil tap on a telecaster pickup (which has that option), would you use a Parallel Series push pull PCB or a Coil Split push pull PCB? Thanks I do not speak English.
I have a Vantage VS-650 performer series guitar. The serial number places it made in 1980. The pickups are mf-450 humbuckers and the catalogue info says they are open coil humbuckers 2v, 2t, 3-way, coil cut. Does coil cut mean the switch is a coil splitter or a coil tap? It's referred to as a tap on some of the forums but I think they are wrong.
So I know you cant coil split a P90 but can you coil tap a P90 to lower the output? How do you install it? Can you control how nuvh the output is reduced by?
interesting, so it turns out my Cort KX-5 that claims to be coil tapped (on humbuckers) is actually coil split! btw, Colin, have you ever played any Cort guitars? Thoughts?
Parallel - Both coils are connected at both ends, roughly halving the output and changing the frequency response, while still maintaining hum cancellation Series - Both coils are connected together, first to second, in a chain. Full output. Split - One coil is cut out of the circuit entirely, halving the output once again, and losing hum cancellation.
