Coil Splitting: Technical stuff

[Riffmeister]

I know how to wire a pickup to the push\pull pot for coil splitting, but what physically happens when you pull or push that swithch to split the coils?

The two wires that are normally soldered together for regualar hum operation are soldered to the middle lug on the switch so I can see there is really no difference when you are running the pickup not split, but not sure what is going on when the switch is set to make it split.

I assume, that since you can use one push \pull pot for 2 pickups, that the switch part of the pot is totally isolated from the rest of it, is this right?

The other thing I want to know, how do you know which coil is active in the split position? Is it the one closest to the bridge, or the neck and can you have whichever one you want( other than by flipping the ppup around) ?

[JACKSONFREAK]

Typically a coil tap (split) is grounding out one coil when ya flip the switch. And the active coil is usually the one wit the adjustable poles on it.
Gil

[Newc]

Correct. For Duncan pickups, sending the red+white to Ground (with Black as the hot) shorts out the slug coil, leaving the screw coil active.
If you send the red+white to the output via the push/pull, you get the slug coil.

As for the push/pull, you are correct that the switch operates independantly of the actual pot. It has no internal connection to the pot itself, so you could have a push/pull Tone pot, for example, or set it up so the front-most knob splits the neck pickup and the rear knob splits the bridge (i.e. keeping the same physical layout theme of the pickups).


And there's a difference between splitting and tapping, though theoretically they're the same principle. A coil tap is usally performed on single coils, where a lead is soldered into a section of the coil which sends the signal out at that point rather than using 100% of the coil (can be 50%, or 75%, or really any amount, depending on where the tap is placed).

Coil splitting is specific to humbuckers (including stacked hum-cancelling single coils) by completely shutting off one coil, or 50% of the pickup.

[Mr.Shreddy]

That's awesome. I want to do that to my SoCal, but quite frankly, I don't know how.

[Newc]

For all your splitting needs, I highly recommend the Duncan TripleShot pickup ring. It does series (standard), split to either coil, and parallel with 2 small switches on the ring itself.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/triple-shot/triple_shot_swi/

I gave up on push/pulls and Mini/Mega/Monster/Superswitches when these came out.

[MetalMedal II]

For all your splitting needs, I highly recommend the Duncan TripleShot pickup ring. It does series (standard), split to either coil, and parallel with 2 small switches on the ring itself.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/triple-shot/triple_shot_swi/

I gave up on push/pulls and Mini/Mega/Monster/Superswitches when these came out.

Wow, I never knew they had this! That's cool to know.

[Riffmeister]

Those things are pretty cool, but a bit pricy considering a push pull is only like 12.00. Plus they don't come in chorme or gold

[Newc]

They're still way better than push/pulls IMO.

[Riffmeister]

I can see why you like the, the install looks a lot easier too. I have actually found something else that I like better than a push \pull and it is a push \push, you do'nt need to pull it up at all just push it in and it locks, push it again and it pops up.

[warlok]

Riff - you found a POT that does that? Or a button switch?

[Riffmeister]

Warlock,

It's a POT. I got it from Warmoth, at First I thought they had a misprint and meant push\ Pull, but it is indeed a push\push. I got the 500k, but they have them in 250 also.

http://www.warmoth.com/Push-Push-Pot-500k-with-DPDT-Switch-On-On-P732C74.aspx

It's really cool since you don't ever have to grab and pull it up. I'm thinking of getting another one and wiring it like George Lynch , to slect my pickups. The 3 way blade switch is mounted in the dumbest spot real close to the vol knob, so I have to reach over it and try to flip the switch real quick. With a push\ push, I can just press the vol knob real quick to select.

It sounds kinda stupid, but it really is a hassle trying to switch to the neck pup for clean stuff real quick while you are also hitting a footpedal for the amp with the switch mounted under the volume knob etc.

[warlok]

That's pretty cool. My problem's not as much with the switch, it's the vol knob being too close and turning it down all the time. I moved it by the bridge when I modified the Model 6. Works great. I used a rotary switch for the pup switching, now that took some getting used to...

[Riffmeister]

Yea, I don't think I could get used to that rotary switching Isn't it hard to get hold of that thing when your hands are all sweaty and stuff?

One thing I also noticed about that George Lynch wiring, you can't have both pickups on, it's either the neck or bridge, and that suits me just fine

[Jack Napalm]

Those things are pretty cool, but a bit pricy considering a push pull is only like 12.00. Plus they don't come in chorme or gold

I'll give you the chrome or gold comment but for just over double the price you get many more tonal options. This is pretty cool. I might just have one put in a custom shop job I am considering. I didn't even know about this until I saw thread. I was looking at a push/pull or mini switch. Not really fond of the push/pull but I also don't like a bunch of switches on my guitar that can get bumped.

[warlok]

I'm not in a band or anything that requires me to be in a hurry so a quick pause for switching doesn't matter. But at any rate, I've gotten used to it and I switch it pretty quick. Hands don't get real sweaty in my AC anyway. This is AZ, I'm not going outside for the next 5 months anyway. Swamp Ass Factor is on the way up!!