Humbuckers that don't sound like shit when split?

Post by **Doog** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:00 am

As I decided to sack-off the Epiphone Les Paul SL purchase, I still want something I can put 'buckers in and for the chuggas.

Rather than piss-away more money and space, I figured I'd convert my Strat to HH or SSH (maybe even full Kurdtz 'vandalism' Strat style), but still wanna allow bridge single-coiling if possible.

Anyone know of a humbucker that actually sounds decent when split? Everything I've used has just gone half-volume and weedy af when coilsplit, aside from the stock pickups in my Squier Super Fat Tele Mega Deluxe for years back.

Would prefer not to go down the P-Rails route if I can, but we'll see.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:40 am

Some of the best open and split 'bucky tones I ever got were when I put a BigMouth in the Emily SG's bridge position. By the looks of it you'd think it would be all Cookie Monster high gain and compressed/midrangey, but as a humbucker it was just bright and really loud. When split, it sounded like a meaty strat tone and surprisingly not quiet. If your eyes can get used to the dilated pole-pieces, it's a great pickup for all kinds of coupletoanz.

George · Post by **George** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:23 pm

There's also parallel switching to consider. There was a thread I read one time where a bunch of people had started list of whether they were good for split, parallel or no good for either. Probably SD forum.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:39 pm

The GFS VEH set in my old Jagmaster sounded pretty damned good when split, also the Humbucker in my G&L Tribute Fallout sounds very good when split. Almost Fendery.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:41 pm

P-rails. Sounds great split, not split, series, parallel, all sorts.

Set of them plus the hipshot mounting rings. Ugly, but brilliant.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 9:26 pm

I'm yet to find one that sounds good split Doog but then I asked the question, does it need to be split?
I dunno.
Heard some good recordings of single coils that actually turned out to be humbuckers, so perhaps channel switching on the amp is the answer, or using a completely different rig if we are talking recording purposes?

One example is the Gilmour solo in Another brick in the wall. Single coil tonez to die for, but recorded on a Les Paul. Apparently.

I always had more joy working the other way around; fitting a single coil that can achieve 'bucker tones. Burns Tri-Sonic pickups are brilliant at this.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:59 pm

Middle position on a double-bucker guitar is hard to identify sometimes.

For split buckers I find higher output is better. Had a guitar with a Super Distortion where it sounded alright but when I put an Alnico II PAF type in there I didn't like it as much.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:25 am

The split tonez of my Yamaha SG are the best I've heard.

Post by **Doog** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:52 am

Thanks guys, some stuff to look into. If you're going for a 'louder' pickup, don't you still end up with half-output with the split coil, just a bit louder?

Fran wrote:I'm yet to find one that sounds good split Doog but then I asked the question, does it need to be split?
I dunno.
Heard some good recordings of single coils that actually turned out to be humbuckers, so perhaps channel switching on the amp is the answer, or using a completely different rig if we are talking recording purposes?

One example is the Gilmour solo in Another brick in the wall. Single coil tonez to die for, but recorded on a Les Paul. Apparently.

I always had more joy working the other way around; fitting a single coil that can achieve 'bucker tones. Burns Tri-Sonic pickups are brilliant at this.

Thing is, I really want BUCKER TONES for Mastodon down-tuned riffing but like to keep things flexible, rather than having a compromise that doesn't quite match both.

I'm not expecting PURE TELE BRIDGE SOUNDS from a split 'bucker, but just something that doesn't suck too much.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:19 am

Doog - I've got a couple of Humbuckers that supposedly sound good split or parallel, though it's soooooo long since I tried I can't remember.
Have got an Entwistle Nemesis: clickety which I think I liked but has literally been years.
Also got a Nemesis AFG which I never got round to installing but was always curious about: clickety click
Finally I have a SD JB which has a tiny bit of wire (about 12cm) spare.

Anyway, if you fancy trying any of them, chuck me a tenner and I'll stick it in the post.

Logrinn · Post by **Logrinn** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:29 am

I hear that some pickups, like the Norton, have mismatched coils and when you split it and get the stronger of the two coils, it will sound really good.

Post by **Doog** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:30 am

Hey Thom, long time no see! How goes?

Oooh, do you have the AFG in that zebra layout? I was actually looking at sourcing an Artec CHB-5 (appears to be just an OEM model in some guitars, they don't sell it separately), so that is right up my alley.

Bridge position, presumably? PM your Paypal addy and we can do the thing, thanks man!

Logrinn wrote:I hear that some pickups, like the Norton, have mismatched coils and when you split it and get the stronger of the two coils, it will sound really good.

That's a good point; I wonder if you could do the same by cranking up the polepieces on the coil in question?

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:33 am

Cool! Yeah all good Doog, just really busy and unfortunately don't have too much time to play guitar any more which sucks. AFG is in the zebra layout and bridge position! Will drop you a PM.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:29 pm

dezb1 wrote:The split tonez of my Yamaha SG are the best I've heard.

Not fair though...The split tonez on a Yamaha SG are so good that they make the humbucked tone sound like poop.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:48 pm

ultratwin wrote:
dezb1 wrote:The split tonez of my Yamaha SG are the best I've heard.
Not fair though...The split tonez on a Yamaha SG are so good that they make the humbucked tone sound like poop.

Middle position neck split bridge humbucking... top tonez.

Looks like Doog and Thom have this thread sorted.

Concretebadger · Post by **Concretebadger** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:15 pm

Logrinn wrote:I hear that some pickups, like the Norton, have mismatched coils and when you split it and get the stronger of the two coils, it will sound really good.

Aye, at least one of the Seymour Duncan single coils is like that (the '59/Custom Hybrid is the one I can recall off the top of my head). I'm thinking about dropping one into the bridge position of my HH Mustang at some point.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:01 pm

Doog wrote:Thing is, I really want BUCKER TONES for Mastodon down-tuned riffing but like to keep things flexible, rather than having a compromise that doesn't quite match both.

Again, the P-rails in series are a great hot humbucker sound, in parallel is a good PAF sound. Under solid nickel covers they don't look too bad, in a seventies weird kind of way. Like, it's literally the idea of mismatched coils taken to it's obvious extreme.

I can demo into Amplitube if you want, that's a setup you're familiar with and it might give you an accurate idea of what they're like.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:25 am

I think that loads of pickups that people think sound too loud/aggressive for their usual tastes sound great when split. They still retain that oomph that mid-output hummers lack when split. I suppose it also depends what guitar you put it in too. My workhorse Jag has an Entwhistle x65 single in the neck and a Dimarzio Distortion in the bridge with the bass cut switch wired to split the humbucker. The Hunbucker has all the girth/chug you could ever want and in the split position it still has plenty of poke without the wooliness of some split buckers.

I think that's why with Gibson and Yamaha the stock ceramic pickups sound great split. They're just a touch more aggressive so they retain more character when split.

Volume drop isn't really an issue either. It's a perceived volume type situation.

Rhysyrhys · Post by **Rhysyrhys** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:35 am

I was going to suggest the p-rails too. The black Jazzmaster of HNB's that I now own will have a set in eventually. They do away with all of the major issues of coil splitting and sound really great.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Fri Oct 13, 2017 7:34 am

Fran wrote:One example is the Gilmour solo in Another brick in the wall. Single coil tonez to die for, but recorded on a Les Paul. Apparently.

Was a mid '50s P-90 goldtop on the neck position, so it was technically single-coil.

Am a huge fan of Gibson P-90s, backing off the guitar's tone knob with one gets you 90% of the way to that PAF sound (certainly on the bridge position through a Marshall). I even have an original '52 Gibson P-90 emprisoned in a Century lapsteel, gonna have to pop that out of there and stick it in a Junior soon.

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