# What's Coil Tapping?



## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

I was just wondering what is coil tapping?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Polofiesta said:


> I was just wondering what is coil tapping?


In short, it's making a humbucker sound like a single coil.

Single coils are called that because they have _one_ coil. Humbuckers have two, which working together, eliminate the 60hz hum that appears in single coils. 

A coil tap mod (or coil split, which is a little more accurate) basically negates one of the coils, allowing the other to operate as a single coil. The result is a lower output sound, similar to, but not exactly like an actual single coil.

You can only do this with 4-conductor humbuckers, not 2-conductor ones.


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## Polofiesta (Jul 6, 2009)

Thanks:bow::smile:


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Here's a wiring diagram for it. They've used a DPDT switch, but a SPDT is fine too. In one position, it completes the circuit, similar to how you would have it taped/soldered off normally, so that's your humbucker sound, the other position, the circuit remains open, which is your single coil sound.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Close, but not complete. There are two varieties of what can be called "coil tapping". One is what was described already, and that is the use of one coil out of the two available on a humbucking pickup.

Essentially, a humbucker, whether PAF style, stacked, dual rails, or the more recent Duncan P-rails, is two coils, wired in series. If you short out one of the coils (doesn't matter which), you're left with one coil. Does it sound like a single coil? Yes and no. The inductance of the pickup is certainly altered, simply because you've eliminated half the turns, but the sensing area (with the exception of a stacked humbucker) remains that of a humbucker. Certainly thinner sounding, but not identical to a SC. That being said, the feature is so easy to implement, and switching pots are so readily available, that many dual-humbucker-equipped guitars these days come with the feature.

The other type of coil tapping is something that came and fell out of vogue in the 70's, and generally associated with Schecter. The idea is that one can overwind a single coil pickup, but provide one or more "tap-points" somewhere shy of the maximum number of turns. So, imagine one has a Strat-style pickup with 10,000 turns. That's a pretty hot pickup with a high inductance and DC resistance. If, during winding, one ran the end of the wire out to a solder junction/rivet on the flatwork at 7600 turns, and then resumed the winding from that point on, you'd have a pickup with what amount to two "hot" leads. Take your feed fro the tap-point and you have a standard Strat pickup. Take your feed from the final output and you have an overwound pickup likely to overload the amp's input more easily.

The two approaches essentially interrupt a much longer length of wire at some point, so they can both be called coil-tapping. In the first type, you forfeit hum-rejection when tapping, while in the second you never had hum-rejection to begin with. In both instances, tapping leads to a thinner tone with lower output.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

In a way this is a case of common usage changing how we use words.
For example, the bar/bridge on a Strat is called a tremolo bar/bridge--even though what it really is is a vibrato bar/bridge--but most guitar makers & guitarists call them tremolo bars instead of vibrato bars--although my Mustang does have the word vibrato on the metal plate that anchors the tailpiece.

Through common use we refer to them with the word tremolo--even though it's essentially incorrect--and I believe many of us know it's incorrect. To further confuse things, many amps have a tremolo effect that is labeled vibrato. Vibrato is basically variation in pitch & tremolo is variation in volume. Of course, a lot of people call them whammy bars as well. And that may be even more accurate.

Coil tapping originally is the scenario mhammer describes, and coil splitting is what the first scenario is more correctly, but over time coil tapping has been used as synonymous with coil splitting--the end result is similar so it's understandable.

So if someone refers to coil tapping, they could be referring to either scenario, or both. So either is a correct answer to the question, and in some cases it may matter knowing which they mean (Especially as a single coil pickup can be tapped, but can't be split.)


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

mhammer said:


> Close, but not complete. There are two varieties of what can be called "coil tapping". One is what was described already, and that is the use of one coil out of the two available on a humbucking pickup.
> 
> Essentially, a humbucker, whether PAF style, stacked, dual rails, or the more recent Duncan P-rails, is two coils, wired in series. If you short out one of the coils (doesn't matter which), you're left with one coil. Does it sound like a single coil? Yes and no. The inductance of the pickup is certainly altered, simply because you've eliminated half the turns, but the sensing area (with the exception of a stacked humbucker) remains that of a humbucker. Certainly thinner sounding, but not identical to a SC. That being said, the feature is so easy to implement, and switching pots are so readily available, that many dual-humbucker-equipped guitars these days come with the feature.
> 
> ...


Haha, I should have just waited for you to post, Mark. I had never even heard of the other scenario before. Thanks!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Nicely put, Zontar.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2009)

mhammer said:


> The other type of coil tapping is something that came and fell out of vogue in the 70's, and generally associated with Schecter. The idea is that one can overwind a single coil pickup, but provide one or more "tap-points" somewhere shy of the maximum number of turns. So, imagine one has a Strat-style pickup with 10,000 turns. That's a pretty hot pickup with a high inductance and DC resistance. If, during winding, one ran the end of the wire out to a solder junction/rivet on the flatwork at 7600 turns, and then resumed the winding from that point on, you'd have a pickup with what amount to two "hot" leads. Take your feed fro the tap-point and you have a standard Strat pickup. Take your feed from the final output and you have an overwound pickup likely to overload the amp's input more easily.


This is always what I've considered "coil tapping" -- the other approach I've referred to as "coil splitting". And yup, my Schecter has this setup -- I've never seen another guitar setup with this type of tap. it takes the hot-as-hell Tom Anderson single coils down a fair bit in output.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

And just to confirm for outside observers, I did not pay you to say that, right?

BTW, will I see any of you guys at the JB show tonight?


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2009)

mhammer said:


> And just to confirm for outside observers, I did not pay you to say that, right?


Uhh...yea...no...no...you didn't....uh...pay me. I cannot be bought...I think. Maybe I just haven't been presented a high enough offer yet? 



> BTW, will I see any of you guys at the JB show tonight?


Sadly, no. I'm trying to get out on Friday but this whole parenting business really eats up my time. Saturday I'm moving (yet another of) my inlaws. I swear I should start a moving company.


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