Coil Splitting with Multiple Resistors

[@cobowe]

Thanks for taking the time to do this...

[@xenod1066]

This is smart. More useful than a straight split. Thanks for the video. Well done.

[@ЕвгенийДанилов-ь7р]

Hi. Thanks for the video, it encouraged me to experiment with my Seymour Duncan SH4. I didn't need the sound of a single, I needed the PAF sound of my SH4. I ended up picking up a 60K value to get the same humbucker sound, but with a clearer and more open top and slightly less output than the SH4. It's very cool, sounds like a PAF on steroids!!!

[@therewasascene]

I liked the 10k as well. For a permanent installation, a trimpot in the cavity would let you set just the right amount of resistance without running into the issue of losing the exact setting on an external knob.

[@charlescampbell6167]

Indeed. There are so many ways to do things and so many options. I’m sure lots of people have come up with lots of ideas I’m not even aware of. I didn’t known until recently that several pickup builders make tone shaping circuits. (a lot of them passive passive).

[@KozmykJ]

An interesting way to experiment with Shunt resistors. I like it 👍

[@SouthpawSatch]

Awesome video! Thank you. I'm gonna try this

[@charlescampbell6167]

Glad it helped!

[@valueofnothing2487]

That's a good idea to be able to mix. Another thing to consider would be simply a tap on a humbucker, or a humbucker with a smaller number of winds. I have a GFS 6K humbucker which sounds pretty bright like a single coil. And it's pretty inexpensive.

[@markhammer643]

One of my guitars has a phase-reverse switch for the bridge pickup, as well as a Peavey T-60 tone control for that pickup. That tone control pans from one of the coils, through to both coils, and finally both coils with treble cut. When I flip the phase switch, the coil in use with the tone control set to max brightness, can be flipped. I was quite surprised to hear the very audible difference between the two coils of the same pickup. I suspect this is relatively unique to bridge pickups, where a half-inch this way or that makes for a different harmonic profile (why Fender angles the bridge pickup on Strats and Teles). I would not expect it to have as big a difference on the neck pickup.

[@Deebz270]

Incorporating a female block connector or matrix-breadboard, would allow for a quick swap-out of potential components for the design. Other circuit designs could be considered with different component types. Once-upon-a-time.... There was an electronics educational kit that used an ingenious modular cube arrangement; each component was housed in a black plastic cube, with the component symbol and value printed on the top; each cube having the relevant pin-outs for each component type, these were then arranged in circuit by plugging each block into a large breadboard. I am adapting a cruder version of that concept to my test-bed guitar, allowing me to choose and swap components at will. NICE DEMO. Ahhh..... THE GUITARIST'S NEVER-ENDING SEARCH FOR THAT UNIQUELY PERSONAL, YET OFTEN ELLUSIVE *VOICE.*

[@olddingodude]

Great test. Would love to hear these in clean sounds.

[@totallyunmemorable]

I've done similar but different things with resistors and caps, but with the R/C (in parallel) in line (series) with the hot lead. Am I correct in assuming that your resistors tap off the hot lead and go then to ground? I've done that with caps, but not resistors (that I can recall). I didn't like the sound of my Tele when both pickups were on. So I used a resistor interrupting the hot connection going to the switch to lower the volume of the neck pickup. But I found that there was too much loss of treble. So I bypassed the resistor with a cap to retrieve some of the treble. I much prefer the two pickup option now over stock. I did the same with my neck pickup only sound. I have a four-position switch that gives the stock neck sound and a second reduced bass sound. Again I used an R/C in line with the pickup hot to send some, but not all, of the low frequencies to ground. That's another very useful option.

[@Arwndr]

Wow! Thanks a lot! Very Useful 👍🏻🙌🏻✨🌿

[@charlescampbell6167]

Glad it was helpful! Just put up another vid that further explores the tones available using resistors with caps.

[@Arwndr]

@@charlescampbell6167 Thanks for that 🙌🏻👍🏻✨🌿

[@emidioteixeira_]

Aftewards, as higher is the resistance, much lower (in frequencies) is the sound?

[@Djole_NS246]

Thank you for the effort. It would be nice to hear how neck pickup will sound with these mods, and bridge+neck series/parallel combination to hear will it be some kind of close Strat sound.

[@charlescampbell6167]

I’d imagine using a pickup in parallel mode with added resistor would just make it too quiet. This resistor trick is already used by PRS and Gibson to help balance the perceived volume of the pickups when in split mode. The resistor value also changes the tonal characteristics…. It’s a rabbit hole really. I may put the switch in a 2 pickup guitar one day. Maybe I’ll make a video if I do that. ;)

[@Djole_NS246]

@@charlescampbell6167 Thank you for the answer :)

[@davidmultimedia2024]

@@charlescampbell6167 True, resistors can be great, but they indeed also affect tonal characteristics.. notably the low end! Depending on the actual pickup and the resistor value, it can make your pickup sound completely different (which can be desirable or undesirable). You can also use resistors (around 500K) to make your single coil(s)/split humbuckers see 250K instead of 500K/550K in a HSS/HSH configuration. I just completely transformed a Harley Benton Fusion-III (HSS) guitar with stock Roswell pickups, which sounded awfully bright/brittle/harsh/unbalanced (I had to roll off the tone pot to half to make them usable).. just by adding a 510K resistor from the pickup hot wire on the selector switch to ground (one for each pickup, including the split bridge humbucker). Now, they sound pretty much like Seymour Duncans.. super balanced, zero harshness. Although, you really have to try different values to find to proper one for your guitar. It is truly is a rabbit hole indeed! BUT this is so fun (and frustrating lol)

[@NikolausBrocke]

It's such a great idea.

[@danielmiller2886]

Thank you!

[@badtweed2087]

Sorry for not understanding the exact circuit mod going on here. Are you taking one coil of the humbucker out of the circuit completely and then adding a resistor in series to the remaining functioning single coil's connection to ground? Thanks for this video, I am just a little bit slow so any clarification would be greatly appreciated. I definitely like the extra tonalities you are achieving with your mods!

[@jesusramonmolinagrijalva6181]

Thanks for the experiment, can I apply this on basic 2 wires pickups, or only would work on the 3 or more wires?

[@charlescampbell6167]

It would require pickups that could split.

[@Glensully]

I done a straight split and it’s too dropped. I was going to try the parallel switch technique. Have you tried that? Btw i got an origin head 50 too. Works great with my fuzz pedals, and any pedal really

[@charlescampbell6167]

Parallel is hum cancelling, but does drop the output significantly , like coil splitting. I have liked using the cap/ resistor method better because you can choose how much coil is grounded and do a little tone shaping too. I’m not going to bother with series/ parallel switching any more.

[@nolibutardo2417]

2.2 is the best.

[@noworries12]

great idea!

[@charlescampbell6167]

Thanks!

[@richwallace6854]

tthis dcresistace on a pickup. How does that relate to a pickups "sound" / A lot of different wire sizes, grade of wire,,,,,,, do you know ? I just wish to know what this DC resistance measurement mean to a pickups inductance?

[@renesis6355]

Which one of coils is mainly on in the guitar? White bobbin or black?

[@charlescampbell6167]

Black bobbin, closest to bridge is usually my “on coil” of choice.

[@renesis6355]

@@charlescampbell6167 Thank you!

[@Manuel-Burnett]

This is a great idea! Is there a name for this mod? Is there a wiring diagram available?

[@charlescampbell6167]

It may have been done before. I haven’t seen it anywhere. I had to figure it out. I just used diagrams of other modifications that I found on Google, and used what I needed from each. I bought the switch and resisters on Amazon.

[@maorienteg]

Great demonstration, thank you! Which coil has the hot connection? Bridge-most or neck-most?

[@charlescampbell6167]

I wired this to leave the coil closest to the bridge on. I prefer the furthermost coils stay on to be closest to the S or T type sound when split. Most pickup manufacturers schematic their pickups to leave the slug side on when split. Usually swapping the hot lead and ground lead will reverse that. Paul Reed Smith says he prefers the slug side stay on. Again,… preference.

[@scott7521]

Charles: Is this similar to using a Varitone switch like you'd see on Epiphone BB King model?

[@charlescampbell6167]

I believe Veritone uses capacitors to very the midrange frequencies. Using resistors to ground an one coil varies the volume of the coil that’s going to ground.

[@mspeedm5849]

Have you tried spin split pot with detents?

[@charlescampbell6167]

I’m not sure what you’re speaking of. This switch is notched.

[@mspeedm5849]

@@charlescampbell6167 Was think about trying a pot with stops on wiper, so you can more easily find the amount of cut you need using the resistance of the pot instead of wiring up a bunch of set value resistors on the switch. Still not as useful as your switch, in theory, but less time at the bench? I will try it out sometime soon maybe can offer more feedback. I have tried some resitor switching mods similar to yours and I do like the option for sure.

[@totemstomp]

10k resistor is virtually no split at all

[@totemstomp]

Also it's audio taper that is smooth. Linear taper all goes in about 10 degrees of a turn of the pot

[@charlescampbell6167]

Being that the DC resistance on this pickup is over 13K, there is still a noticeable difference. Even just a little drop can also give you the perceived asymmetrical coil windings of a PAF.

[@charlescampbell6167]

images.app.goo.gl/6o9mvZRPfqc7rAEv5 Just using what the guitar industry says. We all know that Leo was wrong about the Tremolo on the guitar and the Vibrato in the amp. When mixing in my DAW, I do notice that linear fades are curved.

[@totemstomp]

@charlescampbell6167 Jesus lol. I know what the graph looks like but it sounds like you need to learn how hearing works. Linear taper will appear to go all at once and a log or audio taper will be a smooth transition from 0-10. YOUR HEARING IS LOG NOT LINEAR

[@totemstomp]

@@charlescampbell6167 I also know the difference between volume modulation and pitch modulation.