WEDGE
Zombie five, DFZ
This might actually be the most gear page-esque discussion on this forum to date.
And I dont say that as bad thing necessarily.
And I dont say that as bad thing necessarily.
I just like to know details like that. I'm a magnet swapper.This might actually be the most gear page-esque discussion on this forum to date.
And I dont say that as bad thing necessarily.
The DGT has the best "single coil" sounds I've heard from a humbucker.
There's a difference between "tapping" a pickup and "splitting" a humbucker.
When you split a humbucker you disconnect one coil and only hear the signal from the remaining coil.
When you tap a pickup you connect a lead somewhere in the middle of the coil and only use part of the coil. That's usually done on hot single coil pickups.
Since I don't know the answer, are the DGT pickups split or tapped to get the stellar single coil sounds they get?
Well what ever they're doing it works.They are tapped - Dave himself has stated they have tweaked the amount they have 'tapped' off over the years so there is a variation if you were to go through them ( I think this was during an interview with 5w world? He did say how much was tapped too. It was certainly recently during DGT SE promotional content - must watch again sometime) so he thinks of it more as two 'tonal' flavours for the HB's.
I have always thought they sounded very good myself - but I also don't mind proper coil splits too if you don't lose volume as they can also provide a different 'flavour', one that often works better in a Mix (far less muddy and somehow seems much 'bigger' too) even IF it doesn't sound like a 'strat/tele' SC sound and/or thin/anaemic when directly compared to the full HB. So I have no issue with whether they are tapped or split, I just think of them as offering 'dual' tonal options which can offer more versatility and all within my reach without needing to dance on pedals.
If I really had to pick, I'd want enough turns left on one coil to ensure they continue to buck any Hum or be noiseless when split - but to be honest, I don't really 'care' whether they tap them, split them, make them using magnetic meteorite material specific to a special crater on Mars, all that matters to me is the sound and how the Pups 'play' with my gear. I've never understood why there is such a big issue as to whether its 'tapped' or a true split coil. Often, its someone being pedantic - you said split when its actually tapped... blah blah - but it doesn't really matter as you generally still keep a full 'single' coil split from a 'second' coil that is either completely 'Split' or has some active coils, often to buck hum and/or prevent such a volume and/or output drop, but I care more about 'usable' features than the method used to achieve those features It doesn't matter to me that the 58/15 LT's are supposedly a true split and my 58/15 MT's are 'tapped' when I use the 'coil-split' options, I only care about whether the 'extra' option that offers is useable and I have used BOTH pups 'split' to get the sound I want and also not 'muddy' the sound in a Mix to sound 'bigger'. For me, its more interesting information than something to worry about.
The reason I am sure people like the DGT 'split' coil sounds is because Dave Grissom and PRS have gradually changed the amount of wire they keep active on the second coil to get the sound Dave wants from a two HB pickup guitar. Picking people up on saying 'splits' when its 'tapped' is just being pedantic as most people say 'split' as a generic, coverall term to mean that one coil has some/all turns removed and you are relying primarily/solely on the remaining 'Single Coil' - some/all has been 'split' off to offer a different tonal sound from that pickup selection...
I've only heard the DGT in youtube videos. Never held one. The coil splt or whatever it is sounds good in the videos.Honestly, I'm not a fan of the coil splits, I don't they are convincing in any way. Sure, they can be useful in a situation where authenticity isn't critical, like in a cover band gig, but I never use the coil splits at home, they simply don't sound good enough. Not when I have a tele and a strat (and a Gretsch) sitting right next to it. Even Grissom uses the bridge "98% of the time" (his words)... when he needs a more "neck" sound, he has figured out how to do that to his satisfaction by picking position and technique on the bridge pickup.
I do use the neck on my DGT, but only because I installed a de-mud mod on it to get rid of the woof.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the coil splits, I don't they are convincing in any way. Sure, they can be useful in a situation where authenticity isn't critical, like in a cover band gig, but I never use the coil splits at home, they simply don't sound good enough. Not when I have a tele and a strat (and a Gretsch) sitting right next to it. Even Grissom uses the bridge "98% of the time" (his words)... when he needs a more "neck" sound, he has figured out how to do that to his satisfaction by picking position and technique on the bridge pickup.
I do use the neck on my DGT, but only because I installed a de-mud mod on it to get rid of the woof.
A Strat/Tele is NOT the 'authentic' Single Coil tone - just like a Gibson LP is not the 'authentic' Humbucker tone. A Single Coil is a 'single' coil whether its in a tele, strat or whatever instrument you decide to use a SC in. If you are 'after' a tele/strat sound specifically, then of course those guitars are 'better' suited to delivering that. A 'single coil' is still going to give an 'authentic' Single Coil sound whether you put it in a tele, a strat or a Les Paul - although it will 'sound' different in each instrument so which is 'authentic'?
That doesn't mean a true split 'Single Coil' isn't offering an 'authentic' SC sound as it is a 'true' 'SC' - just in a different style of guitar, different scale length, bridge etc that affects the sound. It may not be the 'same' as a tele/strat SC, but then you can get 'different' SC tones from different manufacturers that sound different anyway so what is an 'authentic' SC tone? If its using 'just' a Single Coil, then its a true 'single coil' sound.
Tapped HB's can offer multiple tones. You could tap winds to make a 'high output' heavy HB sound more like a 'classic/vintage' low output HB or a 'noiseless' SC sound for example which adds 'versatility' to the instrument. If you don't like or want to use those 'different' tones for whatever reason, like you prefer an 'authentic' Tele/Strat sound, then that is your choice. But the point is, a DGT offers 'more' tonal options than a 'traditional' 2 HB Les Paul because you can swap between full and tapped HB tones to suit the music.
For years, many have wired HB's to 'split' in certain positions. The JEM for example has a 'traditional' Strat position 4 sound with a Split HB neck and 'true' SC middle pup on a 25.5" scale to give a 'Stratty' sound. PRS Cu24 has two 'split' coil options in its standard 5-way wiring to offer 'stratty' tones.
However, PRS and 'most' companies that offer Coil split/tap options don't state that these are 'meant' to sound like a Strat, like a Tele but are offering more 'tonal' variations/options. You may get 'everything' you want from primarily the Bridge Pup, but others may use the middle position with the coil taps for a part because they 'prefer' that sound and 'both' HB's is too thick, too muddy. You'd just swap guitars, but others would use 'their' guitar because it 'works' for them...
I don't expect a PRS 594, a 24.594" scale guitar, built completely different to Strats/Teles, to sound like a Strat/Tele when Split because they are NOT the same guitars and unlikely to have Pups operating in the 'same' area of the string to 'give' the same sound - let alone all the other 'differences' (and NO I am not going to mention the 'different' woods they are traditionally using that are 'different' species to deliberately not include 'tone woods' as a 'significant' difference) that would impact on the way a Pickup 'sounds' in that particular instrument. Just moving a Pickup to a different spot under the strings makes it sound 'different', hence the exact same pickup sounds 'different' if you mount it in the bridge or neck for example. What I do expect though is that 'Split' coil to offer something 'different' to a HB which may work 'better' in a mix, work better with certain pedals/FX etc to give me a 'greater' tonal palette to 'create' music with - not to 'sound' like a Strat/Tele because you can buy a Strat/Tele iff that's the 'sound' you want...
Let me clarify:
The DGT neck pickup split does not sound like a strat.
The DGT bridge pickup split does not sound like a tele.
The DGT middle position spit does not sound like a Gretsch.
(these are all claims made by Grissom in various interviews over the years).
The spilts are workable, but do not sound like traditional single coils in Strats or teles.
The coil taps on the DGT are ok for what they are and sound a lot better than just splitting the pickups 50/50. However, they don’t sound great and wouldn’t replace a good single coil guitar.
The Special 22 Semi-Hollow limited with the 58/15MT pickups on the other hand sound absolutely fenomenal when tapped. In fact, they sound so good that I can’t decide if I like them better in tapped or full humbucker mode. That’s a first for me. Those pickups are pure magic and it’s a waste that they’re not used more.
I’ve used the JB and in parallel it does remind me of a tele.That's saying something. It seems to be completely pickup-dependent, as well as how much of a tap there is (50%, 75%, etc).
Related, I'm about to mod my HSS strat today: I'm putting in a coil split for the JB humbucker bridge, so that on the cover gig I can get something closer to tele bridge sounds when needed.... the JB is a high output pickup (not in the PAF range), and all reports are it splits very well because of that.
I didn't like any of the sounds I got from my '95 and '02 Custom 22's and wound up removing the rotary switch and replacing it with a regular Les Paul style 3 way. Of course I kept the parts so when I'm dead and gone someone can restore them to stock again.All but 1 of my PRS offer some 'Split' coil tones - even if I can't choose to split. Both my Custom 24's (Regular and Floyd) with standard 5-way switch offer 'Split' coil options that 'sound' different to the 'full' HB option - Position 2 and 4 offer a Split neck with a full or split bridge which offers a 'different' tone to position 3, both HB's together. Both my 594's (solid DC and Hollowbody DC) have push/pull pots so I can choose which of the '8' different tonal combinations work 'best' for the Song. My 509 and Special have the 'mini-toggles' to split/tap to give '9' or '12' different tonal characteristics from a single guitar and if I owned an MEv 'Core', that has 17 different tonal options to have a bigger palette to paint your music with. The only guitar I have that doesn't offer ANY split/tap variation is my HBii with Piezo.
Some are 'close', like the full HB bridge/Split neck and the Split Bridge/Full neck for example but there is still a 'difference' and one may work 'better' in a mix, better with certain pedals/FX etc. Some of the 'best' songs have 'terrible' guitar tone if you isolate their part but in the 'Mix', it cuts through perfectly and sounds huge.
If all you do is try to 'copy' another Artist, their exact tone in specific songs (like Jimi's Strat tone in Little Wing), then it maybe matters more, but if you are creating your 'OWN' music, working with other band members, then it doesn't matter - its just more tonal options to create the 'exact' tone you want - although I still see no reason not to play 'Little Wing' with a HB if you want to...
I think this PRS 509 Demo does a great job of sounding 'right' when covering 'iconic' guitar parts that are 'traditionally' associated with LP's, Strats or Tele's - is it the 'best' sounding 'Strat/Tele/Gibson' you've 'ever' heard, probably not, but it maybe 'close enough' that you can certainly use it to 'cover' those songs, but you also have 9 'distinctive' tones to create your 'own' music with.
Just because you use just a bridge for a LOT of your needs, doesn't mean 'EVERY' musician is the same. Artists found that by 'careful' manipulation of a Fenders 3-way, they could get both the middle and neck Pup - that has led to an 'iconic' sound because that 'tone' inspired and/or 'worked' best for that song. Its more about having a 'different' tonal 'colour' to create music with.
I'm a pickup swapper. Most of my PRS guitars have Duncan Antiquitys. Or Duncan 59's that I’ve put different magnets in and tweaked my own tastes.Ummm I guess I am one of the offenders. My ‘DGT of Doom’ (which lives in Drop B) is one of my favourite guitars.
When I got the guitar, I loved everything about it (the neck carve , the frets (which make 11s a breeze), the controls layout ) other than the bridge pickup which was just not EQed suitability for my high gain proclivities.
I tried to make it work for six months and in a moment of weakness almost sold the guitar because I didn’t want to be that heretic who swapped a DGTs pickups, even though I absolutely loved everything except that bridge pickup under gain.
Extremely luckily the buyer backed out last moment (literally last moment. I was waiting for him and he didn’t turn up and then gave some lame excuse ). At the same time while I was giving the DGT one last unplugged strum, it popped out a song “ don’t let me go”, which while yet unreleased (I really should get round into it) is one of my more favourite compositions.
I took this as a sign and decided the guitar was for me and if it required a pickup swap. I had an inkling with the huge frets, bridge pickup forward volume knob, the ability to handle thicker strings and even that neck carve , it would make an amazing metal guitar.
So (here the blasphemy begins), I swapped the pickups out for pair of Bare Knuckle Aftermaths (the most djenty of them all). The DGT took the pickups and the downtuning like a champ. It did rip under high gain but the most surprising element was how good it sounded clean in the coil split position with both pickups on. I have ended up always using the DGT in that position for different recordings wherever I want an ambient delay part.
Now to be clear I still have the original pickups . No plans to sell them despite several offers. And with all the DGT talk going around lately thanks to the SE, I am very tempted to swap back the originals and see if my tastes have evolved since 2018
I’ve used the JB and in parallel it does remind me of a tele.
So a suggestion: Get a three position mini switch that allows you to choose between series (which is normal humbucking), parallel or split.
The parallel setting is stronger than split and still humbucking, but it does have much of the character of a single coil sound.
The JB is a pickup I no longer use, but it does do those split and parallel sounds very well.
I like a 250K pot rather than 500K when I use the JB. So does Seymour. Tames the aggressive treble of that particular pickup.
Question / Need help on a Series/Split/Parallel wiring diagram - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
Hello and happy new year to you all, I recently bought a SD Hot Rodded Humbucker Set with an SH2 as neck and a SH4 JB as bridge Humbucker. I am planning to put them in a currently unused Yamaha PAC body I have lying around. As I am a huge fan of versatile wirings, I also ordered a pair of...forum.seymourduncan.com
I didn't like any of the sounds I got from my '95 and '02 Custom 22's and wound up removing the rotary switch and replacing it with a regular Les Paul style 3 way. Of course I kept the parts so when I'm dead and gone someone can restore them to stock again.
I just can't get into the "Everything Ax" concept.
But I'm not everyone...just my own fussy self!
When I want to hear a Strat I play my Strat, or these days my Silver Sky.
When I want to hear a Tele I play my Tele.
When I want to hear a humbucker I play my PRS guitars with humbuckers, or my ES-335.