Inner/outer coil splitting

[fidgec94]

Can any explain why combining the outer coils of two humbuckers would sound any different from the inner coils? I thought i'd add a bit of versatility to a basic bridge/bridge&neck/neck setup but wondered if there was any point having both these splitting combinations - i cant imagine what the difference in sound would be. Cheers

[lovekraft]

Well, think about it for a second - being farther apart, there's going to be a larger difference between the outer coils than between the inner coils, so certain phase relationships/frequency cancellations would change. You may not find in practice that there's enough difference to make it worth your trouble, but there is a definite audible difference. I personally like inner coils in parallel for some Stratty quack and outer coils in series for a little Brian May sloppy goodness!

[fidgec94]

Good point, thanks a bunch. I'll give then both a whirl and see what happens!

[scott from _actual time_]

Can any explain why combining the outer coils of two humbuckers would sound any different from the inner coils? I thought i'd add a bit of versatility to a basic bridge/bridge&neck/neck setup but wondered if there was any point having both these splitting combinations - i cant imagine what the difference in sound would be. Cheers

the individual coils sound different based on their distance from the bridge. the bridge coil of the bridge humbucker will sound sharper, and the neck coil of the neck humbucker will sound rounder and more mellow [especially on a 24 fret guitar, where the neck coil is much closer to the tonal "sweet spot" near the 24th fret harmonic].

when you combine inner coils or outer coils, lovekraft is exactly right about the phase cancellation. the inner coils gives a slightly notched clean sound. the Dream Theater guy has used this coil cut combination for his clean sound for years -- check out the intro to "Pull Me Under" off their old record Images & Words.

the outer coils combination gives a much sharper Tele style sound, with lots of bite. many people call that Tele sound "out of phase." it's not actually out of phase, but there is enough of the phase cancellation that lovekraft is talking about to give a midrange-notched sound that is bright and clear.

to hear the difference, you can check out one of the two-humbucker PRS models with the 5-way rotary switch. those switch positions include inner coils in parallel, outer coils in parallel, and the outer coils in series [which is a different thing than we're talking about here].