Fender Blacktop Telecaster Coil Split help

Hey guys

I'm new to the inner workings of a guitar so correct me if I go astray. Fall of last year I got myself a Blacktop Tele and I fell in love. It's got those two humbuckers with that raw, warm tone, yet the bridge pickup has a great brightness for leads. But I want a little more. I was thinking about coil splitting them. I'm fairly certain that the stock Alnico Humbuckers in the Blacktop Tele are 2 wire (again correct me if I'm wrong) so that means I'd have to solder in a new 4 lead to the wire that connects the two coils (I'm a little strapped on fundage so buying new pickups are kinda out of the picture.) Now is there a diagram or something like an instructional video to show how that works? I'm looking to replace the pots in the Tele with push pull knobs. I want to be able to toggle both pickups to switch. I'd also like it to be like both front, or both back, as to not create a "humbucker" effect if I have the selector in the middle position (the blacktop Tele is a 3 way switch.)

Now I ask, what do you think of coil splitting? I really like that warm tone of the Humbuckers but I love the classic twang of the singles. I'm always switching around, its kinda the way I play, so I like the idea of more control. I play in a church worship band. I do lots or triad picking, little riffs, and swells. but I also bring the crunch and sometimes leads. What I'd probably end up doing is leaving the neck a humbucker and the bridge a single.

Anyone?

As far as I know you can't split those humbuckers.

Even if I cut the wire connecting the two coils and solder in a four lead wire? See I know that's what I need to do but I i don't know where those go

Did you not get enough info when you posted this the first time?
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/328609-im-thinkin-coil-tapping-my-guitar.html

I though I'd try it in the pickups section. Plus I'm lookin for advice on how to wire the pickups like If I solder a new wire in where I place them.

Even if I cut the wire connecting the two coils and solder in a four lead wire? See I know that's what I need to do but I i don't know where those go

Read the multimeter of the full pickup, then take a reading at that connection. Half? Sounds like the middle of the coils then..

You should solder a lead to that connection *without breaking it* this will allow combos with the coils split (but not parallel ) by following diagrams for three lead humbuckers. Whether you send the middle lead to ground / hot determines which coil, which determines hum canceling in combination with the other hb 's coil. 1 dpdt pot can do both pups.

Soldering in 4 leads instead sounds like a lot more work and liable to ruin the pickup for good imo

I got one too. Opening the pickup, seeing that you're new to this stuff, can be fatal. I bought a new one and wired it for Series - Split - Parallel with a simple on on on 3pdt switch off ebay.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=coil_splitting


top scheme
red is south finish, black is north start

I got one too. Opening the pickup, seeing that you're new to this stuff, can be fatal. I bought a new one and wired it for Series - Split - Parallel with a simple on on on 3pdt switch off ebay.

How'd you do it? Could you make like a tutorial or something for me? I was thinking doing push/pull switches on my vol and tone knobs to toggle both. I may not know much but my father works construction and knows his way around a soldering gun. That would be extremely helpful. Also what's the diff between series and parallel? I really want the ability to have that single coil sound but I'd be interested in what the other things are

They do have split coils on the Blacktop Strat

How'd you do it? Could you make like a tutorial or something for me? I was thinking doing push/pull switches on my vol and tone knobs to toggle both. I may not know much but my father works construction and knows his way around a soldering gun. That would be extremely helpful. Also what's the diff between series and parallel? I really want the ability to have that single coil sound but I'd be interested in what the other things are

I took a look at my blacktop pickups and could not find any easy access point to a connecting wire between the two coils. Looks like you'd have to remove the pickup cover first, which is attached by both glue and solder. You're risking permanently damaging the pickup. I'd suggest going with a different pickup instead of modifying the blacktop pickup.

Parallel might be a good option with super hot pickups, it gives a MUCH quieter sound that has good high end and less bass. The problem with it and I would say most coil splitting options is the drastic difference in volume/output between series and the coil splitting. I had heard that my GFS liverpools might sound better in parallel than series--those I find really bassy and hot.

I did get a cool result from combining the free coils from each pickup either series or parallel to form a "new humbucker" so to speak in the first case or a sort of stratty tone in the second case.

Unfortunately it has been my experience to let humbuckers be humbuckers and single coils be single coils.. you're not going to get to a good single coil sound with a coil split. Well, not as good as real single coils anyway. Unless you find that perfect humbucker in which case please write up a review and send it to my attention.

This is why I'm building a partscaster tele and trying to sell my blacktop.

Edit: again want to stress this is just my experience with splitting, which is limited to failures obviously.. i'm sure others have gotten good results and hopefully they can suggest a pickup or wiring diagram to you.

A split humbucker is not going to get you the sound you are going for. Don't ruin these pups trying to split them. If you want splitable pups, save up for them, you can then sell these to offset the cost. I'd suggest getting a 4 way switch to add the series/parallel option. Since you don't know what that is, roughly:

series: --------Pup-------------Pup----------

____Pup_______
Parallel: ------------{________Pup___}------------

you can wire the pups in series or parallel to each other, stock I beleive they are parallel. Wiring them in series may make them hotter. It will change thier tone as the impedance will change.

Or you can change the internal wiring of a 4 wire bucker to toggle between series and parallel. The bucker should be in parallel stock. The parallel wiring is why they buck hum. If you want to split the bucker while the 2 coils are wired in parallel, all you have to is intruduce a toggle that breaks the circuit across the coild you want off. if you want to split and they are wired in series, you have to short across the pup you want off because breaking the circuit would cut off the entire pup.

So If you had toggles that allowed you to go back and forth between series and parellel between the coils and allowed for a split, you would ahve to be mindful of which way you needed to split given whether or not you were in series or parallel.

If any of that makes sense to you. I'm rusty on this stuff myself.

well, that diagram didn't come out the same way. the tp line with the pup should be over the bottom line with the pup. Google it if you need to.

Humbuckers are usually wired in series stock. A four wire hb can be wired to a switch for series/ split/ parallel whereas a three lead has the 1st coil + fed into the second coil - so parallel is not an option, but the middle coil can be shorted to hot or ground to split leaving only 1 or the other active, depending on how you do it.

Humbuckers are usually wired in series stock. A four wire hb can be wired to a switch for series/ split/ parallel whereas a three lead has the 1st coil + fed into the second coil - so parallel is not an option, but the middle coil can be shorted to hot or ground to split leaving only 1 or the other active, depending on how you do it.

whoops, I said parallel didn't I. My mistake.

Well if I have someone who knows what they're doing, what's the harm? I meant im not like a perfectionist or anything so if it sounds cool I'll like it. It doesn't necessarily need to be "100% single tele sound" but something that's close.

Right on, it's your guitar after all.

Happy pickin'

Well if I have someone who knows what they're doing, what's the harm? I meant im not like a perfectionist or anything so if it sounds cool I'll like it. It doesn't necessarily need to be "100% single tele sound" but something that's close.

You might permanently damage the pickup is the harm. And glad it doesn't need to be "100% single tele sound" because it isn't going to sound like a tele single coil at all. But it's your guitar, do what you like.