tuned capacitor tap

[mattmuffler]

can someone explain to me a little more what this does? does it essentially turn a humbucker into a single coil?

[ficklepie]

I've never heard of a tuned capacitor tap. Are you thinking of a "coil tap" -- a switch that turns a humbucker into a single coil? Or maybe a switch or knob that switches various capacitors in and out of the circuit?

[Ronkirn]

Matt, At 18 you’re probably noticing that guys tend to go crazy about their guitars, Unfortunately the “merchants” are aware of the insatiable appetite guitar players have for “Improving” their instruments, thus the merchants are perfectly willing to sell you anything imaginable to “fix” your axe.

The problem, most of the “junk” they’re selling is designed to fix problems that don’t exist, and/or separate you from your money.

I generally tell those that ask, until you can see a group of guys playing, walk up, grab a guitar and fit right in, whatever you have will be fine.

Ron Kirn

[mattmuffler]

it was in a book i read. it had a coil tap, capacitor tap and tuned capacitor tap.

thanks Ron!

[Ronkirn]

Matt, over the years, too many to remember, I have had guys order guitars with all kind of exotic switching arangements. The main reason, “it’s just so cool to get all those “tone” settings.” A rather lame reason to most professional guitarists.

Almost every one of them, after a few months send ‘em back to have the switching changed over to something more traditional.

If you play professionally, and have a guitar with too many “selections” its easy go get “lost” while playing. Let’s say you’re playing a Hendrix tune, then follow it up with Frampton….you can spend 10 minutes figuring out the settings. On a Tele you have 3 choices and a twist of the tone knob. Life is good when simplified.

Also, the more electronics you have in the signal path, the more “veiled” the final sound will be. All that “stuff” puts its sonic “rubber stamp” on the “message” as it’s flowing through the wire.

The Tele is a uniquely simple guitar, for a reason. And the resulting sound is deceptively un-polluted. To me, putting a lotta “junk” in the circuit is rather like putting tattoos and hardware on a beautiful woman. I’ve never seen a pretty girl and though, “Dammmm she would be a stunner if she just had a tattoo above her butt, a ring in her lip, a rivet in her nose and a couple of carabineers in her ear lobes.”

There is much to be said for classic simplicity, and if you study”trends” through the epoch, you will see Homo sapiens always returns to the simple things.

Ron Kirn

[mattmuffler]

thanks heaps Ron, super helpful!!
haha you crack me up though, i love the humor here

[fisheric]

i personally can't have too many options. otherwise I can't stop messing with the setting instead of playing. I can't imagine if I had a jimmy page model LP.

[mgdesigns]

If you really want to try out some pickup options, look into Coil Guitars website. http://www.coil-guitars.com/

I heard about this thing on public radio, and it offers 25 distinct sounds with 2 x 2 split coiled pickups, and a combination of a 5-way switch, and a 3-way switch. Seems overly complicated, but someone may need this. The best I've ever had was the old '58 LP Goldtop with split coils taps and phasing and the standard 3-way gibson toggle. I used to get every sound conceivable - funky out of phase strat, to very beefy LP.