Coil tapping a p90 - what do I need and how do I do it?

[_tom_]

I've just ordered a Pig 90 in humbucker size for my Pearl and I've got the coil tap option so I can switch it down to a lower output. I just have standard wiring at the minute though I have the tones disconnected so everything goes to the volume pots. What do I need, and how do I wire it up so the volume knob pulled up will switch to the lower output tap? I'm guessing a 500k push/pull pot to fit an alpha shaft hole is what I'd be after?

I may need to hook up a tone to the bridge one anyway - neck is fine without one and would probably be muddy with one hooked up, but I've never tried a bridge p90 so I dont know what to expect. I found my Rebel Yell a bit muddy with the tone connected, probably due to being a mid-output pickup in an all mahog guitar though?

[badgermark]

Jeebus a pig-90? We need clips of that bad boy! When i had my coil tap in my les paul it was on the tone control, seemed a better idea, easier to adjust volumes an such like.

[_tom_]

Yeah I was gonna get a MQ but I thought I might as well go all out and get a pig 90 :P Aged cover and everything.

[dave_mc]

did you ask for a coil tap when you ordered the p90? far as i'm aware, one has to be fitted when you order it, as you have to take a wire off the winding before full winds.

I think so, anyway. It's not like a humbucker where you can normally attach coil splits to any 4-conductor one...

[_tom_]

Yeah I did ask for one, put it in the special requirements box or whatever it's called :)

[WezV]

standard coil split wiring which involves wiring the middle lug of the switch to the back of the pot(if it has 6 connections then its two rows of 3)

the wire the coil tap switch to one of the other connections, i can never remember which way round it is off the top of my head (especially after a day of tattooing and a fair amount of wiskey) but if you happen to wire the coil tap wire to the bottom lug and its coil tapped when down then wire it to the top lug instead 8)

[Oli]

Do let us know what it sounds like, i've been considering the exact same pickup (even down to the cover) for my LP, so it'd like to know what you think of it :)

[_tom_]

Thanks for the explanation wez, I sort of know what you're getting at but not quite - need a diagram really!

btw, where can I get a 3PDT switch for cheap? The guys on the BYOC forum reckon I've nackered the switch on mine due to overheating so I'm gonna try installing a fresh one now my soldering skills have improved a little.

Oli, I'll let you know for sure. I'll definitely do some clips - this forum is lacking in the p90 department.

[WezV]

here is your standard coil split diagram for a humbucker (ignore the colour codes)... you will only have one wire going to the push/pull switch rather than the two shown in the diagram

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/s2170/coilsplit.gif

[dave_mc]

Yeah I did ask for one, put it in the special requirements box or whatever it's called :)

ah, sorry, just was making sure. :lol:

[_tom_]

thanks for the diagram wez. So will the one wire from the p90 go to the same lug on the push/pull? Do I then just wire up the pickup as usual (if thats on a volume knob)?

[Philly Q]

Tom, here's - surprise surprise - a Seymour Duncan diagram.  It's for a Tele with two tapped pickups, so ignore the 3-way switch etc and just look at the push-pull pot.

I don't know how BKP wire the tapped P-90, but it'll either have 3 wires and a bare shield or (maybe) two wires and a braided shield.

Assuming it's the former, the shield and one wire (black?) will go to ground, the other two wires will go to the two outer lugs on one side of the push-pull.  The middle lug of the push-pull then goes to the first lug on the volume pot (where the hot wire from a normal humbucker would go).

You should have full power with the switch down and tapped with the switch up.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=tele_2_taps

The problem is, I don't know the colour coding - on the Duncan diagram, black is ground, white is hot and red is the tap wire.  BKP may be different - might be worth checking with Twinfan, I know he had a tapped P-90 or MQ.

[_tom_]

I'm getting a bit confused now. Do you just wire it up like a normal pickup to the regular tags on the pot but then put the extra wires on the relevant push/pull tabs?

[Twinfan]

You'll get three wires on your pickup if I remember rightly.  You wire it pretty much like a normal pickup:

Black to ground
Red to the input of the bottom of the push/pull switch, like a regular pot

My extra wire (green) went to the middle lug on the side of the push/pull.  Wiring was easier in my case as I was swaping out the original pickup in a Gordon Smith that was already tapped.

That diagram from Wez is the one to follow  :)

(It's simpler than the monstrosity Phil posted  :lol:)

[Philly Q]

My extra wire (green) went to the middle lug on the side of the push/pull.  Wiring was easier in my case as I was swaping out the original pickup in a Gordon Smith that was already tapped.

And the bottom lug of the push-pull to ground?