Author Topic: Coil Tapping / Pinch Harmonics (Read 10159 times)

CaffeineJunkie · « **on:** February 21, 2006, 05:45:36 PM »

Hi,

This has been bugging me for ages now as i'm not very experienced in the whole "guitar" thing, having tought myself.

erm... basically, 2 things:
1.) What is coil tapping and how does it effect the sound?
2.) What are pinch harmonics?

Cheers

MDV · « **Reply #1 on:** February 21, 2006, 07:51:38 PM »

Coil tapping is where you take a second output off a shorter length of wire so that you have a switch option to reduce to power of the pickup.

Mostly "coil taps" is used for the same thing as "'coil splits" where you take a humbucker and wire one of the single coils on its own.

Pinch harmonics are a picking techinique where you brush the string with th e thumb of your picking hand to set offf a set of very high pithced harmonics. It squeels.

Edited to clarify.

Neemo · « **Reply #2 on:** February 21, 2006, 07:52:49 PM »

Quote from: CaffeineJunkie

Hi,

This has been bugging me for ages now as i'm not very experienced in the whole "guitar" thing, having tought myself.

erm... basically, 2 things:
1.) What is coil tapping and how does it effect the sound?
2.) What are pinch harmonics?

Cheers

I'm not 100% positive but I think coil tapping means splitting a humbucker, using only one coil.

Pinch Harmonics aka. Artificial Harmonics are something very annoying when used too much, á la Zakk Wylde. Sounds like a high-pitched wail.

sambo · « **Reply #3 on:** February 21, 2006, 07:58:51 PM »

coil tapping doesnt have to be a h/b ive got a tapped p-90... it just reduces/increases the hotness of the pup when its engaged/disengaged.... not quite sure how but its something to do with the coils...

and the p.harmonics are like the guys said.

MDV · « **Reply #4 on:** February 21, 2006, 08:03:59 PM »

Hey, I never said it had to be used on a humbucker!

:(

sambo · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2006, 08:09:25 PM »

hahahaha! :lol: sorry!

probably me mis-interpreting - what you two guys said just gave me the impression you thought it was just for h/b's...

obviously not lol

CaffeineJunkie · « **Reply #6 on:** February 21, 2006, 09:00:22 PM »

Alright cool, so can any pickup be coil tapped???

sambo · « **Reply #7 on:** February 21, 2006, 09:01:55 PM »

think so.... and Tim does it for no extra charge! :D

PhilKing · « **Reply #8 on:** February 21, 2006, 10:41:28 PM »

Coil tapping is when you take a lead out of the coil part way through the winding. The main result of this is that the sound cleans up slightly without losing too much volume, which makes it great for rhythm. You can only do this when winding the pickup.

When you take one coil of a humbucker it is commonly called coil tap, but it is actually shunting one of the coils to ground, so you have a single coil pickup, and should really be coil split.

Pinch harmonics are when you hit the string with the pick and the edge of your thumb, bringing out the octave of the note hit, because of the double hit.

Elliot · « **Reply #9 on:** February 22, 2006, 08:34:27 AM »

I dont think pinch harmonics are the same as artificial harmonics - at least not in the acoustic guitar world - artificial harmonics are where you play the harmonic (usually) 12 frets above a fretted note so you get the effect of a 12th fret harmonic but , i.e. if you fret the second string you can play the '12th fret' harmonic on the 14th fret.

People like Davey Graham, Tommy Emmanuel, Tony McManus and the late Eric Roche use this technique to play entire pieces to get a harp type arrangement.

sambo · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2006, 08:36:51 AM »

what harmonics are they though elliot? how do those guys actually get the harmonic? the only ones i know of are pinch h's and ones where you play an open string then hover your finger over the vibrating string....

_tom_ · « **Reply #11 on:** February 22, 2006, 03:57:24 PM »

Quote from: sambo

what harmonics are they though elliot? how do those guys actually get the harmonic? the only ones i know of are pinch h's and ones where you play an open string then hover your finger over the vibrating string....

Well the ones Elliott is going on about, basically you play a note say at the 3rd fret, keep it ringing, and hover your finger over the string 12 frets up, so in this case it would be 15th fret. Sounds pretty cool. I think dime briefly touched upon them in that video in Time Out.

sambo · « **Reply #12 on:** February 22, 2006, 04:12:35 PM »

what so you use your picking hand to touch twelve frets up?

_tom_ · « **Reply #13 on:** February 22, 2006, 04:27:00 PM »

Yeah, obviously you dont use your fretting hand, unless you have foot long hands :lol: :lol:

sambo · « **Reply #14 on:** February 22, 2006, 04:31:35 PM »

maybe i do...

! :o :D