Author Topic: Best splitting humbucker with Irish Tour single coil (Read 4706 times)

brattmoore · « **on:** August 31, 2006, 01:58:55 PM »

Hi all,

I have a SSH set in my No 1 guitar : 2 Irish Tour and 1 VH II. In position 2 (middle pickup in parallel with 1 coil of the VH II), there is not enough quack to my taste. Could you help me to find one that sounds better in single coil mode please ? Many thanks !!!

brattmoore · « **Reply #1 on:** September 01, 2006, 11:34:34 AM »

No one ??? :?

PhilKing · « **Reply #2 on:** September 01, 2006, 12:45:10 PM »

Do you have the RWRP middle pickup? If not you could change the coil you have picked on the HB to see if that helps.

Philly Q · « **Reply #3 on:** September 01, 2006, 01:58:51 PM »

It's a tough one. It's always going to be a bit of a compromise, it'll never sound exactly like two Strat pickups - one coil of a VHII is less powerful than an Irish Tour, and (of course) the magnet structure is totally different.

I was going to suggest the same as Phil, swapping the humbucker wiring around so you're using the other coil in the split position. But then you'll lose the hum-cancelling effect in that position.

Other than that, I wonder if a more powerful HB might work better? I wouldn't know which model to suggest though.

fabien · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2006, 03:00:59 PM »

I have a bridge Mule in a HSH custom made axe with a Harry Heaussel Blues strat pup in middle and the combination with the split Mule quacks nicely.
From sound bites of the Irish Tours found on this forum The Heaussel Blues seems to me quite similar to the IT.

lifted · « **Reply #5 on:** September 14, 2006, 07:47:24 PM »

I have a nailbomb split with an IT, and it sounds pretty quacky if you turn the volume down some. A bit more bite, mind you, but roll off a little treb and vol. and you'd be surprised. The single coil mode of the Nailbomb is jst awesome by itself as well. cuts through with warmth, not icepick. good luck

Antag · « **Reply #6 on:** September 14, 2006, 08:59:35 PM »

Holy Diver/Irish Tour set? I have this set in my korina strat but didn't bother with coil splitting so I can't speak from experience (although I rarely use it I quite like the sound of the full HB with the middle SC :))

I'm inclined to agree with PhillyQ that it's always going to be a compromise, & swapping out the VHII for a Nailbomb or Holy Diver might take your bridge pickup sound too far away from what you really wanted. Which selector position do you use the most?

fabien · « **Reply #7 on:** September 14, 2006, 09:58:34 PM »

Have you tried playing with the pickup height to find the right balance between the two?
About what Philly Q says over high output pups reminds me that I had a Duncan JB in there before the Mule and it didn't quack as much then as it does now. The split mule has a quite convincing single coil tone, for a humbucker that is!

Do you have any clips to post? I'm thinking (dreaming?) about getting a HSS strat, either Warmoth parts or custom built by the same luthier who built my current guitar, and I hesitate between a Mule/Mother's milk and a VHII/Irish Tour set. Would be nice to hear one.

I'm still at my first posts and those visual confirmation codes aren't easy to read

Philly Q · « **Reply #8 on:** September 14, 2006, 10:41:31 PM »

Quote from: fabien

About what Philly Q says over high output pups reminds me that I had a Duncan JB in there before the Mule and it didn't quack as much then as it does now.

That's interesting. I was just guessing that one coil of a higher-output humbucker might be closer to a genuine single coil. Wrong as usual!

I suppose the ultimate coil-splitting humbucker would be the type with 12 alnico rod magnets instead of steel slug polepieces and a bar magnet, but again it's a compromise. I briefly owned a Yamaha Pacifica 604 with two single-coils wired as a humbucker in the bridge position - great for Strat tones, but the humbucker sound wasn't very good.

fps_dean · « **Reply #9 on:** September 14, 2006, 10:42:19 PM »

Perhaps a Crawler? They are louder than a VHII yet still sound a bit clean and nice for their output. I'm not sure how they split but probably be more appropriate than a VHII. Or you could try a Nailbomb... not sure how they split either but that's the set I am going for in my ESP.

Brow · « **Reply #10 on:** September 14, 2006, 11:09:54 PM »

I have a Crawler/IT/IT set in a strat and in position 2 of the switch, I get a coil of the Crawler and the middle IT. It sounds really 'stratty' to my ears. It's not identical to 2 single coils, but it's close enough for me :)

fabien · « **Reply #11 on:** September 15, 2006, 11:40:23 AM »

Quote from: Philly Q

That's interesting. I was just guessing that one coil of a higher-output humbucker might be closer to a genuine single coil. Wrong as usual!

Philly Q don't get too much excited, that's just my experience with a JB, another High output pup might give other results then you could be right... for once

Philly Q · « **Reply #12 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:36:27 PM »

Don't worry, I wasn't getting over-excited. It just roused me out of my usual catatonic state for a moment.