Who doesn’t want a more versatile guitar tone? And while it might be fun to mess with EQ, gain, volume, etc., etc., etc., on your amp or pedals, it’s also kinda nice to be able to completely change your tone right from the guitar while you’re playing. That’s where coil splitting and coil tapping come in.
Messing with your pickups’ coils is a great way to completely change your tone with the push or pull of a knob. They both change output levels and tone on your pickups but in very different ways. Here’s the difference between coil splitting and coil tapping on an electric guitar — and don’t let anyone tell you they’re the same thing!
What is coil splitting?
Humbuckers have two coils. And coil splitting essentially removes one coil from the signal chain, transforming the growly humbucker into a sparkly single coil with the flip of a switch — or, usually, the push or pull of a pot (volume or tone knob). It’s like getting the best of both worlds in one pickup!
Humbuckers are known for their full, warm, and dark tone. They also have higher output compared to their single coil buddies, which makes them great for heavier styles of music. Single coils have a bright and, dare I say, “spanky” or twangy tone compared to humbuckers.
What does coil splitting sound like? Literally just like jumping between a humbucker and single coil pickup. No soldering necessary! Pull the knob and transform your humbucker into a single coil — or vice versa.
There are plenty of guitars out there with coil-splitting capabilities straight from the factory. In fact, it’s becoming more and more common as players demand more versatility from their instruments.
Isn’t that the same as coil tapping…?
Asking that question is a good way to offend guitar nerds. No! They’re not the same — despite what you might find out there on the internet. Even the pros get it wrong sometimes…
The number of wraps in the coil is what determines the output of a pickup. The more wraps, the higher output. But sometimes, you don’t always want that high-output modern sound. Sometimes you might want to play with a lower-output vintage tone.
In a coil-tapping setup, the coil has a break somewhere in the middle. When you activate the coil-tapping switch (which is usually a push/pull knob like the coil splitting), it adds or removes part of the coil to the signal chain, changing your pickup’s power output.
With the full coil active, your pickup will sound much hotter, almost like you gave it a boost. And when you tap the coil, it’ll reduce the overall output creating a mellower vintage tone.
Coil tapping can be on both single coil and humbucker pickups, while coil splitting can only be applied to humbuckers.
Coil "tapping." Get it...!?
Coil splitting vs. coil tapping: Which one is better?
Just like anything in the musical world, there is no “better.” It all depends on what sound you’re going for.
If you like to play a bunch of different genres and styles and don’t feel like dragging multiple guitars to all your gigs, coil splitting might be best to give you both humbucker and single coil sounds in one guitar.
However, if you like to swap between light and heavy tones or rip solos on every song, coil tapping might be a nice way to give you the little boost you want without needing extra pedals or reaching for your amp mid-song.
The best way to find the mod that works for you is to try them! Here at American Musical Supply, we have tons of electric guitars that come with coil splitting or coil tapping functionality straight from the factory.
And with our industry-best (not to brag) 45-day return policy, you can try a guitar for a full MONTH AND A HALF to see if it’ll really work for you. If it doesn’t, just send it back and try something else! We’ll help you get to the bottom of the coil splitting vs. coil tapping debate, even if it takes a few tries.
Find your perfect guitar match at AMS.
