SPLIT off?
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro that is a greatsounding guitar, but the coilsplits are pretty redundant for the sounds I prefer. Do they affect the sound, even though they’re not engaged?
I might replace the pickups at some point with Bare Knuckles or similar PAF-alikes and if so, would this be the time to strip out the coil-tap pots or leave as is if there’s no adverse effect? I’ve read so many articles in your magazine on replacement PAF style pickups – is there a clear winner that you would recommend? David Taylor-Bramley, via email
We’ll go in reverse order, David. There is no absolute clear winner, because a number of companies make excellent PAFstyle humbuckers. While the choice may seem particularly agonising, it also means you’re far less likely to buy some duffers! Here’s a little bit of advice for you…
Go and have a listen to some Gibson 57 Classics and some Burstbuckers in as similar a guitar as possible. The distinction is important: the 57 Classics have symmetrical coil windings and a more thorough wax potting than the asymmetrically wound Burstbuckers. Depending on the guitar, that can make the 57s ‘thicker’ sounding with less of the ‘honk’ and ‘air’ you might find in the earliest-style PAFs. The 57s are more ‘rock’ than ‘blues’, you might say as a gross generalisation. That will at least give you a starting point. You know that we rate Bare Knuckle pickups very highly, but there are plenty, plenty more great makers out there.
As for the wiring, if you’re going for a high-quality, vintage-style pickup, we’d go with a full 50s-style rewire, using 500k pots with decent Bumblebee style caps. To us, it makes the pots more responsive in use, and will help get you get closer to those classic tones. Which means goodbye coilsplits. That said, there’s nothing to stop you from installing the new pickups with the old wiring, living with it for a little while, then doing the 50s rewire. If you don’t like it, go back to the original. You’ll have lost a little bit of money, but at least you’ll know.