Pickup question

Dave Birkett · Post by **Dave Birkett** » 18 Sep 2002 10:56 am

I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked. Is it possible to make or has anyone made a steel guitar pickup that is both single coil and double coil so that a player could throw a switch to get one or the other depending on the situation? I am a veritable nullity in electronics, so I hope the question isn’t too stupid.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 18 Sep 2002 11:15 am

The George L 10-5 pickup does that with a 6-position switch. Model 12-5 is the same for 12 string.

jerry wallace · Post by **jerry wallace** » 18 Sep 2002 9:02 pm

Dave , yes it can be done.. However here is the problem with that..Due to the nature of the pickups themselves as far as room to wind the wire, height, length etc. and to get a decent sound and to function properly when both coils are switched in, the coils need to be around 10K ohm each..With both switched in series this = 20K ohm a standard humbucker DC resistance..But when switching to just one coil ,a single coil,then you have only 10K ohm DC and about 6 or 8 henries of inductance.

The sound /tone/output at 10 K DC will not be good at all..

In order to fuction properly as a humbucker the 2 coils must be balanced..So there is no way in my opinion to get "the best of both worlds" with out 2 seperate pickups.

Emmons and GL both make the 5 tap pickups that use the switch to tap the coils in parallel ,series and each coil seperately.

But myself as well as just about eveyone else I have talked with , wind up leaving the switch set at the full humbucker position {both coils in series} and not using the other switch positions..

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Jerry Wallace-2001 Zum: D-10,8+6, "98 Zum: D-10,8+8,Nashville 1000,Session 500 ,Session 400 head only amp,Tubefex,ProfexII, Artesia, New Mexico
http://communities.msn.com/jerrywallacemusic http://www.jerrywallacemusic.com

Dave Birkett · Post by **Dave Birkett** » 19 Sep 2002 3:59 pm

Thanks, guys.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 19 Sep 2002 4:12 pm

<SMALL>about eveyone else I have talked with , wind up leaving the switch set at the full humbucker position {both coils in series} and not using the other switch positions..</SMALL>

Actually, when I used a 12-5, I used all the positions. I even liked theone that George L said is musically useless (number 6, which soiunds like a banjo). But none of them sounds as good as a Lawrence pickup to me.

Dave Birkett · Post by **Dave Birkett** » 19 Sep 2002 4:37 pm

The reason I asked this question is that all of my favorite sounds on recordings were probably done with single coil pickups: Lloyd Green's albums of the 60s, Jimmy Day's double album, BE on Ray Price's Night Life LP (Wild Side of Life, Sittin' and Thinkin'). I love the sound of my guitar when I play it acoustically. It has highs with a very pleasant, crisp bite. When I run it through my humbucker and amp, the highs take on a totally different character.

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 19 Sep 2002 4:49 pm

Hey Dave:

You could always do what I did and find a nice old ZB guitar(s) with original triple-coil pickups. On all but the student models, the pickups have three positions - I understand that they are coil taps? - that allow for a nice edgy single coil sound, an in-between clear, clean, full sound; and the "all-the-way" setting which is thick and rich like your favorite beverage or soup. And all are relatively quiet, too.

Mmmmmm. ZB Goodness.

Greg Jones, I can't believe you haven't been shouting "ZB!!!" from the hills yet.

BTW - I owned a guitar with a George-L 10-5 and found I played only 1-2 positions - the others weren't so special. On the ZB I use all three settings.

Have fun!
lc

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Larry Chung
ZB D-10 8+4; ZB Custom S-11 4+4; ZB Student Model 3+1 Yeeeeahhh, Bay-Bee.

Wayne Cox · Post by **Wayne Cox** » 21 Sep 2002 7:59 am

I put a George-L "Pentad" (five-position)on my Dekley S-12. After years of playing it that way, I must say that it is nice having one steel that can sound like 5 or 6 totally different steels! If you want a single pickup that is fully humbucking but approximates a single coil sound,the George-L E-66 is very nice. I once owned a ZB. The old ZB pickups were near to perfection.Just my 2cents worth.
W.C.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 21 Sep 2002 8:27 am

I have a George-L 12-5 mounted in a Sierra Cartrige listed on the Buy & Sell page if anyone is interested.
(This one is Sierra exclusive.)

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 23 Sep 2002 1:23 pm

Moved to Electronics