Can YOU Hear the Difference??? | Single-Coil Pick-Ups VS Coil Split

Welcome back to another "Can YOU Hear the Difference???". Today we see if "Coil Split" style guitars can accurately mimic a TRUE single coil guitar. For this I have the ARCHETYPE of both. A Fender Strat VS the IBANEZ AZ2402. let me know if you can tell the difference!
#ibanezaz #fenderstrat #workingclassmusician

Пікірлер: 90

  • @jimmyfranklin
    @jimmyfranklin3 жыл бұрын

    WHATS UP!!! WELCOME BACK!! Let me know below how you did and if you have either of these! Also... do you have guitar history to share?? do it all below!

  • @SnapCracklePop-dd7di

    @SnapCracklePop-dd7di

    Жыл бұрын

    Jimmy I love your work, but the 1st track split coil sounded like warmed up vommit. But there must be a humbucker out there that has an authentic single coil split tone. I wonder what a "Sentient" split would be like with its articulation. The real issue is you need that single coil on the HB on the outside, right next to the neck, to even get close. Or you could just put EMG 57/66TW in and that has a real non active single coil on the outside of the neck 66. They are the most organic sounding actives Im aware of, possibly due to using passive pup technology with an active coil plus the TW real full featured single coil. Beats Fishmans imo.

  • @399pi
    @399pi7 ай бұрын

    Great video! Just wanted to add some further information for anyone interested. Many people say that a coil split humbucker sounds thin in comparison to a true single coil. This is for a couple reasons. Indeed, a split coil will be a bit quieter as there are now fewer windings total in the pickup. But there are some interesting things going on with pickups' frequency response here too. The tone of a pickup can be almost entirely described by its resonant frequency, and how sharp a peak ("Q factor") it has. Of course, there is a lot of variation, but humbuckers will tend to peak in the 2.5 to 3.4khz range. Single coils tend to peak above this, ranging from around 3.5khz to 4.5khz, explaining the brighter tone single coils have, on average. Splitting a humbucker increases its resonant frequency by a factor of the square root of 2, or around 1.4, shifting the range of a split coil to 3.5 - 5khz. This means any bright humbucker, when split, will be noticeably more zingy than a single coil. This zing can be tamed by using a small capacitor in parallel with the split pickup around the value of .5 - 1nf, reducing the resonant frequency, and making a coil split humbucker sound very close to a true single coil. Here is a great resource for learning more about pickup resonance: www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lemme/

  • @yetigoosecreature8682
    @yetigoosecreature8682 Жыл бұрын

    Do the test again using a clean sound (instead of crunch, over drive and distortion) and you will spot the difference. ;)

  • @michaelgrahamwongacutemadness

    @michaelgrahamwongacutemadness

    9 ай бұрын

    It’s easier to for sure

  • @RBdeBell

    @RBdeBell

    Ай бұрын

    I still heard it easily in the first comparrison. It`s not that a coil split is bad, just doesn`t sound all the way like a single coil.

  • @conradovitorlopesfernandes5570

    @conradovitorlopesfernandes5570

    Ай бұрын

    When you try too hard to spot the difference, it's because there's no difference.

  • @bluwng

    @bluwng

    13 күн бұрын

    @@RBdeBell no one cares .

  • @RBdeBell

    @RBdeBell

    13 күн бұрын

    @@bluwng Well, if im not mistaken, that exactly was the Question in this Video. But your comment is real quality stuff.....

  • @TheLowest
    @TheLowest2 жыл бұрын

    It's pretty obvious the difference, but I personally love the sound of split coils, its that glassy funk sound of the 2nd and 4th pos on a strat, but with a lot more girth and weight. Honestly I spent ages trying and failing to figure out how to get that exact tone out of a single coil until I stumbled on coil splitting

  • @eleanmendoza
    @eleanmendoza2 жыл бұрын

    Wow I was totally surprised and guess wrong. The coil split humbucker sounded better to me than the real single coil. I didn't expect that at all. Thanks for doing this!

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    2 жыл бұрын

    I haven’t done one in a while. I should do a few more!

  • @Rehmoss
    @Rehmoss3 жыл бұрын

    Recently got a Strandberg Standard 6 Trem-partly thanks to your review- and I must say I love the HSS configuration. Best of both worlds!

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    Dude. What finish did you get it in?? Really amazing guitar right???

  • @Rehmoss

    @Rehmoss

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimmyfranklin it was a difficult decision! I went for the Bengal burst in the end. Absolutely love the guitar!!

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Rehmoss YESSSS! i almost went bengal but i have so many sunburst guitars... i figure blue would be cool!

  • @cheenu711
    @cheenu7112 жыл бұрын

    Great comparison. On an unrelated note I use 500k pots and humbuckers because I love what that does to a marshall with my strat and superstrat. On my strat I have a Seymour Duncan jazz and that thing actually does a really good neck pickup sound which I absolutely adore. The JB on the bridge also has a very bright SSL 5 kinda thing going where you get a lot more bite and mid range than you're supposed to.

  • @deanmccaskill5495
    @deanmccaskill54952 жыл бұрын

    I was right but really I was guessing. I’ve got a couple split coil guitars and mine are no where near that close. Great playing man

  • @mailvilla
    @mailvilla2 жыл бұрын

    10/23/2021: I have been wondering if I purchased an H-H setup with a 3-way switch, could I split both humbuckers and get a quacky twangy country sound in the middle position of the selector switch? You know, just like a Telecaster can do.

  • @benjaminkrutledge7425

    @benjaminkrutledge7425

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes, the middle position on an HH guitar with both humbuckers split gives a nice telecaster like sound. If I'm not mistaken though the twangy country sound on a telecaster is the bridge pickup, usually the mid on telecaster is good for sparkling cleans like in mathrock and Midwest emo music. It is worth noting difference in scale length however- coil splitting a Les Paul will give it different tonal characteristics because the pickups are in a different position in the strings' phase. Ibanez superstrats seem to get the most convincing coil split sounds in my opinion which is likely because they usually use a fender scale length or at least close to it. I very much like the coil split sound with both scale lengths but they are different.

  • @subrochakraborty137
    @subrochakraborty137 Жыл бұрын

    I managed to easily distinguished between single coil and split.. in test 1 it was so obvious but was pretty close in test 2 and test 3.I love the sound of single coil. Good video 🙂

  • @bluwng

    @bluwng

    Жыл бұрын

    He lied about the results.

  • @jimsup5086
    @jimsup50863 жыл бұрын

    Your 'hiss face'...priceless! Thanks for schooling us on the genesis of the pick-up. To my ears/playing style, I prefer the sound of the "Coil Split". I may also be a bit biased as I'm sure due to my poor technique, the middle pickup "gets in the way" of my picking. My HSS guitar has the middle pickup set it a bit low so not to hit it, which I'm sure loses much of it's tone. With my coil split guitar, I still get that sound I'm looking for without the frustration of hitting that middle pick-up. So until I improve, this is where I'm at, which isn't really that bad. Another great comparison.

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AS ALWAYS!! its not uncommon to deal with the coil split issue like that! what kind of guitar do you have with the split??

  • @jimsup5086

    @jimsup5086

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimmyfranklin I have the PRS Mark Holcomb SVN.

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimsup5086 AAAHHHH thats nice! what color??

  • @jimsup5086

    @jimsup5086

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimmyfranklin I have the Holcomb Burst finish. The wife digs it so it made for an easier purchase LOL

  • @nathanielg.m.888
    @nathanielg.m.888 Жыл бұрын

    Was the AZ on power tap (pos 5 with switch) on normal split (pos 4 with switch)?

  • @TheAmateursOriginalMusic
    @TheAmateursOriginalMusic3 жыл бұрын

    Great stuff dude👍 have you reviewed the Fender Classic Vibe 50’s Telecaster? Interested to know what you think, they are slightly cheaper than a Mex Tele and ive heard they are pretty good✌🏻✌🏻

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    I haven’t done one yet! I gotta get my hands on one! What’s the price range of those???

  • @TheAmateursOriginalMusic

    @TheAmateursOriginalMusic

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimmyfranklin around 3-£400 i think

  • @calumrife
    @calumrife Жыл бұрын

    I never really liked single coils because of the way you have to play a strat to not knock the pickup switch accidentally, strike the pole pieces on the middle pickup, the hum, and the general way the bridge and springs change the tension on the inital strike. Fingerstyle or pick. Now that I'm an older, experienced musician who owns a strat, I really dig the single coil sound on a ton of stuff, and usually liked. I now could actually tell the difference on a pretty good hunch after experimenting with several guitars electronics mods. Super cool video, thank you.

  • @TheKlaun9
    @TheKlaun9 Жыл бұрын

    Having played both, this was easy. I'm actually surprised how big the difference was. As pointed out in the video though, the split coils have their own unique sound. Since I don't play funk, blues or pop, I actaully prefer the split sound, especially if you have a guitar that can put neck and bridge together. It's so inspiring and you haven't heard it a million times already. If you wanna sound like the masters of old, go single coil. If you want to create your own music, go with humbuckers that can split. Easy decision: You get the humbucker sound on top of that, giving you way more options.

  • @Kevin-nr9lj
    @Kevin-nr9lj11 ай бұрын

    Did you use the inner coil or the outer coil ?

  • @elbeto_sg7403
    @elbeto_sg74033 жыл бұрын

    bro you need to try the fishman fluence specially the Tosin Abasi set

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    Ok. So I tried them and they are incredible. The only thing they are failing to do is feel “human” to me. They are perfect but I like old school pickups a lot still!

  • @srfrodoxd
    @srfrodoxd3 жыл бұрын

    You can't compare both single coils and split coils using overdrive or distortion channels because you take away all the sparkliness of the single coils due to overdrive is basically a massive compressor and both signals get even and become harder to notice which is which🤔 That's my opinion

  • @Arwndr

    @Arwndr

    4 ай бұрын

    And anyway I for example clearly hear a difference and 100% correctly "guess" who was who. Any one can do this with a little bit of experience and by knowing to what exactly to listen in comparison.

  • @emptyloopz_
    @emptyloopz_2 жыл бұрын

    The AZ has a bit more high end but its crazy how similar they sound

  • @redsurgeon6360
    @redsurgeon63603 ай бұрын

    what is it model name which have single coil electro guitar

  • @bigjaygrizzly2389
    @bigjaygrizzly23893 жыл бұрын

    The begging of this video is the best thing ever. Reminded me of that line in Crossroads where we found out how Muddy Waters invented electricity.

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well. You can’t argue facts! Am I right??

  • @RanzatoFlaminio
    @RanzatoFlaminio2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for your video, I won on all tracks guessing the right one and this is just a sign that you can't emulate a single coil with electronics even if split is a welcome add-on...

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    2 жыл бұрын

    Splits are WONDERFUL and I’ll never down play how important that are. And more importantly, they have a sound of their own some times. But for a classic single sound, nothing will beat the strat or tele pick up set up

  • @bluwng

    @bluwng

    2 жыл бұрын

    In a mix no one will notice or care

  • @SergeiVlassov

    @SergeiVlassov

    Жыл бұрын

    I failed and I prefered the split tone

  • @nopessssks1894
    @nopessssks18948 ай бұрын

    Great vid, thanks for making it……but it was so clear as day which track was the single coil. And I’m a dummy that gets half of these blindfold pickup test videos wrong.! Again, thanks for the video. I’ve. Been mulling around with the idea of coil-splitting a pair of greenybuckers in my Les Paul (to get even more versatile tones) but I’m not doing it after hearing all of the different coil sitting vids on KZread.

  • @Ashfold_Eberesche
    @Ashfold_Eberesche5 ай бұрын

    Track One was the only one where I felt there was a really appreciable difference in that I could pick a favourite and I liked the Coil Split a lot. The next two, I guess because of the higher levels of gain etc I found they weren't super duper different and both sounded good. I'm currently overhauling a certain infamous Affinity Squier and I've put an MJ wound Screamin' Demon in the bridge. It's just got a single volume knob but I'm going to redo the electronics anyway so I'm thinking of doing a push/pull coil split since I figure it'd add a little bit of versatility to what would otherwise be a fairly inflexible sounding guitar (1 Humbucker, 1 Volume - not many options, but I think a Split could help with that) and it doesn't seem like it'd be particularly challenging to wire it up that way as opposed to just standard. My only concern is the potentially large volume drop from essentially cutting out half of the output - do you find this to be a problem or do you just compensate on your amp side?

  • @Arwndr

    @Arwndr

    4 ай бұрын

    You can reduce volume drop from coil splitting by adding resistor in series on ground side of your splitted coil. You can find some videos on youtube about. Recommendation to use 1.2 / 2.2 kOm resistors. But it depends from your guitar and your coil. You can try 3 / 6 / 10 kOm or so, somewhere in this range area, to find your best sound for your guitar. That is individual for each guitar and preferences of person. As much more resistance you add - as much louder sound will be. In exchange of lowering your frequency "EQ". You can try this solution.

  • @Ashfold_Eberesche

    @Ashfold_Eberesche

    4 ай бұрын

    @@Arwndr Hey man, thanks for the reply. Yeah I have considered a partial split with a resistor, sort of like PRS do right? But atm what I'm leaning towards is doing a series/parallel push/pull - it seems to give enough of that single coil quackyness without sacrificing volume. And honestly, I'm mostly just looking for SOME kind of variety since the guitar is a sibgle humbucker with volume, no tone control. I'll probably end up getting 2x push/pull pots and a couple resistors anyway so if I don't love the series/parallel or just get bored then I can swap it out.

  • @Arwndr

    @Arwndr

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@Ashfold_Eberesche Nice 👍🏻 Welcome ✌️✨

  • @dphipps3631
    @dphipps363110 ай бұрын

    I got that that totally wrong Great demo man. Please help me. My spit coil volume drops right off when I use it . Do I need another pot and could you recommend one.😢

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    10 ай бұрын

    What guitar are you splitting coils on?? New guitars are better at splits than older ones. Splitting coils ALWAYS results in lower volume. The new guitars have tricks to keeping the volume higher. What I used to do was push the gain with an MXR micro amp when I would split.

  • @RobTackettCovers
    @RobTackettCovers2 ай бұрын

    Test 1... Track 1...strat...track 2...Ibanez....Test II ....1 Strat...2...Ibanez....Test III ...1....Ibanez...2 ...Strat....hahaha! Got them all right...what I was hoping for was an example of the 2 position on the strat verses I think it's the 4 position on the Ibanez...some songs require that quack, and I think the Ibanez does it in the 4 position when it's the bottom coil of the neck pickup and the coil furthest away from the bridge on the bridge pickup, using those two coils in combination...thanks for the video...regardless, they both sound good. Thanks for the drill, and hope you and yours are doing great.

  • @skkim2630
    @skkim26305 ай бұрын

    I think the difference in preference between the original single and the split single is limited to the front pickup. fender The Stratocaster front pickup is located in the center of the string's vibration compared to the Super Strat, so the output is higher. The Stratocaster has this effect to a greater extent when playing the center-high frets, resulting in a muddier, more compressed sound. Even the treble tone of the single pickup itself is added, resulting in a more balanced and unique sound. Such an iconic tone is difficult to expect from the split single pickup installed on the Super Strat.

  • @mike42356
    @mike423562 жыл бұрын

    I guessed #1 but failed for #2 and #3. This gives me reasons to find the Strat pickups superior to the split of this Ibanez. That is because, the Strat was more chimey on cleans, but more meaty and less fizzy at higher gain, way I heard the Ibanez, believing those were most likely the single coils of the Strat...

  • @bluwng

    @bluwng

    2 жыл бұрын

    You could hear the single coil hum at the end

  • @sashabagdasarow497
    @sashabagdasarow4972 жыл бұрын

    Guessed correctly each, listening from my phone. The coil split wasn't that bright, more like something underwater, duller.

  • @italianbaboon9970
    @italianbaboon99703 жыл бұрын

    whats your take on Fishman fluence classic pick ups ?

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    Have you seen my video about chinese fake guitars?? With the fake Strandberg??

  • @italianbaboon9970

    @italianbaboon9970

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jimmyfranklin just did but those are Fishman morderns . the classics have the 3 voices , PAF, hot rod & single coil

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@italianbaboon9970 OH OH OH!! i actually havent tried them yet! sorry about that... what are you looking to put them in??

  • @Aldsomegaming
    @Aldsomegaming5 ай бұрын

    its always the start that has the more brighter tone or clarity character

  • @18allthaway
    @18allthaway3 жыл бұрын

    The jabbering stops @ 4:44

  • @bluwng
    @bluwng Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the old school Iron Maiden.

  • @rorymon1132
    @rorymon11322 жыл бұрын

    I somehow got them all right but probably a fluke the coil split is so good

  • @jamesmcgrath1952
    @jamesmcgrath1952 Жыл бұрын

    Got all three right, and I have a high-pitched hearing loss.

  • @bluwng
    @bluwng2 жыл бұрын

    It’s good enough to play live any genre.

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think so!!

  • @mvyper
    @mvyper2 жыл бұрын

    OK, the single coil sounded def better. Beefier on the big chords and more precise on the shred. That said, I'm just done putting up my last guitar kit build with my dad, and we put Seymour Duncan's Nazgul and Sentient in a PRS style guitar. We coil split them and it worked at the first try. I'm so frigging happy and the commodity of having all of that at the tip of my fingers in a single movement of a push pull pot is just that awesome. The only thing better would be a HSH guitar, but that's for the next time. 😁

  • @mikemattingly5825
    @mikemattingly5825 Жыл бұрын

    Dang i liked 112, sounds like i know what to get next.

  • @gururajchadaga
    @gururajchadaga2 жыл бұрын

    There's nothing better to test single coil than a strat. Meanwhile Suhr: hold my guitar

  • @V1BE127
    @V1BE1272 жыл бұрын

    True SC gets that biting attack , fast decay. Coil Spilt just sounds muffled. My 2 cents

  • @kagenotatsumaki
    @kagenotatsumaki Жыл бұрын

    Got track 2 and 3 right. Pretty surprised by track 1 honestly.

  • @Vantavimeow
    @Vantavimeow3 жыл бұрын

    Single coil sounded significantly better to me still, humbucker sounded flat but saturated to my ears.

  • @kristofkolosnagy9152
    @kristofkolosnagy91528 ай бұрын

    The single coil sounds much better, it is a lot more balanced. Humbucker coil split always sounds too thins and shrill to me somehow. If I want single coil-is sounds out of a humbucker I would go with parallel switching, sounds so much better.

  • @sedisvacantia8581
    @sedisvacantia85812 жыл бұрын

    I strongly disliked the sound of the coil split on all three (and yes, I identified them correctly from the muddy and bottom-heavy sound). To be fair, that's also how the 2 and 4 positions sound to me on a regular 5 way Ibanez. So, is this a fair comparison, if you don't do it with two similar guitars?

  • @c.stoddard313
    @c.stoddard313 Жыл бұрын

    Gotcha, so the coil split offers a wider dimension of sound - this kind of explains itself just by looking at the pickups.

  • @tonvks
    @tonvks7 ай бұрын

    2/3 correct 😂 they're pretty close to one another

  • @angrytroll27
    @angrytroll27 Жыл бұрын

    Playing starts at 4:44

  • @Yeon8888
    @Yeon888811 ай бұрын

    There r still big obvious differences. Track 2 fooled me though. Other than that, especially track 3 , the true single coil killed it ! The spilt Couldn’t mimic exactly. I’m sad. I’m still looking for a solution. I’m still in love with my p90s.

  • @samtfaulkner
    @samtfaulkner2 жыл бұрын

    1, strat, 2 IB 3, ib

  • @aleksandr8809
    @aleksandr8809 Жыл бұрын

    AZs don’t split coils, afaik. They connect two coils in parallel. Probably that’s why they sounded more massive than single coil.

  • @jimmyfranklin

    @jimmyfranklin

    Жыл бұрын

    thats not entirely correct... you can split the coils with the pick up selector, but the alter switch does what you are talking about.. the guitar has both... i honestly forget which i did... if i used the alter switch then they certainly will be more punchy

  • @wallacewinston3627
    @wallacewinston36272 жыл бұрын

    4:43

  • @strange_jason
    @strange_jason Жыл бұрын

    Dude hyped up how good the iba coil split is but pretty much sounded like a bucker in each test. Way too high powered to be a good pickup to split. Best splitting pickups are low to medium powered pickup.

  • @necurrence1776
    @necurrence1776 Жыл бұрын

    As always, Fenders sound better on cleans while Ibanez sound better on high gain.

  • @davidsheehan5191
    @davidsheehan51915 күн бұрын

    4:44 5:11

  • @jland12
    @jland122 жыл бұрын

    Both sounded pretty horrible. It would be easier to tell with a clean glassy tone and a lighter touch on the strings. Too hard to tell when it's hard strummed or with the gain cranked up

  • @iwannabeadored69420
    @iwannabeadored694205 ай бұрын

    4:45