Are the coil splits on the Seymour Duncan Lil59 for telecaster any good?

riffpowers

Looking at giving an MIJ Tokai Breezysound a bit of TLC.
I've got a nice shugloomz wiring loom to put in it, but I'm also thinking of putting in some new beefier pickups.
I've got my eye on something like the lil59. As it's 4 conductor there's the option of using the coil split, although that would mean extra hassle with wiring and changing stuff in the wiring loom, so i'm just wondering if it's worth the extra hassle. 

axisus

I put one in my tele some years ago but I didn't really like the thing. I thought it looked horrible and I wasn't mad on the sound either full or split personally. Still, that's just my opinion, plenty of people seem to like them.

Thinking back now, I think that it was mostly the look of it that I didn't like?

earwighoney

axisus said:

I put one in my tele some years ago but I didn't really like the thing. I thought it looked horrible and I wasn't mad on the sound either full or split personally. Still, that's just my opinion, plenty of people seem to like them.

Thinking back now, I think that it was mostly the look of it that I didn't like?

Agree.  I didn't have a problem with how the pickup but sounded. 

I had one in a guitar quite a long time ago (maybe over 15 years ago) and even with a coil tap it didn't really do much for my ears, I remember the guitar I had it also has a 1/4 pounder style uncovered A5 neck pickup from GFS that I much preferred, the SD L59 didn't have enough bite for my liking. 

Funkfingers

riffpowers said:

extra hassle with wiring ... i'm just wondering if it's worth the extra hassle. 

IMHO, no.

The coil split sound of the SD Li'l '59 does not sound like a traditional Telecaster single coil ... and nor should it.

For me, the pickup makes better sense as employed on the Chapman ML-3 RC, where the full output series mode is what it is all about. If anything, the combination of a professional quality volume pot and, possibly, a Treble Bypass mod across the pot terminals will yield better results than coil split.

For anyone not troubled by the appearance of the Li'l '59, smoother tones are obtainable from the Custom Shop Pearly Gates For Telecaster model. It is my hope that SD Inc. will eventually produce their Red Devil pickup in Tele bridge position format.

ICBM

If you want a hot pickup with a better coil split, go for the Tele Hot Rails. Really.

Funkfingers

riffpowers said:

new, beefier pickups.

Could be a job for a P90-esque design or outwardly traditional looking single coil with vintage and overwound output levels. 

Various UK makers offer these.

TTBZ

Oil City Wapping Wharf might do the job for you. Nice and fat/warm at full output and the tapped output gave a more traditional low output tone.

riffpowers

Funkfingers said:

riffpowers said:

new, beefier pickups.

Could be a job for a P90-esque design or outwardly traditional looking single coil with vintage and overwound output levels. 

Various UK makers offer these.

That'd do the trick, I just don't know where to start!!

chrisj1602

riffpowers said:

Funkfingers said:

riffpowers said:

new, beefier pickups.

Could be a job for a P90-esque design or outwardly traditional looking single coil with vintage and overwound output levels. 

Various UK makers offer these.

That'd do the trick, I just don't know where to start!!

Oil City

thegummy

I'd always stress to anyone considering a coil split as an option but who's never tried one to make sure they try one out first, even if the humbucker is hot and generally seen as better for coil splitting than others.

I personally don't think the sound is good from split coils and others do but I'd definitely recommend trying it first to see which camp you fall in to before going for it.

Of course, if you're set on those humbuckers already and just aren't sure whether to bother wiring the split or not, there will probably be minimum expense in just setting it up then you could always just not use it. My advice is more for situations where a poor sounding coil split would change the pickups you went for.

Philly_Q

You could always try series/parallel.  It's not going to sound the same as a single-coil or a split humbucker but it could be a useful "different" sound.

guitars4you

ICBM said:

If you want a hot pickup with a better coil split, go for the Tele Hot Rails. Really.

The popular mod now for many is the partial coil tap as found on the PRS DGT - I think many agree that such a mod delivers 'more realsitic' single coil voices from a humbucker, compared to other options - However I have never tried such a mod on a Hot Rails or Lil 59 - Just wondering if you have and as a result any comments - Can't see any reason why it won't work, just a case of how effectively it works

Funkfingers

guitars4you said:

I have never tried such a mod on a Hot Rails or Lil 59 - Just wondering if you have and as a result any comments - Can't see any reason why it won't work, just a case of how effectively it works

I have tried simple coil split on the Li’l ‘59 and, splitting to either coil, IMO, it sucks.

Not tried partial or “tuned” split.

riffpowers said:

MIJ Tokai Breezysound

Different models and production periods have different bridges. This feature could have some bearing on the overall sound after upgrades.

IMO, vintage T tones will be better served by a stamped steel bridge. Modern/beefier tones might benefit from a machined from solid baseplate. 

ICBM

I haven’t tried a partial split on either of them. I fully agree that a normal split on the Li’l ‘59 does suck - even more than the whole pickup does . (Although to be fair, the Tele one is less awful than the Strat one.)

A full split on the Hot Rails works very well - the whole pickup is so over the top that half of it seems to be about right .

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

A full split on the Hot Rails works very well - the whole pickup is so over the top that half of it seems to be about right .

Same goes for the SD BG1400. 

ICBM said:

Li’l ‘59 … the Tele one is less awful than the Strat one.)

The specifications are sufficiently different to warrant different names. 

The Tele version is more like a halfway house between the Stratocaster Li’l ‘59 and JB Junior models. It might have been wiser if SD Inc. had gone the whole hog and made a full-on JB Junior T.

Yamaha77

Used a little 59 for Tele for years until I got handy with a chisel and fitted a full size bucker in the bridge. In hindsight I didn't need to change it. It changed the sound of the guitar removing the extra wood. The Tele and strat versions are quite different beasts. Just choose the right coil to use as a split as there are slight differences. Also recommend a chopper t but is different. 250k pots for both

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

The Tele version is more like a halfway house between the Stratocaster Li’l ‘59 and JB Junior models. It might have been wiser if SD Inc. had gone the whole hog and made a full-on JB Junior T.

Especially as a certain Mr. J*** B*** - after who the pickup is definitely not named - was quite well-known for using a Telecaster which Mr. Duncan is very familiar with...

guitars4you

ICBM said:

I haven’t tried a partial split on either of them. I fully agree that a normal split on the Li’l ‘59 does suck - even more than the whole pickup does . (Although to be fair, the Tele one is less awful than the Strat one.)

A full split on the Hot Rails works very well - the whole pickup is so over the top that half of it seems to be about right .

Agree about 1/2 a Hot Rails seems about right and as you say they are so OTT in series mode that the split option is okay 

Most split/tapped etc h/buckers IMO don't work as well as the partial tap option - Such a simple mod that works many times, as and when required

Funkfingers

ICBM said:
a certain Mr. J*** B*** ... was quite well-known for using a Telecaster which Mr. Duncan is very familiar with.

Aye. The "Tele-Gib" - something of a mongrel - as heard on Because We Ended As Lovers.

professorben

I found the DiMarzio Tone Zone for Tele was a really nice pickup for harder edged rock tones, and the parallel setting gave me a bit of snap and twang back when I needed it. 

I’ve had them in several Telecasters before I saw the light and started using good guitars. 

professorben

Funkfingers said:

ICBM said:
a certain Mr. J*** B*** ... was quite well-known for using a Telecaster which Mr. Duncan is very familiar with.

Aye. The "Tele-Gib" - something of a mongrel - as heard on Because We Ended As Lovers.

I thought that was his Ox blood LP?