So I am replacing the OEM Epiphone Humbuckers in my 2012 g400 Pro Limited with some SD Pearly Gates. Getting ready to order the needed parts to replace the OEM pieces. Looking for Opinions 1- Split Coils 2- Straight I'm trying to add some rock and blues and this is my first SG, coming over metal side and everything I own is either EMG 60/81 or SD M.Thomson Blackouts
It's SO incredibly easy to try a coil tap, without buying new parts. Simply take the tap wire, that's the two wires soldered together, and solder them to the 3rd lug on the tone pot. (It's normally unused.) When the tone is set between 0-9ish, it's a humbucker. At 10, it's a single coil. A simple coil tap. If you like it, use it. if not, unsolder the taps from the tone pot, and tape them up.
I have a '16 Epi G400 with SD Pearly Gates installed both bridge and neck. The guitar came stock with split coils and push/pull volume pots. Kept the split coil configuration when installing the PG's but rarely use the feature....you'll get hum and a reduction in output volume. The Pearly's are an excellent choice for the guitar though.
I am gutting the OEM pots...etc. and replacing with CTS/SwitchCraft components. I ordered this Kit from StewMac https://tinyurl.com/yyn72kcn and some new Top Hats
Be sure to check your required cavity depth, 1-3/16". You may have to customize the cover, like I had to. Good luck with it ! BTW, the CTS pot/switch units are Toneshaper PP01's.
I used the Mad Hatter Guitar Products Terminator 4/2 set: https://madhatterguitarproducts.com...with-3-way-toggle-dvdt-4-2-for-dual-humbucker on my Epi SG G-310. At the same time, I installed the SD Jazz Neck and Custom/59 Bridge. Ed at Mad Hatter was really great at guiding me thru the process. He's got installation videos, and he answered my emails quickly. I took a cheap guitar with no resale value and made it into what I want. I love the tones that I get in all 6 positions. The tone with both pickups split is really close to position 2 or 4 on an S-type rig. I'm not going to say that I get Strat tones because I'm not using Strat pickups, but I love the split coil tones that I get. And I love switching back and forth from humbuckers to split. I would bet that splitting the Pearly Gates would sound great.
The Mad Hatter has some nice stuff ! I can see in his pics how he pre-wires the ground connection to the case of the pot that most folks don't know to do - including me ! I recently installed some CTS assemblies and upon final check-out discovered the pot cases and their bushings were not connected to ground. I had soldered the stop tail ground wire to the pots and it wasn't grounded either ! I had to tear it all apart and add the jumpers to their terminal strips. Gotta do what-cha gotta do !
