Push-pull Pot Mods - Coil Splitting

Have you ever wanted to make a Les Paul sound like a Strat? Engage a kill switch with the flick of the wrist? Or maybe you want to capture that killer Queen sound of Brian May. If that’s you, then keep reading! In this article, we uncover the mysteries of the push-pull pot by taking a look at how it functions and also showing you some of the cool wiring options this handy gadget is capable of.

The most popular use of the push-pull pot is for coil splitting, and for good reason; it’s like having a Les Paul and a Strat in one guitar.

You’ll need a 4-conductor pickup if you’re going to try this mod. A 4-conductor humbucking pickup consists of two pickup coils connected by a series link. If you aren’t familiar with the tonal differences between a single-coil and humbucker pickup, it’s pretty apparent when comparing the sound of a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve both of those sounds in the same guitar.

In the animation below, you can see that when the shaft is depressed, both coils are “on” because the series link is allowed to pass signal. This gives you the beefy, instantly recognizable sound that only a humbucker can deliver, because both coils are active.

But what if you’re after the bite that only a single-coil pickup can deliver? It’s no problem if you have a push-pull pot. You’ll notice that the top right lug goes directly to ground. If you remember, pulling up on the shaft of the push-pull pot creates a signal path from the middle lug to the top lug, forcing the series link to ground and only allowing one coil to pass signal. Voila! You’ve got yourself a single-coil pickup at your beck and call.