Adding coil tap to a semi for strat tones?

[Spook410]

- By all means do the coil tap. No, it doesn't sound just like a strat or tele. But it will give you some really good sounding tonal variety and you'll be glad you did it.

- In the 'save your money for' I would have to vote for a Baja Telecaster as one of the better solid body deals out there

[Ray175]

My Ibanez Artist 2619 Prestige with recent super 80 pickups give a sound close to a strat when in single coil mode, but lacking the "snap" of tighter strings associated with a longer scale strat neck. The overall sound is much brighter than when switching to the neck pickup to single coil mode on my 1980 Ibanez AS200's (Super 58s) - a much "darker" sound. The AS200 sounds nothing like a strat neck pickup, but is pleasant in its own right.

Since the mid 1980s I've been a great believer in pickups that can be switched in various ways (seies, parallel, coil-tap, coil split, genuine eq boost and cut...), and enjoy exploring the tonal ranges this type of instrument can offer. At the other extreme, the limited (but wonderful) range of sounds I can get from my 1961 ES175D dosn't worry me in the least.

[LtKojak]

The 012 and 112 apparently have the same skinny neck -- which is skinnier than the higher end models. Also, they have been made to different specs at different times (this from a Yamaha rep) so you have to try them out to see what you're getting.

Pacifica - Specs - Yamaha - United States

As you can see, all necks in the Pac line are identical, size-wise. Entry-level and hi-end as well.

[Woody Sound]

coil splits (a tap is something different!)

Thanks for pointing that out. I could never understand why the phrase "coil tap" is so universally and incorrectly used.

[Woody Sound]

The only humbucker equipped guitar I ever heard that could sound like a good strat was some PRS solid body that had a Strat type pickup in the middle and a five way switch.

The PRS regular 2-humbucker guitars (C24, etc) with 5-way blade sound very strat-like in position 4(?) I think it's the inside (slug) coils from both pickups.

[mr quick]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'll listen to the general consensus and save for a proper HSS Strat.

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- In the 'save your money for' I would have to vote for a Baja Telecaster as one of the better solid body deals out there

Yup, great guitar. But as I said in my post, I need HSS (and would also like a vibrato bar). I already have a busted partsocaster tele with baja pickups that I'm selling for $350 to a friend on condition that if he ever wants to sell it, it'll be to me.

[rpjazzguitar]

Pacifica - Specs - Yamaha - United States

As you can see, all necks in the Pac line are identical, size-wise. Entry-level and hi-end as well.

Interesting!

I hadn't seen this.

My info came from a Yamaha rep on the phone. Sounded like he knew his stuff, but what he told me is contradicted by your info.

I've never played another Pacifica, so I never had a chance to check it. I don't see them in the local GC.