standard or noiseless single coils?

[rspst14]

Hey guys, I'm in the process of putting together a Strat, and I'm wondering what type of pickups I should go with. Originally, I had planned on an SSL-1 neck, APS-1 middle, and an undetermined bridge single coil. Then I started looking at noiseless single coils. The Bill Lawrence L-280S model has nothing but great reviews no matter where I look. The Kinmans are expensive, but also highly rated. Lace Sensors have mixed reviews. Assuming I shield the guitar and use star grounding while wiring it up, how much hum should I expect from traditional single coils? This will be my first non-humbucker guitar, so I'm really not sure what to expect. I really love vintage single coil tones, like Clapton, Hendrix, Gilmour, etc, and I'd like to get as close to those tones as possible. The various noiseless models have me intrigued, but I'm wondering if there will be a trade-off between tone and hum-cancelling. I'm looking for more of a single coil tone, rather than a single coil-sized humbucker tone. Anyone have any recommendations or experiences they can share? Thanks.

Ryan

[jeremy]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

personally i prefer real single coils. i only use single sized buckers if i need a dead quite guitar (one that has an active electronics unit in it, like the clapton mid boost)

for my playing needs, i find a good shielding/wiring job keeps the guitar quiet enough

[Benjy_26]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

I like real singls as well. Nothing else really comes close.

[fusion101]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

i gotta disagree benjy kinmans not only come close there just as good or better plus there silent and balanced for guitars that have a unwound g string and are stilled staggered to balanced out the tone. whatever faults standard single coils have, kinmans fix while sounding perfect. I prefer the Avn woodstocks by the way.

[Benjy_26]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?


WEll, I've never tried the Kinmans, but I have trid the Duncan Cool and Vintage Rails, The Dimarzio VV line, Fender's Noiseless line, Lace Sensors, and the EMG Dave Gilmour set and I went back to real singles in my strat every time. All of the above pickups sound good, with processing, the Lace's and the EMG's sound particularly good, but they still sound a bit off to me.

[philthis]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

well, this is what the fender rep told me. the classic single coil has the hum that occilates tone frequency up and down kind of like a wa wa peddle or something like a flanger you know weeeeeeuhhhhhhhweeeeeeuhhhhhhhh any way you get the drift so this is going on wile your picking, and the average resinancy peak is above 8.00 so there is alot of occilation going on and it just randomly accentuates notes that happen to fall on the occilation peaks over 8.00-ya no kidding-the newer noiseless dont have the occilation but still have the resonancy peak I think over 8.00, you can add your own occilation by just useing flange or chorus anyway. the hotter model noiseless loose resinancy peak becouse they are hotter and therefore more compressed so to speak so the resinancy peak is some where around 6.5? I have played alot of single coils the hum does suck, but the higher resinance does sound better. the hotter singles dont realy sound nearly as sweet cuz your looseing that resonancy peak. I liked the standard noiseless the best cuz the res peak is still around 8.00 or higher and they are quiter. I did not like the hotter noiseless, they were not nearly as sweet sounding. lace sensors to me sounded ok but still were missing the nice higher res peak and therefore sounded alittle muted and less sweet but are quiet. hope all this helps alittle. good luck

[Mike M.]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

I recentley installed Dimarzio's Virtual 2 neck and middle pickups in my Strat. I could see where a true single coil purist would'nt care for them and that's fine, but I really like them a lot. The middle pickup gives me a great rhythm sound clean or distorted, and the neck pickup gives a very full "neck Strat" sound. If I want a tad more sparkle from them I click on my Aphex compressor. I don't use it to compress per say, but to act more like a presence control, if you will. Works great for me. Each to his own, right?

[fusion101]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

dimarzio and duncan noiseless single coils dont sound like true single coils i'll give u all that but if u here the kinmans u will agree that they do sound like true single coils.

[philthis]

Re: standard or noiseless single coils?

i think the standard noisless sound pretty close and they are quite as well. one thing about standard singles is that they can sound to thin and shrill so every one seems to turn down the volumn and tone nobs to at least 9 some times 8 to get rid of the shrill treble but still get that sweet sparkle. the standerd noisless gets most all the sweet sparkle without the shrill treble problem