Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

[Dills]

Do single coils sound better with light overdrive, or when your amp is just about to break up in to overdrive? Do they also sound cleaner in the neck and bridge position than most humbuckers? Can you use like the bridge position on a tele or strat for med to high gain rock stuff or can you only get that sound out of humbuckers.

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

Play some and find out!

[dd12939]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

I think it's just a matter of preference... for example, I love the stratty breaking up blues tone as demonstrated in songs like Blues Deluxe as done by Joe Bonamassa, but for MY playing, I better like the 'bark' that a humbucker puts out when in that 'pushed' range of the amp. I also like the wider, fatter tone of a neck bucker for cleans.

[Benjy_26]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

it depends a lot on the single and humbuker you're comparing. I use P-90's, tele pickups, strat pickups, and humbuckers for all of the styles you listed, though I am partial to the humbuckers for a high gain, almost liquid sounding lead tone.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

There aren't any "rules" for tone, i.e. you don't HAVE to have EMGs and Mesas to play metal, you don't HAVE to play old Fender everything to play surf, et cetera.

Saying you need a humbucker for a heavy tone is kind of true but at the same time not really. In a general sense, a bridge Strat single coil is gonna sound distorted if you put distortion on it, just maybe not as "metal" as, say, a Duncan Distortion.

Single-coils are better suited for clean tones because they're often weaker yet chimier and clearer, nullifying distortion. They still distort (anything will with the right amp and effects) but probably not as much as a humbucker.

There's people on the forum who could explain this stuff a lot more in depth but I dunno if they want to, maybe somebody can link you to a site with more information?

[theboatcandream]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

It's all about the mids.:-D

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Are single coils alot cleaner than humbuckers?

Let's answer the actual questions....Yes a vintage style single coil is cleaner,toppier sounding,and more articulate than a humbucker...The humbucker gives up some highend and note articulation for it's non-humming tones...

I think the single coils biggest weakness after hum,is the thin,bright bridge tone,but a single coil can rock as good as a low output PAF style humbucker providing you can adjust your amp and effects right....

John