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?