Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

[ebagjones]

Hello! A couple of months ago I posted a poll about a smooth singing bridge pickup in my SSS strat, but my band occasionally dips into modern proggy heaviness, but I’d like to keep a true single coil sound in the bridge. I’m thinking I’m going to go with a real screamer. I’ve narrowed it down to a handful. I want some input from the experts on the forum. I’m open to suggestions as long as they are *not* stacked designs or single coil sized humbuckers. Also, I have extensive experience with the SSL-5/SSL-6 and the Dimarzio FS-1, and they are great but not heavy enough. Thanks everyone!

The ones I’m looking at are the

Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Single Coil Invader
Seymour Duncan SSL-4
Dimarzio SDS-1
Bare Knuckle Trilogy

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

I'm really into my Lace Sensor Hot Golds. Bridge pickup can go quite heavy/tight. Another option is G&L MFD singles.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

I almost think what would work best is a more vintage single coil like an SSL-2 but then add a Pickup Booster.

 

[dave74]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

I almost think what would work best is a more vintage single coil like an SSL-2 but then add a Pickup Booster.

The better of both worlds I'd bet.

 

[Juanhanglo]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

Harmonic design vintage plus. Loud but not overwound sounding.

 

[Mark Cearlock]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

Why not a ssl-3? a true single coil that would like very much to be in the humbucker realm

 

[mojosman]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

Aren’t some of these options getting tossed out here essentially mini humbucker pickups, rather than true single coils? You really can’t call a Lace pickup a single coil despite its size, and some of the SD “singles” I thought really weren’t single coil pickups, at least like Leo made them. I’m not trolling, if I’m wrong please educate me, I would rather be told than going around with wrong information in my head.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

A Lace is 100% a true single coil - Just very well shielded, with a small coil and different magnet structure than most singles. In fact- the overall concept greatly resembles the idea behind Fender Jaguar pickups - greater shielding plus a magnetic field that directs polarity to the edges of the pickup/coil.

With the exception of pickups Duncan labels as 'stacks' (STKXX) their singles (SSL etc.) are also true singles, which happen to be wound 'like Fender made them' but with differences in the wind. Back to Lace- I really do recommend the Hot Gold 14k bridge, or the Red Sensor. The Hot Gold in particular retains more single-flavor (but can get very heavy,) the Red is almost a mock-humbucker in character.

 

[mojosman]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

A Lace is 100% a true single coil - Just very well shielded, with a small coil and different magnet structure than most singles. In fact- the overall concept greatly resembles the idea behind Fender Jaguar pickups - greater shielding plus a magnetic field that directs polarity to the edges of the pickup/coil.

With the exception of pickups Duncan labels as 'stacks' (STKXX) their singles (SSL etc.) are also true singles, which happen to be wound 'like Fender made them' but with differences in the wind. Back to Lace- I really do recommend the Hot Gold 14k bridge, or the Red Sensor. The Hot Gold in particular retains more single-flavor (but can get very heavy,) the Red is almost a mock-humbucker in character.

Thank you for sharing that information. I have had two strats with Lace pickups, both had the regular gold, not the hot gold. They sounded single coil-ish, but lacked the sparkle and chimeyness that I think of when I think of classic Strat tone. They were dead quiet, and had like zero squeal even at high volume; but they just didn't do it for me. All of my strats now have traditional singles. I do get why some guys want noise reduction, and are willing to trade some tone for less noise, but the Lace just weren't my thing. I'm told Fender's new vintage noiseless sound less Strat like than the Lace ones did. I don't know, because I haven't tried any of them. A buddy of mine had a strat that was his #1 guitar that had the Holy Grail Lace set, which he chose because they were quiet primarily. Then one day I lent him my partscaster with D. Allen Tru62's in it. He ended up building a guitar to use the D. Allens in, and the Lace guitar is now his backup guitar. He said he didn't realize how much tone he wasn't getting from the Lace. The Allens are about as quiet as a traditional single coil can be, but obviously not as quiet as the Lace are.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

The Hot Golds are *much* better than the Golds IMO. Much snappier/sparklier. Middle/neck Hot Golds aren't even that hot, but they sound a lot more accurate to what a Strat should sound like- I posted a comparison video on here at one point, vs. alnico singles and Duncan stacks. They were all pretty close- the Sensors are probably the quackiest in the between positions too actually.

If you're talking regular Golds, Reds, Silvers, Blues- yeah, part of their character is they're more dull/humbucker-like. At first this turned me off quite a bit, but now I want a Red/Silver/Blue guitar to do Pumpkins sort of tones. There's a reason I think Lace talks up the Hot Golds the most of all their Sensors.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Best High Output True Single Coil Pickup

I love the QuarterPound Strat; been using one for nearly forty years.

IMO it's a very good compromise, beefy enough for smooth drive yet still delivering singlecoil attack character when you dig in and pick aggressively. It even cleans up reasonably well with the volume knob.

No, it won't give you vintage sparkle - this is a fairly fat sounding creature, almost P-90ish in a way - but it's well-defined enough for crunchy rhythm work as well as singing leads. Personally I don't need chime from bridge position on that Strat. If I want vintage tone I'll use one with vintage type pickups, but I favor a stronger bridge on all but vintage Strats.

There are some middle-ground bridge pickups that offer some extra beef while remaining more or less Stratlike. The Zhangbucker Paul Bunyan is a good example, along with the Onamac PinkTone bridge and the D Allen Echoes bridge (which is tapped, so it can really quack in position 2). I think the SSL-5 probably fits into that category too, though I haven't owned one personally.

But in this particular case I think the QP could be a good choice for the OP.