Best humbucker for single humbucker guitar

['59]

I have a basswood 6-point Strat copy and was looking to change it out for a single humbucker, single volume setup. I have no interest in tapping or splitting. What's the best moderate to high output humbucker I can get that can cover a wide variety of music genres? Something that can be fat or thin depending on where I pick, and clean or distorted depending on how hard I pick. I also want it to be able to get dark when I'm just barely starting to palm mute. I need to be able to play just about anything written before Y2k on it from funk to swamp rock to country to hard rock; thrash metal will come up on a sparse occasion. This is for a project where we want versatility from our instruments, but we want the sounds we get to them to be distinctly the same throughout, like how a singer can sing in multiple different timbres but you can still tell it's the same person

I don't require a Seymour Duncan pickup even though this is their forum, but I will give priority to anything that can be found for a reasonable cost on the used market.

 

[ErikH]

Honestly, you can do all that with anything using the volume/tone controls on the guitar. IMO, I would look at the Custom series and even the Custom/59 Hybrid. First choice being the Hybrid. I use it in a HSS Strat but it can do a lot of stuff on its own.

 

[pkailas]

I bet most will recommend the JB.

Another to consider would be the 78.

As for your distinctive "sound." That's all in your hands.

 

[Chistopher]

The GFS VEH is a pretty great pickup for $35. It's designed the emulate the Van Halen 1 sound, but it's a great all around pickup that costs you like $30 new.

 

[Artie]

Perpetual Burn and Invader are worthy of mention in this application.

 

[GuitarStv]

I bet most will recommend the JB.

The JB would handle most of the distorted stuff pretty well . . . not sure if it would do clean funk though. Maybe with the right treble bleed?

 

[jeremy]

youre asking a lot from a single humbucker, single volume control setup.

 

[Securb]

When I think of my guitars, my guitars with the Whole Lotta Humbuckers would handle the mentioned applications the best. However, I have only used them in Les Pauls and have no idea how they would sound in a Strat. That said, I agree with Jeremy that you are asking a lot with that single H, single-vol setup. A push/pull series/parallel switch would go a long way towards getting you to your goal.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Black Winter bridge.

 

[ErikH]

I'm gonna throw this out there, and it may not be 100% but it will do the job with the right amp and configuration.
A noiseless P90 (see SD's new offerings) with a 500k volume and 250k tone.

 

[EmiAba]

When I imagine a single humbucker strat I see it with a super distortion installed.

 

[Mincer]

If I had to have a single humbucker guitar cover a lot of ground, I would absolutely get the 59/Custom Hybrid. It doesn't feel or sound compressed like higher output pickups, and can cover clean to grind very easily.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I haven't tried the 'Hybrid, but I think the regular Custom is very versatile, although it does lean a bit more towards the heavier side of things.

 

[Securb]

Black Winter bridge.

That is a great suggestion. The BW responds to the volume knob great. I can easily dial mine back to 70's or 60's tones.

 

[htrd]

I would go with Pearly Gates myself, but Custom would be a main option.

 

[hamerfan]

I had a Custom, a JB, a Distortion, a CC and Pearly Gates in a similar application. I tend to go with a JB again, but my biggest point is the great parallel sound thru a push-pull pot. But only considering the full humbucker sound its the JB and the Distortion which works best, the Custom being the third position.
If you like a milder version of the Distortion, look into the Distortion neck, which is great in my Les Paul Bridge position - never tried in the Strat though.

 

[larryguitar]

The best starting place, IMHO, is almost always a '59, especially if you're looking for versatility.

Larry

 

[GuitarDoc]

You want all of that versatility out of a single bridge pup and vol with no tone control or split/parallel? Let's face it, as Jeremy said, you're asking a lot from that setup...so much so that I would be willing to say IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!

To get that kinda versatility you'd need at least a tone control and probably a split and/or parallel option. Maybe even a phase option.

But, to answer your question (as if it were legit) I'd recommend either a C5 or the C/59 hybrid.

 

[weepingminotaur]

That is a great suggestion. The BW responds to the volume knob great. I can easily dial mine back to 70's or 60's tones.

Exactly. It's really responsive, way beyond what one would expect for a metal pickup.

Having said that, I also share the feeling that expecting one pickup with no tone control or splitting capability to do everything is somewhat unrealistic.

 

['59]

The best starting place, IMHO, is almost always a '59, especially if you're looking for versatility.

Larry

This one definitely interests me, but I wonder if it might be a little too thin sounding in basswood? As you can probably guess by my user name, I have a little experience with that one, albeit in the neck of a jazz box.