Best humbucker for single humbucker guitar

['59]

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.

I've heard of the C5 described as almost like a higher output 59 with less treble and more bass? The C/59 might be well on my radar then too.

As far as versatility, I'm not looking for a versatile guitar in the sense that I'll be able to go from Steve Miller to Steve Morse using nothing more than onboard controls. I'm looking for versatile in that the guitar will be a tool with just enough flexibility that I'll be able to teach myself to make my playing fit into any context.

 

['59]

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.

Nonsense, that's just what you tell yourself so you can buy more guitars

I'm not quite there yet, but one guy that plays my local dinner theater does entire productions with a Jazzmaster. My roommate in college played all manners of metal, blues, and psychadelic on a Telecaster direct into a small combo amp. They all got better tones across the board then I could have gotten with the "correct" equipment.

I think this would be a great chance for me to stop worrying about hardware.

 

[Chistopher]

I agree, to the average listener the most defining part of someone's guitar playing is what notes you play and how you play them, the #2 spot goes to tone. And most listeners don't have the ear to differentiate tones that a seasoned guitar player has. Using your volume control and palm to take the edge off of a distorted bridge humbucker is near indistinguishable to a overdriven neck single coil.

The only people that care what gear you play are you, your financial dependents, and the occasional nerd in the audience.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Nonsense, that's just what you tell yourself so you can buy more guitars

Yeah ... what of it?

I'm not quite there yet, but one guy that plays my local dinner theater does entire productions with a Jazzmaster. My roommate in college played all manners of metal, blues, and psychadelic on a Telecaster direct into a small combo amp. They all got better tones across the board then I could have gotten with the "correct" equipment.

I think this would be a great chance for me to stop worrying about hardware.

Agreed. There's a certain point at which tone-chasing becomes a detriment to just playing. I have five guitars currently and that's fine. I'd like a semihollow eventually for jazz, but what I have suits me for now. Two of them are tuned down or else I'd be playing the same guitar a whole lot more...

 

[zionstrat]

If SD I would go pearly Gates, however, this is exactly the case where I recommend the Rialhammer hyper vintage ...

https://railhammer.com/products/humbucker/hyper-vintage-bridge/

It covers everything from classic PAF to metal very very well and the reason is it's a rather different pickup.. although it's only a bit hotter than a paf from a resistance perspective, the enlarged pole pieces on the treble side soften the attack and increase gain.

So now you might think it's a big mushy pickup but it's perfectly balanced by the rails on the bass side.. they make the low end very tight and punchy.

Again I love the PG to death but the rail hammers just more flexible.

The only downside is a few customers didn't like the look, and I get that, but I'm far more of a what does it sound like person.

 

['59]

There's definitely a balance. You want a guitar that can do everything you need it to from a functional perspective, but you also don't want it to become too much of a crutch to where you are rely too much on the hardware or you're spending too much time improving the instrument instead of improving your playing.

 

[soulforger]

Honestly I think a JB can do it all, non Seymour I think maybe a Fred from Dimarzio could be cool.

 

[Mincer]

I've heard of the C5 described as almost like a higher output 59 with less treble and more bass? The C/59 might be well on my radar then too.

As far as versatility, I'm not looking for a versatile guitar in the sense that I'll be able to go from Steve Miller to Steve Morse using nothing more than onboard controls. I'm looking for versatile in that the guitar will be a tool with just enough flexibility that I'll be able to teach myself to make my playing fit into any context.

If that were my goal, I'd just do it on acoustic. Everything you learn will translate to the electric of your choice.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Nonsense, that's just what you tell yourself so you can buy more guitars

I'm not quite there yet, but one guy that plays my local dinner theater does entire productions with a Jazzmaster. .

Yes, but last time I looked, the Jazzmaster has two pups and a tone control. Some even have other switches and controls to shape the tone of the guitar and make it more versatile. That doesn't even come close to what you were asking for in your first post. Yes, ambrosia salad has more variety of tastes than just plain lettuce.

 

['59]

Yes, but last time I looked, the Jazzmaster has two pups and a tone control. Some even have other switches and controls to shape the tone of the guitar and make it more versatile. That doesn't even come close to what you were asking for in your first post. Yes, ambrosia salad has more variety of tastes than just plain lettuce.

I think ambrosia salad is kind of only really a salad by name only.

I'm not saying a Jazzmaster isn't a versatile instrument, but in the right hands, a single pickup guitar of any type can be just as versatile as a top of the line masterwork guitar in a pair of okay hands. I'd be fine having a phenomenal instrument down the line, but for now that would be a bit of a crutch in my quest to develop the right hands.

 

[jeremy]

i can do a whole gig with my esquire into a tweed princeton, and have done so a bunch of times. it sounds great, but there are totally compromises, and the esquire has a tone control. you can make most things work in most situations if you know what youre doing. if you wanna work on your ability to get as much variety as you can from the simplest setup, id go c5. id also add a tone control and a p/p treble bleed. i like the way the highs roll off with the volume control most of the time, but if you want spanky cleans from a bucker, then a treble bleed is your friend

 

[GuitarDoc]

Certainly playing technique and ability are the most important things to work on.
But there is no reason to suggest that you can get the tonal variety that you are talking about from a one humbucker guitar with no tone control. It's just not gonna happen no matter how good of a player you are.

And what's the problem with having a guitar with two pups, a tone control, and maybe a serries/split/parallel switch and/or a p/p treble bleed as Jeremy suggested? Does that make you any less of a player? Does it take away any need to be able to play well? Does it make you a sissy or lay any shame on you?

You can still be a basic purest and talented guitar player but with more tonal variety options built into your guitar. There's nothing high and mighty about saying you play a guitar with only one pup and no tone control.

But still, the best bridge pup that will get many (not all) of the qualities you want is the C5, imo.

 

[ErikH]

i can do a whole gig with my esquire into a tweed princeton, and have done so a bunch of times. it sounds great, but there are totally compromises, and the esquire has a tone control. you can make most things work in most situations if you know what youre doing. if you wanna work on your ability to get as much variety as you can from the simplest setup, id go c5. id also add a tone control and a p/p treble bleed. i like the way the highs roll off with the volume control most of the time, but if you want spanky cleans from a bucker, then a treble bleed is your friend

Pretty much what I would do with a single pickup guitar, like the SG Jr and LP Jr DC. Both have a tone control but no treble bleed. The P-90 needs no treble bleed. lol I love how both guitars sound and can and have done whole gigs with each of them. Little working of the volume/tone and picking technique makes it all work. But in the end, there are still compromises.

My lone single humbucker guitar is an old Kramer Baretta. Volume only. It would be more versatile with a tone control and/or a series/split toggle. That's not gonna happen.

 

[beaubrummels]

Three individual pickups I alternately used in my Jackson for exactly this setup and purpose (though I did have series, split, parallel via a switch) were

Stag Mag
Custom Custom
Black Winter

all worked pretty stellar, and pretty similarly, for versatility with just a volume

 

[Seashore]

I'm not saying a Jazzmaster isn't a versatile instrument, but in the right hands, a single pickup guitar of any type can be just as versatile as a top of the line masterwork guitar in a pair of okay hands. I'd be fine having a phenomenal instrument down the line, but for now that would be a bit of a crutch in my quest to develop the right hands.

Not trying to talk down to you here, but this seems like a faulty premise. A great instrument isn't a crutch. It's a high quality tool. It doesn't play itself. Playing a really nice guitar through a really nice amp can be more demanding, more revealing of bad technique. It can give you better feedback about where you need to improve, and be something you grow into using more and more adeptly.

That's a separate question from tonal flexibility, which (unless you're trying to cop some specific sound) is really about fitting into the mix.

On a philosophical level I can understand the appeal of "fighting through adversity" and "doing more with less", but practically, if your guitar is unresponsive or a fight to play, or if your electronics don't produce the sound you need, you're just as likely to develop bad playing habits, be unable to hear the stuff that needs improvement, and spend a lot of time fiddling with your tone looking for something that isn't there. You don't have to earn your stripes playing mediocre gear or get to some level of attainment before you deserve a better quality instrument. If the assignment is to do a nice wood carving, you don't get bonus points for doing it all with a dull 1" chisel, and even if you're skilled enough to do that, I bet you'd choose better tools if they were available.

 

[Hot Octopus]

EVH Wolfgang

 

[Artie]

C5/59 Hybrid does offer a lot of options. Especially with an on-off-on switch. You get C5 split/hybrid/59 split.

I gotta get me one of those.

 

[Ascension]

My suggestion would be a Dimarzio Gravity Storm bridge. Big thick tone but with clarity and really cleans up and opens up well with rolling back the volume control or lightening your touch. Would be a killer in a single pickup super strat.

 

[nienturi]

I'd go for PATB-3

 

[El Dunco]

My single bucker guitar was intended to just be a metal machine that looks cool on stage but it has proven quite versatile, not only by splitting but with the active tone control in place if the tone knob that gives a flat boost when activated, boosts the mids in one direction (like an overdrive or SPC) and boosts the bass and treble in the other. It’s a lot of fun to figure out different sounds with only one pickup, tone controls and touch (where ypu pick and how hard/soft). I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes one a better player.