BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

[rip_brother_dime]

I was just wondering what you guys thought about what kind of pickups I should put in a Fender Strat (3 single coils) to be able to crank out some awesome metal tones. I was thinking something like this:

Bridge-Seymour Duncan Hot Rails
Middle-Seymour Duncan Little '59er
Neck-Seymour Duncan Custom Staggered

The Hot Rails and the Little '59er would help me capture some of Dimebag Darrell's tones (I'm hoping anyway) but I would like to get your input. Thanks!

 

[rspst14]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

To be honest, you're not really going to be able to capture Dime's tone with a single coil pickup. In general, single coils are a bit thin sounding by nature. If you play mostly metal, you might want to think about selling the guitar and getting something with a bridge humbucker. Either that, or remove the pickguard and see how your Strat is routed. If it can accept a bridge humbucker, all you'd need to do would be to get a new pickguard. I'm not saying the guitar will sound bad, I'm just saying that single coils don't really work as well as humbuckers for metal. To me, the single-coil sized humbuckers don't really sound the same as a true humbucker.

Ryan

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Rspst is right... The singles never sound the same... just for the reason that they read a narrower width of string than humbuckers do... I have a MIJ strat that I have a DiMarzio Chopper in and it has plenty of output but doesnt have the same chunk as a humbucker... not to say it wont do metal... just not as well in my opinion... But if this what you have to work with I think your picks should get you in the right direction

 

[rip_brother_dime]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Thanks alot for your help guys. I knew that single coils wouldn't have the same bulk that 'buckers have but I just wanted to know which singles work better then others for metal, which have good chunk, distortion and that kinda stuff. I don't have the strat yet but I was just interested in doing something like this in the near future since when I think of a Fender Strat I think of classic rock ( not that there's anything wrong with classic rock) and not shredding, killer metal tone . Just want to kind of change peoples perspective on the Strat a little bit.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Change the perspective how and to what?

 

[Kac]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

My suggestion is buy a new pick-guard, then get a BL L-500XL or a Dimebucker, you'll have a more Dimebag type tone for sure.
Rock On :smoker:

 

[brad]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Change the perspective how and to what?

from classic rock, to metal.
by playing metal, that still sounds like metal with a single coil sized pickup

i assume this is what he means, this is only from reading his post.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

from classic rock, to metal.
by playing metal, that still sounds like metal with a single coil sized pickup

i assume this is what he means, this is only from reading his post.

Hmmmm Ok :boggled: Yngwie shreds with singles... Pretty low output singles at that... I can understand wanting forge ahead and do something a little different from everyone else... The rails will still do some cool metal tones but as far as sounding like Dime... It would be a stretch to say the least.

 

[brad]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Hmmmm Ok :boggled:

hey, i only said i was assuming.

 

[Breaking the law]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

I think that iw would be cool to change the way people think about strats..
To show the world that you can also play metal with them. (Which I do, but I have a h-s-h, ATM) I use a hot rails type pickup in the neck pos, an while it can do loud metal better than the single coil, it's not quite Dime-style sound. Then again, I like to use some midrange, so I don't sound like him anyways.. But take a look of Iron maiden. They have used single coil sized hummers withgood results.
I'd say go for it.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

hey, i only said i was assuming.

LOL Its all good bro... I said that cause after you posted I reread it and I think your right that was what he was trying to say



But I also think it will have alot to do with the amp you use Maybe more so than the pickups... If i plug a stock Squire into a Engl Powerball I'm willing to bet I would get a better metal tone than If i plugged in my in a Invader loaded Rhoads V into a silver face twin...

 

[Dankerella]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Find out what Andy LaRoque uses, or used - specifically on King Diamond's Abigail. Single coils I believe, and tough-sounding.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Check out the Livewire Hot for Strat. It's a single, and totally kicks ass for metal. I've got on in my Strat right now, and LOVE it

 

[itbepopples]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

will buying a high output tappable single coil for neck work for metal as well as blues. im saying use the full power for metal and the tapped for blues. would that be able to cut it?

 

[saladin]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

I played brutal Seputura style stuff for years using a Tele with Hot Rails in both positions, it can be done on a Strat as well.(I should probably mention I was running them through an old Marshall JCM800 100 watt head with a 2-15 Showman cab which probably had someting to do with the monster sound I got.) It was quite funny to see peoples eyes bug out for a tele to be making that sound.

 

[Nite_Maresz_25]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

My suggestion is buy a new pick-guard, then get a BL L-500XL or a Dimebucker, you'll have a more Dimebag type tone for sure.
Rock On :smoker:

I second this idea

 

[Fusion1]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Find out what Andy LaRoque uses, or used - specifically on King Diamond's Abigail. Single coils I believe, and tough-sounding.

Mostly dual harmonys on there so it will naturally sound thicker. Sounds like Marshall JCM 800'S. Not sure about pickups but I did think he played a strat of some sort.

 

[BigBazz]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

the hot rails and lil 59 arent single coils, thier mini humbuckers, they will do you just fine, i think all this crap that they dont sound like real buckers is bul****, they are real buckers just smaller, you will probably need to set your amp eq different to compensate, but the lil bucker pickups sound awesome, and in no way would anyone be able to spot that it was a mini bucker if i did a recording with one right now. i have a Jb jr in my squier strat and yes its less bassy with a little less growl than the full shred in my fender strat, but with a little eq tweak i can achive very near the same tone. also that sound difference could be the fact that my fender has higher quality and different type of wood, and its a thicker guitar, better electronics than the bottom of the range squier i have the Jb jr in. im not 100% on whether i like the lil59 in the neck of my fender strat, but i didnt like the duckbucker in there and i love it since i put it in my squier.

iron maiden use Jb jr/hotrails/hotrails in thier strats, are they not metal?

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

iron maiden & dimebag are 2 different types of metal

keep in mind that john 5 uses a hotrail in his tele & gets good metal tone

I'd suggest something like this

metal livewire bridge
hot rail middle
lil '59 neck

but DO NOT use high output pickups if you have a solid state amp, well you can, just, be REALLY careful. A guy i know played ONE chord (emg 81/85 set) through a cranked mode four, and blew it up

 

[Breaking the law]

Re: BEST single coil heavy metal pickups

Well, Iron Maiden are different from Dime, yes.. But scoop the mids and you'll get close to Dime with most high output pickups... you need insane gain, though. I think it's more of an amp issue than a pickup issue.

DHE, what kind of an amp was blown up? A small no name combo?

And BigBazz, I gotta love your sig!!