High Output HB for real single coil tone when split ?

[Lorenzar]

Hi guys !

I always been an humbucker/Gibson guitar kind of guy and lately, I've been thinking about getting at some point a Strat to change the scenario a bit.


Now I'm hesitating with 2 options :

-either go with a S/S/S config, then I'll have single coils on every position and the guitar will be different for sure
-Or go with an H/S/S, cause maybe I'd want this humbucker sound on the bridge position to make a good use of the guitar, and anyway, I guess an humbucker will sound pretty different on an alder/maple guitar than on a mohagony one.


Now if I choose the second option, the point of all this is to get a different tone, a single coil one.

I know when you split a low output HB, it doesn't work really.

Now if you go with an humbucker like a JB for instance, very high output, I'd say on paper, it looks like the split sound should do single coil tone, am I right ?

Of course, since I never played much on a single coil guitar before, I'm definitely not meticulous here, if a JB when split is very close to a single coil tone, that'd be good enough for me.

 

[AlexR]

Re: High Output HB for real single coil tone when split ?

No humbucker does proper singlecoil tone when split save the stag mag. Construction is ALL wrong for any bar magnet humbucker to sound like a single.....unless generic low output tone is your idea of 'sounding like a real singlecoil'.
You'd get better value out of the JB by making it wired in parallel.......gets a bit chimey which is closer perhaps than split.

edit - do you really want a real singlecoil tone in the bridge??? Most strat users even the aficionado's will try and beef up the bridge position as a vintage singlecoil is quite bright.......like VERY bright for someone used to humbuckers.

If you do go SSS, maybe something like the Twangbanger that gives some of the beef of a Tele bridge, or an ssl 6 which is hotter but still somewhat authentic tone.

 

[dystrust]

Re: High Output HB for real single coil tone when split ?

In my somewhat limited experience, a split high-output humbucker sounds closer to a P90 than it does to a Strat pickup.

A Full Shred wired in series with a 250K pot sounds a lot like a fatter strat bridge pickup, so maybe that would work for what you're after?

 

[Jacew]

Re: High Output HB for real single coil tone when split ?

Quarter pounder with a tap does very nice P90 growl as well as very convincing classic strat tones (maybe slightly teleish as well).

If you don't mind a lot of tweaking with wiring, you can get very nice humbuckerish tones from singlecoils by wiring them in series.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: High Output HB for real single coil tone when split ?

I recommend choosing whatever high or medium output humbucker you like best (JB is great) and then adding a 20k no load spin a split to your 3rd pot slot. You'll have no prob wat so ever in getting your split tone to balance.