Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

[Brucifer85]

Hey folks.

I don't know if this has been asked before but I am curious anyway.

In your opinion what humbuckers out there can sound good with high gain but at the same time sound closer to a Strat style single coil when clean. And not with the humbucker split.

Thanks!

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

A Stag Mag sounds more Strat single coil than humbucker, even when not split. The same is true for a(n original) Wide Range humbucker. A number of winders make something equivalent nowadays. They don't sound much like a trad. humbucker, but they do sound "good" under gain; overall the family (magnet pole, dual coil pickups) sounds a lot like a big, noiseless Telecaster pickup to my ears and less like a smooth, honky humbucker.

That said, a Screamin Demon (my pet favorite of late) gets really close, as far as the EQ, "fast" response, and chime, but doesn't quite pull off the "twang" aspect; I don't know that anything without Fender style magnet pole pieces can.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

T Top (has more of a tele pop)

Many of the older bright PAFs and modern clones.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

I'd say none.

The best cleans I've had from a humbucker that takes gain well is the PATB series. But its not a strat type clean thats for sure.

 

[metlking]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

I have a Duncan Custom wired in parallel in the neck of a Les Paul that has fantastic clean single-coil-"ish" tones.....with no noise! Try it!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Seth, Firebird Antiquity, 78 model

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

The StagMag (not split) doesn't sound much like a Strat single coil. Of course when split, it IS a single coil Strat-type pup. But if you want the single coil tone from a humbucker, you're not going to find it, at least not if they are in their stock series wiring configuration. There are some that sound pretty good in parallel, however. The StagMag would be my first choice, but I would wire it to a DPDT on/on/on toggle to get the versatility of series/split/parallel.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

some people think that an old good PAF can have quack and chime and snap.

depends on what one considers to be clean-sounding

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

The StagMag (not split) doesn't sound much like a Strat single coil. Of course when split, it IS a single coil Strat-type pup. But if you want the single coil tone from a humbucker, you're not going to find it, at least not if they are in their stock series wiring configuration. There are some that sound pretty good in parallel, however. The StagMag would be my first choice, but I would wire it to a DPDT on/on/on toggle to get the versatility of series/split/parallel.

The Stag Mag in series doesn't sound just like a Strat single coil (I mentioned that it's closer to a fatter Telecaster) but I think it's as close as you can get; I agree you can't really capture all of a single coil's character in a humbucker.

I don't tend to like humbuckers parallel wired, they tend to be TOO thin and quacky, like a bad caricature... But useful for funk or approximating the in-between Strat tones. I always prefer split to parallel.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Tall order. Maybe a Phat Cat (not a humbucker, though) or an Antiquity. A Jazz in the right guitar. What are you trying to accomplish here?

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

On top of that, you can buy Fender style single coil pickups in a humbucker casing, which sound "good" driven

 

[Brucifer85]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Tall order. Maybe a Phat Cat (not a humbucker, though) or an Antiquity. A Jazz in the right guitar. What are you trying to accomplish here?

Hello mate.

It's a predicament of mine. I like the sound of single coils clean but not so much with high gain and I like the sound of a med-high output humbucker with high gain.

So I'm trying to find something that is kind of half way between that doesn't require splitting the humbucker.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

The "humbucker from hell" is advertised by DiMarzio as doing what the OP requires.

But I agree with the advices above about HB's like underwound P.A.F.'s and their clones, T-Tops, SH2's. With a 50's wiring and the volume + tone lowered, they can sound pretty single coilish.

Now, there's alternative recipes like using an inductor in parallel with the pickup(s). That's one of the things doable with a Lawrence Q filter (if it's wired without a capacitor).

When I want the sound of a single coil from the bridge HB in my old Charvel, I enable an inductive filter made with... the coils of an old humbucker selected for its LRC specs. That in parallel with the Jackson J50BC gives just the right DCR and inductance and it sounds a lot more like a single coil than the J50 splitted or wired itself in parallel.

FWIW.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

With the HFH mentioned, I have two more to suggest: the Bartolini 1C & 1CTA. Fantastic, complex (even jazzy) cleans, and they hold up well to *lots* of gain.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

I'm with Mincer,
For a humbucker, a Jazz Bridge or an under wound Jazz Bridge.
Buff

 

[AlexR]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Problem is, it has to do high gain well.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Problem is, it has to do high gain well.

Nothing a tubescreamer can't fix.


Sent from my EVA-L19 using Tapatalk

 

[AlexR]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Adding gain doesn't mean it does it well. TS pedals don't fix all.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Adding gain doesn't mean it does it well. TS pedals don't fix all.

I meant using the pedal to thicken up the mids and clean up the low end lol.

You're right. It doesn't fix everything, but I've found that clear-sounding pickups are very both cleans and high gain. That is, of course clean and high gain that my ears like.

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[AlexR]

Re: Humbucker that reminds one of a single coil pups cleans

Yes, certainly cleans up the lows.

Some low output pickups take gain well....others don't. I think that must be mostly to do with the amp in question and how it gets its saturation as there never seems to be a consensus in this area.