jalguitarman
Junior Member
So what are the most authentic sounding vintage style Strat single coils you can get? Particularly for a late 50's early 60's type strat tone. Thank you.
Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
- Thread starter jalguitarman
- Start date
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Maybe these
https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/strat-split-blade/
Maybe these
https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/strat-split-blade/
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
you can have noiseless or you can have vintage sound. Noone has cracked the golden egg on that one yet.
Noise doesn't worry me but I guess I dont play metal either.
A lot of cool vintage tones from amps, pedals, axes and pickups is because of the technology of the time. Change the technology, change the tone.
you can have noiseless or you can have vintage sound. Noone has cracked the golden egg on that one yet.
Noise doesn't worry me but I guess I dont play metal either.
A lot of cool vintage tones from amps, pedals, axes and pickups is because of the technology of the time. Change the technology, change the tone.
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Lewguitar
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Stock Fender, Duncan, Fralin (or whatever is your favorite) and this: http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/
Stock Fender, Duncan, Fralin (or whatever is your favorite) and this: http://www.ilitchelectronics.com/
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
I'm seriously considering converting my two traditional/vintage style Strats to an Ilitch system. Have you compared the pickguard to the back plate? I've seen the online demos, but you know how accurate those can be. Is the tonal difference pretty transparent compared to a stack design?
I'm seriously considering converting my two traditional/vintage style Strats to an Ilitch system. Have you compared the pickguard to the back plate? I've seen the online demos, but you know how accurate those can be. Is the tonal difference pretty transparent compared to a stack design?
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Wish I had the first hand experience to answer that but I haven’t compared them.
I think the built in, under the pickguard, method is most effective, but requires having your Strat routed for the loop.
From what I understand, Sonny Landreth had that done to his 50’s Strat that he tours with, and is extremely satisfied. There’s a YouTube video of him going through his stage rig and talking about it.
From what I’ve read,the backplate method doesn’t require serious alteration of your guitar and is almost as effective...but not quite.
Still worth while and very effective for getting a vintage style Strat noiseless without altering the vintage tone.
Wish I had the first hand experience to answer that but I haven’t compared them.
I think the built in, under the pickguard, method is most effective, but requires having your Strat routed for the loop.
From what I understand, Sonny Landreth had that done to his 50’s Strat that he tours with, and is extremely satisfied. There’s a YouTube video of him going through his stage rig and talking about it.
From what I’ve read,the backplate method doesn’t require serious alteration of your guitar and is almost as effective...but not quite.
Still worth while and very effective for getting a vintage style Strat noiseless without altering the vintage tone.
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
I started a thread on the Gear Page and got some good feedback on the Ilitch System. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...soon-to-be-a-thing-of-the-past.1668902/page-2
I started a thread on the Gear Page and got some good feedback on the Ilitch System. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...soon-to-be-a-thing-of-the-past.1668902/page-2
eaeolian
New member
PicoRiveraTele
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Honestly? Probably the Fishman Fluence, because it achieves low noise with a low impedance coil, the signal is then made to mimic the response curve of a high impedance coil. EMG has a vintage output Strat set called the "SV" that should work well for similar reasons, though I haven't tried it. Stacked designs rely on an undermounted dummy coil that make the output voltage weaker, while single coil sized humbuckers make use of steel "rails" instead of alnico pole pieces.
Honestly? Probably the Fishman Fluence, because it achieves low noise with a low impedance coil, the signal is then made to mimic the response curve of a high impedance coil. EMG has a vintage output Strat set called the "SV" that should work well for similar reasons, though I haven't tried it. Stacked designs rely on an undermounted dummy coil that make the output voltage weaker, while single coil sized humbuckers make use of steel "rails" instead of alnico pole pieces.
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
the duncan stack + pups are as close as ive found, although i havent tried the fralin splits and lindy does great work. i have the emg sv and its a very cool pup but the classic stack + sounds more like a early 60's fender strat pup to me.
nothing noiseless ive tried has nailed the great single coil strat tone. i know people with the backplate and they like it but i havent tried it myself. honestly its not much of an issue for me. when playing you dont hear and when the songs over, i roll off the volume. it annoys me when people dont do that between songs.
the duncan stack + pups are as close as ive found, although i havent tried the fralin splits and lindy does great work. i have the emg sv and its a very cool pup but the classic stack + sounds more like a early 60's fender strat pup to me.
nothing noiseless ive tried has nailed the great single coil strat tone. i know people with the backplate and they like it but i havent tried it myself. honestly its not much of an issue for me. when playing you dont hear and when the songs over, i roll off the volume. it annoys me when people dont do that between songs.
jalguitarman
Junior Member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Then I could use my favorite set of traditional Strat pickups. Might have to look into it.
That sounds like it could be a very useful thing.
Then I could use my favorite set of traditional Strat pickups. Might have to look into it.
jalguitarman
Junior Member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Anyone ever heard of the Mojotone "quiet coil" pick ups? I head a couple of demos, and while I don't know if they were 100% authentic (hard to tell for me sometimes given the variances of guitars), I was quite impressed by what I heard.
Anyone ever heard of the Mojotone "quiet coil" pick ups? I head a couple of demos, and while I don't know if they were 100% authentic (hard to tell for me sometimes given the variances of guitars), I was quite impressed by what I heard.
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
Heard of them but not used them. I have seen this demo of them before https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iFGmk1KiNDQ
I was gonna start a thread on them for input earlier but I don't have any guitars lying around that need new ones.
Heard of them but not used them. I have seen this demo of them before https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iFGmk1KiNDQ
I was gonna start a thread on them for input earlier but I don't have any guitars lying around that need new ones.
PicoRiveraTele
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
I've heard that they're just low output single coil sized humbuckers, like Vintage Rails, with a cover that makes them look like regular stock single coils.
I've heard that they're just low output single coil sized humbuckers, like Vintage Rails, with a cover that makes them look like regular stock single coils.
freefrog
Well-known member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
I suppose that "noiseless single coils" is to understand as "noiseless pickups looking like single coils”. IOW: stacks and not rails. I'll also leave aside active pickups and/or single coil sized with plain covers like EMG's, Lace Sensors and so on...
Here are my findings about passive stacks with magnet or rod poles...
-by design, stacks tend to tame the dynamics and their bumped inductance often makes them fatter sounding than the real thing.
-first generation designs (released a long time ago but still concretised by relatively recent Fender stack models), add to this a dual resonant peak which doesn't look nor sound like the pointy frequency response of real SC's.
-2d generation stacks released in the 90's materialize an "unbucker" structure and produce a realistic resonant peak but have a huge "stray capacitance", darkening the sound.
-3rd generation models like DiMarzio Area’s produce the same kind of "camel back" dual resonant peak than first generation models. They have more dynamics but their high end content may cause a ear fatiguing drone effect. with wide range speakers.
Ilitch air coils (a.k.a. Fralin backplates) work well and can be home made... I've one of these things permanently mounted in my experimental guitar with removable pickups...
But with a noisy coil and a noise canceller spatially separate far from each other, such systems are necessarily highly "directional": the hum comes back if the guitar is not in a proper position relatively to the source of noise.
-Last generation Kinman's (those named "Impersonator") are the closest that 'I've played... but only since I've modified mine and as long as we accept the tone to be a bit more A3 than A5.
That said, I've found Fender Noiseless 4 better than expected : they sound a bit cold but with relatively realistic LRC specs, frequency response and resonance.
FWIW.
I suppose that "noiseless single coils" is to understand as "noiseless pickups looking like single coils”. IOW: stacks and not rails. I'll also leave aside active pickups and/or single coil sized with plain covers like EMG's, Lace Sensors and so on...
Here are my findings about passive stacks with magnet or rod poles...
-by design, stacks tend to tame the dynamics and their bumped inductance often makes them fatter sounding than the real thing.
-first generation designs (released a long time ago but still concretised by relatively recent Fender stack models), add to this a dual resonant peak which doesn't look nor sound like the pointy frequency response of real SC's.
-2d generation stacks released in the 90's materialize an "unbucker" structure and produce a realistic resonant peak but have a huge "stray capacitance", darkening the sound.
-3rd generation models like DiMarzio Area’s produce the same kind of "camel back" dual resonant peak than first generation models. They have more dynamics but their high end content may cause a ear fatiguing drone effect. with wide range speakers.
Ilitch air coils (a.k.a. Fralin backplates) work well and can be home made... I've one of these things permanently mounted in my experimental guitar with removable pickups...
But with a noisy coil and a noise canceller spatially separate far from each other, such systems are necessarily highly "directional": the hum comes back if the guitar is not in a proper position relatively to the source of noise.
-Last generation Kinman's (those named "Impersonator") are the closest that 'I've played... but only since I've modified mine and as long as we accept the tone to be a bit more A3 than A5.
That said, I've found Fender Noiseless 4 better than expected : they sound a bit cold but with relatively realistic LRC specs, frequency response and resonance.
FWIW.
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gregory
New member
Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.
I've been meaning to steer clear of the cork sniffing, but you forgot to address the technology used in the Lsce Sensors.
I like mid to heavy gain and the glass from a true vintage single can be unpleasant, so my preferences aren't relevant to the topic at hand.
I do think the Area 67 is an amazing single if you like the CS 69 flavor.
Check my signature if you're interested in what else I'm interested in.
I've been meaning to steer clear of the cork sniffing, but you forgot to address the technology used in the Lsce Sensors.
I like mid to heavy gain and the glass from a true vintage single can be unpleasant, so my preferences aren't relevant to the topic at hand.
I do think the Area 67 is an amazing single if you like the CS 69 flavor.
Check my signature if you're interested in what else I'm interested in.
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