Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

[Discharged]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Duncan STK-4s and Lace Holy Grails sound pretty good to my ears.

IME, the biggest difference in stacked singles and real single-coils doesn't lie per se in tone, but in behaviour. They may sound pretty close in a recording, but they won't ever FEEL the same, specially played live.

I currently use a Samick-made Valley Arts strat with a SA/SA/89 EMG active set. Being dead-silent, it excels in the studio, although it doesn't really sound like a real strat, it sufficiently conveys the desired idea. Seems that most project leaders I work with are OK with this, and some of them even request it, so they can save time and money in after-production.

/Peter

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Lace Sensors aren't quite as noise free as humbuckers or actives. They reduce noise through internal shielding. They sound real nice, but definitely not authentic 50's/60's.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I think so far I have narrowed to the best sounding set's being the Fishman Fluence or the MojoTone 58 with hot bridge. I would say that I am pretty sold on the MojoTone. The Frailin set didn't sound bad but I think the Mojotone sounded better to me. I am not sure I am ready to spend all the money and time on the silent backplate thing. Especially with the dependence on directional location to the noise source that others have pointed out. I can only hope that someday that there will be noiseless Surfers that really sound like the surfers minus the hum.

 

[Artie]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

My favorite is an STK-S4, but it has a little more output and is less high-endy than a traditional Strat pickup.

Yup. The STK series sound amazing. Whether or not they're "true" vintage, I really don't care. I just want them to sound good.

An honorable mention needs to go out to the Livewire Classic II set. Even more amazing than the STK series, if you don't mind fitting a battery somewhere.

 

[Xandeeno]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Personally I like the Seymour Duncan ssl6 if I’m going single coil. Probably not particularly authentic but great for some classic power and punch

 

[esandes]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I had four Fender-Lace sensor single coils (red, blue, silver and gold) and they were noise free but they lacked the output and chime/bite/presence of traditional single coils.

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I don't find that to be the case at all with the Lace Sensor Gold. It certainly has the same bite and presence of bell-like, vintage single coil.

 

[esandes]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

The gold and blue are decent neck pickups that definitely had strat tone but the lack of output made them sound muffled to me compared to regular single coils.

Also note I had the 1st gen "Fender-Lace". I don't know if the newer Lace gold are different.

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Blue and Gold are miles apart. I don't know how you can lump them in the same sentence. The Blue is not Strat tone by any stretch of the imagination.

I've used both the 1st gen. 2-wire Gold and later gen. 3-wire Gold. They are no more easily distinguished than two pickups of the same generation.

The difference between a Gold and a vintage single with the same voicing lies in the feel.

 

[esandes]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Wow. Sorry to offend you. After swapping out the sensors to regular single coils the output and jingle jangle was not subtle but remarkable. It was like a lead blanket was taken off my speaker cab.

 

[B2D]

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.

Frank and Larry did!

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/fluence/fluence-single-width-pickup-sets-for-strat/

I've tried LOTS of noiseless type singles in Strats over the years. These are the only ones I'd consider using if I went that route again. They are fantastic.

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Wow. Sorry to offend you. After swapping out the sensors to regular single coils the output and jingle jangle was not subtle but remarkable. It was like a lead blanket was taken off my speaker cab.

No offense taken. I'm still a bit gob smacked about the Lace Blue comment, though.

Not really sure what single you switched to after the Lace Gold. If it was so night and day I have a feeling the STK-S4 would have also been a disappointment.

I really should have steered clear from this topic.

 

[esandes]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Not at all. It's fine. I just happened to have the sensors in a strat I played for years then switched them out and noticed the difference immediately.

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Switched them out for what, though?

I mean you could have put in some Area 67s and noticed the same thing?

...don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not suggesting the Area 67s will sound exactly the same as what you switched to.

 

[Anficht]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Kinman yet.

Some of the better ones that I've tried!
I hated the stack design from Duncan (but love the Fury's as they had the right input and improved on the pick attack issue on all of their other noiseless stacks).
Not a big fan of DiMarzio Areas, but I do love the Virtual Vintage '54 Pro in the neck spot!

 

[gregory]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

The Impersonator A56? Per my first reply, I'd love to know more about them.

I've read about your displeasure with the Area 58 and Area 61. Have you tried the Area 67?

I'm not sure why the VV 54 Pro wasn't called an Area, since it's the same tech as the Areas which is nothing more than a VV that uses an Alnico 2, if I'm not mistaken.

(for future reference, the Impersonator A56 has been in my signature since before this topic was created up until at least the time of this edit.)

 

[Anficht]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Actually I did not expect to like the VV 54 Pro given my past experience with the Area 61 and 58 - but I recently went back to one and I'm really enjoying it.
A ton of different voicings, nice compression (but not too much), a really well balanced (not too glassy) flavor of real singlecoils - none of the hum. It's like everything I ever wanted the HS-3/HS-4 to be.
I have not tried it in the bridge position though.

I have never tried the Area 67 - always wanted to but somehow didn't. I loved the Fender CS 69s but eventually got rid of my set due to the hum.

I only tried the Woodstock Plus set of the Kinmans and really liked it.
Would love to try a few others of his sets like the Impersonator 56 or the Scoop set.
Kinman's used to be recommended constantly back in the earlier days of this and other boards. I've been absent (or less active) for a few years now, but was just curious to see that everything else other than Kinman's were mentioned.
I wonder why? (really, I do!)

 

[sedawkgrep]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

I haven’t tried them, but lots of people over at TGP love zexcoils.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Stock vintage style Strat pickups like the SSL-1’s or Antiquitys will be the most authentic.

And make them noiseless with the Ilitch backplate. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...l-back-plate-review-my-first-two-days.955215/

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Most authentic sounding Noiseless single coils.

Stock vintage style Strat pickups like the SSL-1’s or Antiquitys will be the most authentic.

And make them noiseless with the Ilitch backplate. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...l-back-plate-review-my-first-two-days.955215/

Does that backplate really work? It's pretty darned expensive...