Single coil hum is so last century

[Mr. B]

Practically every traditional single coil being made not matching modern Fender string spacing is very last-century too...

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Really? I didn't know that.

I'm glad too that his work is being carried on. It's great stuff.

I keep forgetting about the L280S/L290SL set for Strat as a noiseless option.

I have a couple of old L-250 Strat pickups, and a Tele bridge version. Those are great sounding pickups.


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[GuitarStv]

I love the sound of single coils for recording stuff - both strat and tele. Once you find the magic spot and angle of the guitar in the room you're recording in they're dead silent. Nothing sounds quite like a single coil. They're incredibly honest pickups that reward picking dynamics and attack in a special way. But by the same token, if what you're playing isn't bang on they're very unforgiving.

 

[Mincer]

I am a huge fan of the Classic Stack, and as it is, I will never buy a traditional single coil again. So for me, the statement is true.

 

[EC Strat]

Noiseless pickups have come a long way since they first hit the market. Many winders have excellent offerings now that come extremely close to the real thing. Had the SD classic stacks for 3 years loaded in my Strat and loved them.

but capturing the true single coil sound 100% is worth it to me hum and all. SSL - 1’s nail the sound that I want from my guitar so much so that I installed an Ilitch pickguard to know knockdown most of the hum. Also can just turn the volume down or switch to 2 / 4.

 

[Mincer]

Noiseless pickups have come a long way since they first hit the market. Many winders have excellent offerings now that come extremely close to the real thing. Had the SD classic stacks for 3 years loaded in my Strat and loved them.

but capturing the true single coil sound 100% is worth it to me hum and all. SSL - 1’s nail the sound that I want from my guitar so much so that I installed an Ilitch pickguard to know knockdown most of the hum. Also can just turn the volume down or switch to 2 / 4.

This is the beauty of having choices.

 

[Ascension]

Have a Antiquities II Surfer set on order now for my Silverady Washburn. RW/RP middle so 2 and 4 are humbucking and if you know how to use them the 60 cycle is no issue. Volume control and that selector switch is your friend. Only way to get that true Strat glass is with real singles and real players can make it work.

 

[Ascension]

I love the sound of single coils for recording stuff - both strat and tele. Once you find the magic spot and angle of the guitar in the room you're recording in they're dead silent. Nothing sounds quite like a single coil. They're incredibly honest pickups that reward picking dynamics and attack in a special way. But by the same token, if what you're playing isn't bang on they're very unforgiving.

THIS and that's the rub for many. Us old school guys are used to having to fight for tone Single channel amps running hot use touch and the volume knob for cleans ect. Many of the younger guys don't know how to do this stuff but we had to. Single hum is just something you learn to deal with if you want that tone.

 

[ErikH]

Have a Antiquities II Surfer set on order now for my Silverady Washburn. RW/RP middle so 2 and 4 are humbucking and if you know how to use them the 60 cycle is no issue. Volume control and that selector switch is your friend. Only way to get that true Strat glass is with real singles and real players can make it work.

Be careful there, sir. You're almost saying that Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert aren't real players. :18:

 

[Artie]

I am a huge fan of the Classic Stack, and as it is, I will never buy a traditional single coil again. So for me, the statement is true.

I wonder if one of the things that muddies the Stack waters is that when someone decides to upgrade to Stacks, they might be enticed to move up to a hotter pickup? As you turn up the heat and go 6, 7, or 9, you get away from the single-coil tone. Even when I did my 4's, I went with the STK9 for the bridge. (Or was it the 6?) I almost wish I'd done the whole 4 set. (But I still love it.)

 

[JB_From_Hell]

THIS and that's the rub for many. Us old school guys are used to having to fight for tone Single channel amps running hot use touch and the volume knob for cleans ect. Many of the younger guys don't know how to do this stuff but we had to. Single hum is just something you learn to deal with if you want that tone.

Back in the day, people had to run their 100 watt Marshalls wide open to get some drive. All these young players using things like master volume or overdrive pedals are clearly inferior because they're making use of newer tools.

Dude, fight all the single coil noise you want, and have a great time doing it. Since I got my Tele Plus v2 with Lace Sensors, I have ZERO interest in dealing with that nonsense. I can play with a high gain Dual Recto tone, goosed with an overdrive, and still get almost zero noise or buzzing, and not have to stand on a chair with my guitar tilted at just a certain angle to eliminate the buzzing.

 

[Ewizard]

I used to be a staunch humbucker only mofo. I would replace a single coil the second the guitar was in my possession with some form of a humbucker. I have been that way for nearly 20 years or more. When I was a newb player, I had nothing but bad luck with single-coil hum and buzz. I couldn't stand it, and still can't really.

But now I am Single-coil for life! They do have a magic about them that cannot be replicated by noiseless designs. I found in the past several years that it is how you get your gain/distortion. If you stage it differently, you can reduce some noise. Years ago when I just cranked the gain knob, it was buzz city, now I hardly have any problems at all.

Obviously, if you're a metal player, single coils will not be on par for the core of your sound. But if you do blues, rock, punk, country, and even some older hard rock ( RAGTM ), there is no replacement for what a basic single-coil can get you.

 

[beaubrummels]

There also are really stellar, accurate, affordable noise gates available these days that allow playing real singles effortlessly.

 

[Mincer]

I wonder if one of the things that muddies the Stack waters is that when someone decides to upgrade to Stacks, they might be enticed to move up to a hotter pickup? As you turn up the heat and go 6, 7, or 9, you get away from the single-coil tone. Even when I did my 4's, I went with the STK9 for the bridge. (Or was it the 6?) I almost wish I'd done the whole 4 set. (But I still love it.)

Might be it...I don't like any of them past the 4.
And, noise gates only work when you stop playing. I play in enough places with terrible wiring. Many festivals have temporary wiring for the stage, and it is awful. I'd rather not deal with that.

 

[ErikH]

I haven't tried any past the STK-S4 but I don't think I need to. If I end up retooling (meaning different pickguard/pickups) my old Frankenstrat for playing with the workship group, I'm going with either the Fender Hot Noiseless in the pre-loaded pickguard (because I like them better than the Vintage Noiseless) or STK-S4 neck and middle with a worn nickel covered Pearly Gates in the bridge but V/T/5-way switch.

 

[beaubrummels]

Might be it...I don't like any of them past the 4.
And, noise gates only work when you stop playing. I play in enough places with terrible wiring. Many festivals have temporary wiring for the stage, and it is awful. I'd rather not deal with that.

You haven’t used the smarter gate technology that reads and cancels the hum in real time. Like ZNR

 

[Mincer]

You haven’t used the smarter gate technology that reads and cancels the hum in real time. Like ZNR

I'd rather start with a better signal. Or use a system like a dummy coil.

 

[ICTGoober]

I'd rather start with a better signal. Or use a system like a dummy coil.

Fender used dummy coils on the Elite Strat and Tele if I remember right. Worked very well, surprised more makers don't use the concept.

 

[Ascension]

For me, it comes down to the playing experience, and I'm not sure if you could tell the difference just by listening. I love my Areas and have no doubt that the Duncan offerings are awesome. Fender Hots and Noiseless can sound great as well. But every noiseless I've played feels like I'm only playing/manipulating a narrow, carefully tuned band of the spectrum, almost like they are manicured with high/low cuts on an EQ or something.

A good single coil feels like you're playing the whole sound, from the lowest lows to the highest highs. It gives you the good, bad, ugly, and beautiful. Sometimes I don't want the hum, but when I go back to SSL-1s, APS, etc., it feels like they invite me to dig in a bit, play differently, and really sculpt the sound using my pick.

That's the best way I can explain it.

Edit: To be clear, that difference is enough to me to make it worthwhile to own guitars outfitted both ways. And I dig many humbuckers split, too--it's all food for the muse.

Spot on. With true singles you have to fight for your tone it's a primal thing you don't get with stacked humbuckers ect. Most of the younger players are so used to hitting a pedal or a preset they don't get it. Old school players didn't have that luxury and a really good player with a real Strat is some thing special!
Folk like Jeremy Burke here. THIS is why I have a set of Antiquity II Surfers coming on Monday to go in my Silverado Strat.

 

[Mincer]

Fender used dummy coils on the Elite Strat and Tele if I remember right. Worked very well, surprised more makers don't use the concept.

They did, and it works well. Music Man also uses an active dummy coil called the Silent Circuit, and it works really really well.