Single coil hum is so last century

[ICTGoober]

Prove me wrong.

 

[Mononoaware]

True single coils have "something special" that most, if not all, of the best noiseless options have yet to capture. Prove me wrong.

 

[ICTGoober]

And that "something special" would be?

 

[ErikH]

The Duncan Classic Stack Plus single-coils are the only noiseless options I've used that I felt sound exactly like a true single-coil. Even though there is the option on them to "split", there is no reason to. I've wired them up to a toggle to split and could not hear a bit of difference between the two positions.

I'm quite fond of the Fender noiseless offerings as well. Had a set of the Bill Lawrence designed SCN's that I thought were great. I'm looking at possibly getting a set of Vintage Noiseless or Hot Noiseless. The Gen 4 Noiseless are really good too.

With what and how I play, the single-coil noise cannot be there. I have to have a noiseless option. Heck, split humbuckers (though not entirely 100% the same) work better for me than true single-coils.

Good enough for Beck and Clapton, good enough for me.

 

[jeremy]

i really like the duncan classic stack plus line, dimarzio, kinman, lawrence have some offereings that are nice too. i still like plain old single coils much of the time

 

[Ascension]

And that "something special" would be?

TONE is the something special. Yes singles can be a PITA at times with the buzz but with a RW/RP in the middle 2 and 4 on a 5 way is hum canceling when your not playing. Have tried a number of the noiseless pickups they just don't have the same tone as true singles for that glassy traditional Strat thing as an example. It's like the difference between a real tube amp or a modeler can sound ok but is far from the real thing!

 

[jeremy]

when youre not playing, turn the damn volume on the guitar off

 

[Mononoaware]

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.

 

[beaubrummels]

^^^^ this is my experience also.

 

[Clint 55]

Single coils are my least favorite type of pickup anyway so I don't care. The only single coils I have don't hum cuz 1 is a fully shielded Phat Cat and the other is a Ant Mustang stag mag that I made. I do like the sound of stax tho with thier glossy top. Comparing Gilmour with true single coils or with stax sounds great either way.

 

[ICTGoober]

If you want a single coil Strat or Tele without hum - Lace Sensor Golds are the way to go. Very glassy, very high fidelity. Bill Lawrence is quite good, too. Power, clarity, definition, although the Tele bridge doesn't quite have that classic squank when chicken pickin. Fender SCN's are terrific, dead quiet and great tone. I do not think Bill Lawrence designed them, although Fender might have been inspired by his excellent designs.

I have a set of Duncan P-90 stacks, which are very good - but they don't quite have the midrange honk I love from the old stuff ( I had a killer '59 LP Jr.}. I have a pair of Fralin silent P-90's with steel poles in a PRS SE, and they are superb. I love them.

I am done with hum, especially when played with overdrive of any kind. I hate single coil hum in my Jazz bass pickups, they gotta go. Reverse wound/ reverse polarity only works with both units on. This is unacceptable if I want to use a single pickup. Can't handle hum anymore, just drives me up the wall.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

I don’t use single coils in any of my guitars or basses.

Maybe a single coil has something different from a noise canceling version, and I don’t care. I’m not trying to imitate those Strat tones anyway, and my neck pickup and 2 & 4 positions sound close enough for me.


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[ErikH]

Bill did design the SCN's.

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/SCN.htm

 

[ICTGoober]

Bill did design the SCN's.

Color me impressed. Probably one of Bill's last efforts.

 

[ErikH]

Color me impressed. Probably one of Bill's last efforts.

Yup. I think his Micro Coils were shortly after those.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Color me impressed. Probably one of Bill's last efforts.

The top coil of the SCN is the Micro Coil pickups.


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[ICTGoober]

So glad that Becky and Shannon are carrying on Bill's work. I have been selling, installing, and playing Bill Lawrence stuff since the late 70's. It rocks.

 

[ErikH]

The top coil of the SCN is the Micro Coil pickups.


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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.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

when youre not playing, turn the damn volume on the guitar off

Came here to say precisely... well, pretty much... this.

 

[Artie]

The Livewire Classic II's also nail the single-coil tone without noise. But I don't see them listed on the webpage any more. It would be a shame if they quit making them.