Single coil pickup advice

[live_in_a_hole]

Hi,

I recently decided to kit out my Ibanez RG with new pickups. What I'm really looking for is variety and the ability to play rock (Pearl Jam, Fugazi, Tool, Pantera, Sonic Youth, Trail etc.) but also more gentle stuff too.

I have no idea when it comes to the technical side of guitars but I figure
the JB/Jazz combo would be the one to go for because it seems to cater for all styles.

However, I'm still trying to work out what single coil I should buy for the middle position. Does anyone have any suggestions for what SC i should get. (or for that matter what combo of HB/SC/HB you would recommend).

Cheers
SEAN

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

vintage rails!! Combines great with humbuckers and you get no hum.

 

[live_in_a_hole]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

Thanks!

Does anyone else have any opinions on this matter? How does the vintage rails compare to the hot rails. Also, how does the APS series hold up to those other single coils.

Cheers,
SEAN

 

[DrDespair]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

I guess I depends on how you connect them.

If you combine the split-HB /SC in the inbetween-Positions, I´d go for a regular SC, RWRP maybe (depending on which position you want to be hum-reduced) (JEM-style)

If you want the whole HB combined with the SC, go for something with higher output, maybe Noiseless…

I would not go for Hot/Coolrail or similar, since you already have two decent HB on that guitar. Vintage rails have also low output…

maybe a Quarterpounder or a hot stack
the QP is available as coiltapped version.
maybe split both HB´s and tap the SC. don´t know a switch for this though

DrDespair

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

Are you looking for single coils or full size humbuckers??? The Jazz and JB are full size humbuckers...if that's what your guitar uses than that set would be an excellant choice. The Jazz neck will be great for both chords and for soloing on the neck pickup and the JB will give you the extra output you might need to push your amp into overdrive for soloing and when you back off on the guitar's volume control it cleans up very nicely...the JB also sounds great split into a single coil. There are a myriad of other choices that would also sound excellant...but the Jazz and JB is a classic, is supposed to be Seymour's favorite combo and the JB is Duncan's #1 selling bridge humbucker and the Jazz neck is my favorite alnico 5 Duncan neck humbucker.

If you want a single coil in the middle, my favorites are the Antquitys although I also use and love the APS-1 or 2 with the Duncan Twangbanger.

But you should probaly go for a higher output Strat sized mini humbucker...maybe something like the JB JR or Little 59?

Lew

 

[live_in_a_hole]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

I have no idea how connections work. My guitar is in desperate need of some TLC after 6 years of gigging/dropping/general abuse. I'm giving it to a man to do a complete refurb and figured I should really get some decent pickups too. Are there any particular connections you'd reccomend.

So far simply listening to the sound files my choice would be (from bridge to neck) - JB/Vintage Rails/Jazz. Loved the vintage rails tone, don't know why, it just clicked. However, I am always aware of my general ignorance on such matters so if anyone has any opinions as to why this should be a terrible decision to make do tell!!

SEAN

 

[Frebnedzo]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

If you liked that sound then its an excellent decision. Assuming you use
a normal 5 way switch, You will get some noticable less "ooomph" in the
3 position (especially compared to the JB), but should get pretty good
2 and 4 positions.

I might do something a little different. Put a Cool Rails in the middle but
connect it up using one of those new 5-position switches like Ibanez uses
that automagically coil cuts the HB. This may give you even better quack
in the 2 and 4 positions.

The Cool Rails in position 3 would even out the volume imbalance and,
if you added a series/parallel switch, would magically produce something
very close to the Vintage Rails or Duckbucker sound.

 

[live_in_a_hole]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

Hi, cheers for the advice. The cool rails also sounds great and I was a bit worried about the drop off in power between the high output pickups and the vintage.

I'm just not sure about what you mean with regards to the other bits. What does 'coil cut' mean, and also what's a series parallel switch. At the moment my pickups are 5 way wired. (HB - HB/SC - SC - SC/HB - HB) How would all this affect it and so on. Please could you explain in simple terms as I'm still very inexperienced with the technical side of guitars!

Thanks for your help, after all this deliberating I might be able to order them today!

SEAN

 

[Artie]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

I'm not so sure you'ld have much volume drop-off with the CR. Its got a pretty good "punch" to it.

 

[Frebnedzo]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

The 1 position on your 5 way switch chooses one of the HB pickups. A
HB pickup can be thought of as being two SC pickups that are connected
in a certain way such that it eliminates hum.

When you are in the 2 or 4 position, to be more authentic to a strat
like sound, you would like only ONE of the coils from the HB to be
connected at the same time as the center SC.

This is called coil cutting or coil splitting or just splitting, as you split
one of the coils from the HB pair. The switch on your Ibanez
should automatically do this. This also allows you to be somewhat
humcancelling in the 2 and 4 positions with a normal SC in the middle.

The Rails pickups are SC-sized HB pickups. So what to do with a
Cool Rails? What I would suggest is look into simultanesouly splitting
the CR in the 2 and 4 positions. This should give a very good quack
tone and be pretty much hum-cancelling.

http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/product/WDUHHH5L1101

On the otherhand, you could just pretend the CR is a single coil pickup.
I would recommend you put in a series/parallel switch for the CR (put it
in a push/pull pot). This would give you a choice of extra quack and
clean in the 2, 3, and 4 positions, or a bigger warm strat sound. (Series
is the way the HB's coils are tied internally usually, parallel is the way
two pickups on at the same time is wired. Series is louder and bassier,
parallel is quieter, more air, and more treble).

I have a strat with CR in all 3 positions. I use it with the CR wired
in parallel and splitting in the 2 and 4 positions (sort of a combination
of what I've suggested here). I think the CR is sort of under-rated,
in parallel, its got a real VR sound to it, and in series it is a fat and
warm strat sound.

 

[live_in_a_hole]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

Ah, so the cool rails isn't actually a single coil! If I did all this would I still be getting the thinner SC sound even though it's a HB? And would I be right in saying that due to the fact it's also a HB it won't have the same kind of output drop that would occur when say switching from a JB to an SSL1? If that were the case it sounds perfect!

Also, how does the SSL-4 compare seeing as that is actually a real single coil with a high output.

Sorry for all the questions! I just want to be ultra sure I'm buying the right combination.

Thankyou for your continued patience!
SEAN

 

[Frebnedzo]

Re: Single coil pickup advice

A very rough idea of output can be gotten from the DC resistance
measurements of the pickups. More resistance = louder and also
less highs. Then the other thing is the the magnet type, with Alnico
magnets getting stronger (and more scooped?) as the number increases
and ceramic magnets being like a very strong alnico(?). And then there
are a lot of other things that make it an art more than a science.

So as DrDespair said, there are some high power true single coils that
will work, SSL-4 is probably a good choice and will give you fat, true
single coil sound from the 3 position. Get it reverse-wound,
reverse-polarity and it should provide low noise in the 2 and 4
positions if you wire the way your switch is wired now.

As far as whether you made the right choice, the guitar
will sound great and unique. Whether it is perfect, or absolutely YOU,
... see other threads about people with boxes full of pickups.