Single Coils OR Humbuckers

N

newjersey236

New member
Thinking of another interesting topic that is often debated alot in the guitar community i wanted to hear all of your opinions on this.

Single Coils OR Humbuckers??...

Personally, I myself am a low output single coil type of person, i just love the sweet and smooth bell-like tone that sings from low ouput AlnIco 2 single coils, not only do they sound great and all super mojo-y but also considering they are pretty low ouput you can really CRANK an amp and get some fat single coil tones easily which is awesome. I mean i enjoy humbucker tone too but i feel they are a little too trebley and they lack character/charisma 6 times out of 10. Some humbuckers do sound amazing though and kick major butt no doubt but i feel low ouput AlnIco 2 single coils are the way to go!
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I really like single coils for the middle position and neck. I hate bridge single coils unless its a Tele. I really like the attack that A2 single coils have. They are just warmer and smoother and helps to make a fat single coil tone which is what I like. When it comes down to it I'm a humbucker guy but like I said I like single coil tones in the neck which is why I usually get bright neck humbuckers with either an A5 or Ceramic so they have a good bite to them. A8 mags in the bridge for me. That's what I like.

My ideal setup would be an HSH guitar using a Mo'Joe w/ A8 mag for the bridge, VV '54 Pro in the middle, and a FRED in the neck. I'd a super strat switch so in positions 2 and 4 the middle coil is combined with split coils from either the neck and bridge with position 3 being the neck and bridge in parallel with eachother.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

i like and use both. typically low output varietys.

i love the sound of an alnico 5 vintage output single coils
i also love the fat warm sound of neck humbuckers
in the bridge i like hotter alnico II single coils
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I like them both but I love the versatility of HBs. You can wire them in series/parallel/coil taped (ones that support it).
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

Like Jeremy, I use both. They both have their uses, their advantages and disadvantages.

I'm surprised that you find humbuckers to be a "little too trebley". Usually the nature of how humbuckers work tends to round off some of the treble response. That said, the amplifier used can have a large impact on the overall treble content in the sound.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

Until recently, I tried to do it all with humbuckers...and the truth is you really can't. The reason is that very rarely can you find a HB with the tone you want, and then try to achieve the single-coil-like tone that you like when you split it. The single-coil tones I like tend to be engineered a specific way (for example, the DiMarzio Area 58 or SD Vintage Hot Stack Plus kind of tone in the neck), which you generally won't achieve by spiltting a HB no matter what you do.

So...I've now come to accept that since I want them both, I'm going to stop trying to use short cuts and just get both HB and SC's in different guitars and be done with it. It may take me a long time to save up the money to do it that way, but I believe it will be well worth it in the long run...

Just my two cents, but YMMV...
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I like both, but I prefer the tones I can get from single coils in the bridge, and humbuckers in the neck.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I'm mostly a low output humbucker kind of guy, but I like P-90's as well.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I'm going to have to agree with both. Its like asking "what is your favorite color?" You might have a favorite, but would you limit yourself to only that one color if you were a painter? I have the same philosophy about effects, even though I really don't use them all that much. Its nice to know I have a certain color available if I want to use it.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I love single coils - the Hot Rails is my favourite. :lol:

Seriously, my ideal setup is HSH, eg, JB bridge, SSL-1 middle, Hot Rails neck. Or DiMarzio Super D bridge, Fender single coil, DiMarzio PAF neck.

So - both!
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

Most of the time, a hot'ish vintage voiced S/C in the bridge and everytime a 'Bucker in the neck. (simmilar to a '72 Custom Tele)

Now, a P90 can be in both spots on the same guitar !
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I think people who swear by only single coils or only humbuckers are dumb. Sorry lol. It's like saying a Les Paul is better than a Strat and so on. Everything has it's place and humbuckers do in some areas and single coils in others. There are gray areas but yea they have their jobs. Single coils and humbuckers working together is the way to go. The setup I said above allows me to play jazz, blues, funk, rock, country, metal, anything. It's awesome.

I say all this because I am at heart a Les Paul guy and I used to say Les Pauls are awesome screw single coils they are junk but when I expanded myself more musically I realized their purpose and that humbuckers can't totally do what single coils can and single coils cant totally do what humbuckers do. Both are good.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

Best of both worlds is to make a humbucker out of 2 singles, and wire them to a splitter (TripleShot, etc) so you can have just one coil active for true single coil tones.

Granted, you won't make a 14K humbucker out of two 7K singles (for example), but the combined output power will get you close enough.

As well, you'll be able to crank the amp for both humbucker and single coil drive.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

DrNewcenstein said:
Best of both worlds is to make a humbucker out of 2 singles, and wire them to a splitter (TripleShot, etc) so you can have just one coil active for true single coil tones.

Granted, you won't make a 14K humbucker out of two 7K singles (for example), but the combined output power will get you close enough.

As well, you'll be able to crank the amp for both humbucker and single coil drive.
Click to expand...

Although this statement is true i feel that whenever you split a humbucker it doesnt really have a true single coil sound, it may sound somewhat similar but it seems to me more so an artifical sounding single coil.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

look at the stagmag. in single coil mode is sounds fantastic cause its a real single coil with alnico rod magnets. in bucker mode is doesnt sound bad but it doesnt sound like a typical gibson style humbucker.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

I use mostly singles, but I do have (and very much enjoy) one guitar with humbuckers.

I do prefer the fatter single-coil tones you get from Tele pickups and P-90s in most situations.
 
Re: Single Coils OR Humbuckers

newjersey236 said:
Although this statement is true i feel that whenever you split a humbucker it doesnt really have a true single coil sound, it may sound somewhat similar but it seems to me more so an artifical sounding single coil.
Click to expand...

That's why I said a hybrid made of two singles. They started life as true singles, and when used separately will always get a true single coil tone.

Part of where the humbucker loses its ability to do true single tones is the position of the magnet - it's between the coils rather then directly under or through the coil.

With something like the StagMag or a 2-single hybrid, the magnets are where they should be for a single - through the coil.

However, as was noted, you won't get a "true humbucker" tone from them, but rather "2 singles in series and hum cancelling jammed together at the bridge".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top