Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

[stratguy23]

I'm a big fan of guitars that have just one bridge pickup, no neck or middle pickups.

Visually and electronically there's less clutter, and the attitude is, "Just get down to business." I like how just having one pickup forces the player to rely less on electronics and more on playing - where you pick, how you pick. It's funny how psychologically the space where the neck pickup was opens up in terms of picking, even though it's always been there.

Two of my biggest guitar heroes, EVH and Leslie West, did their thing with one pickup.

Let's say you have one of these guitars (or more - I currently have two, an LP Melody Maker and a BC Rich Gunslinger).

Which pickup do you choose, and why?

(For argument's sake, let's say the route is either humbucker or Tele. Single bridge P90 already speaks for itself, and single Strat bridge pickup - well, no one does that, right?)

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

Best results I've had are w/a DiM Norton & EMG 85

:headbang:

edit:
Forgot the Duncan Custom...


edit 2:
DiM Super Dist

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

If I had to choose it would either be a Dimebucker or a Screamin Demon–I've been able to cover a wide range of tones with these.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

A P-Rails. I need some kind of variety there.

 

[Progbusters]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

it still has to match the guitar, wood, gear and music

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

I have 2:

EMG 85
Dimarzio PAF Pro

Kind of feel like trying a Tone Zone

 

[Matt_Herman]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

I had good luck with an HB-103N in the bridge

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

Distortion or Dimebucker, no question.
why? Because they are bally-tone-slaying-metal-master-machines!

 

[JB6464]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

To do vintage to modern tones with one pickup i would go with a 59/C Hybrid .
With that you could clean up and do some mellow stuff and then open up and get nasty with the right amp without a flame throwing pickup .

 

[InbredJunk]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

I've got a single pickup guitar with a jb in it. There's really nothing else to say about that.

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[Chickenwings]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

Tele....vintage tele style. Just cos it is awesome.
Strat...custom custom. Fat lead tones and long sustain.
Lester...it would depend on the acoustic tone of the axe.
Gretsch...tv jones classic. Cos twang.

LP Melody Maker...WLH to add some fat bottom end to the skinny body.
BC Rich Gunslinger...how about a full shred? or ye olde JB because the 80s never really left.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

P-90, with a twist: middle position.


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[AZ Picker]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

Strat style=Perpetual Burn

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

Wow, great answers! EMG 85 is unexpected for me. I can see the 81 in a bridge-only situation (functions sort of like a JB), but you 85 guys - you don't miss top end or cut in the bridge position?

LP Melody Maker...WLH to add some fat bottom end to the skinny body.
BC Rich Gunslinger...how about a full shred? or ye olde JB because the 80s never really left.

I've actually been considering the WLH pretty hard for this axe. Currently it has a P-Rails, which is pretty decent all around, but I'm thinking less and less that I need 2 good things (humbucker, P90) and more that I just need 1 *really* good thing (humbucker).

I'm not a fan of the Full Shred (or I'm just not the target audience). I recognize that it sounds good and does its job, but I just don't want a tone that focused. I have a Screamin Demon lying around, so that might go in the Gunslinger, or for both the Melody Maker and Gunslinger I've been thinking about the Custom 8.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

P-90, with a twist: middle position.

That's actually not that exotic an idea - there are guitars out there with middle-only pickups (and plenty of basses). The Reverend Sensei's with P90s have the bridge one far away enough from the bridge so it almost seems middle-ish to me.

 

[Leon Of Late]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

The PATB, I think it's the 3...the Blues S model, at about 9k is a fantastic pickup, especially in a single bucker guitar. The original PATB is also great, but more compressed and edgy. If you want to go old school like you mentioned, an Antiquity JB in aged zebra would be killer. There were only about 10,000 well known guitar riffs and solos recorded with a JB in the bridge of a super strat from 78' to 89' or so.

 

[elelpe]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

The PATB, I think it's the 3...the Blues S model, at about 9k is a fantastic pickup, especially in a single bucker guitar.

+1

Definitely PATB-3 for HB. Fat with bite in the bridge. And if your single bucker guitar has a tone knob, just roll it off to emulate the smoothness of neck pickup.
For Tele: Any Broadcaster type with less twang. If I may only have one single pickup guitar: a tele style guitar with PATB-3.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

and single Strat bridge pickup - well, no one does that, right?)

Oh?

 

[jtougas]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

That's actually not that exotic an idea - there are guitars out there with middle-only pickups (and plenty of basses). The Reverend Sensei's with P90s have the bridge one far away enough from the bridge so it almost seems middle-ish to me.

Yeah, but when most people think single P90, they think bridge. I'll take a look at the Sensei, (and the Rick Turner Model 1 would probably also qualify, but $o_0$ (and, strictly speaking, not a P90, but I think it would work *really* well in that regard) ).

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Single pickup guitar. Which pickup will it be?

If I could only have one in an LP it might be a WLH bridge