Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

[Benjy_26]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

I’ve always thought that the idea of a single pickup guitar seemed kind of silly… I mean, really? Is that neck pickup bothering you that much?

That being said, one of the projects I have going on right now is a single pickup partscaster… So I guess I’ll find out!

A neck pickup has never bothered me, BUT, when I turned one of my Teles into an Esquire, I had to learn to adjust my playing.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

My main go-to guitars are all single-pickup guitars. I have a few Esquires (one Fender Custom Shop and two built myself). I also have a few Les Paul Juniors. That said, I love my dual and triple pickup guitars too, and I wouldn't want to give them up.

No point in removing an unused pickup from a multi-pickup guitar, IMO, unless you will be wiring in more tonal options for the bridge pickup. I don't believe that my love of guitars that happen to have one pickup has anything physically to with the actual lack of the neck pickup (e.g. from lack of a magnetic field in the neck position). I think in the case of an Esquire, it's the switching options that I like so much. In the case of a Junior, I like the wraparound tailpiece, dogear P-90, and master controls better. I also love the way single pickup guitars look. I love the wide open space below the end of the fretboard. It's a nice look.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

A single humbucker is a cool thing to have if it's an interesting pickup, like an A8 59/C, on a bare bones guitar, but I prefer lots of switching options on mine. Some of my guitars have as many as three pickups.

3?!! Steady now... you’ll be telling me you have a switch with 5 positions next...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

A single humbucker is a cool thing to have if it's an interesting pickup, like an A8 59/C, on a bare bones guitar, but I prefer lots of switching options on mine. Some of my guitars have as many as three pickups.

I kinda dig having multiple switching options as well, so the single pickup project that I have in the works right now is going to use a P-Rail. It will have all four options along with a passive overdrive that can be blended in. I also think that I‘ll try out GuitarDoc’s trick by flipping it around and using different magnets in order to get a bigger tonal difference between the two coils.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

3?!! Steady now... you’ll be telling me you have a switch with 5 positions next...

Ya think I'm some sort of radical? 5 positions is way more than you could ever use. But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret I'm working on. I found you can remove the spring on your standard three way switch and get 2 more secret sounds out of your Strat. I don't quite know what to think about them yet, but it's a neat way to get a unique signature tone.

I also have a theory about stringing a guitar upside down...

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

I've really been thinking about it a lot lately. And have come to the conclusion that I prefer single pickup guitars. So much so that I am considering removing the neck pickup from my brent hinds V.

Personally, I wouldn't take a neck pickup out of a guitar already fitted with one if there wasn't a way for me to cover up the hole without it looking like something used to be there.

In the case of a humbucker remove the magnet and put the pickup back in not hooked up. It will look normal but without the magnet it will have no magnetic influence on the strings.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

All of mine are 1humbucker/1volume whether they came that way or not, even the 2005 Soloist I just got which was a mint guitar and I gutted it so it suits me. Thats the name of the game and it gets done what I need it to.

People always give me crap about my set up but i say its like this; the guitar is your voice and we all have something to say, so just because we say things in a different way with different guitars, pickups, amps, etc... doesnt make what we say invalid.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

The only single-pickup guitar I've ever owned was a 2004 Charvel 25th Anniversary reissue (first run, #49). That guitar was amazing, but the lack of a neck pickup drove me crazy. In hindsight, I bet that was why I redid my Charvel Model 4 as H/S with a maple neck; to capture what I liked about the Anniversary while solving the one thing that really bugged me about it. In the end I sold the RI because I needed to make rent while I recently got my Model 4 where I've always wanted it.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

Here's Phil X explaining why one pick up guitars sound so good.

;>)/

 

[justFred]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

All my guitars are single pickup sorta...like I rarely if ever use middle position on HH and SSS typically use neck or bridge rarely two together...so I guess I don't get the question...

 

[dave74]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

As long as you just lower the neck and/or middle down to the ring or close,,,then there isn't any disruptive magnet-pull.

 

[Mikesr1963]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

A year or so ago I bought a box of guitar parts and out of them put a single guitar together. I stripped the paint, primer and body filler off it and put a thin coat of varnish on it with a few coats of clear. Then sanded the orange peel off and buffed it out. I added a bone nut and rewired one HB pickup using only a volume pot out of my junk drawer. The change in the guitar's volume, sustain, and ferocity was eye opening.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

A year or so ago I bought a box of guitar parts and out of them put a single guitar together. I stripped the paint, primer and body filler off it and put a thin coat of varnish on it with a few coats of clear. Then sanded the orange peel off and buffed it out. I added a bone nut and rewired one HB pickup using only a volume pot out of my junk drawer. The change in the guitar's volume, sustain, and ferocity was eye opening.

Wrong thread. But since we are on the topic, did you build the guitar, strip the paint, and then reassemble it without making any other modifications while you were changing the paint.

To prevent the two threads from derailing, just quote this post in the other thread.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

Here's Phil X explaining why one pick up guitars sound so good.

;>)/

The theory makes sense, but who the hell is he?

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

The theory makes sense, but who the hell is he?

You should check him out on YouTube. He’s basically a “hired gun” type. Killer player, instantly likable. His latest gig was filling in for Richie Sambora in Bon Jovi.
He’s got a signature Friedman head too.
Check out the movie “Hired Gun” on Netflix.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

I'd like to have one. Ace's kitty is close to what I want. Though, since that's been done, I'd want something different.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

The theory makes sense, but who the hell is he?

You should check him out on YouTube. He’s basically a “hired gun” type. Killer player, instantly likable. His latest gig was filling in for Richie Sambora in Bon Jovi.
He’s got a signature Friedman head too.
Check out the movie “Hired Gun” on Netflix.

He also did a bunch of vintage guitar demos for Fretted America (not sure that's the correct shop name). He's a great player for sure.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

 

[man-in-moon]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

I havent decided for sure on doing it yet. I do like using the neck pickup with single coils and les Pauls. But I never use it on my strictly tuned down metal guitars.
I saw the video of Phil x explaining why he likes it. He does make some good points. Its like with the Cantrell rampage I had. That thing would sustain for longer than any other guitar I had.
I like having different tonal options. But I prefer to rely on different guitars set up different for that. Since I am a strictly at home player. I dont have to worry about having to carry around too much stuff.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

Something I discovered is with 1-pickup guitars I get a much wider range of warm to bright by changing my pick position between bridge and neck, than I get by switching to a neck pickup from the same picking positions.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Who prefers a single pickup guitar?

I rock 1 pickup guitars but a neck only for jazz. My LP Special broke in half and my Dot needs work but ye. I'm not a huge rock guy but I'd be down for a bridge only if I had extra $$.