Can I get a metal sound with single-coil pickups?

[metalmaiden]

Yeah good call on that, my amp can get a pretty cool tone, but yeah it's a cheapoid and can't afford a decent quality one right now...
but ty

 

[Mordacain]

What kind of pedals do u use?

Oh yeah, I failed to mention I have a piece of shit amp, but it sounds great on a clean tone and loud enough for practice. It's a Frontman 15g (8" speaker). I can get some gain from it, but not that cool distortion sound. Like I said a new guitar is obviously the solution along with a new amp...but I'm just a noob and didnt want to invest a whole lot unless I knew I'd really get into it. So until then...is this a pedal worth using? Are others better?

I love single coils. My main guitars are American Strats (and probably always will be).

Getting a good heavy tone with a single coil is actually not all that difficult. Of course, depending on kind of heavy tone your going for, it can be more difficult than others.

Also, depending on the year of your Strat will determine how much easier it is. The American Standard models post 2012 have Fat 50s which are pretty awesome all-around pickups, but not the easiest for getting a heavier tone out of. The older American Standards have pretty shit pickups in my opinion that suck for everything except straight galssy cleans. The American Specials have Texas Specials which can get a pretty rightous grind going. The American Deluxe could have SCN or N3 pickups depending on the year and their ability to hand gain varies but with some tweaking can get there.

Personally, I recommend keeping the guitar and throwing a different bridge pickup in. Personal recommendations: Dimarzio Fast Track 2 is about the heaviest balls-out humbucker in a single-coil sized enclosure they make. However, the ToneZone S, Super Distortion S and even the Chopper are pretty awesome too.

If you want a true single coil, you can try out a Duncan SSL5 or 6 or if you have the cash, the Bare Knuckle Sinner (something I'd really love to try one of these days).

Also, that amp needs to go. If you're stuck with it, you can try a Hardwire Metal distortion. I had one and it was a pretty usable tone. There's a multitude of cheaper amps that will rock some heavier stuff out there, so this really depends on your budget. Personally, I'm becoming a big fan of the AMT stuff lately...

 

[Dead Undead]

You'll get far more mileage out of a decent amp. A Cheap guitar through a nice amp can still sound very good, but even the nicest guitar will sound less than stellar through a wimpy amp. Fortunately, there is a growing a number of very effective amps for quite reasonable prices, such as Laney Ironhearts. Some older solid state amps will make just about any guitar sound br00tz, like the Ampeg VH140C or its Crate clone the GX130C.

In your situation, I would hold out and get a better amp once you can afford one. If you've grown to like your current guitar and you gel with it, then a good amp is the next step. That's my at least.

 

[cardinal]

Oh I didn't see what your amp was. I agree with all the above. Spending money on pickups and/or gain pedals is a waste IMHO. A better amp will go much further and putting money towards something else just will delay getting a nicer amp. Don't need to spend a fortune. The new DSLs are great, and the 5150-type amps are reasonably affordable. More than a pedal, but you'll be much happier with that, I think.

Hell, I might consider selling the American strat, buying a used Mexican strat and putting the rest towards an amp if money's really tight. I love strats and the American strats are great, but I like the MIM strats a lot too.

 

[ZXIIIT]

Seymour Duncan YJM Fury bridge pickup (in a tele)

Live (enable tape mode for 90s industrial feeling)


Rhythm


Solo:

 

[wakjob]

Listen to Mordacain.

I just ditched the HSS format in my new partscaster and went SSS.
Used Duncans this time for a change. SSL-2 neck/middle & SSL-6 bridge.
I love this guitar more than ever now.

There are too many true single coil and stacked humbuckers out there to mention. But the biggest issue will be balance and choosing the right value pots, depending on which way you end up going.

If you keep the stock neck/middle PU's and go with a twin blade or stacked humbucker that looks like a single coil for the bridge, it may like to see a 500k volume pot instead of the stock 250k that's probably in there now. Sometimes not. Depends on the PU.

But in general, the single's (stock neck/middle) get a bit too brash sounding with a 500k. So you see the balance issue. There's usually a tradeoff/compromise.

 

[tedtan]

But the biggest issue will be balance and choosing the right value pots, depending on which way you end up going...But in general, the single's (stock neck/middle) get a bit too brash sounding with a 500k.

You can get around that with Suhr's HSS wiring (see below). That little 470k resistor allows the single coils to see 250k while the humbucker sees 500k.



^ metalmaiden

If this were me making the decision, I would get a bridge humbucker for your Strat for the time being, but I would also keep the current single coil. I would then get a suitable amp. After that, I would save up for the metal guitar you want (rather than settling for just some cheap guitar now because it has humbuckers) and then, if you want, put the single coil back in the Strat. You will have to make do a bit in the amp department for now, but this seems like the least expensive way to get where you want to go.

 

[axxessdenied]

If you want a killer metal sound while using humbuckers. The secret is not in the guitar. It's in the bass

The first time I recorded a full "song" was about 9 months ago and I used a '06 highway 1 telecaster with stock pickups going into my pod hd pro tuned C# standard. It worked pretty awesome, I think.

https://soundcloud.com/axxessdenied/the-beginning-new-rhythm

Have a listen, this isn't really mixed well or anything. I had no idea what I was doing at this point
Not bad, I think.

 

[sage]

Throughout the whole entire 90's, I used a strat for metal. I used the bridge/middle setting for rhythm and usually the neck/middle setting for solos. I still use a strat and a tele in my post-rock band and I get some thick, deadly tones out of them. That in-between setting on the tele is just beastly.

So, save your loot for an amp. Don't go modding the guitar or buying a pedal. Put the cash away until you have $400 or so saved up and then get a 6505+ 112 combo. Or something else that piques your metal interests. That's gonna make a huge difference. Ain't no pedal on the market gonna make that frontman 15 sound like a beast.

 

[berzerkergang]

Get a hotrail

/done

 

[C2Aye]

yes, you can get metal sound with single coils

Cassini | Sithu Aye

I have to clear some stuff up regarding this. Yes, I did use a Strat but only for tracks 4 and 6 as well as all the clean parts on track 5.

This song is probably a better representation of the kind of sound I'd achieve with my strat: Skye | Sithu Aye

Or maybe this? https://soundcloud.com/c2aye/april-7th-clip

I used a 2006 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster with all stock equipment. While I'm a huge advocate of using a Strat for all music ever, you kind of have to be careful when it comes to single coils. The samarium cobalt pickups in my Strat aren't as bright or hot as many other Strat single coils and I think they have a nicely defined mid range, making them very usable for metal.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

How has this thread gotten so far without anyone posting songs from the first Wintersun album?

 

[brynotherhino]

These are bkp pile drivers https://soundcloud.com/barry-boren/swirl-tele-test, but I've had great luck with stock mim tele pickups for metal stuffs. They work really well with my fingers haha

 

[Dead Undead]

^A lot of Fender's stock telecaster pickups are excellent for metal. They have great single coil dynamics but feel and sound tight. Love em.

 

[codycarter]

Swap your pups for some hotrails or lace sensors. It can be done. When I want to get a "djenty" tone I go to my friends short scale fender. Single coils may be noisy and thin when it comes to metal, but they are really aggressive and focused

 

[metalmaiden]

Thanks for the advice everyone, this helps clear things up for me a lot.
Here's what I'm going to do
1. Change one or two pickups while keeping the originals to put back in after.
2. New amp
3. New guitar


But all your comments have surely helped me thank you.

So now comes this question.
What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?

 

[ArtDecade]

So now comes this question.
What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?

The new Fender Mustangs are versatile modelling amps. They are worth a look if you aren't looking for a tube amp.

 

[Alexxx]

If you want an amp with cleans, I wouldn't recommend the 6505+ 112. If I could go back, I'd have gotten an Egnator, DSL or even a Pod HD500. All good options. The 6505+ is still excellent for metal, but the cleans aren't usable IMO, they clip so easily, even with minimal gain.

 

[troyguitar]

Buy a used Fender Roc Pro amp for about the same price as a decent pedal. Yngwie used them for clinics and the orchestra shows for quite awhile with his strats and always sounded good.

 

[axxessdenied]

If you want an amp with cleans, I wouldn't recommend the 6505+ 112. If I could go back, I'd have gotten an Egnator, DSL or even a Pod HD500. All good options. The 6505+ is still excellent for metal, but the cleans aren't usable IMO, they clip so easily, even with minimal gain.

If you get the Pod HD Series you can always upgrade to the DT25 combo amp from line 6 down the road.