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

[Esp Griffyn]

Yep, the cleans on the 6505s, even the + series, like the 6505+ 112 I own, are pretty average as far as high gain amps go, and not a patch on those from an amp designed for low gain or cleans. For metal though, a 6505+ is absolutely ace.

 

[leechmasterargentina]

I guess you can. Depends on the sound you wanna achieve. If you wanna sound like Fear Factory or Meshuggah, probably a Fender isn't the best choice. But it's an American Fender, I wouldn't sell it despite Ibanez guitars (I own 2) are really good ones.

The good thing of having little money is that you have to adapt to what you have. You could either add a DiMarzio hot rails on the bridge as suggested above, or get the highest gain possible with what you have and search for a sound you like.

When I started playing the guitar my first one was a Squier Strat. I didn't listen/play Metal back then, but my second guitar was a Fender Strat Japan and at that time I started getting into Metal. Later I was able to buy my first Ibanez, an RG470 that I still own after 14 years. Both guitars had stock PUs; while the Ibanez had more gain, the sound in the Strat was clearer. I still regret having sold the strat sometimes, but lately I've felt those guitars are not my thing anymore and I even started a post critizing Fender and Gibson for not updating their guitars (Tremolo, design, PUs, neck).

Still, it's a great guitar, and for the sound I remember they have, I bet you can achieve a decent Metal sound with good pedals and a good amp, and adapt it to your music.

 

[codycarter]

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

Depends on your budget and what you are looking for.

I would suggest a modeler of some sort
if you aren't too defined when it comes to tone. The pod HD comes to mind.

 

[tedtan]

What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?

What type of tones are you going after? It would help us if you provide examples (and, ideally, links to YouTube vids) of each type of tone you want - e.g., clean, crunch, metal rhythm, leads plus whatever other tones you want for other music you play.

 

[metalmaiden]

What type of tones are you going after? It would help us if you provide examples (and, ideally, links to YouTube vids) of each type of tone you want - e.g., clean, crunch, metal rhythm, leads plus whatever other tones you want for other music you play.

Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.

 

[wakjob]

Tone Zone S. Maybe with a push/pull pot for coil tapping/parallel.

 

[tedtan]

Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.

I have heard good things about the Blackstar and Egnator amps if you are on a budget. Unfortunately, I haven't played either, so I comment on specific models, but definitely check them out before buying something.

Also, if you want the everything in your list plus great cleans (and can stretch your budget to $1,000 - $1,200), check out a used Mesa Mark IV. It may or may not be what you want tone wise, but it is a killer amp that you won't outgrow, and one of the very few high gain amps with great cleans (most metal amps have cleans somewhere between shitty and mediocre, for some reason).

You might also want to look into a Marshall DSL or TSL, but I'm not sure what they are selling for, so I'm not sure if they would work on a budget or not.

 

[Mprinsje]

yea it can be done but IMO telecasters sound better for metal than strats. More bite to them.

But everything can metal as long as you've got the amp for it.

 

[Mordacain]

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 ?

Personally, I would do one of the following:

Either pickup an AMT SS-30 and a Tube Cake + decent used cab (all you likely need until you start playing with a loud drummer)

or a POD HD + decent cheap power amp + decent used cab.

I've got a DT25 I used with my HD500 and I love it. I actually enjoy using it more than my Boogie Mark IV, granted, that's at home volume, but still. I have a Tube Cake incoming to try out which might take the place of the DT25 for use at home.

SS30's can picked up for sub $200 if you catch them used, $300 new. Tube Cake retails new for $140. Any decent, closed back cab will do. I routinely see Boogie cabs around the $400 mark but if you're lucky you can score a good 4x12 for around $100.

 

[codycarter]

Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.

For a beginner rig I say pod HD, it has clean, crunch, lead, and rhythm. And a powered monitor, used. Simple, yet effective.

The HD500 will have everything you need for a long while, the powered monitor can be used for home, practice, and at shows if you integrate it with the PA system. This will allow you to focus on better guitars and pickups.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

+1 to the PODHD500.
Cheapish but decent guitar > good modeller > clean amp = some good and useable tones.

My personal chain is:
Guitar > Boss GE-7 eq > Digitech BP80 > Boss GE-7 eq > Cheap Practice amp

and it sounds great!

 

[ArtDecade]

Disregard the vast majority of the pickup suggestions... it seems like everyone is telling you to get stacked humbuckers, but you can do metal with single coils!

 

[TheWretchedAbyss]

Im pretty sure winds of plague uses single coil telecasters, i saw them live a while back, definately using telecasters that looked stock.

 

[Veritech Zero]

Still seems that the verdict is a little bit fuzzy...

You can definitely get a good metal tone from a single coil, without a doubt. But it wont sound like a humbucker is all. I haven't tried a single coil in the bridge position since I got my new setup (Laney Ironheart), but it was a tad too bright for my liking on my old Spider IV, but I bet it would sound beastly on the Laney. I do however use single coils in the neck position on several of my guitars, and I LOVE it, I really can't get enough of the sound, I really like them for all sorts of arpeggio and alternate picking stuff. They really sound out individual notes very well, and your picking technique comes through exceptionally clearly too.

 

[tedtan]

I love single coils as much as anyone on this forum (maybe more so), so its great to see you guys flying the single coil flag. They excel at cleans, kill on leads (especially in the neck position) and do a lot of low to medium gain rhythm stuff really well, too. But a Strat with stock pickups would not be my first choice for tight metal rhythm tones - humbuckers just do that that kind of thing better. A lot better.

 

[Dead Undead]

I love single coils as much as anyone on this forum (maybe more so), so its great to see you guys flying the single coil flag. They excel at cleans, kill on leads (especially in the neck position) and do a lot of low to medium gain rhythm stuff really well, too. But a Strat with stock pickups would not be my first choice for tight metal rhythm tones - humbuckers just do that that kind of thing better. A lot better.

I have to disagree. Perhaps stock strat pups on cheaper Fenders, yes, but they end up not being good for much of anything . I feel like single coils can offer a very tight feel overall in the attack and dynamics, and, depending on your rig to some extent, can handle heavy riffs just as well as any humbucker.

 

[axxessdenied]

I have to disagree. Perhaps stock strat pups on cheaper Fenders, yes, but they end up not being good for much of anything . I feel like single coils can offer a very tight feel overall in the attack and dynamics, and, depending on your rig to some extent, can handle heavy riffs just as well as any humbucker.

I also feel like if you tune a little lower the single coils help avoid muddiness!

 

[Dead Undead]

I also feel like if you tune a little lower the single coils help avoid muddiness!

Absolutely! They definitely help keep it clear, even through some pretty heavy distortion.

 

[gclef]

I absolutly love strats.....and single coils.
the big muff is a good choice.
for your situation a blackstar ht5 with the 12" speaker is an excellent choice.
Also, an often overlooked aid for the single coil/metal thing is a decent compressor before the od/distortion. It tightens and thickens things up a bit.
As far as pickups go, a dimarzio rail pickup does the trick. You can also put a mini switch to cut one coil to get a single coil sound.
The lace sensor red makes a rather nice metal pickup.

 

[Mordacain]

I reiterate, even vintage, low-output single coils can deliver an excellent heavy sound.

As others have stated, they can cut and deliver some excellent dynamics / percussive qualities.

You will likely not get a very pleasing sound straight into an amp, but a combination of ODs set low (gain-stacking) can yield amazing results.

Also, the clarity of single coils works particularly well with fuzz units in general. The Metal Muff and original Big Muff Pi in particular sound amazing driven by singles.

I still recommend getting a slightly higher output single, like an SSL5 or something similar. I'm a big fan of the Dimarzio Area / Virtual Vintage series (not true singles, but sound and respond like them) and the original Heavy Blues is just a monstrous bridge pickup. The Virtual Solo is pretty awesome as well.