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

[redstone]

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.

If people were better informed, I bet a lot of them would rather avoid neck humbuckers for metal leads and cleans.

 

[djentinc]

It's not impossible to get decent high gain tones with singlecoils, but you have to EQ them well otherwise they'll sound thin and fuzzy. Singlecoils are best for cleans and low-mid gain distorted tones, a humbucker is really a much better option for high gain metal tones.

Unless you're playing black metal, in which case singlecoils are probably the way to go for that trve and kvlt sound.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

Or even go with a low/mid output 'bright' voiced humbucker.

The stock humbucker pup in my Hello Kitty strat is very clear, bright and single-ish.

There's also the 'stacked' buckers that are the same size as singles and have a sound somewhere between 'normal' buckers and singles, but is closer to singles.

I own a Metal Muff and anything bright into that thing sounds nice.
Its tone kinda reminds me of mesa rectifiers a bit, but thankfully without the weird knob interactions.

 

[Stealthtastic]

Sure!

All the sounds on my page so far are done with single coils!

https://soundcloud.com/torrential-skies

I fucking love Sky red, I've listened to it about 4 times in a row now. Good shit.

 

[NickSBTT]

Definitely. It really depends on the pickups that you're using. I honestly prefer single coils though, to be honest. They tend to have more character imo.

 

[skeels]

The BOSS HM-2 just absolutely rules.

That is all..

 

[C2Aye]

Everybody will have their own opinion regarding this, although I disagree with any saying that single-coils are unusable for metal. Also, I don't know about your experiences but I've never really had to do a lot of post-processing to get my tone the way I want it with my Strat. In fact, I use exactly the same clean and distorted setup for both my Strat and my Ibanez 7 string.

Distorted: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39302626/Signal Chain 2.jpg
Clean: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39302626/Signal Chain Clean.jpg

Obviously, it would be up to your ears to tell if it sounds any good. Unfortunately, the only reference I have is my own music so sorry if it seems like a plug or anything.

Baryogenesis | Sithu Aye
Particles Collide (feat. Plini) | Sithu Aye
Formation | Sithu Aye

And as a reference, here's how that setup sounds with my 7 string:

Expansion | Sithu Aye

 

[Zeoj67]

def like your style C2AYE !!! inventive and refreshing ....

100

Z

 

[wakjob]

Good god yes. That is some of the best music I've heard lately.

Absolutely top shelf C2Aye!!!!!

 

[KAMI]

I fucking love Sky red, I've listened to it about 4 times in a row now. Good shit.

Thanks man!

 

[lawizeg]

Dude, that is an epic sound...what kind of pedals, rig do u use?

So the consensus is to change the pickups rather than get a pedal?

You could switch to using an audio interface and plugins, i know Sithu Aye uses Guitar Rig for tone..and he gets that. So its possible.

If I were you I'd either just replace the pickups if you're otherwise satisfied with the guitar, or since its actually a decent Fender(American made), try to sell/trade it for what you want?

 

[spawnofthesith]

May have been mentioned in here already, but IIRC The Safety Fire uses single coils

 

[KAMI]

TBH, C2 is the man!

Be sure to check out "Arrow + Knee = Adventure Over"!

 

[Mordacain]

You could switch to using an audio interface and plugins, i know Sithu Aye uses Guitar Rig for tone..and he gets that. So its possible.

If I were you I'd either just replace the pickups if you're otherwise satisfied with the guitar, or since its actually a decent Fender(American made), try to sell/trade it for what you want?

Sithu Aye's heavy tone is actually LePou running into impulses, but the point still stands. GuitarRig he uses for cleans (and reverb I believe). He actually has it in his signal path screencaps a little farther up.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

Actually the main reason I recommended stack buckers instead of singles is for noise reasons. You get a lot of hum/noise while using singles with high gain, unless you use a noise gate of some kind.

 

[KAMI]

Actually the main reason I recommended stack buckers instead of singles is for noise reasons. You get a lot of hum/noise while using singles with high gain, unless you use a noise gate of some kind.

Exactly!

Stacked humbuckers don't really sound like humbuckers, anyway.

 

[theronaldchase]

Surprisingly, the John Mayer signature is pretty great running through a 6505+ with a tube screamer in front. I think its the mid scooped Big Dipper pickups. Also, they have a lower output than most single coils and I think that helps to tame the brightness a little.

 

[ArtDecade]

Exactly!

Stacked humbuckers don't really sound like humbuckers, anyway.

True, but stacked humbuckers sound even less like single coils.

 

[redstone]

Anyway, a noise gate is always welcome on stage. So the extra noise isn't a valid reason. (as a metal player of course)

 

[troyguitar]

Noise gate only kills the noise when you are not playing, it is still present in the background while you are playing.

There are a decent amount of noiseless single coils that still sound mostly like a single coil on the market these days. Everyone makes them.