Let's talk about single coils!

Zhysick

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Hi there... I've been in this forum for quite a while now and I don't see many threads about single coil pickups even thou I have seen some of you use Strat style guitars (have seen a few EBMM Cutlass around) and Tele style guitars as well... It is just that you don't usually change your single coils for aftermarket pickups?

I recently bought a Fender Player Strat SSS MN (new MIM line) and it's growing on me more and more every day to the point that I just don't want to look back for humbucker equipped guitars even for heavy metal.

Lucky enough at home I am using a DC powered amp so no noise from the pickups.

I've been thinking in swapping the pups, specially the bridge pickup, for a hotter one: I've been thinking in the Seymour Duncan SSL3 Hot Strat but don't want to spend that amount of money in a pickup since I have "discovered" Donlis, BYO, Tonerider and other great chinese pickup manufacturers. Yes, they use fiber, correct staggered (or flat) alnico rod magnets and even cloth hookup wires. They have cheaper cercamic-magnet pups, of course, but they have good ones in pair in quality to Duncan, BKP and other (not said by me as I haven't tried any but they have been objectively tested by a member of Strat-Talk forum with the right tools).

So... any other single-coil pickups users that want to share knowledge?
 

budda

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I leave mine stock haha.

@Drew has made some YT vids of various models and can probably help you out!
 

Drew

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I've mostly stuck to more established brands, but I've played a ton of Dimarzio and Fender options. For true singleocils, hands down the best I've played are Suhrs, actually - they've managed to track down the original magnet manufacturer Fender used in the 60s before they changed and moved to a cheaper alternative and John Suhr swears the magnets he uses makes a huge difference. I don't know what exactly it is, but Suhrs just sound bigger and clearer and fuller and more open than anything else I've played, so he's doing something right. I've sworn by their ML Standards for years now, but I recently tried their V60s and V60LPs in a different strat and the V60LPs are good enough that I may actually slightly prefer them (I want to swap pickguards between the rosewood/ash guitar I have them in and the maple/alder guitar I have the ML Standards in and see what that does to my impressions).

For the most part, the difference in cost between a "name brand" singlecoil and an overseas knockoff is small enough that I'd rather buy the name brands and not worry about what I was buying from - looks like the difference between a set of Toneriders and a set of Fenders is between $60-100 depending on model, though they have some (Tex-Mex, for instance) that are actually cheaper. In the case of the SSL3s, I haven't played them myself, but at $59 each you're talking $180 all in vs $100 for Toneriders, and especially if what you're looking for is something like that where they're really making no attempt at all to replicate a "classic" Fender design, you're going to have some trouble finding a "knockoff" version for less.

Then again, you're talking to a guy whose favorite singlecoils are $80/each, only $20 less than a full set of Toneriders, and I have zero problem buying a trio just to see if I like them, so I may not be the best guy to help you here. :lol:

But, two parting observations:

1) People absolutely swap singlecoils, you just see a lot less talk of it here because this is primarily a humbucker-friendly audience, and
2) I'd be cautious about going with TOO hot and "humbucker-like" a singlecoil in a Strat you already like - part of the nature of the singlecoil sound is the lower output, brighter, and less midrange-y voice, and if you get TOO "hot" and "punchy" you begin to lose that.
 

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wakjob

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I love it. Another convert.

Play SC p/u's long enough, the missing frequencies that humbuckers lack will annoy the crap outta ya. They have their good qualities too though.

If you can save a buck, go for it...

Like Drew, I've been through quite a few SC p/u's.
But like you, I tend to prefer the less expensive ones.
I really like the "cheap" ceramic bar mag SC's that came stock in my '92 Fernandes LE-2 strat. They pop up on ebay for $5 every now and then.

And if you spend most of your time on the bridge position, you owe it to yourself to at least try a used Dimarzio Cruiser p/u. It's kinda of a single coil/p-90/PAF hybrid where the single coil-y-ness is the predominate characteristic.

That said, I'm dying to finally try the Duncan Texas Hot's.
 

BenjaminW

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I use humbuckers more for my lead stuff, but I’d love to give single coil tones a try. SC’s sound fucking great for clean stuff though. Especially when you use the bridge and middle pickups for clean stuff.
 

Drew

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And if you spend most of your time on the bridge position, you owe it to yourself to at least try a used Dimarzio Cruiser p/u. It's kinda of a single coil/p-90/PAF hybrid where the single coil-y-ness is the predominate characteristic.
This is before I started doing my own pickup swapping so it's possible they were installed incorrectly, but I did the Timmons thing for a while with the Cruiser bridge in the neck and middle positions. They sounded great, very glassy... but I was REALLY surprised by just how weak they were, really no hotter than most "real" singlecoils I've played, and definitely not hot enough to keep up with a low-mid output humbucker like the AT-1 in the bridge unless you were looking for an audible gain reduction when you switched to the singlecoils. That said, Andy Timmons likes them, and his tone is to die for, so...
 

jaxadam

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I've been through a bunch, and for some reason the 1 single coil that always jumps out to me is the Dimarzio FS-1. It's just nice and loud, clean, and clear. It matches up great with a H-S-H guitar, but also stands on it's own a a great bridge single. I've also had my fair share of "noise-cancelling" singles and have never been impressed.
 

Zhysick

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A Donlis set of AlnicoV 42 AWG wire with the vintage style wires goes for 40€. Yes, the set. That's why I consider them knowing that are as good as a big brand one but liking the tone or not is another thing.

I like the single neck a lot and love how the bridge pickup is a lot more open and dynamic than all humbuckers I have tried in the past but is lacking some output and, more than more bass response, is a but too harsh for high gain but I have found myself playing killer metal riffs with lots less gain than with the humbuckers (maybe due to its inherent crispiness...)

I find myself spending most of the time with the neck and neck+middle position for soloing but I want that extra tightness and attack for heavy riffing: yes, a humbuckers would be optimal (HSS) but I don't want to loose the clear and dynamic sound of a single coil: I think there's no way back for me, I am a sibgle coil user now.

I have always loved the Tele bridge pup, maybe I will try a baseplate to give a bit more punch to the bridge pickup.

I am unsure aswell if a single sized bucker will do the trick for me, like a JB Jr. or a Chopper... But I am afraid it will be "too buckery". That Duncan SSL-3 looks like the perfect middle ground, maybe an SSL-6 could be a good option too... Just have to try a few.

@Drew I have seen your videos of the Suhr pups (well, I'm not sure if it's you but I swear...) and those pups sound amazing but are way out of my budget but even if I could afford them right now I wouldn't buy them just because I am sure spending that amount of money (approximately the 40% of the value of the guitar...) is just too much just for a set of pickups.

Probably gonna buy a few pickups from AliExpress (the Donlis pups sells there) and will report back.

Hopefully their 11K DS53 is hot enough for what I want but still single-coilish.

@jaxadam I have seriously considered the DiMarzio FS-1: on paper looks like a perfect option for me but on a more single-coil conservative perspective but the one that I found second-hand was sold before I could even realize that I want to swap out the bridge pickup.
 

diagrammatiks

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I love single coils. Although if you are going for a more vintage sound it’s best to stick to the classics.

I usually run a completely decked bare knuckle sinner bridge in the middle position.

I also like Anderson stacked singles

And I usually run bkp pile drivers in my teles.
 

littlebadboy

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Thought of sharing...

Guitar Madness on eBay has single coil sized P-90s for less than $25 a set (neck-mid-bridge) for a strat.

Haven't tried them, but I have had great experience with a variety of their humbuckers.

I probably will not try them out because I don't have a strat.

They also have them in Alnico.

s-l1600.jpg


s-l1600.jpg
 

Zoobiedood

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I tend to dig flat poles on my singles unless I am using a 7.25" radius and a wound G string. The balance seems off to me otherwise. I always choose flat poles if I have a choice.
 

lewis

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absolutely love them! -

the EMG TW models are awesome because you are getting a humbucker and an actual Single Coil pickup combined into 1 larger housing
 

LiveOVErdrive

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I got a set of Van Zandt singles for my strat years and years ago from a friend who could get them at cost. They're... Nice? Are they better than the stock American singles? Not sure.

I did a video of them through high gain a little while back.


I want to try Duncan quarter pounders so damn bad.
 

Legion

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I'm really looking for a nice crisp twangy single coil tone but in a noiseless, humbucker-sized package. The Bluesbucker comes close but not quite...I wonder if there's anything for me out there.
 

diagrammatiks

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I'm really looking for a nice crisp twangy single coil tone but in a noiseless, humbucker-sized package. The Bluesbucker comes close but not quite...I wonder if there's anything for me out there.


You can try any of the rio grande offerings.

The sizing makes it hard though. A single coil that big is naturally going to sound more like a p90 then a twangy telecaster pickup.

If it were me I’d be using Anderson ph pickups.

https://www.andersonguitarworks.com/ph-series

Might be worth checking out those single coil Humbucker pickup ring adapters.
 

Legion

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You can try any of the rio grande offerings.

The sizing makes it hard though. A single coil that big is naturally going to sound more like a p90 then a twangy telecaster pickup.

If it were me I’d be using Anderson ph pickups.

https://www.andersonguitarworks.com/ph-series

Might be worth checking out those single coil Humbucker pickup ring adapters.

Thanks for the recommendations. I know that the Fralin Twangmaster and Big Single are also options but it's hard to find a good youtube demo of those.
 

lewis

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I'm really looking for a nice crisp twangy single coil tone but in a noiseless, humbucker-sized package. The Bluesbucker comes close but not quite...I wonder if there's anything for me out there.
EMG HX

thank me later. The X series version of the Single Coils (so more open, dynmaic and twangy) that Gilmour has been using for years

"The HX has the same noiseless operation and clarity as its single coil brother but is built in a humbucker housing. Featuring a ceramic magnet, this pickup provides a wide frequency response for clarity, a bright tone, and a rich blend of harmonics. The X series preamp adds even more dynamic range than the original. X's are best described as bridging the gap between passive and active tone and feel. This pickup is an excellent choice for the rhythm guitarist who needs added definition for chording, or for lead work when the crisp attack of a single coil pickup is desired. The solderless installation makes this pickup easy to install at home."

EDIT: If you prefer Alnico rather than Ceramic, they make that too. - its the HAX ;)
 

Legion

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EMG HX

thank me later. The X series version of the Single Coils (so more open, dynmaic and twangy) that Gilmour has been using for years

"The HX has the same noiseless operation and clarity as its single coil brother but is built in a humbucker housing. Featuring a ceramic magnet, this pickup provides a wide frequency response for clarity, a bright tone, and a rich blend of harmonics. The X series preamp adds even more dynamic range than the original. X's are best described as bridging the gap between passive and active tone and feel. This pickup is an excellent choice for the rhythm guitarist who needs added definition for chording, or for lead work when the crisp attack of a single coil pickup is desired. The solderless installation makes this pickup easy to install at home."

EDIT: If you prefer Alnico rather than Ceramic, they make that too. - its the HAX ;)


This is VERY interesting. Looking for a nice bridge pickup to pair with it in a PRS Singlecut semihollow.
 

lewis

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This is VERY interesting. Looking for a nice bridge pickup to pair with it in a PRS Singlecut semihollow.
If its humbucker routes for Bridge and Neck, you could always do HX - Bridge and HAX neck ? get that alnico warmth in the neck position
 
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