Single Coils or Humbuckers?

[RayKnight]

Do you prefer using Single Coil guitars or Humbucker guitars?

 

[Zarin]

woooo humbuckers!! it just has a more full sound imo.

 

[dudelove]

prefer how single coils sound but prefer playing on humbucker equipped guitar

 

[shokakukai]

i've been a hardcore humbucker user ever since i picked up an electric guitar.

but now with my new strat, i'm starting to like the sound and clarity of single coils more. even if distortion. but i still miss some chugga chugga whenever i palm mute.

sooo im 50 - 50. does that count? HAHAH

 

[Ripper]

Its like choosing mother or wife, you know?

You need one each. What the heck - gimme 5 each! I'll give this poll a pass...

 

[teleplayer]

I prefer a humbucker for bridge, humbuker/single coil for neck. If clean, i prefer single coils.

 

[faizal_rocks]

I'd prefer humbuckers for high gain rock. But for cleans and bluesy gain, it would be the single coils.

 

[mcuosver]

Its like choosing mother or wife, you know?

You need one each. What the heck - gimme 5 each! I'll give this poll a pass...

well said!well said!!!

 

[EugeneSmasher]

I use them both and like them equally. I'd use singlecoils for milder music genres, but also for stoner metal and stuff of that sort. Humbuckers I'd use for heavier music styles. I used to use humbuckers for everything, but I discovered that I really love the singlecoil sound for some applications. In short, I use them both depending on situation. Will give this poll a pass.

 

[kernelspy]

I use them both and like them equally. I'd use singlecoils for milder music genres, but also for stoner metal and stuff of that sort. Humbuckers I'd use for heavier music styles. I used to use humbuckers for everything, but I discovered that I really love the singlecoil sound for some applications. In short, I use them both depending on situation. Will give this poll a pass.

Same here... I play a wide variety of songs so I need different sounds. In my opinion though, single coil is much more versatile.

 

[Whitestrat]

But for cleans and bluesy gain, it would be the single coils.

I've discovered that there's no such thing. It is in the end of the day, a matter of preference.

I am a single coil guy. I love the nice full range dynamics you get from one. But when you're playing at a gig, and are at a loud volume, it really doesn't matter. When you're playing a stacked single coil in a loud environment, you don't be able to hear much of the difference if you get it right. On recordings and at home, yes, you can hear the difference really.

But I bet you, if I play you something live using my cruisers using the position 4 mode with the right amp, and I don't tell you, you'd swear to me that I was using single coils.

And furthermore, there's a very very nice tone to be gained from good PAFs with mild overdrive. Slight breakup. Tonal heaven.

 

[boyl]

i like single coils. it's so transparent, your playing will be bared all out.

humbuckers can, to a certain extent, hide your playing, but with single coil, it'll all come out.

having said that, both have their own territory.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

if theres any reason why single coil sounds coming out while humbucker hide playing, imho, its more of the differences in frequency spectrum which the 2 occupied and how our individual hearing able to react more to higher frequency sound(single coil) then lower ones , not forgetting the psychological aspect of listening to the sound of guitar, according to individual preferences and exposure to the music we like.

heh, between a high pitch women shouting for help in pain and a deep voiced person shoutng for help, the one with higher pitch will definifitely cut thru the lower voiced counterpart doing the same thing, thus giving the impression of sounding more upfront.

oh well, just imho.

 

[junhao405]

Me too.. Rock to me always go with humbucker and Single coil are more for country.. Blues (Depends what kind of blues)..

 

[Whitestrat]

if theres any reason why single coil sounds coming out while humbucker hide playing, imho, its more of the differences in frequency spectrum which the 2 occupied and how our individual hearing able to react more to higher frequency sound(single coil) then lower ones , not forgetting the psychological aspect of listening to the sound of guitar, according to individual preferences and exposure to the music we like.

I think it's not a matter of humbuckers vs single coils in this case, but more about how much gain you use.

The most revealing method? Play an acoustic.