Humbucker Vs Single Coil on Identical STRATOCASTERS!
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- We compare two Fender Player Series Stratocasters who are identical except for the bridge pickup. So we have a great opportunity to compare humbucker to single coil. The guitars are played clean though a 1971 Fender Twin Reverb with JBL D120F Speakers.
I'm glad they're both yellow.. blue guitars sound totally different to me
Ok Billy Corgan
Yes they sound sad...
Hahahha
Red ones too
obviously more bluesy
Finally someone does it right! Same necks, same body woods, same strings, same amp settings. Probably the best demo of Humbucker vs Single coil bridge pickup on the internet. Cheers!!!!!
same color
Same player
Same pick
Same video
Same Hat
as a guy who plays both funk and metal, I feel like a humbucker bridge on a strat is the most versatile guitar for my taste.
You need a tele.. it can play both.. a fender american.professional II
I asked Sweetwater since I have a Strat HSS HT do I need a SSS and they said no because I wouldn't play as much as mine.
Same here Hahahaha
@@bewusstsein3527 no whammy bar
@@bewusstsein3527 That sounds like a pain in the ass
Probably one the best comparison videos on youtube, I swear some people talk for hours about the history of guitars as a whole and once they finally get to the true comparison they do a horrible job at representation.
Then make your own videos if you can do better. You have ZERO videos on your channel.
I love what a humbucker can achieve with distortion, but if I could only have one stratocaster, it would be the single coil. Thank you for making it so easy to decide.
What can humbuckers do with distortion that single coils can't?
@@snapdragon9568 not hum?
@@snapdragon9568 Depends on what you play. Humbuckers are more "silent" when you go high gain. If you don't play metal, a single coil would be perfect.
I like both, but feel like both would be better in different areas. I love the fullness of humbuckers, especially on single notes, but for chords the humbuckers sound a bit too... "watery?" I suppose that's how I'd put it, but that's no a problem at all on the single coils where chords are much clearer, but on single coils I feel single notes are actually too bright for my tastes. But then again, I'm sure proper amp settings could fix all of these minor issues. So overall, I'm gonna say I prefer the HSS configuration
Exactly my thoughts. When I play I much prefer humbuckers for arpegios, single coil just sounds too bright to the point of harsh and metallic. Now with open chords on the clean channel, single coils are the way to go.
Thought I was gonna enjoy the humbucker more than I did in this one... Even in a maple-necked Strat, it still sounds muddy in almost every instance. Single coil all the way, for me!
Michael is right. Single coils simply have a tighter low end.
If it were setup better, it wouldn't sound so muddy, but yeah, single coil in strats for me anyway!
@Daniel Doran Thats where over-winding and pedals come into the picture
Hmm, I would like to see the same comparison in a Cranked Fender or a Marshall Amp, I bet the Humbucker would do a much better job there. Anyway I'm not saying the single coil doesn't shine on cleans... In this comparison it wins by a mile.
It's the 250k volume pot in stock Fenders that is the problem for humbuckers. Humbuckers sound 'normal' and brighter with 500k volume pots.
I watched a few videos for this exact comparison but they seldom would let you hear the pickups right against each other. This video was exactly what I hoped to find - listening to the two pickups back to back over and over again. THANKS for doing it best.
Humbucker is really really perfect for me. I bought a player series strat HSS and i am really enjoying it!
#Metoo - best decision I made
@@METTI1986LA Sameee
I think I liked the humbucker better in most of the comparison. But there were definitely times the single coil sounded better and the humbucker just sounded muffled. Thanks for the demo.
Another great comparison would be the new HSS Strat (the American Performer I think) that has the double tap humbucker in it. When you push down the S-1 switch, it is supposed to sound more like a single coil than a standard split because the second coil partially tapped is included in the signal.
I remember trying to look for comparisons and being pretty disappointed with the results, despite both the guitar and the aftermarket pickup being available for almost a year now.
I' m pleasantly surprised how good the bridge humbucker sounds on this strat, the sound Is obviously rounder and fatter than the single coil but still chimy!!! Cheers Johan!
Thanks Vincenzo! Cheers!
Yeah the player series humbucker is quite good.
@@emzee1148 i changed mine on trial to a Wilkinson overwound humbucker and i was impressed by the difference between the Fender Player and the Wilkinson overwound, i didn't expect that. Love the Wilkinsons sound!
I have the humbucker version players series in Capri orange. Love how the tone control on the bridge humbucker just rolls the highs off.
Wow you just saved me from a massive regret. I was going for the HSS configuration but this video proves that we don't need to mess with the classic SSS. And of course I am gonna get the BCR!
I thought I'd prefer the humbucker better, but I think I'll go for a SSS configuration next time.
I think using the tone knob for the bridge single coil could give you a humbucker tone with more tone variations.
yep, you can cut hi frequencies with tone knob, but you can't add some to the hum... I Think i'd go for a SSS too...
That's my go-to trick for tele bridge pickups. Roll it back, and you've got a very similar tone to a humbucker.
The single-note playing sounded nice with the single coils.
I would acttually have been more interested in a comparison of bridge single vs humbucker crunch/overdrive sound into a classic Marshall rig
Me too...thats what H.B.s are for...
@@chopperking007 To be fair, those videos are fairly common to find, and this one I found specifically when wondering how the cleans would be affected
Agree, theres not many strat humbucker vs single videos on youtube
The masochist in me wants this to be a test of the neck pickup only.
LOL!
Some genius would swear there's a difference in the tone...
@Me you and the Animal These people sound delusional to the point that they should be institutionalized tbh
@Me you and the Animal :D if we are 'going there ' then .. Theoretically.. a bridge 'bucker would affect the neck pickup less than a neck pickup (SC, HB or none) might affect the bridge pickup. yah .. theoretically... ;)
Me .. I favour getting another cold beer, turning up until it sounds great and rockin' out. \m/
Hahaha! Im not that cruel
I've tried SSS and HSS. And I bought HSS. They sound the same or almost the same in most position I want to play clean. Humbucker also is great for riffs and hi gain solos. I've tried and it sounds much more massive than single.
This is the best comparison showing the difference. Thank you! Some higher-end amps can brighten the humbucker if needed (SLO-100 for example) or alnico-5 humbuckers are brighter.
After 30+ years of playing strats and never being 100% happy with the bridge pickup, I finally found one I like, a split super distortion!
Best comparison video hands down. Really shows the difference between them, where other videos ive seen have somehow made them sound barely any different. Inspired clean playing instead of just playing some open chords and running to distortion as fast as possible lol.
Thanks Johan for a great demo. I prefer comparisons like these with no pedals! I like the single coil in the bridge over the bucker. However I love my humbuckers in my Les Paul. Cheers!
Thanks, glad to hear it, Cheers!
Excellent comparison. I'm a total guitar newbie and this really helped me to understand the difference.
Thanks! Great to hear that!
I like the sound of single-coils much better in this comparsion, they're brighter and more crisp. I miss the hard metal distortion, but I guess the humbucker would kick the ass. :)
Wow. I'm surprised how much more I liked the sound of the single coil bridge pickup in every scenario.
why are u surprised? fender strat is sss that is how it always is ITS THEEEE SOUND
I’ve always wondered why anyone would bother with the bridge single coil in a strat. The humbucker can always be split if you want that thin attack. Great video
Thanks Mikel!
Is there a split coil switch on this guitar with the humbucker in the bridge ?
@@benallmark9671 Not on this one but it is a feature in some other brands.
A split humbucker won't sound the same as a single coil. In fact, unless the humbucker has a very high output (13k or higher), a bridge single coil will sound hotter than a split humbucker.
Very best comparison videos on UA-cam! Singles seems to me more like cristal clear, Humbuckers sounds a little bit muddy and linear.
Fender had to come up with something to eliminate tilting the bridge pickup. Guitar players wanted something different to play all genres of music. That's why I like HSS.
I asked Sweetwater since I have the HSS do I need a SSS and they said no because I'd never play it.
I enjoy my Generation1 Squire Bullet Strat HSS HT.
The strat sound depends on single coils.
The Humbucker sounded better to me. That said, I'd never have a Fender HSS strat, I prefer the SSS configuration. It would be great to compare these guitars in the fourth position (bridge and middle PU)
That is second position
Oh man I was actually debating a few months ago on the same color and series type. I wasn't sure if I wanted Humbucker on a strat. But now we have this video! Nice.
Glad to hear it! Which one did you like best?
My ears say single coil.
going off on a tangent here...
But I've had a cheap fender starcaster for so long when I went to try out those player series the neck felt way too small! haha
I got this Strat and the neck felt really small to me too, but I like it.
The single coil bridge pickup sounds a bit too trebly when playing sustained chords, but it really adds to the mojo when you’re playing something bluesy.
Tone knob is your friend. Don't forget it.
Really interesting comparison. Initially I preferred the humbucker but as your demo progressed the sparkle of the single-coil really shone through. Plus with 2 other pickups in a strat you have warmer tones if you need them. Great demo as always!
"All right. Let's go."
For strumming things i prefer the single coil one, but for playing single note or fingerstyle or solo-ing maybe the humbucker version is a good choice for me. the single coil one actually pretty good tho, but when you doing some fingerstyle it'll sound very trebly that i think it's not as good as the humbucker version
same. that is why i chose the hss strat. it is more versatile than the sss.
I have a HSS Strat Pro, That I'm Absolutely in love with! So versatile and usable! Thanks for sharing brother, Be Well Johan and All!
Thanks brother! Cheers!
I think that both pickups have the same output, but splitting a humbucker will have a volume drop since that’s not the same thing as using a true single coil; the tones are different too because of the way they’re wound.
Nothing like a single coil pickup. I recently bought 2 Gibsons both with Humbuckers obv.. They sound great for heavy stuff.. lots of overdrive, distortion. But the clean tones sound wayy better on my Strats and Tele's. I've found that you don't need the expensive single coils to sound good either.. I don't care for the ultra cheapies ... But get yourself some good mid level pickups like Tex-Mex or Vintage 50's - 60's and you're set.
Thanks for the comparison, IMHO the SC sounds bright and thin, The HB sounds muddy. I wonder how they would compare overdriven. To my ear, it's the neck position on a Strat that really shines clean or dirty. Thanks again, keep up the great work and stay safe!
To me the Strats bridge single coil is too harsh in treble, so i bought a HSS and i looove it! Makes the Strat more versatile.
I changed the stock Fender humbucker to a more powerful Wilkinson M series overwound humbucker, sounds great in the Strat! Perfect for Rock Leads & Rhythm! And still sounds like a Strat. 👍🏻
I love single coils. Nice bright and jangly. I had a humbucker on my strat but changed it to a single coil and I’ve never looked back ❤️
Was considering buying a humbucker strat, no longer! Thanks for the video.
Wait why?I'm new to this and thought the humbucker sounded good...
@@Randomperson-ke7xh It does sound good! But it loses a bit of that characteristic strat sound which is what I was looking for. Especially since I already have a PRS with humbuckers I just wanted a normal single coil strat.
@@PlenumGaming ahhh okey I see.Thank you
Yet another reason to own AT LEAST 2 Strats! LOL! God bless and rock on Johan!
Thanks J, Cheers!
Hi, Johan!
I am not so much experienced in humbucker on Strats, I can get the right sound with single and noise-gate, but the sound is awesome. Once I had an active powerhouse Strat - something like humbucker too. But I sold it for another vintage. HAVE A NICE WEEKEND! C.U.
Zigfrid
Have a nice weekend Zigfrid!
Zigfrid, a friendly recommendation: try a dual single in series. It’s not hum canceling but gives the feel and power of a humbucker while retaining some of the top end of the eq you get with single coils. Rio grande and a lot of other small companies make them. Cheers 👍
@@nixoni.bogaine155 Thank you very much! I will try!!!:-)
I prefer the single coil, but I can hear the value of a humbucker in certain situations. On the whole, though, I'd prefer to get the thicker tone and increased gain by using some kind of clean midboost.
Strangely I've been expecting to enjoy the SSS much more than I really did here. Each time Johan played the single, I had a feeling there was something missing, except for the (for my ears) excessive treble. But when he switched to the HB guitar, it was like putting off a blanket and finally giving the sound enough power. Maybe Johan was just born to play humbuckers :-) On the other hand on my own strat, I'm seriously considering changing the HB for a P90 to get closer to that single coil sound, splittimg the PU doesn't do the job sufficiently for me.
Alan St.
I’ve always preferred switching a bucker into parallel mode rather than just splitting it -Perhaps you should give that a try…?
A huge part of the tonal difference is because of the amount of inductance and resistance. Wire those humbucker coils in parallel and you'll drop the inductance in half and the resistance will be one quarter. This will result in significantly more high end and the tonal differences will be reduced.
I think I'm gonna change my humbucker Strat back into a regular one. I'll admit that I changed it mostly because it made my guitar look like a cool 70s Franken-Strat with a white pickguard and black DiMarzio pickups.
My first new guitar was an HSS Strat because everyone said it was the most versatile ... but I ended up hating the humbucker in it. Later I learned the reason is that humbuckers really need a 500k volume pot to sound right and when you do that the neck and middle single coils are too harsh. I eventually converted the HSS into classic SSS and was much more happy with the guitar. Until I stumbled into an Armstrong Blender mod (stock SSS blends into HSH) that even with the darker humbucker series options the ability to blend makes it workable.
Pretty sure these Fender Humbuckers have the right pots
For me a strat is a Strat with singles all the way... that's it...
Nobody does a "just" comparison. I'd just want to listen to it during my things and that's it. Thanks!
I'm actually surprised how much of a difference I can hear. Sometimes based on what he plays I prefer the HSS but other times I prefer the SSS. ☹
you always have the guitar video I'm looking for!!
Thanks, glad to hear that!
I thought when I got my Tele that was gonna be me but now I kinda want a Strat. I think I'll get one with humbucker in the bridge.
I will be receiving the humbucker model this week along with Engl Powerball pedal. Should sound really nice.
Very very good demostration,I'm going with the single coil.
Thanks man now I know that I want a humbucker great comparison
:) I would choose the SSS version for a more authentic sound and image ..... and later if I wanted a heavier sound, I think it would be easier to replace the single coil on the bridge with a Single-Coil Sized Humbucker so that in this way not spoil the appearance of the guitar ! Τhanks for the video !!! very good presentation !!!
A similar compare with the humbucker tapped/splitted to sound as a single coil... and of course the famous position 2 (bridge + middle). I’d love to hear that :)
We actually did that in this video
ua-cam.com/video/IlDZyfJxQpM/v-deo.html
Both sound great but I prefer humbucker, simply because it sounds deeper
thats what the neck pickup is for
I have just bought me one of these Player strats in white.
Absolutly love this guitar and the stock coils are also pretty damn good.
Nice video as always :)
Thanks! Glad to hear it
My preferences are:
Singlecoils are the best for clean or maybe even lightly distorted music and terrible for medium and high gain.
Humbuckers - traditional sized, P90 sized, and single coil sized, are best for high gain.
(P90 Singlecoils are good clean and with medium gain but terrible with high gain distortion/with fuzz they’re pretty decent.)
If I played clean I’d just use Fender Jaguar or strat and Gibson P90 pickups. They sound great to me.
It’s not only about noise (50/60hz &c.) but the overall qualities such as thickness and depth which are brought forth by humbuckers. However, for cleans a single coil really cannot be beat for clarity and definition and while they are thinner sounding you can adjust the amp for that.
Overall, if I had to choose between the two examples here I’d take the stock sss Stratocaster. Why? 3:13 vs 3:25
The more I listen to different guitar configuration's the more important the amplifier is, rather than the actual guitar.
True
Agree its like the myth of tonewood sales pitch snake oil bull crap.
Would have liked to see the number 2 position added.
almost perfect, i kept waiting for some gainoverdrive
I gotta say I liked the single coil a little better. I have to wonder how a demo would sound comparing a P90 and mini humbucker as well.
Hi Johan. Beautiful video, those clean riffs always make me dream, and feel nostalgic. Think I'm elsewhere, maybe in a 70s Zeppelin recording session, but mainly away from Covid-19!!!!
Regarding the pickups I much prefer the humbucker it´s full and warm. In contrast the single coil is too shrill. Maybe the Fender amp is the "culprit", I don't know. Have a nice weekend and keep safe. Cheers.
Thanks my friend, Cheers!
Good job!
The single coil you played was very bright. But you have a tone knob, what would happen if you crank up the bass a bit...
The humbucker had a fuller sound, and seemed to demonstrat a wider range. But was no were near as bright as the single coil. Once again tone adjustment?
I am a knob turner myself.
Enjoyed the demo.
I have an HSS Fender Strat, when i play clean y prefer the single coil and when i play with Overdrive Distortion i play with the humbucker.
Dude, you're the best. Thank you SO much for this comparison. This vid helped me more than any others I've watched. ✌️🙏😬
Of course the regular strat sounds like a strat, but the humbucker model has like a weird
beefier sound to it. Between the two of them, the humbucker guitar loses a bit of attack
while the other one keeps it.
Single coils will always have a faster attack; humbuckers deliver a broader tone
What a great comparison! Thank you so much!
If you can have both, good!
Nonetheless, each one has is own caracter.
I definitely prefer the twang of the single coils better.
My impression is that the SSS better reflects the true Fender sound and spirit. The tones that HSS allegedly adds can probably be achieved with pedals and amplifier settings, but that original flavor will seem to be missing.
To my ears it sounds like the humbucker gives the unwound strings a better sound with more weight, but the wound strings sound muddy. The exact opposite is happening with the single coil. The single gives clarity to the wound strings but the unwound strings sound kind of thin, but with more chime.
Very good video!!!! Thanks!!!! I go with single coil.🎸🎸🎸🎸
When combining the humbucker with single coils, it helps to have a split 500k/250k volume pot, like they do with the Shawbucker v-mod in the Professional series. The humbucker will sound brighter.
I was wondering why that humbucker sounded so terribly dull but I guess this is the reason. The Fender site states the bridge pick-up also has a tone control, so that's one more pot in parallel to the volume. If they are both 500K, it makes 250, if they are 250K, it's down to 125.
The humbucker surprised me... they will say its the more versatile setup, but it sounded muffled and muddy. It would get drowned out by the bass in a mix. The opposite of what you want in a bridge pickup. The single coil sounds like the kind of mids and highs you would expect when you flip the 5 way switch to the bridge position.
I have a 1978 Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in the bridge and a Floyd Rose system, I used to regret the mods but that particular guitar sounds great. You can really hear the difference with the two bridge pickups naturally on these two guitars, I'm not sure what pickup is in the player series, the Seymour in mine is quite a bit brighter than this Fender humbucker. Great demo like always, Johan, stay safe and have a good weekend.
Thanks my friend, you too!
The exact demo I was looking for! Thanks!
Two questions:
1) does that HB allow the push/pull split?
2) is there any significant difference in the noise amount of these single coils and the standard mim ones??
I think the player strats come with the Super Switch that splits the humbucker on the 2nd position
I think it depends on what type of music you want to play, for me I usually play rock or pop punk and I use my Epiphone Les Paul Junior more than my Squier Strat, now for clean sort of lofi tones or a backup electric for an acoustic song, I think single coils work better for that, it also depends on how you set up your amp and the pedals, music is however you want it to sound
That Distinct Single coil chimey sound. I love it
humbucker takes off that bright bright staring into the sun tone of the regular strat.. each his own.
Awesome!! I like more Humbucker..
Thanks that was the comparison I wanted to hear!
What Brand humbuckers are those?
I thought that I was gonna prefer the HSS over the SSS before watching this video. But I actually really love the SSS version because of the clarity of them. Thank you!
Thought it was just me
No it's the guitar...
Different pickup-switch positions and some distortion, effects next?
I think that Sg Junior in the background is itching for a demo! More on topic, I am not a fan of of the humbuckers at all in the strat. It takes away that midrange presence that makes a strat sound like a strat. Excellent demo again Johan. I love the precision and care you clearly put into them. Thanks for helping to make social distancing a little more bearable. Hopefully we will be playing in front of real audiences again soon.
Thanks man, I’m glad to hear that!
I still don't know which tone I like better but it gives me something to think about. This is a good video.
May I ask a question? Is it normal for the humbucker pickup on Strat to wiggle a little bit left and right? Thanks!
@Morgan Smith Thanks for replying!
Single coil for the win!! Most diverse pickup ever made imo
Solution: Buy a HSS and install a coil split switch. Then you get both 👍
I'm having a hard time deciding whether to get a guitar with single coil, or with HSS. Would the tone of the HSS really sound like a single coil with the coil split switch? that is brighter? and then when I switch it back, it would get the more 'muffled' sound with more low end? I didn't know which was which in the video because he didn't say. but I'm assuming that the single coil sound is the brighter sound due to comments and what I'm hearing. I'm realizing that the single coil guitar I'm looking at can't be switched to humbucker obviously. If I get the single coil could I get something similar to hss with EQ and/or the tone knob on the guitar?
I’m definitely more to humbucker as bridge pickup and two single coils for the middle and neck👌🏻
I've always wanted only a bridge humbucker and neck single. But the wiring would be.. Single bridge Series-Parallel bridge then the humbucking pair from bridge and neck. Then neck single.
Closest thing is being able to series the bridge and middle in a lead circuit bypass and that's SSS anyhow
But which one is the humbucker? or the single coil? Because the humbucker isn't pointed out in the video I'm not 100% sure which one it is. I notice one sounds a little brighter, more crisp, and the other sounds like the high's are turned down a bit, or like a blanket is over the speaker etc. People here are claiming the one that has less highs is the humbucker.
Can someone PLEASE do a demonstration with an HSS Strat vs a SSS Strat with a SD Hotrail pickup in the bridge?????
Finally a video with less bla bla than actual playing. Well done 👍
First tone knob is for the bridge pickup on this model. I think you forgot to put one on 10.
To my ear the single coil sounds Best ✌️ Rock on Johan
Cheers Tim!