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Post subject: Single-coils are bad for metal?
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:02 pm
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Says who? Even on my Strat's bridge pup or the Melody Maker alone it still sounds very rich for just about anything, even metal. Why do people say single-coils are bad for metal? Is it the hum? This is something I've always wondered about, 'cause I always thought even soapbars made metal sound twice as good. :?


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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:18 pm
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Who are these people who say single coils are bad for metal? Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie would beg to differ.

Back in the day Kirk Hammet of Metallica's Rhoads V had the EMGs that were single coils in a humbucker housing...
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Kirk Hammett back in the Day with a Fernandes Strat:
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Tony Iommi's main gutar was a Strat until it died in the studio during the recording of the first album, then he had to use his backup SG, but the first Sabbath album was written on a Strat most likely.

Its the player that makes the guitar metal, not the guitar that makes the player metal, but most people think its that way...

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:37 am
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I've been a major metal player in the 80's, and a strat player for the most part after that.

Yeah, in general, single coils suck for what most people consider, loud, high-gain metal music. Why? They don't have the thicker, non-noisy, ballsy sound most metal guitar music is known for.

CAN you use them? Sure, absolutely. Will you get a thicker, non-noisy humbucker sound with those singles cranked with a ton of high-gain? Absolutely not. You "COULD" use an acoustic, technically, but...

I don't consider Black Sabbath metal. They're an older, rock band that might have started the genre, but their tone was very old-school rock that could easily be played on a strat. Their guitar sound is VERY different that what I would consider an 80's metal, or a more modern death metal sound, and the guitars used for each would be very different.

Just my opinion.


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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:39 am
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way more attack out of singlecoils fast eddie clarke used em too. I always boosted my low mids for metal and punk with my strat.

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:42 am
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They are great if you don't want to sound like every other detuned, hyper distorted, chunkmeister out there. They cut right through the fog and get you noticed. :D

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:16 pm
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They aren't as good as if another guitar would have active EMG's or Seymour Duncan pickups.

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:18 pm
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Duncans ROCK!
The Quarter Pounders in my Tele keep up with humbuckers no problem.

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:18 pm
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bowlfreshener wrote:
Who are these people who say single coils are bad for metal? Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie would beg to differ.

Back in the day Kirk Hammet of Metallica's Rhoads V had the EMGs that were single coils in a humbucker housing...
Image
Kirk Hammett back in the Day with a Fernandes Strat:
Image
Image

Tony Iommi's main gutar was a Strat until it died in the studio during the recording of the first album, then he had to use his backup SG, but the first Sabbath album was written on a Strat most likely.

Its the player that makes the guitar metal, not the guitar that makes the player metal, but most people think its that way...


By the way, Yngwie Malmsteen does not play metal, he plays neoclassical.... :roll:

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:47 pm
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I play Metal/Thrash through my Fender SSS HWY 1 and have no proplems getting the crunch I want. I also play through Boss pedals and a Crate amp. I have the neighbor kids wanting to know what my secret is, they want their guitars to soun like this. One plays through a BC Rich Warlock HH and the other plays through a Epiphone SG.

My other guitar has a HH configuration and it sounds weaker than my Fender. I guess it depends on the guts of the guitar and the equipment you play through. I get absolutly no feedback unless I am too close to the amp. I was thinking if I get this kind of sound through my Fender SSS, what would happen if I did put a Humbucker (Dimarzio or Seymore Duncan) to my sound. Would it have too much crunch? :shock:

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:55 pm
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rkreisher wrote:
I play Metal/Thrash through my Fender SSS HWY 1 and have no proplems getting the crunch I want. I also play through Boss pedals and a Crate amp. I have the neighbor kids wanting to know what my secret is, they want their guitars to soun like this. One plays through a BC Rich Warlock HH and the other plays through a Epiphone SG.

My other guitar has a HH configuration and it sounds weaker than my Fender. I guess it depends on the guts of the guitar and the equipment you play through. I get absolutly no feedback unless I am too close to the amp. I was thinking if I get this kind of sound through my Fender SSS, what would happen if I did put a Humbucker (Dimarzio or Seymore Duncan) to my sound. Would it have too much crunch? :shock:


No. You would just get a better tone and sound.... :roll: :D

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:59 pm
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You can do what pleases you but most people who play with heavy distortion migrate toward guitars with humbuckers.

Each pickup has a characteristic frequency response curve. That means that some frequencies are passed preferentially. In general, single coil pickups have a pronounced frequency spike somewhere around 5-7 kilohertz. That's why they sound chimey and jangley. It's the high frequencies.

In contrast, humbuckers have a much flatter frequency curve. There can be a bit of a spike around 4-5 Kilohertz, but it is not as high as a single coil's. But throughout the rest of the frequency range, the response is generally better than a single coil's.

Since a humbucker passes more frequencies better than a single coil, and the response is flatter, you're hearing more signal, especially at the low end. It sounds "fat." That fat sound sounds good clean, but it also makes a better foundation for distortion.


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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:02 pm
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mthorn00 wrote:
Duncans ROCK!
The Quarter Pounders in my Tele keep up with humbuckers no problem.


Very strong single coils, especially the bridge.


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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:10 pm
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EddieVanHelen wrote:
By the way, Yngwie Malmsteen does not play metal, he plays neoclassical.... :roll:


By the way, its known to most people as neoclassical metal :roll:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-classical_metal

Here's what the term "neoclassical" refers to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical

Whats the 3rd term under music on the neoclassical page? :P
Out of those terms under Music, you could only classify Yngwie as either neoclassical METAL, or perhaps that he was part of the neoclassicism musical movement of the 80s...

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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:11 pm
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With all the ridiculous "sub genres" within metal these days, I won't be surprised if we soon have the "surf death neoclassic nu-county metal" movement.

Just plug in turn up and play the fugger!

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Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:54 pm
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I've heard this argument also that Strats don't work very good for metal. It's rubbish. The Stratocaster is the most versatile guitar there is. It's just that most metal players like that thick, chunky sound that full size humbuckers give you.

But these full size humbuckers are very one-dimensional pickups. Sure they excel at giving you that thick sound. But they don't clean up that well. And they are so high-gain that your guitar is constantly feeding back when you turn the volume on. And forget about sweep picking on them.

I've been playing my Les Paul for the last year. It's great for that creamy tone but don't ask it to anything else. The Strat is capable of more tones I feel.

Yngwie is the man...


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