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I have an Ashton AG140 (H/S/S strat shaped thing)
and I was looking for getting new pickups I was wondering which humbucker would sound like a single coil split

To be honest, none of them really do a great job of it. What kind of sound do you want from the humbucker?

well if possible i would like to sort of have a hi gain lead sound (very 80's style) but it doesn't need to be able to fit with the single coild (which i want to be very bvintage sounding?
Is there any humbucker sized single coils then (other than fat cats)

I have looked at the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell (which is supposed to be single coil sounding when in humbucker mode) and the Jag Stag (which is supposed to be strat like when split)


Originally Posted by James RockI have looked at the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell (which is supposed to be single coil sounding when in humbucker mode) and the Jag Stag (which is supposed to be strat like when split)

Do you mean Stag Mag?

Actually I was going to recomend that one. I think in full mode has a pretty decent tone for 80's rock. It's quite trebly with a vintage output, when overdriven has a very sharp tone, not as warm as a standard humbucker, which it's nice to cut throught the mix. Cleans in full mode are decent but nothing compared to split mode which it's very sharp and detailed. In slipt mode compared to a standard strat pickup has a bit less treble and bass and a more defined midrange.

At this moment I am ussing it as a single coil under a humbucker nickel cover.


Originally Posted by James RockI have an Ashton AG140 (H/S/S strat shaped thing)
and I was looking for getting new pickups I was wondering which humbucker would sound like a single coil split

THe JB is very close to a quot;classicquot; single Coil tone when split, IMO the best split tone of any Duncan humbucker..... The Stag-Mag is supposed to sound like a Humbucker with a dose of quot;Snap when full on, and like a Vintage Single coil when split, but I´ve never tried that one (I probably should..)

That would make the JB/Stag Mag a great combo for what you´re looking for... Great single coil tones in both positions, perfect 80s metal( And a boatload more) at the bridge, and a cool hybrid tone at the neck....

Damn, I think I just sold MYSELF that set :


Originally Posted by Benjy_26To be honest, none of them really do a great job of it.

I'm sorry Benjy, but I have to disagree just a bit here. The aforementioned Stag Mag does a good job split, but my neck Distortion does even better. I can't get over how good this thing sounds split. I don't think I would go so far as to call it quot;vintagequot; single-coil tone, but it does have enough of the quot;chimequot; and quot;janglequot; to be the guitar I end up grabbing more than not.

I love it.

Artie

Edit: I think I'm going to take part of that back.
I just played with the DD split to remind myself. It sounds good, but not necessarily single-coil chime. I think Benjy was right.

The Stag Mag works well split, though it's bright as a bucker so I only like it in the neck position, where it's one of my faves. Many hot buckers can do OK split - I've liked the JB in the bridge (split to the slug side) and the Dimarzio Steve's Special, and most distortions should be good.

I also like a mutt I made by putting A5 rods in place of the screws in an Ibanez/DiMarzio pickup (the original IBZUSA). It's just below a distortion class, and doing this perked up the quot;janglequot;.

I know this is a bit of course but I find that my alncio 2 pro in the neck sounds great really nice split very stratty with lots of chime and very funky. But if you want a single coil sound get a single coil guitar nothing beats it a strat for instance.


Originally Posted by ArtieTooI'm sorry Benjy, but I have to disagree just a bit here. The aforementioned Stag Mag does a good job split, but my neck Distortion does even better. I can't get over how good this thing sounds split. I don't think I would go so far as to call it quot;vintagequot; single-coil tone, but it does have enough of the quot;chimequot; and quot;janglequot; to be the guitar I end up grabbing more than not.

I love it.

Artie

Edit: I think I'm going to take part of that back.
I just played with the DD split to remind myself. It sounds good, but not necessarily single-coil chime. I think Benjy was right. Some of the 'buckers I've tried sound realy good split, good enough to make me wonder whetether or not I need to take a strat to a gig. The problem is when I play my strat (with APS-2's) back to back with any split humbucker; the split 'bucker starts to sound quot;fakequot; real fast.

The best humbuckers I've tried for splitting were the Big Bottom Twangucker set from Rio Grande and the Tallboy/Muy Grande humbuckers, also from Rio. They have an acceptble split sound (with good output, BTW), but the humbucker sounds were bright and steely. They didn't sound lke a big fat humbucker, more like a really big, fat single.


Originally Posted by Benjy_26The best humbuckers I've tried for splitting were the Big Bottom Twangucker set from Rio Grande and the Tallboy/Muy Grande humbuckers, also from Rio. They have an acceptble split sound (with good output, BTW), but the humbucker sounds were bright and steely. They didn't sound lke a big fat humbucker, more like a really big, fat single.

That sounds more than a little bit like the stag mag...

You're never going to get a true single coil tone out of a humbucker because the bridge single coil in Strats and Teles is slanted while both coils on an HSS are straight.

Never tried the Stag Mag, however, the Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell was really made for that job. In humbucker mode it really sounds like a single coil....I was pleasantly amazed when I first put it in. It's one of the coolest pickups IMO.


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunYou're never going to get a true single coil tone out of a humbucker because the bridge single coil and Strats and Teles is slanted while both coils on an HSS are straight.

True, but technically that's not a quot;single coilquot; thing, it's a placement thing. That's like saying an EVH slanted bucker isn't giving you a quot;true humbucker tonequot; because Gibsons aren't slanted. Now if you say it isn't giving you a quot;true Fender tonequot;, I'm with ya.

Plus, who's to say that a straight across single isn't BETTER because of louder, fuller, less icepicky treble strings?

i like my X2N's split

what for the neck and middle pickups (kinmans, duncan etc)??

What about the EMG 89? I have no experience with this pickup, but I read it switches from humbucker to single coil, instead of tapping? Anyone used this one?


Originally Posted by Jester700True, but technically that's not a quot;single coilquot; thing, it's a placement thing. That's like saying an EVH slanted bucker isn't giving you a quot;true humbucker tonequot; because Gibsons aren't slanted. Now if you say it isn't giving you a quot;true Fender tonequot;, I'm with ya.

That's more or less what I was saying. Strictly speaking, when you split a humbucker, you are actually running a single coil pickup, so by definition it sounds 100% like a single coil pickup because it IS a single coil pickup. So the question becomes not whether it is a single coil tone but whether is it a DESIRABLE single coil tone.

As all things pickup, this is a matter of personal taste. But on the point of desirability, most people -- and I assume the thread-starter in here is no exception -- while realizing they'll never get a true Fender tone from a humbucker no matter how you wire it, still want a Fender-like tone and you just can't get that with a single coil that isn't slanted.Originally Posted by Jester700Plus, who's to say that a straight across single isn't BETTER because of louder, fuller, less icepicky treble strings?

I assume you are referring to the slug coil -- or whichever coil is farthest from the bridge. To my ear, it just don't work (more on that below).

Again this is all about personal taste so I certainly can't say what is really quot;betterquot; for anyone else. That said, I've tried coil-splitting bridge pickups both ways -- slug coil (farthest from bridge) only vs. screw coil (closest to bridge) only -- and slug-coil-only just sounds gutless and soul-less because it has no bite, no attitude. Screw-coil-only sounds a lot better since it has all the bite you could ever want but the bass strings are just way too wimpy and mosquito-y.

So whether Leo Fender intended it or it was a happy accident, he got it right with the bridge pu slant. It gets bite from the top strings and beef on the lower strings.

BUT...the good news is there is a way to get a viable Fender-ish quot;single coilquot; tone out of a humbucker without physically slanting it. You can sort of quot;slantquot; it electronically via the Spin-A-Split mod, which allows you to dial in as much or as little of one of the coils as you want. In my opinion, this mod works best if you set it up to dial the slug coil (or, again, whichever coil is farthest from the bridge) in and out and leave the screw coil on all the time. This way you keep the bite and attitude all the time and then dial in as much or as little beef as you want.

I guarantee you that some-where between 1 and 10 on your designated Spin-A-Split pot, you will find a Fender-ish tone that you like -- in fact you'll probably find two or three different quot;sweet spotsquot;, some Fender-ish, some P90-ish, etc., especially if the humbucker in question is medium to high output.

It's a genius of a mod and it's SUPER-easy. Instead of soldering the red and white (Duncan color code)* wires to a switch, you wire it to the middle lug of whichever volume or tone pot you want to sacrifice for this mod. But even there, you can use a push/pull pot to switch the pot from a regular tone dial to spin-a-split if you don't want to give up any of your pots.

(* If you want to leave the screw coil on all the time as I do, instead of the slug coil, you will have to put the black and green together and wire them to the pot lug and the red and white become the main hot and ground.)
...

As you say, it's a matter of preference. On something like a JB, I prefer the slug coil, though I have to say that I almost always use the split bridge in combination with a middle single.

But my best results have been with bridge buckers that have A5 poles instead of screws or slugs on the inside coil. I have an SK dualtone like this and a DiMarzio-made IBZUSA where I replaced the screws myself, and both are the best bridge splitters I've used - including a Stag Mag, DiMarzio Steve's Special, JB, IBZUSA F1 and IBZUSA F2. In parallel combo with the middle, the SK sounds brighter amp; cluckier than a pal's strat, though there are many pieces to that puzzle, and this is a bright guitar.

I don't have the spin-a-split, but I do have a double barrel switching setup that allows the bridge in single or bucking, combined in parallel or series with the middle. Split series is my current fave, but it changes like I change socks... ;-)


Originally Posted by Zhangliqun(* If you want to leave the screw coil on all the time as I do, instead of the slug coil, you will have to put the black and green together and wire them to the pot lug and the red and white become the main hot and ground.)

Actually, its even easier than that. When you connect the spin-a-split to ground, you are essentially, just connecting it to the green wire. Connect it to the black wire instead. All else stays the same.