![3 single coil vs humbucker 3 single coil vs humbucker](https://bothners.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/FI_Pickups.jpg)
Coil SplittingĪnother example of how using single-coil-sized humbuckers can increase the versatility of your guitar is the possibility of coil splitting. This is why they’re often preferred by fast-playing metal guitarists and those who like to shred – they minimize the prominence of note transitions and therefore smoothen out the sound. In addition to their darker tone, single-coil-sized humbuckers also reduce the articulation slightly. Having these tonal qualities at your disposal can be very useful if you find that your guitar sounds a little thin when you’re playing chords or riffs in the lower registers. These smaller humbuckers tend to sound darker, fatter, and more full-bodied. When you use a single-coil-sized humbucker on a guitar, it completely transforms its tone-producing capabilities.
![3 single coil vs humbucker 3 single coil vs humbucker](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fCKM7v1F0S8/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Fender Tele and Strat are prime examples of this, with high-output single-coils most commonly installed on these guitars. Many classic electric guitars are associated with their default pickups when it comes to the tone they produce. You might find this useful if you often need to add more gain and crunch to your solos, which could be achieved by simply flicking to the bridge on your pickup selector. If your guitar currently has an SSS configuration (three single coils), you can swap one or more of these for a humbucker that is the same size.įor example, if you swapped out the bridge pickup to be a single-coil-sized humbucker, you’d be using an HSS configuration. Using a single coil-sized humbucker allows you to tailor this configuration to your liking, which in turn allows you to be more deliberate with the tone you create. Strats and similar guitars use a three-pickup configuration. Thankfully, it is possible to enjoy thick humbucker tones by using pickups with a modified size.
![3 single coil vs humbucker 3 single coil vs humbucker](https://www.happynewguitarday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/humbucker-vs-single-coil.png)
#3 single coil vs humbucker install
If you own a guitar like the Fender Stratocaster, you might have been under the impression that the only pickups you can install are single coils.