Making Single-Coil Sound Like Humbucker

thegummy

Following on from my recent interest in HH Strats, I had a thought wondering how much it would be possible to get a normal SSS Strat to sound like a HH Strat.

What tips and tricks would you all suggest for this?

I turned the tone a good way off on the bridge pickup, into a compressor with a shitload of compression on it and turned the mid knob right up on the amp.

Surprised that I could even get this close to humbuckery sound. Not actually compared it to a humbucker, just feels/sounds more like I'm playing one than usual.

What would you do to get even closer?

ICBM

A graphic EQ pedal, if you use it to boost the lows/mids and cut the top end, and boost overall level.

You can also rewire the guitar to put the middle pickup in series with the bridge and neck - it's not exactly like humbuckers, but similar, and also hum-cancelling if the middle pickup is RWRP.

flying_pie

How about just turning your Strat into a HSS?  arguably strat neck pickups are better than a neck humbucker and a humbucker bridge is much better than the thin bridge pickup.

noisepolluter

On my strat and tele I have tapped bridge pickups - on full output they sound noticeably fatter (and a bit louder) - combine this with rolling off the tone control and other tricks it’s a reasonable nod in the direction of a humbucker sound.

goldtop

EMG SPC control as the second Tone pot. Definitely works.

Bit invasive for some, so ICBM's EQ pedal is the obvious solution.

JezWynd

Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster
https://www.gak.co.uk/en/seymour-duncan-sfx-01-pick-up-booster/6246?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkaHF1MGC2gIV7ZPtCh3nxA1mEAQYASABEgJRy_D_BwE

Phil_aka_Pip

as per @flying_pie ; ... install a humbucker, or get a HB-equipped guitar.

thegummy

ICBM said:

A graphic EQ pedal, if you use it to boost the lows/mids and cut the top end, and boost overall level.

You can also rewire the guitar to put the middle pickup in series with the bridge and neck - it's not exactly like humbuckers, but similar, and also hum-cancelling if the middle pickup is RWRP.

Nice one. I've used parametric EQs for mixing recordings many times but never used a graphic EQ for guitar tone shaping.

Could you give me a very rough idea of a starting point if the bands were 80, 160, 320, 640, 1.2k, 2.6k & 5.1k?

I would imagine 80 would be too low to boost but maybe that's completely wrong.

GoldenEraGuitars

I roll the tone on the guitar back to 7.

Sorted.

thegummy

flying_pie said:

How about just turning your Strat into a HSS?  arguably strat neck pickups are better than a neck humbucker and a humbucker bridge is much better than the thin bridge pickup.

I will almost definitely still go for a separate HH guitar so it's not really that I'm wanting a practical compromise; the thread is for curiosity and fascination with guitar tone as much as anything.

I actually did try an HSS quite recently and even came up with a mildly complicated wiring setup to avoid the humbucker using 250k pots (with the help of people from here including ICBM, incidentally). Ultimately I like having the SSS Strat and like humbuckers in addition to that

tralfamadan

Ditto on the EQ pedal. If you want the compression of a humbucker when overdriven then I guess you already have your compressor. Maybe throw a boost pedal in there somewhere? 

Mind you, stock Strat humbuckers always tend to be pretty low output anyway.

thegummy

goldtop said:

EMG SPC control as the second Tone pot. Definitely works.

Bit invasive for some, so ICBM's EQ pedal is the obvious solution.

At first glance when I Googled it I was thinking "I am trying that now!" but then I noticed the battery connector so, as you say, it would be invasive having to route out a compartment for it.

Do you know what it does under the hood? Does it do something special to the magnetic field or just affect the signal after it's picked up, i.e. could be done with a pedal potentially?

poopot

thegummy said:

Following on from my recent interest in HH Strats, I had a thought wondering how much it would be possible to get a normal SSS Strat to sound like a HH Strat.

What tips and tricks would you all suggest for this?

I turned the tone a good way off on the bridge pickup, into a compressor with a shitload of compression on it and turned the mid knob right up on the amp.

Surprised that I could even get this close to humbuckery sound. Not actually compared it to a humbucker, just feels/sounds more like I'm playing one than usual.

What would you do to get even closer?

Try this... second tone blends the middle pup with either bridge or neck... easy to do and reversible if you don’t like it... all mine are wired up this way.

Phil_aka_Pip

@poopot My Strat is wired like that, done at Chandler Guitars back in the 1990s. Lots of usable sounds. I never knew that this wiring was his design though

Kebabkid

Add baseplates to the pickups and add something like an EP Boost or Graphic pedal

poopot

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@poopot My Strat is wired like that, done at Chandler Guitars back in the 1990s. Lots of usable sounds. I never knew that this wiring was his design though

Apparently so!!! Nice and easy to do as well... sounds like humbuckers to boot!!!!

ICBM

thegummy said:

Nice one. I've used parametric EQs for mixing recordings many times but never used a graphic EQ for guitar tone shaping.

Could you give me a very rough idea of a starting point if the bands were 80, 160, 320, 640, 1.2k, 2.6k & 5.1k?

I would imagine 80 would be too low to boost but maybe that's completely wrong.

80 is probably too low - single coils actually have a lot of deep bottom-end, sometimes even more than humbuckers.

At a guess a gentle slope up from the 160 to 1.2 k, 2.6 back in the middle and the 5.k cut, with a small overall level boost, would be about right, but just go by ear. If it sounds right it is right.

goldtop

thegummy said:

goldtop said:

EMG SPC control as the second Tone pot. Definitely works.

Bit invasive for some, so ICBM's EQ pedal is the obvious solution.

At first glance when I Googled it I was thinking "I am trying that now!" but then I noticed the battery connector so, as you say, it would be invasive having to route out a compartment for it.

Do you know what it does under the hood? Does it do something special to the magnetic field or just affect the signal after it's picked up, i.e. could be done with a pedal potentially?

It's just EQ, so can be done with a pedal.

At the risk of complicating your decision making, a nice parametric EQ pedal will be a lot easier to dial in precisely than a graphic with 5 or 7 bands.

thegummy

goldtop said:

thegummy said:

goldtop said:

EMG SPC control as the second Tone pot. Definitely works.

Bit invasive for some, so ICBM's EQ pedal is the obvious solution.

At first glance when I Googled it I was thinking "I am trying that now!" but then I noticed the battery connector so, as you say, it would be invasive having to route out a compartment for it.

Do you know what it does under the hood? Does it do something special to the magnetic field or just affect the signal after it's picked up, i.e. could be done with a pedal potentially?

It's just EQ, so can be done with a pedal.

At the risk of complicating your decision making, a nice parametric EQ pedal will be a lot easier to dial in precisely than a graphic with 5 or 7 bands.

Been playing around with this idea again tonight, using parametric EQs as you suggested.

I'm actually shocked at how close to the sound of my LP I've got my SSS Strat. I even recorded the same few riffs with both and listened back and there is so little difference I'm genuinely amazed.

I've got a compressor, a parametric boost at 1K and a high shelf cut at 5K. Also using a clean boost.

Obviously the hum is a massive difference and the tone itself isn't identical but I had previously thought it wasn't possible to get this close on a single coil.

sweepy

Fit an S1 System, neat and very effective 

thegummy

sweepy said:

Fit an S1 System, neat and very effective 

I've got an S1 switch as a bridge-on.

What would you suggest using it for, series wiring in positions 2 and 4?