The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: Single coils or humbuckers

Voters
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  • Single coils of the Gibson variety: P90s, CC etc.

    47 39.50%
  • Single coils of the Fender variety: Tele, Strat etc.

    32 26.89%
  • Full Size Humbuckers

    65 54.62%
  • Mini Humbuckers

    6 5.04%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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  1. #51

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    AND...Tele single coils

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  3. #52

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    Yeah, Gibson-style hum-buckers became a little too "standard" for me, I've gone Gretsch with Filtertrons, real personality and lots of versatility as well. Wish I had done it years ago. It's the only guitar I've ever played that competes favorably with my L5/D'Armond rig of 45 years ago, and I could never play that in an organ trio or with a loud drummer. My 5420 is like a comfy 175 with zing. It's also black with gold hardware (Bigsby included), a rather elegant presentation, and has reinvigorated my playing. Turns out my bandmates and fans love it, which is a very nice plus.

  4. #53

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    I am in the both camp as well…

    On my archtops, all have Kent Armstrong hand wound pickups but three different kinds. My Buscarino has a lower wind blade pole piece floater that he designs for John. It is clear but warm. It accommodates wider string spacing than fixed pole piece designs. My Comins has a 12 pole piece floater that he made for Bill. It is also clear, but warm. Adjusting the pole piece height influences its timbre. My Trenier has a KA six pole piece single coil floater that his slightly clearer than my humbuckers, a touch more harmonic complexity and is fairly quiet.

    For electric guitars again I like both. On my Tele I really like Jason Lollar’s Charlie Christian pickups. A bit more body than a Fender style single coil, but still maintaining the clarity that many love. They have some background hum, but it is manageable. On my Semihollowbody, I again have Lollars. I like Jason’s low-wind Imperials which are clearer sounding (particularly the neck PU) but have warmth. They also can drive my tube amp a bit harder when I want overdrive.
    Last edited by iim7V7IM7; 08-13-2021 at 10:39 AM.

  5. #54

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    I see a lot of people branching out. Even PMs new signature prototype as a CC (single coil) neck pickup. For me I'll never change from a full sized humbucker slamed as close to the 22nd fret as possible. I'd rather play with pedals than experiment with pickups, but I'm sure I'm not the average demographic on this forum.

  6. #55

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    I am really digging the sound I get from my Wilde L280S neck pickup (humbucker in a Strat pickup footprint). Outstanding fatness, punch, a hint of thunk and no glassiness. I hate having the glassy Strat tone- I like Rory Gallagher's tone more that Mark Knopfler's, ya know, even though they're both playing Strats. "A Million Miles Away" on the "Irish Tour '74" album is to me the ultimate blues-rock tone, and when he cleans it up it is so tasty. Although I sure do like those Dire Straits records...

  7. #56

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    For jazz: P90s, but not Gibson's too hot current version. Or PAF-style humbuckers.
    For everything else I play: Fender Jazzmaster pickups, followed by Gretsch Filtertrons.

  8. #57

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    I like the little bit of extra clarity and punch from P90s.

    Although lately I have encountered live situations with P90s that made me appreciate the hum-free operation of humbuckers! (But I now also have an EHX Hum Debugger pedal in my gig bag for those situations.)

  9. #58

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    I appreciate that all or most respondents to this poll will be in the "all of the above" category. However, the more interesting interpretation of the exercise is to choose which pickup one might choose on a deserted island in which you could only have one pickup (the island is inexplicably electrified).

  10. #59

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    The poll didn't include DeArmond Dynasonic pickups which would be my choice for an archtop. They work well for many types of music.

  11. #60

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    When other people play, I often love single coils.

    But, when I use them, I end up feeling like my single note sound is a little thin. I like single coils for comping, though.

  12. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by Klatu
    I appreciate that all or most respondents to this poll will be in the "all of the above" category. However, the more interesting interpretation of the exercise is to choose which pickup one might choose on a deserted island in which you could only have one pickup (the island is inexplicably electrified).
    Single coil, because I am sure I can find a spot without interference on a deserted island