Single Coil Pickups vs. Humbucker pickups in Electric Guitars Demo Video

Humbucker vs. Single Coil pickup comparison in this Electric Guitar demonstration video. Using the Tyler Studio Elite Retro guitar, with the JTS2 Hot Laura Single Coil Pickups, and the Nash T-72 DLX, with the Fender Wide Range Dual Humbucker Pickups, we will demonstrate the tonal and practical differences between these two pickups and show the amazing sound you can achieve from each type. Many Single Coil Pickups will be a little noisy when they are played at higher amplifier volumes or played with a lighter touch. The result you get is a slight hum. The single coil is bright and present and in strat style guitars has a bell-like quality. For a thicker overall sound and to rid yourself of most background hum, then you may be interested in the humbucker pickups. Humbuckers can be used in the same style music as single coil pickups, they just give off more bass and tonal qualities. The middle and bass frequencies are different from a single coil, and that will be the first difference you recognize. If you have any questions on these two pickups and guitars, or any of the guitars we have in our boutique, contact us here at Sound Pure.

[snicker]

This guy's voice sounds like a single coil

[Taurex]

1:20 I'm sorry but that headstock has got to be the ugliest headstock I've ever seen haha

[lockpickerk]

I've watched a ton of videos and this one did the best job of not only explaining but also clearly demoing the sound differences. You can really tell the difference, thank you!

[groovydjs]

For those interested, the humbuckers used in this video are not typical sounding humbuckers. These are extended range Fender pickups used in their thinline models. Typical humbuckers will sound a lot different than these, a lot darker, bassier etc. These humbuckers have more high end and sparkle than 98% of any other humbuckers. So, take that into consideration. You will not find humbuckers on Gibson guitars that sound anything like these. Again, they will be much darker sounding.

[MunchyCrunchy]

Thanks for the demo. I'm a keyboardist/arranger who is learning to speak guitar a little, and I like learning about different pickups and the sounds they pull from the instruments.

[AmongRascals]

I find most (if not all) videos by sound pure very interesting and educational. Keep up the great work. I will shop from you as soon as opportunity arises.

[soundpurestudios]

There are a lot of options with varying degrees of efficiency, versatility, and "authenticity" out there. Part of the fun is exploring them all and discovering what works for YOU. With this video, we just wanted to make a general differentiation. Thanks for the input!

[soundpurestudios]

@AleifrLeifrson It's definitely a personal preference. Also depends on the amp and guitar. That humbucker tele through a Rivera would sound amazing in the low output jack while that tyler through a victoria 20112 would absolutely rock in the high gain input with volume cranked. Thanks for keeping the discussion going and let us know if you have any questions in relation to the video demo

[soundpurestudios]

You definitely get some highly-usable unique tones by adjusting the volume and tone. Is it a true single-coil tone? That's debatable. There's so much variation withing single-coil tones to begin with that it's impossible to solidify one in particular as quintessential. This video is intended for folks who are just starting to understand the inherent differences between humbuckers and singles. Thanks for your input! There's so many possibilities and it's important to explore them all.

[soundpurestudios]

@rwillett651 Thanks for your question!! the size of the pickup and the output level are major factors. Generally, there are 3 output levels for humbuckers- low, medium and high. The lowest have a little less volume, but more vintage tone quality and crunch. High output humbuckers have a ton of sparkle and treble definition, making them shine with overdriven tone. and you guessed it, medium is someone inbetween those. Hope that info helps. I can discuss more detail if you would like

[celestialmechanic]

Thanks Sound Pure, It's nice to hear the same song on different configurations. Also, displaying the signal path is nice. I feel like I learned some about why I choose certain gear. Solid playing, guitar guy.

[mfhorgan]

Since this video is for beginners, I find it strange that a Fender Wide Range was used rather than a normal PAF humbucker for the comparison. The Wide Range pickup is usually thought to sit tonally between a traditional humbucker and only exists in a few Fender reissues. A "normal" humbucker that you would find in any other guitar (aside from a Firebird) will not retain the bell-like high-end the wide range pups do. This comparison would be akin to using a P-90 or soapbar for the single-coil comparison. It would make more sense if a "HH" or "HSS" strat was used for the humbucker.

[soundpurestudios]

@DliteXiong You're welcome, I'm glad this helped! Feel free to contact our guitar department if you have any questions!

[xenoforme]

love your vids, they are (if not the best) the best quality in playing, sound and description!

[BramClaes]

@pbommes
lace sensors are noiseless single coil pickups. They come indeed in a variety. Gold: a classic strat pickup, silver: a more texas special vibe. etc... etc...
Apart from being hum cancelling, they have a very peculiar magnetic field, which allows weaker magnets to be used for the same amount of output. This makes for less string pull (the magnetic force eliminating the vibration of the string), so your sound will sustain longer;)

[soundpurestudios]

@slashnpraise it depends on the output of the pickup. generally, humbuckers are set to be louder, but not in all cases. thanks for the comment! hope you enjoyed the video

[soundpurestudios]

@MasterRolston The pickups definitely sound different... that was sort of the purpose. They are two different approaches to pickup design, and results of the designs is sonic differences. With the humbuckers, there is a built in "noise resistance" but with that comes the sonic differences we've outlined in this video. In the end, this is done at a high level (and with some pretty gross generalizations)0 there are a wealth of pickups and pickup tones out there we couldn't possibly cover here.

[soundpurestudios]

That's what we hoped for! Thanks for watching!

[soundpurestudios]

@LordAzai Thanks for the suggestion, those are great ideas for videos. We will keep that in mind for our next shoot. With the pickups, it would probably be best to take the guitar to a trusted repair person who can actually look at the guitar and diagnose the problem. Thanks for watching!

[soundpurestudios]

@kokirigreen I'll have to check the specs, but I'm pretty sure the tyler pickups are not hum-canceling. thanks for checking out the video! call or email us with any questions. take care!