# Single Coils vs. Humbuckers



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Which do you prefer...humbuckers or single coils

I understand that it will depend on the style of music you play. 
*However, if given the choice, which do you gravitate towards in general?*

I am not including P-90's and other specific types of pickups...just to keep it simple.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

No P90s... guess I`m out - nah, with the given choices, I`d have to choose humbuckers.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Humbuckers was my vote, you could always split them. 8)

I love P90s too and by the phrasing of the OP, I chose hums over "both".


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Despite being a confirmed Stratoholic, it's been humbuckers for about a month, just can't put the Bloomfield down. Mind you that guitar is unusually articulate & clear, almost like a good old Tele with a little extra growl. 

Although I have the usual complaints about most Strat bridge pickups being to thin/bright, I've never found a Fat Strat that I was able to bond with.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

sulphur said:


> Humbuckers was my vote, *you could always split them*. 8)


I didn't think of that....that really complicates things. NO SPLITTING ALLOWED (sorry sulphur).

Choose either singles or hums based on their own merits.

I tried to add P90's to the poll, just for the sake of interest, but I can't figure out how to do it.

Cheers

Dave


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

P90s are single coils, so in reality it's covered in your poll. I chose single coils because of that same reason.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I prefer single coils,however I love the Filtertrons


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Can't decide. Singlecoils are like a good wife and humbuckers are like a raunchy mistress. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I generally prefer singles (Tele bridge, in particular) but always have both around. Current project, my bandmates tell me singles are too thin (what I really think they mean is I was playing too bright, but whatever as I favour a bright tone) so I'm using a Tele with a humbucker in the bridge, satisfies my 'bright tone' need but fattens up the whole works.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

humbuggers4lyfe.

if I was forced to use a single coil I would choose the P90.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Mooh said:


> Can't decide. Singlecoils are like a good wife and humbuckers are like a raunchy mistress.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


You've been playing the wrong ones. Great single-coils are like a wife who's been "reading" and learned some tricks you've never even thought of, and bad humbuckers are like a drunk overweight girlfriend.

Personally, I like all pickups for their unique qualities. SC, HB, P90, Filtertrons (which are simply a HB variant), Jaguar/Lace, stacked HB, dual rails, P-rails, dinky Japanese ceramic mag types, lipstick, et al; they're all wonderful in their own way, and if you can't figure out how to musically leverage what good examples of any have to offer, then you need to go back to guitar school. Having said that, I prefer a pickup of any type that gives me some treble to work with, such that I can restrict or introduce it at will.

I wind my own pickups, and never really wind with any specific goal in mind. I let the wire and bobbin take me where they lead, and learn to love what's interesting about the result.


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## BEMUSofNrthAmra (Jun 9, 2012)

I'm a p-90 lover, so I'm really torn on having to choose between single coils or humbuckers. If I had to choose, I would go with humbuckers. Only because it's easier to get a single coil sound out of humbuckers than it is to get a humbucker sound out of single coils.


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

when I think about it...I now have
1 tele SS
1 strat SSS
1 LEs PAul studio 2 p90 (big SS)

maybe I should try a guitar with those new fandangled buck the hum pickups.

keep on rockin

G.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

mhammer said:


> You've been playing the wrong ones. Great single-coils are like a wife who's been "reading" and learned some tricks you've never even thought of, and bad humbuckers are like a drunk overweight girlfriend.
> 
> .


Maybe. 

Among my good singlecoils are Seymour Duncan lipsticks, Stew-Mac Golden Age (I think they're called), whatever is in the Godin Progression. I just sold a Fender Squire Protone that had very good stock pickups. Uninstalled at the moment is a Tele set of Lace pickups...I'm down to one Tele for the first time in years so they are lonely for now.

Among my good humbuckers are whatever Godin put in my LG, they're tapped, and they're good as singles too. Lovely tone either way, maybe my favourite humbuckers. Also good are the 'buckers in the Ibanez Artcore...good for a less expensive axe, or any axe really. I also like the bridge Seymour Duncan in the Richmond Belmont (Godin). SDs rarely disappoint me. A GFS Tele bridge pickup with rails was a pleasant surprise. 

Edit: Oh yeah, and an old P-90.
I still miss the Fender Tele Deluxe wide range humbuckers. 



Peace, Mooh.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

single coils only here.
i used to have all my guitars loaded with the stacked dimarzios-
set with the coil split- even in single coil mode they were quieter than a regular single coil.
but i got rid of them years ago.
might seem odd, but i dont even think about humbuckers.
dont want anything to do with them.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I prefer humbuckers overall, but I like & use both.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Mooh said:


> mhammer said:
> 
> 
> > You've been playing the wrong ones. Great single-coils are like a wife who's been "reading" and learned some tricks you've never even thought of, and bad humbuckers are like a drunk overweight girlfriend.
> ...


Love the way you describe the muddiness of bad humbuckers, that's a very disturbing word picture. Although IME drunk + overweight often means that she'll do more stuff (provided she doesn't pass out on top of you). Big girls need lovin' too!

Yes, yes, yes to old P-90s & props to Seth Lover for getting it right twice. Mooh, if you ever make it down my way, I have a couple of guitars that I think you'd enjoy. And I'd also like to hear them in the hands of a real player vs a middle hack like myself.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Mooh said:


> Maybe.
> 
> Among my good singlecoils are Seymour Duncan lipsticks, Stew-Mac Golden Age (I think they're called), whatever is in the Godin Progression. I just sold a Fender Squire Protone that had very good stock pickups. Uninstalled at the moment is a Tele set of Lace pickups...I'm down to one Tele for the first time in years so they are lonely for now.
> 
> ...


When a co-worker and I went to the Mtl. Guitar Expo about 6 years ago, Robert Godin was at his company booth, and my buddy struck up a conversation with him about his own somewhat older dual humbucker Godin. Godin said the pickups on that particular model were exceptionally good, that they came from a German manufacturer, and that my buddy should hang onto that guitar because Godin couldn't get those pickups anymore.

(_Just heard back from my buddy. It was an LGX with "Tetrad" pickups_.)

Of course that was 6 years ago, and perhaps his assessment of other pickups put into production since then has changed.

I had a wide-range humbucker on my home-made "Tele" (solid maple body with an Ibanez LP-style bolt-on neck, floating Gibson style bridge and tailpiece) in the early 70's. I was impressed with it because it was my first "Fender" anything, and it cost $25 new, but I honestly can't think of anything about it that makes me miss it. That's not a slag. I've just gone through so many pickups in the last 40 years, that nothing about it really stood out.


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## plasticfishman (Dec 14, 2011)

Can tell this is gonna be a fun thread! I had to answer that I was OK with either, simply too tough to pick just one type, pros and cons to both! Agree with what mhammer said above, if you can't get a good sound out of what you've got, you're doin it wrong!


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Interesting about the Godin humbuckers. The LG is an otherwise very nice guitar but those pickups just clinch it for me.

RE: WRHB...Sparkle, buzz free, smooth, dynamic. I happened to see that guitar ('70s Deluxe) a few years ago on Folkway Music's website and it was a lot more beat up than when I had sold it to finance my survival in '81/2 (I had the shop find my ID inside it). I couldn't afford to buy it back (3 family members in university) and it resold fast. Over the years I've heard and tried lots of other WRHBs that I thought were good too. It's all in the individual's ears I guess.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Roryfan said:


> Although IME drunk + overweight often means that she'll do more stuff (provided she doesn't pass out on top of you). Big girls need lovin' too!


Dear Penthouse Forum, I'm dating this humbucker of a lady, and I'm not sure how to please her...

Signed, Single and Recoiling.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

It's all about horses for courses for me. 

If I had to limit myself to one electric guitar, it'd be the Godin SD that I modded with three EMG Strat pickups, plus the extra mid-boost tone control. It's noiseless, and can be skinny or fat sounding, depending on what the music needs. I can play jazz, rock, surf, whatever on it.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Mooh said:


> Roryfan said:
> 
> 
> > Although IME drunk + overweight often means that she'll do more stuff (provided she doesn't pass out on top of you). Big girls need lovin' too!
> ...


Dear Recoil,

Just roll her in flour....

And remember, it's like riding a moped: A lotta fun until your friends see you...

Signed,
Extra Cushion Pusher


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

The only reason I could see for having both would be that humbuckers are usually more quiet that single coils but I don't know how true that is anymore. 

That said, with the pedals and digital effects like Digitech, Line 6 and Roland, it doesn't matter so much anymore. You can make a guitar sound how you want. What's more important, IMHO, is having a guitar you like to play and feels good in your hands. The sound coming from the guitar is becoming less and less relevant.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Steadfastly said:


> That said, with the pedals and digital effects like Digitech, Line 6 and Roland, it doesn't matter so much anymore. You can make a guitar sound how you want. What's more important, IMHO, is having a guitar you like to play and feels good in your hands. *The sound coming from the guitar is becoming less and less relevant.*


I really have to disagree with that statement. The guitar is the source. If you start with crap and process it, you end up with processed crap.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Merlin said:


> Steadfastly said:
> 
> 
> > That said, with the pedals and digital effects like Digitech, Line 6 and Roland, it doesn't matter so much anymore. You can make a guitar sound how you want. What's more important, IMHO, is having a guitar you like to play and feels good in your hands. *The sound coming from the guitar is becoming less and less relevant.*
> ...


I'm with Merlin. IME good tone starts with a resonant piece of wood & goes outward from there. True, certain links in the chain may have a greater effect than others than others (i.e. speakers are important yet oft ignored) but having a good foundation is essential.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

I think that while there is a minimum standard of playability for a guitar and a minimum ability to produce sound in an amp, the ultimate ability to get the most out of what is onhand relies on the player. As I've said before, I've heard music that moves me come out of what most musicians would acknowledge as crappy gear and absolutely mundane droning come out of great equipment. Equipment is for the musician's pleasure and the music produced is for the audience - a good musician will work with what he has and make it sound good.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

mhammer said:


> You've been playing the wrong ones. Great single-coils are like a wife who's been "reading" and learned some tricks you've never even thought of, and bad humbuckers are like a drunk overweight girlfriend.
> 
> Personally, I like all pickups for their unique qualities. SC, HB, P90, Filtertrons (which are simply a HB variant), Jaguar/Lace, stacked HB, dual rails, P-rails, dinky Japanese ceramic mag types, lipstick, et al; they're all wonderful in their own way, and if you can't figure out how to musically leverage what good examples of any have to offer, then you need to go back to guitar school. Having said that, I prefer a pickup of any type that gives me some treble to work with, such that I can restrict or introduce it at will.
> 
> _*I wind my own pickups, and never really wind with any specific goal in mind. I let the wire and bobbin take me where they lead, and learn to love what's interesting about the result.*_


I like your attitude to coils. With all the other things that can change the way the end result sounds, I feel coils are often over rated. Any comment on this?


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## Jimi D (Oct 27, 2008)

I've waffled back and forth all my life... I'll play humbuckers almost exclusively for months and months, then I'll be working on a song and splitting the 'bucker isn't working for me and I'll pick up a Strat and next thing you know I've re-set my entire rig and I'm playing singles for months and months... What I have noticed is that if I'm playing a guitar with a bridge humbucker, I like a single-coil in the neck, and _vise versa_. That's why I ordered my Canadian Breed T-style with Bill's custom-wound mini-humbucker at the neck...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> I like your attitude to coils. With all the other things that can change the way the end result sounds, I feel coils are often over rated. Any comment on this?


Thanks for the vote of support. I think if I had a business making them in a consistent fashion for other people who had definite expectations, or was stuck pending $50 here and $120 there for pickups, I would probably have more skin in the game and a different attitude. I'm fortunate to be in the position where I have lots of different magnets available to me, and spools of wire from #36 or so on up to #44. So if I really don't like what I've made (and it happens), there's nothing more lost than the time it took to wind and install the pickup (maybe 90-120 minutes), and perhaps fifty cents worth of wire.


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## Kyle Walker (Nov 12, 2012)

Single coil (strat) through a vintage black face amp on the verge of breaking up. Nothing sweeter to my ears.


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## JMann (Feb 18, 2007)

Yeah, idk. I just got back to HB's so I now have guitar with single coils, P90's and HB's. I like them all but if I had to choose it would be the P90's for me which I guess are technically single coils.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

mhammer said:


> Thanks for the vote of support. I think if I had a business making them in a consistent fashion for other people who had definite expectations, or was stuck pending $50 here and $120 there for pickups, I would probably have more skin in the game and a different attitude. I'm fortunate to be in the position where I have lots of different magnets available to me, and spools of wire from #36 or so on up to #44. So if I really don't like what I've made (and it happens), there's nothing more lost than the time it took to wind and install the pickup (maybe 90-120 minutes), and perhaps fifty cents worth of wire.


So you understand the cost of manufacturing them. It's very little. And no doubt some of the expensive ones are made offshore for a couple of dollars. No wonder there is so much money spent on hood-winking people, er, I mean marketing them. The margin of profit on them can be tremendous and often is.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I'm down to 1 electric guitar (in my quest for simplicity, versatility and economy) which started out as a tele with single coils, but it is modded now with a mini-humbucker in the neck and a stacked humbucker in the bridge. I like it much better with humbuckers so that was my choice. And like someone above said, I can always split them (if I ever buy the pull pots).


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

My single coil vote also goes to P90's, and then humbuckers are my second choice...
-Mikey


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## R.M.J (Nov 26, 2012)

For all around general use single coils on a strat. Has a raw earthy twang you can't get with humbuckers. When a thicker, richer and more refined sound is needed humbuckers on a Les Paul.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I answered both 'cause I love the sound of both in differents situations.

Down to one? I'll choose humbuckers and rock!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Humbuckers are maintaining about a 10% lead...interesting

Cheers

Dave


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## Beach Bob (Sep 12, 2009)

Single coils for me. Its that 60hz hum that tells you that you're alive.


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## gearlovin (Apr 9, 2013)

I was a single coil guy, until I experiment with low wind humbuckers PAF Style. Been playing with those for the last 5 years. But sometime you still have to pull out that tele twang sound!!!


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## Peter Rabbit (Dec 28, 2012)

Single coils - for Strats and Teles. That's the sound I like best.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I like the flexibility of being able to tap humbuckers. 

The ultimate for me is hum-sing-hum with taps on both humbuckers.

I have no use for P90 style pickups at all.

I like singles for cleans. Actually I can live with singles for dirty tones as well.

If I had a gun to my head I would have to pick singles, simply because I don't think humbuckers can really deliver the clean tones I like.


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

I have a '99 American strat with Bill Lawrence noiseless L-280's, and an Epihone G-400 SG with the stock pickups, which I would like to upgrade. The Strat is my main axe, but I like to have the humbucker sound as an option. Of course, the L-280's are humbuckers too, but they sound pretty Stratty to me.


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## OldGuitarPlayer (Feb 25, 2013)

I play a Squier CV50's BSB tele with stock single coils. I really like the sound of a tele single coil neck pup for blues and jazz.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> I have no use for P90 style pickups at all.


Oh Mike, and to think that we could've been friends.....


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> If I had a gun to my head I would have to pick singles, simply because I don't think humbuckers can really deliver the clean tones I like.


Let me qualify this by saying that I am a life-long Strat lover & I realize that copping that 2nd position quack can be tricky w/ a Gibby. However, IME some low-output PAF-style hums can get very Fenderish when you roll back the volume (pots w/ a good taper & PIO caps are also part of this equation). A good Les Paul will also sound like a Tele.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Roryfan said:


> Let me qualify this by saying that I am a life-long Strat lover & I realize that copping that 2nd position quack can be tricky w/ a Gibby. However, IME some low-output PAF-style hums can get very Fenderish when you roll back the volume (pots w/ a good taper & PIO caps are also part of this equation). A good Les Paul will also sound like a Tele.


I've tried a few P90s and their derivitives and to my ears they do lots of sounds half assed but nothing reallly well.

As for the rolling back the volume knob on a humbucker, yes, I know that's the accepted wisdom but the side effect of that is a loss of highs so it does clean up but NEVER has the clarity of a single coil for me.

I've heard people say that they get Tele tones from a les Paul, but without coil taps I don't agree based on the clips I've heard.

I think for blues players P90s are desirable. I just find the cleans not quite as good as a single and the dirt not quite as good as a humbucker. It's a Swiss army pick up but doesn't have that one blade I need.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> I've tried a few P90s and their derivitives and to my ears they do lots of sounds half assed but nothing reallly well.
> 
> As for the rolling back the volume knob on a humbucker, yes, I know that's the accepted wisdom but the side effect of that is a loss of highs so it does clean up but NEVER has the clarity of a single coil for me.
> 
> ...


Most coil taps that I've played are only so-so, although the best was a 90s McCarty. 

Pots & caps are oft ignored, but they make a huge difference in how a humbucker cleans up. The most Fenderish Gibson in my herd is a LP Custom, pretty sure the ebony board has something to do w/ it as well. This being said, a guitar w/ a shorter scale will never have the same snap as a 25.5" scale (which is why we must own many, many guitars).

As far as P-90s go, they're their own thing (I love the bark & snarl), but I can see that if you haven't tried a good vintage or boutique one you might be left cold. Gibson's current offerings are rather "meh".


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Roryfan said:


> Most coil taps that I've played are only so-so, although the best was a 90s McCarty.
> 
> Pots & caps are oft ignored, but they make a huge difference in how a humbucker cleans up. The most Fenderish Gibson in my herd is a LP Custom, pretty sure the ebony board has something to do w/ it as well. This being said, a guitar w/ a shorter scale will never have the same snap as a 25.5" scale (which is why we must own many, many guitars).
> 
> As far as P-90s go, they're their own thing (I love the bark & snarl), but I can see that if you haven't tried a good vintage or boutique one you might be left cold. Gibson's current offerings are rather "meh".



I've played some old Gibsons with P90s including a 50s LP Custom. The only example of a P90 tone that grabs me is Leslie West's and even then it's cool for one or two tunes, but not much more than that.

Different strokes I guess. I know lots of peopkle swear by them.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Although I prefer humbuckers as I feel they give the best all around sound, it is hard to beat the tele sound of single coils. It's simply unique but you need a tele to go with it. For the widest array of different tones in one pickup, it would be hard to beat the Seymour Duncan P-rails with their Triple Shot switchable adapter rings.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Couldn't agree more...
View attachment 3493
View attachment 3494


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I love the P-Rail in the neck of my LP copy.
I'm not sold on P-90s in the bridge position--for my playing at least--some people do a great job with them though--
I didn't use the Triple Shots though--but I wired mine for Rail-P-90-humbucker in some order or other.

Sounds great for slide.
And I like all three settings.
Here's a blurry picture-


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## doriangrey (Mar 29, 2011)

Mooh said:


> Can't decide. Singlecoils are like a good wife and humbuckers are like a raunchy mistress.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


nice ;o)

I like HB's in the bridge but I like either or in the neck...


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## BEACHBUM (Sep 21, 2010)

post deleted


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

I like humbuckers in the bridge and single coils in the neck. I mostly use the neck pickup, because I like the rounded warmth of them.


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