The allure of single pick-up guitars ...explain it to me, as I just don't get it!

Sassafras

I think tonal range is overrated. I can get all the tones I need with just the simple basic set-up of Helix into a Kemper.

Evilmags

Famous for his simple, raw tones and set ups...

earwighoney

Evilmags said:

Famous for his simple, raw tones and set ups...

I didn't know Michael Parkinson played guitar. 

Schnozz

I had a Grover Jackson GJ2 Glendora that was exactly the same as the above, with a Low Output PAF and there was literally nothing I couldn't play on it. Jumbo Frets, Compound Radii, Double Locking Tremolos and Humbuckers are great additions to the Stratocaster, even if you like the Originals too. I like Esquires, Les Paul Juniors and Firebirds etc, but a Superstrat is the Daddy.

H, HSH, or SSS...

HS and HSS are aesthetically displeasing IMO, but I've tried to like them. 

UnclePsychosis

I could probably quite happily live with a guitar with a single pickup selection - the problem is that I'd want it to be "middle". 

Thinking about it, a guitar with volume, volume, tone, tone, and no pickup selector would be right up my street. 

chrisj1602

I had an Esquire for a while, I really got into using the controls on the guitar and could get loads of sounds out of it. I didn't miss the neck pickup at all. Even though I don't have it now, it changed how I use my volume and tone controls on any guitar I play now.

Whitecat

With guitars that have Filtertrons of any description or similar I pretty much live on the bridge pickup, so I could totally do a 1-pickup instrument with that kind of sound. 

Anything else would piss me off I think... neck and middle (on 2-pickup guitars) are both too vital to me for different things. 

I have owned an LP Jr for a while and it just wasn't my thing.

guitars4you

A few months go now I purchased a new Feline Cub - single P90 LP Double Cut Junior style - My initial reservation on wanting a Special with 2 P90's is that I'm essentially a neck pick-up man - But I loved the feel and playing performance of this guitar so much that I thought sod it, lets go for it - Now I've owned it for 3 months and played it most days, its limitation is me - Granted it wont do everything, but learn to use one pick-up, either clean, subtle overdrive or hi-gain amp settings, plus one vol + tone and you learn to acquire so much soul and expression from such a pick-up - Play melodic clean lines with it as required - Raw blues and its a winner - It possesses so much expression and the vol/tone pot are working overtime

usedtobe

I remember a pretty good review of the gs1, a good few years ago. I'd definitely have one of those at the right price!

Sassafras

usedtobe said:

I remember a pretty good review of the gs1, a good few years ago. I'd definitely have one of those at the right price!

Do you mean the Gordon-Smith?
I had one and it was fantastic. Coil split so you got the best of both worlds. The sustain on it was unreal. Certainly didn't notice the lack of neck pickup.
It's actually the only guitar I regret parting with.

usedtobe

Sassafras said:

usedtobe said:

I remember a pretty good review of the gs1, a good few years ago. I'd definitely have one of those at the right price!

Do you mean the Gordon-Smith?
I had one and it was fantastic. Coil split so you got the best of both worlds. The sustain on it was unreal. Certainly didn't notice the lack of neck pickup.
It's actually the only guitar I regret parting with.

Yes, the Gordon-Smith! I still keep an eye out for one, even though I've got more than enough guitars, as it is!

Sassafras

usedtobe said:

Sassafras said:

usedtobe said:

I remember a pretty good review of the gs1, a good few years ago. I'd definitely have one of those at the right price!

Do you mean the Gordon-Smith?
I had one and it was fantastic. Coil split so you got the best of both worlds. The sustain on it was unreal. Certainly didn't notice the lack of neck pickup.
It's actually the only guitar I regret parting with.

Yes, the Gordon-Smith! I still keep an eye out for one, even though I've got more than enough guitars, as it is!

Try to get the earliest one you can find.
I later bought a GS-1.5 which although nice was nowhere near as good and 'alive' as the GS-1.
I was an absolute idiot to get rid of it. I swapped it for one of the worst 70s Strats I've ever come across.

stonevibe

Nowhere to hide with a single pickup guitar and that is the joy of it. You make all your tones with your playing dynamics and your onboard controls.

Has to be one of my favourite types of guitar, love having a simple guitar, as you just get on and play.

Voxman

stonevibe said:

Nowhere to hide with a single pickup guitar and that is the joy of it. You make all your tones with your playing dynamics and your onboard controls.

Has to be one of my favourite types of guitar, love having a simple guitar, as you just get on and play.

I use my tone & vol controls on all my guitars, with playing dynamics - but there's things I can do on the neck p/up that I can't do with the bridge p/up and vice-a-versa. I still don't 'get' the single pickup allure but clearly a lot of folk here do & really like 'em so that's cool - but perhaps just not my thing.

Strat54

Jetfire said:

Its esquires i dont get. One single coil with a three way switch?

WezV

I could understand why someone might find a single pickup guitar limiting if it was their only electric, but that's not the case for most these days

I much prefer simple guitars these days

sweepy

There is something almost visceral about a single pickup guitar, you have to work to get the light and shade out of it 

DiscoStu

I built this Explorer for a mate a few years ago. He only plays rhythm and he only plays detuned grind/death metal so never uses neck pickups on his other guitars so only wanted/needed a bridge humbucker on his custom order.
Works just fine!

http://i.imgur.com/dwDO7DX.jpg

DiscoStu

And come to think of it, save for the piezo my Variax doesn't have any pickups at all!
Go figure.

Jez6345789

big fan of single pickup guitars. 
Its probably just the direct connection to the guitar with nothing much in the way. Also think it forces you to be a little more versatile with play technique. I have never done a back to back between say a junior v a special so cant say a lot about magnetic side of things but there usually seems there is more life in single pickup guitars.