NecroJoe
Stool Chef
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2005
- Messages
- 22,960
- Location
- San Francisco area, CA, USA
- Car(s)
- 2015 Mazda 3 S GT, 2015 VW e-Golf
Well, with an all-in one, you typically replace the neck humbucker with a single coil or two. That means you lose the humbucking ability in the neck pickup, where you are usually doing cleans or rhythm. For most, noise when they play "dirty" is more of an issue because of feedback and noise-amplification by the increased gain, but I'd rather have the noise there (if anywhere) because a noise gate can eliminate of lot of the feeedback, and works better with the drive channel. I don't like using noise gates on a clean channel if I can help it.
With a neck humbucker, you loose the "spank" and glimmer of the single coil.
Couple ways around this:
1) Two humbuckers, but with a coil-split mode. Not all pick-ups split into convincing single-coils, but some do very well. This gives you 100% humbucker sound when you want it, and then 85% single coil sound when you want that instead. My Carvin S22s don't split well, but their C22s and especially their H22s split very well.
2) If you get a S-S-H, have the two single coils wired so that, when selected together, they form a pseudo humbucker. This scenario gives you 100% of the single coil when you want it, and 85% humbucker when you want that.
3) A H-S-H configutation. This has several advantages because in both neck, and bridge pick-ups, you can blend in that middle single coil, or use it on it's own. The disadvantage is that you don't get the "punch" of having a single coil right by the bridge, and you don't get all of the warmth of having the single coil right near the neck.
Basically, any "one guitar to rule them all" approach will either be viewed as an all-in-one, or more likely, a compromise.
That said, two guitars have their own challenges. Do you have room for two stands? If you store your guitars in their cases, do you honestly see yourself putting your HB guitar in the case, latching it, moving it over somewhere else to get to the case underneath, and getting the SC guitar out. I know, I know...doesn't seem like a big deal, but it sort of a pain in the ass, and you'll find yourself playing the guitar on top WAY more.
That said, you play guitar...theres no such thing as too many guitars. I own a H-H guitar (with split coil functionality), I own a H-S-H, and I'm looking for a S-S-S guitar. I've owned over the past 18-or-so-years pretty much every config (piezo bridges, 13-pin midi, active electronics, H-S-S, and Acoustic-electrics.) so I'll probably end up with one of everything again.
Another option is the Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickup. Combines a HB, a SC, and a P90-style pick-up in one HB-sized assembly. Takes an involved installation (extra switch or two, possibly routing the pick-up opening)but I've heard good things.
With a neck humbucker, you loose the "spank" and glimmer of the single coil.
Couple ways around this:
1) Two humbuckers, but with a coil-split mode. Not all pick-ups split into convincing single-coils, but some do very well. This gives you 100% humbucker sound when you want it, and then 85% single coil sound when you want that instead. My Carvin S22s don't split well, but their C22s and especially their H22s split very well.
2) If you get a S-S-H, have the two single coils wired so that, when selected together, they form a pseudo humbucker. This scenario gives you 100% of the single coil when you want it, and 85% humbucker when you want that.
3) A H-S-H configutation. This has several advantages because in both neck, and bridge pick-ups, you can blend in that middle single coil, or use it on it's own. The disadvantage is that you don't get the "punch" of having a single coil right by the bridge, and you don't get all of the warmth of having the single coil right near the neck.
Basically, any "one guitar to rule them all" approach will either be viewed as an all-in-one, or more likely, a compromise.
That said, two guitars have their own challenges. Do you have room for two stands? If you store your guitars in their cases, do you honestly see yourself putting your HB guitar in the case, latching it, moving it over somewhere else to get to the case underneath, and getting the SC guitar out. I know, I know...doesn't seem like a big deal, but it sort of a pain in the ass, and you'll find yourself playing the guitar on top WAY more.
That said, you play guitar...theres no such thing as too many guitars. I own a H-H guitar (with split coil functionality), I own a H-S-H, and I'm looking for a S-S-S guitar. I've owned over the past 18-or-so-years pretty much every config (piezo bridges, 13-pin midi, active electronics, H-S-S, and Acoustic-electrics.) so I'll probably end up with one of everything again.
Another option is the Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickup. Combines a HB, a SC, and a P90-style pick-up in one HB-sized assembly. Takes an involved installation (extra switch or two, possibly routing the pick-up opening)but I've heard good things.
This is the slippery slope of modding...look at changing one thing, and suddenly I want to change everything in sight. Seeing as I'm about to move and start a new job, I'm going to chicken out and return it to Guitar Center, get an old acoustic to keep my fingers fresh, and save up for that SG Special with P90s. Thanks for all your advice Necro.