Coffee - Superstrat with a twist
- Thread starter VanHeGen
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Bruce Campbell
Junior Member
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Apologies if this was mentioned before, but was the single bridge pickup chosen partly or entirely because of improved string travel/sustain/intonation due to fewer magnets towards the middle of the string length? I haven't compared guitars with that setup vs 2 humbuckers/3 single coils etc. but Phil X said in a Rig Rundown that he noticed it significantly on a certain single-bridge-pickup guitar. Seems like a cool benefit.
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VanHeGen
Senior Member
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@Bruce Campbell the main reason for going with just one pickup was the early EVH influence + I wanted to see if I could get all the sounds I wanted with just one pickup. I had read everything on the internet when it comes to (also) this, so yes, I was aware of Phil X and others saying that it affects tone, too. As my memory might fail me, I’ll copy my thoughts from two of the posts in the build thread here:
- Pickup: I wanted one (bridge) pickup, only, as I have spent too many years chasing pickups – especially looking for two that would be a good match. I also wanted to experience a one PU guitar. I have fallen in love with P90’s, but I wanted less hum in this guitar. My preferred DC Resistance is around 9K.
- One pickup:
- The other “religious debate” I’ve read about is the “how one pickup affects the sound of the guitar”, which covers things like how the magnetism of a neck pickup has a negative effect of the sound (so you should remove it).
- My conclusion is that with less pickup routes there is more wood in the body, which could affect the sound (and can break your back
). - Whatever the truth is, guys like Jared James Nichols show that you can get a wide variety of great sounds out of a one-pickup guitar.
