Hum and Feedback Issues with Single Coils They do not offer enough low frequencies and over pronounce the treble. These pickups cannot achieve fat and chunky bottom-end tones that metal players love. However, chunky power chords or open chords with drop tunings are where the problem lies. When it comes to lead playing, riffs and single-note solos, single-coils with distortion are generally ok and doable. The reason is these pickups enhance the high frequencies and does not carry much bass as they are as the name suggests, they are a single-coil pickup compared to a humbucker (double coil design.)

Overloading a guitar with single coils with gain and distortion, the tone is notably вЂthin,вЂ™ вЂbrittleвЂ™ and very вЂharshвЂ™ on the ears. However, when you overload single-coils with a heap of distortion, the naturally bright and thin tone goes against them when parked in the metal player territory. The Single Coil Tone for MetalДЄs mentioned, single-coils are notably thin and bright, excellent for shimmering cleans, mild crunch, and warm overdrive with a definition. This is where single-coil pickups are not within their usual territory and somewhat a fish out of water. However, metal is notably famed for sounding heavy and aggressive, with guitar tones familiarly loaded with a ton of distortion and saturation. Hence why single coils are popular with players familiar with lighter sounding genres such as blues, rock, country, jazz, pop, and many more. This tone is what gives iconic guitars such as the Fender Stratocaster and Fender Telecaster their thin and twangy tone. When it comes to tone, single-coil pickups are recognized for sounding вЂњ brightвЂњ, вЂњ piercingвЂњ, and вЂњ spankyвЂњ. Why Single Coils are Traditionally Not Metal Pickups

Single coil vs humbucker distortion