# Can I get a metal sound with single-coil pickups?



## metalmaiden (Apr 15, 2013)

It's okay to laugh, I realize this question is probably really noob-ish.

I have an American made Fender Stratocaster (pretty bad-ass I know *deep sarcasm*)
and was thinking about getting a Boss MT-2 Metalzone or ML-2 Metalcore Pedal...(I am slowly saving up for an Ibanez guitar, but it's just not in the stars for me right now). 

Can I still get a pretty cool sound with my single coil guitar? Any experience, insight or other suggestions would be helpful.

Thank you


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## KAMI (Apr 15, 2013)

Sure!

All the sounds on my page so far are done with single coils!

https://soundcloud.com/torrential-skies


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## WarMachine (Apr 15, 2013)

Give us some more input, amp, speakers, etc. I havent had a ton of experience with singles, but i can say that DiMarzio makes a pretty hot single pup called hot rails. had one in the neck of a guitar years ago and it had plenty of bite and gain.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 15, 2013)

I find it hard to get a good "chug" sound with single coils. Not saying it can't be done, but it's not the tool i would use for the job personally.

But hey, you may be going for a unique sound- if you like the way it sounds - that's all that matters!


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## metalmaiden (Apr 15, 2013)

KAMI said:


> Sure!
> 
> All the sounds on my page so far are done with single coils!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/torrential-skies



What kind of pedals do u use?

Oh yeah, I failed to mention I have a piece of shit amp, but it sounds great on a clean tone and loud enough for practice. It's a Frontman 15g (8" speaker). I can get some gain from it, but not that cool distortion sound. Like I said a new guitar is obviously the solution along with a new amp...but I'm just a noob and didnt want to invest a whole lot unless I knew I'd really get into it. So until then...is this a pedal worth using? Are others better?


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## KAMI (Apr 15, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> What kind of pedals do u use?



None 

I use a Line 6 PODxt pro!


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## ArtDecade (Apr 15, 2013)

I love single coils. They are my favorites - hands down.

Can you get metal sounds? That's subjective, but Page (first Zep album), Blackmore (Deep Purple), Dave Murray (early Maiden), Downing (early Priest) and Yngwie all crafted fantastic tones with single coils. Single coils sound better cleaned up, too!

I use singles in my Strat and I have a bucker tossed in the bridge position of my Tele (for John 5 moments). That said, I still think about dropping a single back into the Telecaster just about every day!


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## tedtan (Apr 15, 2013)

The main problem will be getting the tightness you can from a humbucker; you may want to try boosting the mids before the distortion/fuzz to help with this.

Single coils seem to work pretty well with Big Muff type pedals. While its called a fuzz, it more like a distortion in terms of the tone. Any way, its worth trying out to see if it works for you before you spend any money.

Also, Strats are nice guitars. If doesn't have any problems/issues, you could look into putting a humbucker in the bridge position. I know Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan both make single coil sized versions of some of their humbuckers, so it might be a drop in replacement. And if not, its simple to switch pickguards and shouldn't cost much more than a distortion pedal.

Edit: You guys posted while I had this open in another tab. You may still need a distortion pedal with your amp depending on the type of tones you are going for.


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## 4Eyes (Apr 15, 2013)

yes, you can get metal sound with single coils 

Cassini | Sithu Aye


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## AkiraSpectrum (Apr 15, 2013)

You wont get as thick/warm/condensed of a sound with single coils in general but depending on the metal tone you're looking for single coils can be more than fine.
You can also consider changing the bridge pickup to a seymour duncan blackout single coil/ JB jr./Li'l screamin' demon/hot stack. I think Dimarzio also offers 'humbucker-like' pickups in single coil shapes and they seem to offer something VERY close to the humbucker sound from what I've heard.


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## metalmaiden (Apr 15, 2013)

4Eyes said:


> yes, you can get metal sound with single coils
> 
> Cassini | Sithu Aye



Dude, that is an epic sound...what kind of pedals, rig do u use?

So the consensus is to change the pickups rather than get a pedal?


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## redstone (Apr 15, 2013)

Actually, both.. You need a better amp and a better bridge pickup.. What's your budget ?


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## Basti (Apr 15, 2013)

As long as you stay away from those Boss pedals you'll be fine! First hand experience in impulse-buys right here 

edit: mm, those Frontmen have a decent set of teeth on them for what they are IMO...maybe get an EHX Metal Muff? They're good but I'm not an authority on OD pedals. I wouldn't change the pups on your Stratocaster, surely it's better to preserve it as is rather than trying to turn it into a metal machine? Plenty of affordable Ibbys are worth saving up for that kind of thing


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## redstone (Apr 15, 2013)

So, here we have the pickup DiMarzio Black DP226 BC2 Billy Corgan Bridge Pickup | eBay


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## flo (Apr 15, 2013)

4Eyes said:


> yes, you can get metal sound with single coils
> 
> Cassini | Sithu Aye



Not bad!!

And I like your Feynman diagramm


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## KAMI (Apr 15, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Dude, that is an epic sound...what kind of pedals, rig do u use?
> 
> So the consensus is to change the pickups rather than get a pedal?





flo said:


> Not bad!!
> 
> And I like your Feynman diagramm



You guys do realize that this isn't his work, right?

It's the work of C2Aye!


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## cardinal (Apr 15, 2013)

Soundgarden and Tom Morello use stock Teles for drop D work and sound heavy as hell, but it probably depends on what "metal" you're shooting for.


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## 4Eyes (Apr 15, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Dude, that is an epic sound...what kind of pedals, rig do u use?
> 
> So the consensus is to change the pickups rather than get a pedal?



it's not me, i just know that this guy recorded this album with strat with single coils.. also you can check out guy called mattrach


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## metalmaiden (Apr 15, 2013)

Basti said:


> As long as you stay away from those Boss pedals you'll be fine! First hand experience in impulse-buys right here
> 
> edit: mm, those Frontmen have a decent set of teeth on them for what they are IMO...maybe get an EHX Metal Muff? They're good but I'm not an authority on OD pedals. I wouldn't change the pups on your Stratocaster, surely it's better to preserve it as is rather than trying to turn it into a metal machine? Plenty of affordable Ibbys are worth saving up for that kind of thing



Thank you this is pretty helpful. Yeah I don't want to turn my strat into a metal machine, which was why I was hoping to find an alternative (a pedal mainly) that could give me a pretty badass sound with the single coils. 
I love the clean sound on my strat, and not sure if I want to change the pickups tbh. Just wanted to get something (relatively cheap) to give me a heavy tone. 
So no Boss Pedals huh...let me check out the Metal Muff.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 15, 2013)

I used to get an awesome chuggy metal tone from my Fender YJM strat, that had the Dimarzio YJM singles in it. They were medium to hot, rather than out and out hot as far as singles go, and you could never get those meaty, heavy as a building falling over tones with it, but it was a good fun guitar to play and certainly sounded unique.

As far as tone goes though, I think you'd be better off upgrading your amp, as regardless of which type of pickup you have, what pedals you use etc, if you have a poor amp your tone will never be good. Amps can seem less exciting than a new guitar, but really I think the benefit to your playing and growth a musician would be far greater at this stage. You've got a solid, quality guitar, you could change the pickups in it if you really wanted, but get a good amp, then get the guitar you really want, like an Ibanez 7 or whatever. Having an awesome guitar and sounding just as lame as you did with a mediocre guitar because you are being held back by a lame amp is horribly frustrating.


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## metalmaiden (Apr 15, 2013)

Yeah good call on that, my amp can get a pretty cool tone, but yeah it's a cheapoid and can't afford a decent quality one right now...
but ty


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## Mordacain (Apr 15, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> What kind of pedals do u use?
> 
> Oh yeah, I failed to mention I have a piece of shit amp, but it sounds great on a clean tone and loud enough for practice. It's a Frontman 15g (8" speaker). I can get some gain from it, but not that cool distortion sound. Like I said a new guitar is obviously the solution along with a new amp...but I'm just a noob and didnt want to invest a whole lot unless I knew I'd really get into it. So until then...is this a pedal worth using? Are others better?



I love single coils. My main guitars are American Strats (and probably always will be).

Getting a good heavy tone with a single coil is actually not all that difficult. Of course, depending on kind of heavy tone your going for, it can be more difficult than others.

Also, depending on the year of your Strat will determine how much easier it is. The American Standard models post 2012 have Fat 50s which are pretty awesome all-around pickups, but not the easiest for getting a heavier tone out of. The older American Standards have pretty shit pickups in my opinion that suck for everything except straight galssy cleans. The American Specials have Texas Specials which can get a pretty rightous grind going. The American Deluxe could have SCN or N3 pickups depending on the year and their ability to hand gain varies but with some tweaking can get there.

Personally, I recommend keeping the guitar and throwing a different bridge pickup in. Personal recommendations: Dimarzio Fast Track 2 is about the heaviest balls-out humbucker in a single-coil sized enclosure they make. However, the ToneZone S, Super Distortion S and even the Chopper are pretty awesome too.

If you want a true single coil, you can try out a Duncan SSL5 or 6 or if you have the cash, the Bare Knuckle Sinner (something I'd really love to try one of these days).

Also, that amp needs to go. If you're stuck with it, you can try a Hardwire Metal distortion. I had one and it was a pretty usable tone. There's a multitude of cheaper amps that will rock some heavier stuff out there, so this really depends on your budget. Personally, I'm becoming a big fan of the AMT stuff lately...


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## Dead Undead (Apr 15, 2013)

You'll get far more mileage out of a decent amp. A Cheap guitar through a nice amp can still sound very good, but even the nicest guitar will sound less than stellar through a wimpy amp. Fortunately, there is a growing a number of very effective amps for quite reasonable prices, such as Laney Ironhearts. Some older solid state amps will make just about any guitar sound br00tz, like the Ampeg VH140C or its Crate clone the GX130C.

In your situation, I would hold out and get a better amp once you can afford one. If you've grown to like your current guitar and you gel with it, then a good amp is the next step. That's my  at least.


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## cardinal (Apr 15, 2013)

Oh I didn't see what your amp was. I agree with all the above. Spending money on pickups and/or gain pedals is a waste IMHO. A better amp will go much further and putting money towards something else just will delay getting a nicer amp. Don't need to spend a fortune. The new DSLs are great, and the 5150-type amps are reasonably affordable. More than a pedal, but you'll be much happier with that, I think. 

Hell, I might consider selling the American strat, buying a used Mexican strat and putting the rest towards an amp if money's really tight. I love strats and the American strats are great, but I like the MIM strats a lot too.


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## ZXIIIT (Apr 15, 2013)

Seymour Duncan YJM Fury bridge pickup (in a tele)

Live (enable tape mode for 90s industrial feeling)


Rhythm


Solo:


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## wakjob (Apr 15, 2013)

Listen to Mordacain.

I just ditched the HSS format in my new partscaster and went SSS.
Used Duncans this time for a change. SSL-2 neck/middle & SSL-6 bridge.
I love this guitar more than ever now.

There are too many true single coil and stacked humbuckers out there to mention. But the biggest issue will be balance and choosing the right value pots, depending on which way you end up going. 

If you keep the stock neck/middle PU's and go with a twin blade or stacked humbucker that looks like a single coil for the bridge, it may like to see a 500k volume pot instead of the stock 250k that's probably in there now. Sometimes not. Depends on the PU.

But in general, the single's (stock neck/middle) get a bit too brash sounding with a 500k. So you see the balance issue. There's usually a tradeoff/compromise.


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## tedtan (Apr 15, 2013)

wakjob said:


> But the biggest issue will be balance and choosing the right value pots, depending on which way you end up going...But in general, the single's (stock neck/middle) get a bit too brash sounding with a 500k.


 
You can get around that with Suhr's HSS wiring (see below). That little 470k resistor allows the single coils to see 250k while the humbucker sees 500k.



^ metalmaiden

If this were me making the decision, I would get a bridge humbucker for your Strat for the time being, but I would also keep the current single coil. I would then get a suitable amp. After that, I would save up for the metal guitar you want (rather than settling for just some cheap guitar now because it has humbuckers) and then, if you want, put the single coil back in the Strat. You will have to make do a bit in the amp department for now, but this seems like the least expensive way to get where you want to go.


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## axxessdenied (Apr 15, 2013)

If you want a killer metal sound while using humbuckers. The secret is not in the guitar. It's in the bass 

The first time I recorded a full "song" was about 9 months ago and I used a '06 highway 1 telecaster with stock pickups going into my pod hd pro tuned C# standard. It worked pretty awesome, I think.

https://soundcloud.com/axxessdenied/the-beginning-new-rhythm

Have a listen, this isn't really mixed well or anything. I had no idea what I was doing at this point 
Not bad, I think.


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## sage (Apr 15, 2013)

Throughout the whole entire 90's, I used a strat for metal. I used the bridge/middle setting for rhythm and usually the neck/middle setting for solos. I still use a strat and a tele in my post-rock band and I get some thick, deadly tones out of them. That in-between setting on the tele is just beastly.

So, save your loot for an amp. Don't go modding the guitar or buying a pedal. Put the cash away until you have $400 or so saved up and then get a 6505+ 112 combo. Or something else that piques your metal interests. That's gonna make a huge difference. Ain't no pedal on the market gonna make that frontman 15 sound like a beast.


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## berzerkergang (Apr 15, 2013)

Get a hotrail 

/done


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## C2Aye (Apr 15, 2013)

4Eyes said:


> yes, you can get metal sound with single coils
> 
> Cassini | Sithu Aye



I have to clear some stuff up regarding this. Yes, I did use a Strat but only for tracks 4 and 6 as well as all the clean parts on track 5.

This song is probably a better representation of the kind of sound I'd achieve with my strat: Skye | Sithu Aye 

Or maybe this? https://soundcloud.com/c2aye/april-7th-clip

I used a 2006 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster with all stock equipment. While I'm a huge advocate of using a Strat for all music ever, you kind of have to be careful when it comes to single coils. The samarium cobalt pickups in my Strat aren't as bright or hot as many other Strat single coils and I think they have a nicely defined mid range, making them very usable for metal.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Apr 16, 2013)

How has this thread gotten so far without anyone posting songs from the first Wintersun album?


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## brynotherhino (Apr 16, 2013)

These are bkp pile drivers https://soundcloud.com/barry-boren/swirl-tele-test, but I've had great luck with stock mim tele pickups for metal stuffs. They work really well with my fingers haha


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## Dead Undead (Apr 16, 2013)

^A lot of Fender's stock telecaster pickups are excellent for metal. They have great single coil dynamics but feel and sound tight. Love em.


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## codycarter (Apr 16, 2013)

Swap your pups for some hotrails or lace sensors. It can be done. When I want to get a "djenty" tone I go to my friends short scale fender. Single coils may be noisy and thin when it comes to metal, but they are really aggressive and focused


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## metalmaiden (Apr 16, 2013)

Thanks for the advice everyone, this helps clear things up for me a lot. 
Here's what I'm going to do
1. Change one or two pickups while keeping the originals to put back in after.
2. New amp
3. New guitar
 

But all your comments have surely helped me  thank you.

So now comes this question. 
What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?


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## ArtDecade (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> So now comes this question.
> What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?



The new Fender Mustangs are versatile modelling amps. They are worth a look if you aren't looking for a tube amp.


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## Alexxx (Apr 16, 2013)

If you want an amp with cleans, I wouldn't recommend the 6505+ 112. If I could go back, I'd have gotten an Egnator, DSL or even a Pod HD500. All good options. The 6505+ is still excellent for metal, but the cleans aren't usable IMO, they clip so easily, even with minimal gain.


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## troyguitar (Apr 16, 2013)

Buy a used Fender Roc Pro amp for about the same price as a decent pedal. Yngwie used them for clinics and the orchestra shows for quite awhile with his strats and always sounded good.


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## axxessdenied (Apr 16, 2013)

Alexxx said:


> If you want an amp with cleans, I wouldn't recommend the 6505+ 112. If I could go back, I'd have gotten an Egnator, DSL or even a Pod HD500. All good options. The 6505+ is still excellent for metal, but the cleans aren't usable IMO, they clip so easily, even with minimal gain.



If you get the Pod HD Series you can always upgrade to the DT25 combo amp from line 6 down the road.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 16, 2013)

Yep, the cleans on the 6505s, even the + series, like the 6505+ 112 I own, are pretty average as far as high gain amps go, and not a patch on those from an amp designed for low gain or cleans. For metal though, a 6505+ is absolutely ace.


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## leechmasterargentina (Apr 16, 2013)

I guess you can. Depends on the sound you wanna achieve. If you wanna sound like Fear Factory or Meshuggah, probably a Fender isn't the best choice. But it's an American Fender, I wouldn't sell it despite Ibanez guitars (I own 2) are really good ones.

The good thing of having little money is that you have to adapt to what you have. You could either add a DiMarzio hot rails on the bridge as suggested above, or get the highest gain possible with what you have and search for a sound you like.

When I started playing the guitar my first one was a Squier Strat. I didn't listen/play Metal back then, but my second guitar was a Fender Strat Japan and at that time I started getting into Metal. Later I was able to buy my first Ibanez, an RG470 that I still own after 14 years. Both guitars had stock PUs; while the Ibanez had more gain, the sound in the Strat was clearer. I still regret having sold the strat sometimes, but lately I've felt those guitars are not my thing anymore and I even started a post critizing Fender and Gibson for not updating their guitars (Tremolo, design, PUs, neck).

Still, it's a great guitar, and for the sound I remember they have, I bet you can achieve a decent Metal sound with good pedals and a good amp, and adapt it to your music.


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## codycarter (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> So now comes this question.
> What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?



Depends on your budget and what you are looking for.

I would suggest a modeler of some sort 
if you aren't too defined when it comes to tone. The pod HD comes to mind.


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## tedtan (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> What amp should I get on a somewhat modest budget ?


 
What type of tones are you going after? It would help us if you provide examples (and, ideally, links to YouTube vids) of each type of tone you want - e.g., clean, crunch, metal rhythm, leads plus whatever other tones you want for other music you play.


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## metalmaiden (Apr 16, 2013)

tedtan said:


> What type of tones are you going after? It would help us if you provide examples (and, ideally, links to YouTube vids) of each type of tone you want - e.g., clean, crunch, metal rhythm, leads plus whatever other tones you want for other music you play.



Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.


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## wakjob (Apr 16, 2013)

*Tone Zone S.* Maybe with a push/pull pot for coil tapping/parallel.


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## tedtan (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.


 
I have heard good things about the Blackstar and Egnator amps if you are on a budget. Unfortunately, I haven't played either, so I comment on specific models, but definitely check them out before buying something.

Also, if you want the everything in your list plus great cleans (and can stretch your budget to $1,000 - $1,200), check out a used Mesa Mark IV. It may or may not be what you want tone wise, but it is a killer amp that you won't outgrow, and one of the very few high gain amps with great cleans (most metal amps have cleans somewhere between shitty and mediocre, for some reason).

You might also want to look into a Marshall DSL or TSL, but I'm not sure what they are selling for, so I'm not sure if they would work on a budget or not.


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## Mprinsje (Apr 16, 2013)

yea it can be done but IMO telecasters sound better for metal than strats. More bite to them.

But everything can metal as long as you've got the amp for it.


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## Mordacain (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone, this helps clear things up for me a lot.
> Here's what I'm going to do
> 1. Change one or two pickups while keeping the originals to put back in after.
> 2. New amp
> ...



Personally, I would do one of the following:

Either pickup an AMT SS-30 and a Tube Cake + decent used cab (all you likely need until you start playing with a loud drummer)

or a POD HD + decent cheap power amp + decent used cab.

I've got a DT25 I used with my HD500 and I love it. I actually enjoy using it more than my Boogie Mark IV, granted, that's at home volume, but still. I have a Tube Cake incoming to try out which might take the place of the DT25 for use at home.

SS30's can picked up for sub $200 if you catch them used, $300 new. Tube Cake retails new for $140. Any decent, closed back cab will do. I routinely see Boogie cabs around the $400 mark but if you're lucky you can score a good 4x12 for around $100.


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## codycarter (Apr 16, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Something that can put out squealy leads to metal chugging and light distortion.



For a beginner rig I say pod HD, it has clean, crunch, lead, and rhythm. And a powered monitor, used. Simple, yet effective.

The HD500 will have everything you need for a long while, the powered monitor can be used for home, practice, and at shows if you integrate it with the PA system. This will allow you to focus on better guitars and pickups.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Apr 17, 2013)

+1 to the PODHD500.
Cheapish but decent guitar > good modeller > clean amp = some good and useable tones.

My personal chain is:
Guitar > Boss GE-7 eq > Digitech BP80 > Boss GE-7 eq > Cheap Practice amp

and it sounds great!


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## ArtDecade (Apr 17, 2013)

Disregard the vast majority of the pickup suggestions... it seems like everyone is telling you to get stacked humbuckers, but you can do metal with single coils!


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## TheWretchedAbyss (Apr 17, 2013)

Im pretty sure winds of plague uses single coil telecasters, i saw them live a while back, definately using telecasters that looked stock.


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## Veritech Zero (Apr 17, 2013)

Still seems that the verdict is a little bit fuzzy...

You can definitely get a good metal tone from a single coil, without a doubt. But it wont sound like a humbucker is all. I haven't tried a single coil in the bridge position since I got my new setup (Laney Ironheart), but it was a tad too bright for my liking on my old Spider IV, but I bet it would sound beastly on the Laney. I do however use single coils in the neck position on several of my guitars, and I LOVE it, I really can't get enough of the sound, I really like them for all sorts of arpeggio and alternate picking stuff. They really sound out individual notes very well, and your picking technique comes through exceptionally clearly too.


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## tedtan (Apr 17, 2013)

I love single coils as much as anyone on this forum (maybe more so), so its great to see you guys flying the single coil flag. They excel at cleans, kill on leads (especially in the neck position) and do a lot of low to medium gain rhythm stuff really well, too. But a Strat with stock pickups would not be my first choice for tight metal rhythm tones - humbuckers just do that that kind of thing better. A lot better.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 17, 2013)

tedtan said:


> I love single coils as much as anyone on this forum (maybe more so), so its great to see you guys flying the single coil flag. They excel at cleans, kill on leads (especially in the neck position) and do a lot of low to medium gain rhythm stuff really well, too. But a Strat with stock pickups would not be my first choice for tight metal rhythm tones - humbuckers just do that that kind of thing better. A lot better.



I have to disagree. Perhaps stock strat pups on cheaper Fenders, yes, but they end up not being good for much of anything . I feel like single coils can offer a very tight feel overall in the attack and dynamics, and, depending on your rig to some extent, can handle heavy riffs just as well as any humbucker.


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## axxessdenied (Apr 18, 2013)

Dead Undead said:


> I have to disagree. Perhaps stock strat pups on cheaper Fenders, yes, but they end up not being good for much of anything . I feel like single coils can offer a very tight feel overall in the attack and dynamics, and, depending on your rig to some extent, can handle heavy riffs just as well as any humbucker.



I also feel like if you tune a little lower the single coils help avoid muddiness!


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## Dead Undead (Apr 18, 2013)

axxessdenied said:


> I also feel like if you tune a little lower the single coils help avoid muddiness!



Absolutely! They definitely help keep it clear, even through some pretty heavy distortion.


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## gclef (Apr 18, 2013)

I absolutly love strats.....and single coils.
the big muff is a good choice.
for your situation a blackstar ht5 with the 12" speaker is an excellent choice. 
Also, an often overlooked aid for the single coil/metal thing is a decent compressor before the od/distortion. It tightens and thickens things up a bit.
As far as pickups go, a dimarzio rail pickup does the trick. You can also put a mini switch to cut one coil to get a single coil sound.
The lace sensor red makes a rather nice metal pickup.


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## Mordacain (Apr 18, 2013)

I reiterate, even vintage, low-output single coils can deliver an excellent heavy sound.

As others have stated, they can cut and deliver some excellent dynamics / percussive qualities.

You will likely not get a very pleasing sound straight into an amp, but a combination of ODs set low (gain-stacking) can yield amazing results.

Also, the clarity of single coils works particularly well with fuzz units in general. The Metal Muff and original Big Muff Pi in particular sound amazing driven by singles.

I still recommend getting a slightly higher output single, like an SSL5 or something similar. I'm a big fan of the Dimarzio Area / Virtual Vintage series (not true singles, but sound and respond like them) and the original Heavy Blues is just a monstrous bridge pickup. The Virtual Solo is pretty awesome as well.


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## redstone (Apr 18, 2013)

tedtan said:


> I love single coils as much as anyone on this forum (maybe more so), so its great to see you guys flying the single coil flag. *They excel at cleans, kill on leads (especially in the neck position)* and do a lot of low to medium gain rhythm stuff really well, too. But a Strat with stock pickups would not be my first choice for tight metal rhythm tones - humbuckers just do that that kind of thing better. A lot better.



If people were better informed, I bet a lot of them would rather avoid neck humbuckers for metal leads and cleans.


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## djentinc (Apr 18, 2013)

It's not impossible to get decent high gain tones with singlecoils, but you have to EQ them well otherwise they'll sound thin and fuzzy. Singlecoils are best for cleans and low-mid gain distorted tones, a humbucker is really a much better option for high gain metal tones.

Unless you're playing black metal, in which case singlecoils are probably the way to go for that trve and kvlt sound.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Apr 18, 2013)

Or even go with a low/mid output 'bright' voiced humbucker.

The stock humbucker pup in my Hello Kitty strat is very clear, bright and single-ish.

There's also the 'stacked' buckers that are the same size as singles and have a sound somewhere between 'normal' buckers and singles, but is closer to singles.

I own a Metal Muff and anything bright into that thing sounds nice.
Its tone kinda reminds me of mesa rectifiers a bit, but thankfully without the weird knob interactions.


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## Stealthtastic (Apr 18, 2013)

KAMI said:


> Sure!
> 
> All the sounds on my page so far are done with single coils!
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/torrential-skies




I fucking love Sky red, I've listened to it about 4 times in a row now. Good shit.


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## NickSBTT (Apr 18, 2013)

Definitely. It really depends on the pickups that you're using. I honestly prefer single coils though, to be honest. They tend to have more character imo.


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## skeels (Apr 19, 2013)

The BOSS HM-2 just absolutely rules. 

That is all..


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## C2Aye (Apr 19, 2013)

Everybody will have their own opinion regarding this, although I disagree with any saying that single-coils are unusable for metal. Also, I don't know about your experiences but I've never really had to do a lot of post-processing to get my tone the way I want it with my Strat. In fact, I use exactly the same clean and distorted setup for both my Strat and my Ibanez 7 string.

Distorted: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39302626/Signal Chain 2.jpg
Clean: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39302626/Signal Chain Clean.jpg

Obviously, it would be up to your ears to tell if it sounds any good. Unfortunately, the only reference I have is my own music so sorry if it seems like a plug or anything.

Baryogenesis | Sithu Aye
Particles Collide (feat. Plini) | Sithu Aye
Formation | Sithu Aye

And as a reference, here's how that setup sounds with my 7 string:

Expansion | Sithu Aye


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## Zeoj67 (Apr 19, 2013)

def like your style C2AYE !!! inventive and refreshing ....

100

Z


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## wakjob (Apr 20, 2013)

Good god yes. That is some of the best music I've heard lately.

Absolutely top shelf C2Aye!!!!!


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## KAMI (Apr 21, 2013)

Stealthtastic said:


> I fucking love Sky red, I've listened to it about 4 times in a row now. Good shit.



Thanks man!


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## lawizeg (Apr 21, 2013)

metalmaiden said:


> Dude, that is an epic sound...what kind of pedals, rig do u use?
> 
> So the consensus is to change the pickups rather than get a pedal?



You could switch to using an audio interface and plugins, i know Sithu Aye uses Guitar Rig for tone..and he gets that. So its possible.

If I were you I'd either just replace the pickups if you're otherwise satisfied with the guitar, or since its actually a decent Fender(American made), try to sell/trade it for what you want?


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## spawnofthesith (Apr 21, 2013)

May have been mentioned in here already, but IIRC The Safety Fire uses single coils


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## KAMI (Apr 21, 2013)

TBH, C2 is the man!

Be sure to check out "Arrow + Knee = Adventure Over"!


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## Mordacain (Apr 21, 2013)

lawizeg said:


> You could switch to using an audio interface and plugins, i know Sithu Aye uses Guitar Rig for tone..and he gets that. So its possible.
> 
> If I were you I'd either just replace the pickups if you're otherwise satisfied with the guitar, or since its actually a decent Fender(American made), try to sell/trade it for what you want?



Sithu Aye's heavy tone is actually LePou running into impulses, but the point still stands. GuitarRig he uses for cleans (and reverb I believe). He actually has it in his signal path screencaps a little farther up.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Apr 22, 2013)

Actually the main reason I recommended stack buckers instead of singles is for noise reasons. You get a lot of hum/noise while using singles with high gain, unless you use a noise gate of some kind.


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## KAMI (Apr 22, 2013)

All_¥our_Bass;3523491 said:


> Actually the main reason I recommended stack buckers instead of singles is for noise reasons. You get a lot of hum/noise while using singles with high gain, unless you use a noise gate of some kind.



Exactly!

Stacked humbuckers don't really sound like humbuckers, anyway.


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## theronaldchase (Apr 22, 2013)

Surprisingly, the John Mayer signature is pretty great running through a 6505+ with a tube screamer in front. I think its the mid scooped Big Dipper pickups. Also, they have a lower output than most single coils and I think that helps to tame the brightness a little.


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## ArtDecade (Apr 23, 2013)

KAMI said:


> Exactly!
> 
> Stacked humbuckers don't really sound like humbuckers, anyway.



True, but stacked humbuckers sound even less like single coils.


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## redstone (Apr 23, 2013)

Anyway, a noise gate is always welcome on stage. So the extra noise isn't a valid reason. (as a metal player of course)


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## troyguitar (Apr 24, 2013)

Noise gate only kills the noise when you are not playing, it is still present in the background while you are playing. 

There are a decent amount of noiseless single coils that still sound mostly like a single coil on the market these days. Everyone makes them.


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## codycarter (Apr 25, 2013)

Last post I'm going to put here:

Yesterday I played a Fender American standard Strat. All I can remember is he was tuned to drop a with super tight strings, and had a Lace Red Sensor in the bridge, something lace reverse wound in the middle, and something else lace in the neck. With this set up I could get that awesome strat metal tone, get a humbucking bridge tone, a lead that could scream, and a lead that could sing.

Damnit i wish Lace would make some 8 string sensors


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## redstone (Apr 25, 2013)

troyguitar said:


> Noise gate only kills the noise when you are not playing, it is still present in the background while you are playing.



.. but not audible if properly shielded.


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## FearComplex (Apr 26, 2013)

Strats with single-coils can work great. If you're playing on your own you might feel they lack the beef but in a jamming/recording situation this lack of low end and low mids can help. Massive guitar sounds tend to be filtered when it comes to the mix, hi-passing the lows and eq'ng & multi-band compressing the low mids is common, unless you want the guitars to dominate those areas but good bye to your kick and bass if so. Heavy handed use of those filters can bring out the harshness in the upper mids and shrink the tone in an overall unnatural sounding manner. With a Strat you might find it's already in a good place lows and low mids wise, allowing you to deal mostly with shaping the mids and giving the kick and bass breathing room. There's also space for drum room mics to fill out the low end.


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