Make a humbucker sound like a single coil

Ahmed Badreldin

Ahmed Badreldin

Inspired
Sorry but searched and found a thread that was nearly three years old, also many members whilst trying to help kept on trying to get the bloke to change different pickups instead of solving. Is there any way or anything in effects or edit that I can make my Les Paul sound like a single coil. Reson I am curious is that the way inferior (still respected) Boss GT range had a Tone Modify which changed SC to H, H to SC and even Acoustic. Not very convincing but it wasn't too bad with tweaking.

I have also googled and all threads are years old, many disscussing tone matching in the future for pickups?
 
+1 on splitting the coils, that will get you the closest the quickest.

If you are using what your Boss unit did as a benchmark I think the graphic EQ will do most of what that did. I had a similar feature on an old Digitech unit, and it was o.k. for getting some of the SC character out of a HB. I'd suggest taking a comp/dynamic block in front of you favorite preset, set to dynamic and at the same time lower the output of the block significantly to simulate the lower output and increase dynamics. Next EQ to taste. I just tried this with a graphic EQ and went pretty extreme increasing the high end while cutting below about 2K a bit.

I can now take a screaming humbucker and engage those two blocks and have a cleaner more dynamic, yet thin sound. At least as good as what my Digitech did. Is it good enough to fool somebody? maybe in a mix. In split coil, it's way more convincing.
 
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The only way to get a true single-coil sound is with true single-coil pickups.

A split humbucker comes close.

Your only other option is EQ. That's what the Boss GT did. As you say: it's not very convincing, but it's not too bad with tweaking.

The most accurate EQ is tone-matching, which the Axe-Fx can do wonderfully. Tone match your Les Paul to a Strat, or to another single-coil guitar that you like.
 
I did a tone match block to get a neck humbucker to approximate a single coil. Results were decent but not great.
 
The closest I've come is to use a modeling product (Roland VG-99 in my case) with a modeled single coil tone (choosing a strat, P90, Danelectro "lipstick" etc.), then do a tone match to a particular real pickup of the same type as the model.

This works well for me with acoustic guitar tones too. A modeled acoustic tone matched to a real acoustic gives good results.

I have coil splits in most of my guitars, but the split coil never sounds good. In every case they are weak and thin. I think a pickup designed to be a single coil works better than any of the humbuckers I've tried when split.
 
MesaGuitarGuy and everyone many thanks, I've seen many posts again regarding split coil and a only a single coil sounds like a single coil etc, but it really is about not changing guitars in the set. I've got about 17. Even my Sambora Kramer guitar is not as stratty as my strat and not Les Paul enough! Despite it having 5 way switch and two coil taps. I would love to do a show where my Les Paul can go from funlk to metal. I'll be honest though, it was an esier job to get my strat to do simulate humbucker..lol just more gain!

Cheers and thanks MesaGuitarGuy, gonna download your patch today and see how it goes. It's gotta be better than any of mine.
 
+1 on serial/parallel mod

what also works like a charm is to make a treble bleed mod, (solder a capacitor between both legs on the volume pot) so when you roll back the volume, the bass thins out and the tone clears way up and you can get very sparkly cleans out of it.

you can also use a push pull pot as a switch to enable the capicator in the signal path so you can get 6 different sounds with a traditional 3-way les paul toggle switch.
as this mod does also effect the tone even when the volume pot is 100% way up (especially audible on heavy distortion sounds and palm mutes) i encourage to make this mod en/disable via a push pull pot.
 
Cheers everyone, but what I meant was not having to doctor my guitars, I've got loads of HSS guitars Floyd Roses but for my SG or Les Paul, just not having to change guitar if we go to a single coil song in the set. I've had a tech add coil taps to nearly all but my Gibsons are priceless to meand want to leave them stock. Many thanks though for replies
 
By its nature a humbucker cancels many frequencies out, whilst providing more output.

For the reduced output you can reduce your input trim on the patch you make.

Regarding the EQ portion, I'd look up your humbucker and then compare that to the single coil you with to mimic. Then create an inverse PEQ as your first block. Let's say your HB reads 8.5 at 500hz and the SC reads 6.2 at that same 500hz, your PEQ should then be set to -2.3 at 500hz to get you where you wish to go. Repeat at as many points as data allows, then fine tune by ear to compensate for the other differences between guitars.
 
You can get close but the compression within a humbucker, kills the single-coil feel. So it wont matter how many comp and eqs you add, it might sound clean, but the feel wont be there. I have my best guitar (a Framus Panthera) loaded with BKP BlackDogs and a push/push to single just the neck pickup. Best single tone in life. I prefer it than my Strat! I also installed a blowerswitch to give me bridge pickup at full gain. It really feels like having a drive pedal inside the guitar.
But looks like you dont want to try coiltaps.


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