I was reading about the features of an electric guitar one of these was 3 single coil pick ups. How many pick ups can u hav ? i also no hav double coil ones too whats the difference. I am i right in thinking that more pick ups means better sound and also double coil is better than single. Can u get trebles? is 2 doubles better than 3 singles?
Also it says summit bout a 5 way switch what does this mean? How many can u hav ? what does it do? info please?
Theres lots of questions there hope someone can help.Cheers
I'll try and go in order here.
I think the most pickups I've ever seen was three. Three double, or three single, or two single and one double, or whatever combination. Double Coils, or humbuckers, as they are called, sound diferent than the single coil. Not better, but different. Nothing sounds better than the other, that is up to you. Some people like single coils, some people like humbuckers. Humbuckers tend to give a fatter sound, where as single coils are thinner. You have to try some guitars out to see the difference.
The 5 way switch changes frm pickup to pick up. The neck pickup, the bridge pick up, and the middle pickup. It allows for many combinations of each. I believe there are 7 way switches now, do to push in buttons that can change a humbucker to single coil/vice versa. Again, whether its better or not depends on your taste. Go try some out.
Hope that helped.
i understand bout pick ups now but i still dont get what a five way switch is and what it does
Well let's imagine your pick-ups are called A, B (both single coil, for example) and C (Double coil); this is a very common disposition for Stratocaster-like guitars.
The 1st position of the switch gives you the A pick-up alone, the second A + B, the third B alone, the fourth B + C, and the fifth C alone.
The result can be a huge difference in sound.
If I'm not in the band
Don't mean I'm square
Mercury Rev - Car Wash Air
Well let's imagine your pick-ups are called A, B (both single coil, for example) and C (Double coil); this is a very common disposition for Stratocaster-like guitars.
The 1st position of the switch gives you the A pick-up alone, the second A + B, the third B alone, the fourth B + C, and the fifth C alone.
The result can be a huge difference in sound.
If I'm not in the band
Don't mean I'm square
Mercury Rev - Car Wash Air
My suggestion is to go to a music store and play some electrics with both single coil pups and humbucker pups. Fool around with the pickup switch and pretty soon you'll get the idea.
Depending upon the type of music you are listening to and/or playing "might" dictate single coil over humbucker or the other way around and you might find both being used. Pretty soon you'll hear a guitar on a recording and know right away which is being used.
Guys who use Fender single coil only... Clapton, SRV, Hendrix
Guys who use Gibson humbuckers only...BB King, Angus Young, Ace Frehley, Zakk Wylde
Get a Musician's Friend or Sam Ash catalog and start drooling.
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
