Single coil vs split coil for my first bass

[tpaul]

You've been playing guitar for 12 years, so one question would be, are you used to humbuckers or single coils in your guitars?

If you're mainly playing Teles and Strats with single coils and you're used to the hum or you've found a good way to minimize it using pedals or whatever, then maybe a jazz-type bass with single coils will work for you.

If your guitars of choice use humbuckers, such as a Les Paul, and you're used to hum-free playing, I'd suggest you go with the P-Bass type.

Personally I play Telecasters and I'm OK with a moderate amount of hum in that case because I'm often using an overdrive and reverb and/or other effects; also I tend to favor the neck pickup which is better shielded. Even so, I have found single coil bass pickups difficult to live with. I'm not generally using any kind of overdrive with a bass, and the hum drives me crazy when I'm looking for clean, crystalline tones. So you might want to consider the other elements of your signal chain and what kind of results you're looking for.

FWIW, I've tried the P/J thing and usually the J pickup can't keep up with the P pickup and it also introduces hum, so I just end up using the P pickup almost exclusively anyway.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

P/J basses sound really great ! But I can't find an affordable P/J bass with maple fretbard. I owned a Fender telecaster deluxe 72 and I loved its maple fretboard. That's why I'm lokking for it.

If you're after a maple board for the bright tone, don't bother. A thin strip of wood makes literally no difference to your tone in the slightest. Just look at Flea. If it's for the looks though, I can see your reasoning.

 

[RoderickF]

You've been playing guitar for 12 years, so one question would be, are you used to humbuckers or single coils in your guitars?

If you're mainly playing Teles and Strats with single coils and you're used to the hum or you've found a good way to minimize it using pedals or whatever, then maybe a jazz-type bass with single coils will work for you.

If your guitars of choice use humbuckers, such as a Les Paul, and you're used to hum-free playing, I'd suggest you go with the P-Bass type.

Personally I play Telecasters and I'm OK with a moderate amount of hum in that case because I'm often using an overdrive and reverb and/or other effects; also I tend to favor the neck pickup which is better shielded. Even so, I have found single coil bass pickups difficult to live with. I'm not generally using any kind of overdrive with a bass, and the hum drives me crazy when I'm looking for clean, crystalline tones. So you might want to consider the other elements of your signal chain and what kind of results you're looking for.

FWIW, I've tried the P/J thing and usually the J pickup can't keep up with the P pickup and it also introduces hum, so I just end up using the P pickup almost exclusively anyway.

I have a ESP LTD EC-401 (EMG 81 and 60) and a ESP LTD ST-203 (with 3 single coils). I also owned a Fender telecaster deluxe with 2 humbuckers. I sold it because the humbuckers tend to sound a bit dull (IMO). I like single coil reactivity and dynamics.

Thanks for sharing your experience !

 

[RoderickF]

If you're after a maple board for the bright tone, don't bother. A thin strip of wood makes literally no difference to your tone in the slightest. Just look at Flea. If it's for the looks though, I can see your reasoning.

Yes It's a bit for the looks but mainly because I love how fingers slide on maple.

 

[Dan Bass]

Sorry Dan, Steve Harris uses the Spb4 dual coil humbucker from Seymour Duncan, it has 2 coils, so it's not a single coil anything, it's a DUAL coil pickup the words single coil don't apply at all in any way? the Op asked a reasonable question,and your reply was wrong, your information is incorrect, it doesn't help to answer with wrong info, and that's what you did.

This is a duel coil split P-Bass pickup, where each split part of the pickup is a double humbucker. Steve Harris's SPB-4 pickup is a humbucker, but still both parts of the pickup each are single coil.

 

[chadds]

If you're after a maple board for the bright tone, don't bother. A thin strip of wood makes literally no difference to your tone in the slightest. Just look at Flea. If it's for the looks though, I can see your reasoning.

To avoid a thing about "wood vs", I can say after owning a '70 Tele, a '51 RI, an actual '57 P and a '57 RI all maple necked and played many rosewood '58-'68 Ps there is a stiffness to the entire bass that the standard rosewood Ps didn't have. This does affect the sound and is personal choice whether you favor that for playability.

 

[bassbenj]

The Jazz Bass has 2 separate single coil pickups, putting the blend knob on both pickups makes it 2 single coil pickups working at the same time , it doesn't make it one humbucker that's 4-5 inches apart.

Sorry Dan but you are giving out wrong information again. Most jazz basses are wound with the bridge coil and magnets reversed so that indeed when both pickups are on full it bucks hum and indeed is "one humbucker that's 4-5 inches apart". This also gives a Jazz bass it's unique both pickups on tone.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

Yes It's a bit for the looks but mainly because I love how fingers slide on maple.

I'd personally say that the slidyness of a neck is determined by the varnish, but I suppose wood could make a difference.

 

[bassbenj]

In fact I like the distinctive tone of single coil bass. I can't explain why. As you said, it sounds articulate. I just don't know If it can sound "metal". Do you know any (masochistic) bass player who plays metal with a single coil (rather than split coil) ?

You are not alone. A lot of players dig the single coil pickup sound both in P-basses and Jazz basses. And because of that they play one and just put up with fighting hum. It's a decision the player has to make for himself.

 

[RoderickF]

I'd personally say that the slidyness of a neck is determined by the varnish, but I suppose wood could make a difference.

You're right, of course varnish is an important factor too

 

[RoderickF]

You are not alone. A lot of players dig the single coil pickup sound both in P-basses and Jazz basses. And because of that they play one and just put up with fighting hum. It's a decision the player has to make for himself.

That's the point ! Decision decision...

 

[Dan Bass]

Sorry Dan but you are giving out wrong information again. Most jazz basses are wound with the bridge coil and magnets reversed so that indeed when both pickups are on full it bucks hum and indeed is "one humbucker that's 4-5 inches apart". This also gives a Jazz bass it's unique both pickups on tone.

I never gave out any wrong information the first time, each one of your pickups is single coil, you don't have a double humbucker bridge pickup and a double humbucker neck pickup. They make Jazz Bass double stacked humbuckers each, one double humbucker for the bridge and one double humbucker for the neck, you put the blend knob in the middle and then you have 2 double humbuckers working at the same time. I'm getting sick and tired of people not knowing what their talking about. I know what I'm talking about and I'm 100% right. I just called 2 music companies and talked to 2 different Bass techs and everything I said they said was correct.

 

[stringthrough]

Split coil... Normally set up as a humbucker. Good output and grind when dimed.

 

[bassbenj]

I was just kidding Bro...

Yes, but I assure you Charlie was NOT! Beware GAS!

As for noise reduction pedals and noise gates. Well, I've tried them and they sort of work, but personally I found them be sort of irritating and hence rarely use them. I have single coil basses and the thing is that the single coil hum very much depends on the hum fields in the venue where you are playing (and also even how and where you are standing). So a lot of the time you don't have to deal with hum, but when it's bad (usually some kind of big electrical gear near stage) it can be bad! So the player has to assess his own situation. Personally I don't encounter a lot of single coil problems and many players don't, but it's still your decision and there really is no technical solution to the question of tone vs hum with the exception of an active bass with a dummy coil like say an Alembic.

 

[eigentone]

If you're after a maple board for the bright tone, don't bother. A thin strip of wood makes literally no difference to your tone in the slightest.

^False

It's one thing to say the sound difference isn't significant enough to influence your decision* when choosing a bass but to say there is no difference is false.

*Or something to that effect

 

[RoderickF]

Yes, but I assure you Charlie was NOT! Beware GAS!

As for noise reduction pedals and noise gates. Well, I've tried them and they sort of work, but personally I found them be sort of irritating and hence rarely use them. I have single coil basses and the thing is that the single coil hum very much depends on the hum fields in the venue where you are playing (and also even how and where you are standing). So a lot of the time you don't have to deal with hum, but when it's bad (usually some kind of big electrical gear near stage) it can be bad! So the player has to assess his own situation. Personally I don't encounter a lot of single coil problems and many players don't, but it's still your decision and there really is no technical solution to the question of tone vs hum with the exception of an active bass with a dummy coil like say an Alembic.

I surely won't play on stage with the bass. I just want to practice and record some stuff

 

[MattZilla]

I never gave out any wrong information the first time, each one of your pickups is single coil, you don't have a double humbucker bridge pickup and a double humbucker neck pickup. They make Jazz Bass double stacked humbuckers each, one double humbucker for the bridge and one double humbucker for the neck, you put the blend knob in the middle and then you have 2 double humbuckers working at the same time. I'm getting sick and tired of people not knowing what their talking about. I know what I'm talking about and I'm 100% right. I just called 2 music companies and talked to 2 different Bass techs and everything I said they said was correct.

spellcheck before telling people that they're wrong about semantics, please. It's embarrassing, and makes all of your statements questionable when you use the wrong words in addition to awful grammar and misdemeanor thread derailment.

Also making your statements questionable: you actually called up and bothered someone on the clock about an internet arguement with a couple of strangers?! In a thread that has little to do with the actual scientific principals which lead to specific nomenclature?!

I wonder if the guys were laughing or sighing when they hung up with you...

 

[GreatScott91]

RoderickF, one thing folks haven't mentioned - and I'm sure you're aware having played guitar for so long - that aside from pickup combos, try out a few basses to get a feel for the neck. Forgive me if I missed whether you've tried any out yet. You may or may not like how a 'Precision' style neck feels/plays. My two cents. As for the pickup situation, honestly I don't know that you can go wrong with either, but make sure it sounds AND feels good.

 

[RoderickF]

I think I'm gonna buy the PB-50 with the Wilkinson single coil. I know it would be safer to pick a split coil bass but I feel something good about this bass.
Whatever bass I choose, I'll post my recording in the forum !

 

[bassbenj]

I never gave out any wrong information the first time, each one of your pickups is single coil, you don't have a double humbucker bridge pickup and a double humbucker neck pickup. They make Jazz Bass double stacked humbuckers each, one double humbucker for the bridge and one double humbucker for the neck, you put the blend knob in the middle and then you have 2 double humbuckers working at the same time. I'm getting sick and tired of people not knowing what their talking about. I know what I'm talking about and I'm 100% right. I just called 2 music companies and talked to 2 different Bass techs and everything I said they said was correct.

Sorry Dan, but the people you talked to just didn't understand what you said before. Jazz pickups come in single coil and humbucker. The humbuckers can be stacked coils or side by side coils. They ARE humbuckers and they also pretty much don't sound as good as single coils no matter how hard the makers try to make them sound that way. I was trying not to confuse the issue with Jazz bass pickups in humbucking and single coil since the discussion is P-bass pickups, but fact is simple if you have a jazz bass with single coil pickups and solo either the neck or bridge you WILL get single coil hum if your pickups are standard single coil. And also if both pickups are on full the pair of single coils are wound so they do indeed form a "humbucker 4-5 inches apart" and will indeed buck hum. Any tech or music company will tell you the same thing if they understand what you are asking. If your jazz pickups are humbuckers (as are those on my Fender Deluxe V which are SCN stacked coil) then IN THAT CASE the bass just acts as having two pickups that you mix together and there is no single coil hum from them. The problem with that is your tone may suck (in the player's opinion) unless you've spent some decent cash for the pickups. Even good humbuckers like Nordies don't quite do it. (IMHO)

But we are talking here about P-bass pickups which is less complex. By the way I DO love a PJ bass! And in that case if the neck pickup is a split coil P-bass pickup then the "J" bridge pickup is best a humbucker type because they will never cancel hum correctly if the bridge is single coil. I put a Dimarzio ultra J (Side by side split coil J pickup) as the bridge pickup in my split-coil PJ. PJ is a good choice for a bass with nice versatility in my opinion. if the P-bass has a single coil neck pickup then you want the bridge also single coil but reverse wired so the two pickups form a humbucking pair when both are on full just like a jazz bass.

The advantage of the two single coils wound as a humbucking pair is that if the venue has no hum problems you can use the bass in all it's modes with great tone and not worry about hum. But if the venue has a big hum field, you can always turn both pickups on full to deal with the hum for the night.