Soapbar vs. single coil?

[Invisible_Kid]

What are the pros and cons of having soapbar pickups as opposed to single coils?

 

[Sam Evans]

Subscribed - I've never been entirely clear how a soapbar pickup differs from others (split coil, single coil, double coil / humbucker) either.

 

[brentonkim]

different sound..?
and soapbars have no hum.

 

[emjazz]

Soapbar is just the shape. There can be a lot of different configurations under the hood.

 

[GregC]

Soapbar is just the shape. There can be a lot of different configurations under the hood.

Big +1. There's no way to answer this question, IMO.

 

[Sam Evans]

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Chris Breese]

Why choose? Just get Nordstrand Dual Coils and you can have it all!

 

[Kwesi]

Soapbar is just the shape. There can be a lot of different configurations under the hood.

While this is true, soapbar usually refers to a dual-coil side-by-side pickup such as the Nordstrand DC or the multitude of Bartolini dual coil.

The general tonal differences between soaps and singles is that single coils tend to have more snap and more natural highs and high mids while soaps have a rounder, punchier sound with more lows and low mids. As emjazz said there are all manner shapes and configurations but those are tonal differences that I have observed.

 

[darkstorm]

I like soapbar/humbucker pups better myself due to fuller sound they generally have and no hum. Of course there are humfree J style pups. But soapbar/humbucker pups generally sound better to me. Theyre like humbucker guitar pups compared to single coil guitar pups which is what J pups are equivalent to.