How to equalize level between single coils & humbucker?

[odeacon]

Noob here, first post (couldn't find 'Search Island' to see if this has been covered, so mea culpa if it's old news here)...

 

Just got my first Strat-style guitar (Carruthers S6), with two single coils and a humbucker. It's my first electric with single coils, and I'm wondering if and how I might get the levels between the single coils and the humbucker a bit closer, so that I can switch between them without worrying about level changes. I can't find the answer to this anywhere on the 'net.

 

Compression seems a logical solution, but I generally have tried to shy away from it. My effects unit that goes through the effects loop has a compression function I've never had to use before, and I'm wondering whether I'd be better off using that or an old dbx 163x from my old rack to go in front of the preamp (assuming compression is the way to go here in the first place).

 

I'd appreciate any direction anyone can offer!

 

Thanks!

o'deacon

[Screaming Stone]

There should be pickup height adjustment screws on the sides of the pickup - use those to raise and lower the pickups (higher/closer to strings gives you more output/volume)

 

If the pickups have adjustable pole pieces (screws) use those to fine tune your tone - again, raising the screw height to the strings increases output/volume)

[Caevan O'Shite]

That's a very typical problem with H-S-S pickup arrangements. You can lessen the disparity somewhat by raising the single-coils a little closer to the strings, and lowering the humbucker a little.

 

But you don't want to get the S-c's so close that their powerful rod-magnet polepieces interfere with the tuning and intonation by literally pulling on the strings magnetically (this is often referred to as "Strat-itis"; the wound/bass-strings are particularly susceptible to this phenomenon).

 

And, lowering the hb too far will defeat the purpose of having one in the first place, won't it?

 

Short of having the pickups designed as a set to work well together and sound somewhat balanced (you could replace 'em with better balance in mind), and/or compressing the life out of the sound, mixed 'n' matched s-c's and hb's are generally an exercise in compromise.

 

Learn to love and take advantage of the added oomph and boost that the bridge-humbucker has on-tap for you, and the same goes for the leaner, cleaner, more percussive and clucky sounds of the neck and middle single-coils. Adjust the single-coils to where they sound the best, and THEN do whatever you're gonna do with that humbucker. Let overall tone rule above volume-balance. There are times when you have to let a guitar be itself to a point, and to get along with and find the benefit of what it has to offer as such.

 

Oh, and welcome to the GPF! (And a very long overdue late welcome to you, too, Screaming Stone! Hey, any relation to Small Tree?) (It's an EH-thang!)

[odeacon]

Thanks, Stone & Caevan - pickup height hadn't occurred to me (duh); I'll have to try it...

 

Since I just got the guitar, and since it has ultra-customized Duncans,and each pickup does sound great, I'm not going to look at replacing them just yet; and compromise? I thought we guitarists had banished that word from our vocabulary (laughs hysterically, and wistfully)!

 

As suggested, I prob'ly have to tweak a bit, then get used to & enjoy the nature of the beast...

 

Thanks for both of your posts - it's good to have the light of reason!

 

o'deacon

[soggybomb]

I know you may view the output level difference as a problem, but I actually find it to be a desirable feature of HSS guitars. the hotter humbucker will add overdrive and sustain for a soaring lead sound, which can contrast nicely with a single-coil rhythm tone (I like 'position 2', using the top two single coils). the rhythm sound will then be cleaner and clearer for better articulation.

 

but if this is really a problem, short of replacing pickups, pickup height and polepiece adjustments make sense as an easy solution. to each his own!

[odeacon]

Soggybomb -

 

Those are good points - since this is still new, there're obviously a few things like this that need to be pointed out to me...

 

I prob'ly need to let the guitar sink in a while more, but when playing with bands it's seemed that switching from humbucker to single coil(s) has attenuated the level a bit too noticeably...

 

And I'm finding that I like 'position 2' quite a bit, as well, with or without the humbucker (push/pull pot, and another to split the coils), for clean leads and rhythms.

 

Wow! I'm glad I found this forum! You guys are good!

 

Thanks!

o'deacon

[Caevan O'Shite]

I must say that on my H-S-S arrayed Strat-styled axe (which has acive EMGs, 85-SA-SA, IIRC), I really liked the sound of "position 4", combining the middle-pickup (s-c sized & shaped SA) with the bridge-pickup (85 hb).

 

Not the same as two single-coils as usually found on a Strat, but a good tone nonetheless; worked very nicely for picking single-notes up very close by the bridge with a "snick"-ing attack from downstrokes with my index fingernail and pad/tip. A cool variation on Stratty Snarkiness that sounds great with delay, 'verb, and maybe even a little bit of chorus...

 

I never did get those pickups to be very balanced together...

[The Geoff]

Compressor.

 

G.

[ThisSiteSucks]

Cutting the tone a bit can help and if all else fails, just get used to rolling back the volume a tad (easy with your pinky on a Strat)