Have we run out of ideas for noiseless single coils??

[metropolis_4]

I was just thinking, the newest DiMarzio noiseless Strat pickups are now 20 years old. And I can’t think of anything new that’s come out since then.

Have we reached the limit of what is possible to create noiseless passive Strat pickups? Or is there just not as much interest in these anymore?

Or are the Area just so amazing that we decided that was the end and nothing could ever possibly improve on them?

 

[FuzzyAce]

What more is needed, really? At some point, we just got to play and be satisfied.
Although, Fishman fluence come to mind as somewhat newish. Same concepts, just a different way of manufacturing.

 

[metropolis_4]

What more is needed, really? At some point, we just got to play and be satisfied.
Although, Fishman fluence come to mind as somewhat newish. Same concepts, just a different way of manufacturing.

Seemed like for a while there was a lot of new and better noiseless Strat pickups coming out. Then all of a sudden after Area’s that just came to a stop.

Like Area’s are the best that can ever possibly be made and there’s no way they could ever be improved.

Yet other pickup types have continued to see new models released

 

[FuzzyAce]

Seemed like for a while there was a lot of new and better noiseless Strat pickups coming out. Then all of a sudden after Area’s that just came to a stop.

Like Area’s are the best that can ever possibly be made and there’s no way they could ever be improved.

Yet other pickup types have continued to see new models released

Oh, so you mean from Dimarzio's standpoint? Yeah, I dunno. The HB's are probably in higher demand, so they have a plethora of options in that regard and they seem to release new models fairly regularly. Single coil players either want true singles or noiseless singles that aren't too far off from that. I do think the areas and virtual lines are really great. The rails are awesome too, but not everybody wants that look so they have limited designs. But they're really solid and cover enough ground.

Dimarzio has a large selection in general though I think. I would be content if I could only buy from them.

 

[gearJunkie]

I have many different noiseless single coils and P90s installed in several of my guitars. They work well and can sound pretty good, but IMO they loose a lot of the bite and character found in traditional SCs.

The Starr Guitars Hustler I just commissioned will have a custom set of P90s with all the noise and character on full display. I'll let my Zuul+ tame the hiss and enjoy all the beautiful noise that comes after.

 

[holoholo]

Isn’t the Ilitch tech newer? Also the Bzzkill. And zexcoils?

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I was just thinking, the newest DiMarzio noiseless Strat pickups are now 20 years old. And I can’t think of anything new that’s come out since then.

Have we reached the limit of what is possible to create noiseless passive Strat pickups? Or is there just not as much interest in these anymore?

Or are the Area just so amazing that we decided that was the end and nothing could ever possibly improve on them?

Seems like there are fewer instances where there is a big need for noiseless now than there used to be? Signal chains have improved; modern wiring and modern electrical devices all lead to much cleaner power in most homes/churches/modern venues (gone are the days where one dining room dimmer could make a whole house a cesspool from power perspective) -- its REALLY rare that my hum bucker guitars are wildly quieter than my single coil guitars.

All of which is to say the demand just might not be there to justify putting toooo much work Into that area.

 

[Frodebro]

I had a single coil once. It smelled like old people.

 

[metropolis_4]

I have many different noiseless single coils and P90s installed in several of my guitars. They work well and can sound pretty good, but IMO they loose a lot of the bite and character found in traditional SCs.

The Starr Guitars Hustler I just commissioned will have a custom set of P90s with all the noise and character on full display. I'll let my Zuul+ tame the hiss and enjoy all the beautiful noise that comes after.

That’s not an option for everyone or every setting. I’m playing a matinee in a couple hours with excerpts from Les Miserable and I can’t have a bunch of noise buzzing out of my amp as Jean Valjean starts to sing Bring Him Home to a silent theater.

“It’s ok, it’s just the beautiful noise of my P90s”

Isn’t the Ilitch tech newer? Also the Bzzkill. And zexcoils?

Yeah, it seems like this is the direction everyone has been going instead of noiseless pickups.

Seems like there are fewer instances where there is a big need for noiseless now than there used to be? Signal chains have improved; modern wiring and modern electrical devices all lead to much cleaner power in most homes/churches/modern venues (gone are the days where one dining room dimmer could make a whole house a cesspool from power perspective) -- its REALLY rare that my hum bucker guitars are wildly quieter than my single coil guitars.

All of which is to say the demand just might not be there to justify putting toooo much work Into that area.

Really? I actually think there would be more demand now. I come across bad dirty power just as much as ever, even in big professional venues. There are several venues I play where I know it’s not possible to use true single coils. I sold my EJ Strat because there were just too many times when I couldn’t bring it because of single coil noise. And that was with an Axe FX III.

And I think there is a higher expectation of silent rigs these days. More sound techs expect zero noise from your rig than back in the day when they were used to a little amp hum.

 

[metropolis_4]

Oh, so you mean from Dimarzio's standpoint? Yeah, I dunno. The HB's are probably in higher demand, so they have a plethora of options in that regard and they seem to release new models fairly regularly. Single coil players either want true singles or noiseless singles that aren't too far off from that. I do think the areas and virtual lines are really great. The rails are awesome too, but not everybody wants that look so they have limited designs. But they're really solid and cover enough ground.

Dimarzio has a large selection in general though I think. I would be content if I could only buy from them.

Not just DiMarzio, but they used to be the ones leading the charge.

I don’t feel like I see any less players using single coils than ban in the day

 

[paisleywookiee]

Dimarzio noiseless aren't that great, IMO. I've got the Mojotone Quiet Coils in my Tele and Silver Sky, and they're the most "traditional" single coil sound I've heard. I also really dig their P90's.

 

[metropolis_4]

I had a single coil once. It smelled like old people.

Yeah, young players these days all use humbuckers while the old guys use single coils

 

[metropolis_4]

Dimarzio noiseless aren't that great, IMO. I've got the Mojotone Quiet Coils in my Tele and Silver Sky, and they're the most "traditional" single coil sound I've heard. I also really dig their P90's.

I’ll have to check those out, I’m not familiar

 

[djd100]

If any of you SC guys haven't tried the dummy coil approach, give it a shot as it can dramatically lower the SC noise while not killing their sound, plus if you put it on a pot then you can only use as much as you want as needed. It can add a somewhat HB tinge to the SC's sound as desired.

https://www.frettech.com/frettech/dummy/index.html

I typically use a old Asian SC minus it's magnet(s) for this with both Fender SC's and P-90's, works better than stacked HB's if you want to retain a true SC sound, and importantly the Strat's combined positions 2 + 4 sounds which typically suffer with stacked HB's due to excess impedence.

Suhr and others sell one that replaces a Strat's vibrato spring cover too if you want to pay, and they work well too.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I’ll have to check those out, I’m not familiar

I dig them very much, and I've gotten quite a few people hooked on them. I've got the '67's in the Silver Sky, and '52 set in my Warmoth Tele.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Isn’t the Ilitch tech newer? Also the Bzzkill. And zexcoils?

That's not exactly new tech though? Bzzkill might be a newer brand though, not sure.

Dimarzio noiseless aren't that great, IMO. I've got the Mojotone Quiet Coils in my Tele and Silver Sky, and they're the most "traditional" single coil sound I've heard. I also really dig their P90's.

I love Dimarzio's noiseless designs. The Mojotone QC '67s are really great, I do have a set. Although, I wouldn't say they're more traditional compared to Areas or virtuals, especially since they have the metal base plates. I do love them though.
I try to be open-minded with this stuff, in that I don't have an exact single coil reference point that I'm dead set on. If they give me want I want or something pleasantly unexpected, I use them for what they are.

 

[Frodebro]

Yeah, young players these days all use humbuckers while the old guys use single coils

That was a joke. I have a bunch of Telecasters.

 

[FuzzyAce]

That was a joke. I have a bunch of Telecasters.

Probably all Deluxe models...

 

[paisleywookiee]

That's not exactly new tech though? Bzzkill might be a newer brand though, not sure.

I love Dimarzio's noiseless designs. The Mojotone QC '67s are really great, I do have a set. Although, I wouldn't say they're more traditional compared to Areas or virtuals, especially since they have the metal base plates. I do love them though.
I try to be open-minded with this stuff, in that I don't have an exact single coil reference point that I'm dead set on. If they give me want I want or something pleasantly unexpected, I use them for what they are.

Just my opinion. I've gone through a lot of the Dimarzio and Duncan stuff, and they just didn't wow me. I do like the Cruisers though.

 

[Frodebro]

Probably all Deluxe models...

Nope. One of them has mini humbuckers in it, but all the rest are traditional Tele pickups of varying flavors. I do like me a good Telecaster.