A noiseless version of the popular SSL-5 Custom Staggered for Strat pickup, the Custom Stack Plus will give you all of the extra output and drive without losing that unique Stratocaster voice. With that in mind, check out the video below to hear for yourself just how well the STK-S6B Stacks comes to recreating the well-known single coil tone of the SSL-5: For example, the STK-S6B Classic Stack is directly based on the SSL-5 single coil, which was originally developed as a bridge pickup for David Gilmour. Take Seymour Duncan, who have a selection of stacked pickups based on many of their popular single-coil models. In fact, many of these designs are so close that by the time you add every other piece of the signal chain into the equation, they are hard to tell apart from true single-coils. And while there are definitely stacked pickups that proudly convey their humbucker innards through their warmer, higher output tone, there are several stacked designs made to retain the traditional single coil tone with the hum canceling nature of humbuckers. When it comes to stacks, many argue that since they are humbuckers by nature, they lack the signature brightness and tone that true single-coils are known for.
Below, we take a look at both of pickup designs and see exactly how they work.Īs the name entails, single-coil stacks comprise of two single-coils stacked on top of each other, compacted to fit into the size of a regular single-coil. Because they look like a normal single-coil, they are often marketed as "noiseless" single-coil pickups, retaining the tone of a traditional single-coil while having the hum canceling ability of a humbucker. This is where single coil stacks and rail humbuckers come in, pickups designed to give the hum-cancelling abilities of dual-coiled pickups without the size requirements. Or you might have a vintage model and don't want to drastically change its appearance. Sure, it can be done, but if you're not experienced or careful, you can easily ruin your guitar. This means that installing humbuckers on them would require some serious surgery on both the pickguard (if it has one) and the body itself. A lot of solid-body guitars have pickup cavities that can only fit single-coils.