Guitarists all over the world, or those particularly involved in mastering the electric guitar, have argued which among the two types of pickups is better than the other. As a general reference, the sound reproduced by these pickups are either fat and milky (for the humbuckers) and bright and a bit country (for the single coils).
But in a world where diversity is appreciated yet distinctions and uniqueness are often criticized, challenging the notion that one pickup is better than the other is always a common occurrence in guitar forums all over the web.
For example, a guitarist whose influence is Metal or Rock and Roll may probably go for the straight, raw sound of the humbuckers. Humbuckers often produce powerful sounds that are attributed to the open-coil technique used in manufacturing the pick-up. These pickups can produce great amounts of sustain. Imagine holding down on the G note and applying a bit of vibrato on the strings. Notes that often die out on electric guitars using single coils tend to be prolonged by guitars such as the Les Paul and the Gibson SG. The sound doesn't just prolong itself, the created sustain also creates a melodic feedback that is not harsh on the ears (this since the sound is fat and not sharp nor shrill).
Single coils, often found sported by Fender and Peavey guitars, are also an exceptional pickup type that has its own advantages and are chosen by quite a lot of guitar players as well. Single coils are normally set by threes: one near the bridge, at the middle then near the guitar neck. The configuration for single coils is the secret to its lovely sound; a sound that is clean, polished and bright, applicable for almost any type of music. A selector switch is responsible for pairing each pick up allowing a guitarist to access 5 varying tones using for example, a standard Stratocaster, as compared to the three-way selector switch present in humbucker guitar models.
To arrive at a verdict is just too darn impossible since many guitarists today have learned to acknowledge the individuality of each pickup and tend to switch from one type to the other depending on the tones they want to produce and the songs they prefer to play. It is like comparing pizza and fried chicken or beer and whiskey.
Owning two guitars with different pickup structures wouldn't be that bad though!
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