which quieter? 'bucker vs. Strat in Pos 2 or 4

[telepath]

Hi,

just wondering - which would you expect / know to be less 'noisy' - when playing with some dirt dialed in?

A Humbucker (be it either bridge or neck, and assuming a well made Humbucker here).

or:

A regular SSS Strat when set in pos 2 or 4.

Or 'the same'?

My findings here are that the Strat in 2 or 4 is slightly less noisy than the 'bucker when there is fair dollop of gain?

Is that anybody else's experience?

[Tele-phone man]

Depends. In my recent experience, the closer the coils are together, the better the noise reduction. My stacked humbuckers (Wilde L280s) are significantly quieter than any of my side-by-side humbuckers. I don't have any true-single guitars at this time.

Most of my noise issue comes from a ridiculous ambient EMI environment at my house, the source or cause of which I have yet to determine. At most other locations, all my guitars are silent.

[Derek Kiernan]

Originally Posted by Tele-phone man

Depends. In my recent experience, the closer the coils are together, the better the noise reduction. My stacked humbuckers (Wilde L280s) are significantly quieter than any of my side-by-side humbuckers.

That's through higher design and production standards, not something necessarily inherent to stacks. The L90 is just as quiet :)

[Tele-phone man]

Originally Posted by Derek Kiernan

That's through higher design and production standards, not something necessarily inherent to stacks. The L90 is just as quiet :)

Not at my house. My L90 equipped Hamer hums maddeningly. I can make it louder or quieter by turning the guitar, just like a single-coil guitar. The control cavity is shielded, there are NO ground loops, all grounds come together at the back of the same control, the pickup leads are twisted as tightly as I could manage. I've tried everything. I even added aluminum tape shielding in the pickup cavities (per Bill's posted suggestion to reduce dimmer induced hum/buzz). The same noise occurs in my Washburn, which I currently have loaded with a pair of SD '59s. In direct contrast, all of my L280 loaded guitars sound SIGNIFICANTLY quieter.

Oh, and a true single-coil guitar? Completely unplayable in my house. The noise is so loud, even at low volume and totally clean, that the experience is completely joyless.

[Teleterr]

Originally Posted by Derek Kiernan

That's through higher design and production standards, not something necessarily inherent to stacks. The L90 is just as quiet :)

Anyone know the formula for noise in a pickup ? I know surface area is a factor and a stack has less than side by side. How about induction ?

[telepath]

Sorry, thanks for the replies, but apart from Tele-Phone-mans initial sentence, its gone a little off track right off the bat.

Can I re-ask my original question please!

i.e. just wondering - which would you expect / know to be less 'noisy' - when playing with some dirt dialed in?

A Humbucker (be it either bridge or neck, and assuming a well made Humbucker here).

or:

A regular SSS Strat when set in pos 2 or 4.

Or 'the same'?

My findings here are that the Strat in 2 or 4 is slightly less noisy than the 'bucker when there is fair dollop of gain?

Is that anybody else's actual experience?

Thanks!

[Tele-phone man]

Not mine. However, there's noisy, there's dead quiet, and there's quiet enough. Are your guitars quiet enough for you? That's the bottom line.

I find positions 2 and 4 when using a RWRP middle pickup to be quiet enough, but not as quiet as a standard humbucker, or a stacked humbucker.

[thumbpick]

gonna say both are close

[JKjr]

Originally Posted by Tele-phone man

Not mine. However, there's noisy, there's dead quiet, and there's quiet enough. Are your guitars quiet enough for you? That's the bottom line.

I find positions 2 and 4 when using a RWRP middle pickup to be quiet enough, but not as quiet as a standard humbucker, or a stacked humbucker.

yup