Whats the point of having one pickup on a guitar?

[JTEES4]

The point is....zero pickups in an electric don't work too well. One is needed. Two is an option.

[Elias Graves]

Well said.

EG

[mikelitzguitar]

I like lots of tones. This Ibanez LP I bough new in '77 has been modded- a 3 position bridge pickup, a strat pick up turned on by a push pull tone knob and a neck pickup. I have 3 separate volume pots to get a huge range of tone..

 

 

Sounds sexy, and very versatile:thu:

[d_dave_c]

for the rawk!!!

[EADGBE]

I don't really like the sound of neck or middle pickups. Too thin and clean sounding for me. But I gotta have the crunch that only a bridge pickup can bring. The strings seem to sustain longer if they don't have another pickup under them. Not to mention less switches and pots to load down the tone/output. Last but not least the neck to body joint is more solid because less wood is removed at that crucial area. Thereby creating a more solid tone.

[tom_s252]

My Gordon Smith has one coil tapped humbucker and a very good tone control. Its all you need.

[bubkus_jones]

I have been asking people this for years... Like with thous strats with one pup. The most common answer is "less to mess with". First off that answer seems like a con as opposed to a pro...plus if you have three pups you don't HAVE TO mess with anything. These guitars arnt any cheaper... Im with the OP i just dont understand.

 

 

Fewer pickups requires less routing, which equals more body wood kept on the body. Some would argue that this would improve tone. Fewer electronic components in the signal chain can provide a more "pure" tone.

[Rex Machete]

I love the "in between" sound of both pickups on at the same time, which you can't replicate with just one pickup. Some people just need the bridge or neck, but I need all the options I can get! I also don't like the idea of having multiple guitars with a narrow range of tones on each. I'd rather just have a couple that can do a lot of sounds well.

[Grantus]

This is mine. It sounds like the awesome.

 

 

Heck, a couple of my two-pickup guitars might as well have one pickup as much as I use the neck pickup on them.

[*BLEEP*]

Whats the point of having one pickup on a guitar?

 

 

If you only have one pickup, and it's in the bridge position, the body + neck joint will be very strong, so that when you hit Abbey Hoffman over the head on stage the guitar will not break in half and you be able to complete your contractually-obligated 45 minutes of concert playing time.