Crawlers in split coil mode vs single coils for funk

[darkandrew]

I have a number of humbucker equipped guitars all with BKPs  (Crawler set, A-Bomb set and a Rebel Yell / VHII combo) of which the Crawler set in split coil mode (in an ESP Eclipse) is probably the most suited for funk rhythm playing (think your typical Nile Rodgers rhythm tone), although the Rebel Yell and VHII in the Fender Showmaster superstrat aren't too bad at this sort of thing either, but I'm also wondering if there would be much to gain from getting a "proper" single coil equipped guitar (eg Tele / Asat or hardtail Strat) for this sort of playing?

[Telerocker]

You can't really compare a splitted humbucker with a genuine single-coil. My Crawler splits beautiful, for a humbucker, but it's not the same pumping tone as the BG52 in the bridge of my tele. It's tele-esque (in a strat) versus genuine tele. But, we're talking details here. If don't need that sound all the time, a splitted humbucker is a good solution.

 Besides that, if you want to nail the Nile Rodgers sounds, you need a strat-single coil neck ( and a Fender Twin  ).

[darkandrew]

You can't really compare a splitted humbucker with a genuine single-coil. My Crawler splits beautiful, for a humbucker, but it's not the same pumping tone as the BG52 in the bridge of my tele. It's tele-esque (in a strat) versus genuine tele. But, we're talking details here. If don't need that sound all the time, a splitted humbucker is a good solution.

 Besides that, if you want to nail the Nile Rodgers sounds, you need a strat-single coil neck ( and a Fender Twin  ).

With hardtail Strats being so hard to come by, how different would a Tele or Asat sound? You can also take it as granted, bearing in mind which forum this is, that any pickups that happen to be in the guitar when I acquire it can easily be changed if necessary.

[Telerocker]

A strat and tele are related, but imo two different worlds, especially when it comes to the neckpickup.  By example: you can imitate  the Rodgers-sound on a tele, when the neckpickup is quite stratty, like the BG52-teleneck. Or when you build in a genuine stratpickup. But a real strat has that magical glassiness and a tele can't really produce those inbetween sounds (position 2 and 4).

[Dave Sloven]

I would go with a SSS Strat for funk

[Saito]

This is a quote from Nile Rodgers.

How did you record your guitar on the classic Chic records?
"It was mostly my guitar on the neck pickup, direct into a Neve console with some compression, with maybe a touch of miked amp blended in. Onstage, Bernard and I had matching Sunn cabinets, and I used a Fender Bassman or Music Man head. My amps haven't changed since Stevie Ray Vaughan died. When we were doing the Vaughan Brothers record, Peavey gave him a bunch of Classic 50s. He gave two to me, and I've been playing them ever since, because I love the sound, and because I'm emotionally attached to them. Stevie was a great friend. We use to hang out and play guitar together for hours on end."

A true neck single coil will get you closer to that sound, but a split crawler neck would still be usable.
The main difference is where the pickup is placed and the scale. Your ESP is 24.75" I think. And you'll probably be splitting to the inner slug coil, further away from the neck.
Compared to a 21 fret, 25.5" scale the neck pickup is further up the neck.

A strat (hardtail or not) or tele would do the job just fine. But using your ESP split will get you in the general ballpark. The rest is down to how you play.

[Dave Sloven]

Or when you build in a genuine stratpickup.

This is probably the best alternative to an actual Strat. A Tele with a Strat neck pickup.  You could add a middle pickup and a five-way switch too if you want

[darkandrew]

Or when you build in a genuine stratpickup.

This is probably the best alternative to an actual Strat. A Tele with a Strat neck pickup.  You could add a middle pickup and a five-way switch too if you want

Oooh, that looks nice. Are they hard to come by?

[Dave Sloven]

Might just be a mod.  I have seen a Tele with a Strat style middle pickup but I can't remember if it still had the Tele lipstick in the neck position

The Fender Nashville Telecaster has a Strat pickup in the middle with normal Tele pickups and a five-way switch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8EWs5toWXs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_JPCJwwKHg

EDIT: holy cr@p!  They have a 12" radius for 2016 ... if I had the money I would be running out and buying one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deIzmVg3RU4

[darkandrew]

What would you say is the most "single coil" like neck humbucker (no P90s)?

[Telerocker]

The RiffRaff-neck.

[gwEm]

you definitely want strat single coils for funk

[Telerocker]

you definitely want strat single coils for funk

I agree, yet Mules in the middleposition do quite a good job in this respect.

[gwEm]

you definitely want strat single coils for funk

I agree, yet Mules in the middleposition do quite a good job in this respect.

Actually I agree with that too. I forgot the nice clean tone middle position PAF pickups give.

[Piplodocus]

I can't comment on the crawler split for funk, but recently I've been playing by Niteflies with neck SCs (Irish Tour/Mother Milk) more. When I went to my split neck mule it for funk a few weeks back it sounded pretty cr@p by comparison! I always thought it sounded fine split til then. It's probably a little unfair though as that's also not a bolt on neck so the whole construction is different, and it's 24 fret so it's futher towards the bridge as well, and it wasn't exactly "bad". I always suffer the dilemma though that I love the mule neck for growly blues, but neck true single coils for funky stuff. There's no way I can do both without 2 guitars though.

So my opinion is you can do quite passable nice splits, but there's nothing like the real thing in the right guitar if that's what you're asking!