I think my favourite single coil pickups are the Rickenbacker “hi-gain” hot single coils and the DeArmond single coils commonly supplied with Gretsch guitars. Both of those guitar brands seem to automatically give access to that crisp, clear sound which is the guitar sound i live for.
As for Humbuckers, Filtertrons are a favourite, and Mini-Humbuckers like those you find on a Firebird.
I’m not much of a fan of Gibson style “standard size” humbuckers in general. I know the aftermarket selection is very diverse and there definitely are some that i like, but in general these pickups seem to lack the clarity and sparkle that i desire, and sound dead, to my ears. Although, i do love them for soulful bluesy lead work!
Mostly though i just keep the stock pickups in my guitars and try to do whatever i can to get the sound i want out of them before i seek out a replacement set. this method has only failed me once, and that was with my cheaptastic epiphone les paul junior (The plywood version) which i’ll be getting a HB sized P-90 for soon. (i REALLY want to love the sound of that guitar, because it really is a freakishly good guitar to play, despite being cheap. Mine is a one-off though, i think, as most of them are junk)
