When making changes to your guitar, switching up the sound or simply replacing a bad pickup, selecting the correct pickup can make all the difference.
Three primary types of pickups exist: single-coil, P90 and humbucker. Each offers a distinct sound signature.
Bridge Pickup
Pickups are devices that convert string vibration into an electrical signal. When you pluck a string, it vibrates the coils and magnets within them, disrupting their magnetic field to generate an electric current which in turn is converted to sound.
When selecting a pickup for your guitar, there are several factors to consider such as the type of instrument you play, what amplifier you have and what sound quality you desire. Furthermore, there are various manufacturers who make pickups so it’s essential that you assess which one best suits your playing style and requirements.
Bridge pickups are often preferred for rhythm playing due to their clear sound and brighter attack. Furthermore, bridge pickups have more sustain due to being closer to the center of the scale length – this is important as this is where strings vibrate most and provide longer sustain.
A neck pickup is ideal for lead playing as it provides a warmer and mellower tone. It also works well when performing solos or riffs due to its deeper bass response and rounder response that can help cut through the mix.
Neck pickups tend to be more expensive than bridge pickups, but they offer a wider range of tone and sustain – making them an excellent choice for most players. Furthermore, neck pickups can be beneficial when recording guitar music since they reduce muddiness during the recording process.
If desired, you can combine neck and bridge pickups for a more balanced sound by placing a middle pickup between the two positions on your guitar.
When selecting a pickup, consider the specifications of its coils, magnets and amount of wire wrapped around bobbins. All these factors have an effect on how loudly and clearly the pickup will sound.
For instance, if two coils are wound with 4,500 turns of wire and their DC resistance is 7.3 kohms, then the neck position will likely sound full and warm while the bridge position could produce thin and bright tones.
Neck Pickup
The electric guitar is an incredibly versatile instrument, thanks to the various pickups that can be mounted in different positions. Each pickup is tuned differently, creating a distinct tone which you can play through either an amp or digital audio workstation (DAW).
Most guitars feature two pickups, usually located one in the neck position and another at the bridge position, or even both. This enables you to customize your tone according to what kind of music you play and which style appeals most.
Typically, the neck pickup is warmer and mellower than its counterpart at the bridge, making it perfect for clean guitar parts with subtle overdrive or distortion effects. On the other hand, the bridge pickup has a brighter tone that works better with high gain lead parts or heavily distorted riffs.
The neck pickup is an excellent option if you want to add body and definition to your sound without sacrificing sharpness and clarity of your guitar tone. It also gives off a bluesy edge when playing along to some bluesy tunes, making it perfect for those chunky rock riffs that you might enjoy playing from time to time.
Beyond the pickup position, it’s essential to understand that much of the sound you get from each type of pickup is determined by what guitar you play through it. This is especially true with humbuckers and single-coil pickups where coil type and winding will have an immense effect on tone produced from each.
Another factor is how pickups interpret string vibrations. Generally, the neck pickup is closer to the center of the scale length, meaning it receives more vibrations from strings that excite its magnetic field. This results in a higher output than with the bridge pickup.
Similarly, the bridge pickup is further away from the center of the scale length, meaning there are less vibrations above it to excite its magnetic field. As such, its output tends to be lower than that of its neighbor – thus why it’s usually wired with more output than the neck pickup in order to achieve balance between them and prevent drastic volume drops or level boosts when switching between them.
Middle Pickup
Pickups on guitars are the devices that convert vibration of metal strings in a magnetic field into an electrical signal. There are various types of pickups, with the most popular being’single-coil’ models which emphasize high frequencies.
Single-coil pickups typically offer less output than their humbucker-type counterparts, but they sound more ‘jangly’ and detailed. They’re often employed for clean tones, though they can also be wired differently for more ‘dynamic’ sounds.
There are various types of pickups available, with several companies specializing in their design and production. Popular manufacturers include Fender, Gibson and Seymour Duncan.
One of the most versatile pickups on the market is the Fralin Vintage Hot pickup. It’s ideal for players who desire a traditional tone with more character than other single-coil pickups, plus it provides excellent sustain – ideal for rock and metal musicians, blues musicians, jazz pianists who desire an organic sound.
The Fralin Vintage Hot pickup is wound in reverse, so it can be used with either neck or bridge pickups to create a powerful ‘hum-bucking’ circuit that amplifies sound. These passive pickups do not need batteries or power sources and can be used on most guitars without issue.
Another outstanding benefit of the Fralin Vintage Hot pickup is its responsiveness to playing technique; it adjusts rapidly and effortlessly to various changes in strumming or fretting style. This makes it a great option for guitarists who want to experiment with different sounds without investing in costly new pickups.
Though not as powerful as a true humbucker-type pickup, the Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot is still an excellent option for players seeking a classic sound with less feedback. It boasts Alnico magnets which generate rich tones with plenty of sustain.
When selecting a pickup for your needs, the most important thing is finding one that you are comfortable with and works well with your gear and style of music. To find the ideal pickup, it is best to test out multiple models until finding one that perfectly suits your requirements.
Distortion Pickup
When shopping for guitar pickups, there is a vast array of choices. If you’re after something that will enhance the sound coming out of your amp, or give your instrument an updated and edgy tone, or one that responds better to changes in playing dynamics, then look no further – we have got the perfect pickup for your needs!
There is no universal answer to this question, as there are multiple factors that can affect the sound of any guitar pickup, such as wiring; magnet size and type; winding pattern around bobbins; and wire length. That makes ‘best pickup’ an incredibly subjective concept; always go with what sounds closest to you personally when selecting your model.
Humbuckers are one of the most commonly used pickup designs, and they come in various variants. Popular examples include vintage-style PAFs used on classic guitars and more powerful humbuckers designed specifically for metal players who require high output levels.
Humbuckers differ from single coil pickups in that they feature a built-in preamp which amplifies the signal before it goes into the amplifier. This makes them ideal for recording guitarists looking to add extra gain, harmonics and sustain to their tracks.
Some humbuckers are passive, meaning they connect directly to your amplifier without needing an external power source. This feature is especially convenient for musicians using vintage amps since it eliminates the need for external batteries.
Active pickups are another popular choice, often featuring a preamp that enhances the signal before it enters the amplifier. This makes them ideal for recording guitar players who use vintage amplifiers or pedal boards since it can enhance the tone before it leaves the guitar.
Humbucker pickups usually have more output than single coil pickups, meaning it is easier to drive your amplifier into distortion. While this can be beneficial if you’re seeking that overdriven sound found on many classic rock and metal tracks, playing with the pickup in your guitar may result in more background buzz (the ‘hum’).
Tonally speaking, there are various factors that influence the sound of your guitar; among these is the pickup you use.
Pickups are transducers that convert vibrations from your strings into an electrical signal that can be amplified and amplified further. There are various kinds of guitar pickups on the market today, each offering their own distinct sound.
Humbucker
One of the greatest improvements to electric guitar sound quality has been the development of humbucking pickups by Gibson employee Seth Lover in 1955. A humbucker contains two signal-producing coils wound together with opposing magnetic polarities to cancel out any annoying hum that single coil pickups produce, creating a thicker and fuller tone loved by many guitar players.
Humbucking pickups are perfect for heavy genres, from the crunchier classic rock and metal of the ’70s to modern hard rock and metal, as well as blues or jazz styles that require sustain. Their higher output levels than single coil pickups make them suitable for amplified playing or heavy distortion.
There are various designs of humbuckers, and choosing which type depends on which magnet material is chosen. Alnico II magnets are typically seen on vintage-sounding models from Gibson while Alnico V’s stronger qualities make it the preferred option when building for heavier styles.
Another consideration when winding coils is the type of bobbin used. There are various options, from the traditional butyrate used by Gibson to polycarbonate used by EMG and Seymour Duncan companies.
Humbuckers come equipped with various wiring options, the two most popular being parallel and series wiring. Parallel wiring involves connecting both coils so current flows through both simultaneously, producing a fuller tone; series wiring utilizes one coil alone so current only flows through one at a time for more concentrated tones.
As another way to create hybrid tones, running a humbucker in split mode – turning off one coil and simulating single coil tone – may also produce desirable tones. You could even run two humbuckers together for even bigger and fatter sounds! All this means that selecting an effective guitar pickup doesn’t come down to knowing exactly which kind of guitar you want – rather, finding a combination of features that best matches your musical goals and style is more important.
Single Coil
Single coil pickups are beloved due to their distinctive, cutting and twangy tones, picking up string vibrations with great clarity for use across styles ranging from country and pop through rock and funk guitar. While often associated with blues and rock music genres, single coil pickups work beautifully for any genre that calls for clean tones – from country through pop, and even funk guitar! Furthermore, they’re great at handling the full spectrum of gain levels (from low gain all the way up to high gain), providing clear and articulate sounds across their full spectrum range!
Single coil pickups, typically constructed from Alnico magnets (though now you can also find ceramic, neodymium and cobalt variants), consist of two magnets under each string connected by wire that forms a bobbin. You’ll find them on many guitars including Fenders and Danelectro’s lipstick-tube models; their narrow physical structure provides excellent frequency response but may make them more susceptible to hum.
Single coil speakers rely on windings on their coil to produce sound; the more there are, the louder their output will be. Different wire types also contribute to creating different tones such as plain cotton’s soft and transparent tone or tinned copper’s mids with its slightly thicker sound.
Subtle variations between single coil pickups can be hard to decipher unless you devote ample time and attention. But one key takeaway here is that single coil pickups excel at capturing every nuance of your playing style. This is particularly evident in neck positions where their greatest sensitivity and responsiveness to string vibrations is most apparent. Neck positions make an ideal match for styles requiring clean tones but may struggle when required to deliver lots of drive or distortion. They excel at genres like blues, country and funk but can also handle heavier genres like heavy metal. One such musician who makes use of one such Telecaster with single coil pickups to achieve his signature doom-laden tone is Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine.
Active
Pickups on an electric guitar or bass are essential in creating the desired tone of the instrument, yet choosing the appropriate type can depend on your musical style and preferred sound preferences. Passive and active pickups have different responses depending on playing style as well as reacting differently with preamps, stompboxes and other signal chain components in your signal chain, which allow them to produce different tones, from crushing metal rhythm tones to more mellow solo leads. By choosing suitable pickups you can achieve any number of tones ranging from crushing metal rhythm to lead guitar soloing!
Most electric guitars utilize passive pickups, which use coils wrapped around magnets to generate a magnetic field that’s activated when electricity flows through them and vibrate to generate magnetic pull that sends signal out the output jack – this signal can then be modified with various pots, switches and capacitors found within your guitar’s circuit for your desired tone.
Active guitar pickups perform similar duties to passive ones, but have an extra strength boost built-in that increases their signal strength – this extra strength gives active pickups their name. Most active pickups use fewer coils and magnets for signal generation than passive pickups but require more electricity to operate as they have lower overall output levels; as a result they require a powerful preamp in order to bring usable levels of signal out.
Most manufacturers that specialize in harder styles like heavy metal and shredding – such as EMG and Seymour Duncan – provide active humbucker pickup options that suit the heavier styles well, while still providing plenty of tonal flexibility for players that don’t exclusively play hard music.
As active guitar pickups are less dynamic than their passive counterparts and may lack natural response to changes in playing style, some players find them off-putting. Furthermore, active pickups require batteries in order to function – something to bear in mind if performing for extended periods of time or your battery runs out!
Passive
A guitar pickup is an integral component of modern music that converts vibrations from your strings into electrical current that gets sent directly to an amplifier. Without its invention, modern music would likely never have existed as we know it today.
Tone can be greatly affected by various elements, but one of the key ones is which type of pickup you are using; passive and active models are both options available to guitarists.
Passive pickups have long been one of the most favored types of electric guitar pickups. Found on most vintage Les Pauls and Strats as well as modern Telecasters and Fenders alike, passives remain immensely popular across a range of music genres from blues to hard rock and punk metal – they also consist of magnets wrapped with copper wire that vibrate when strumming your strings, disturbing their magnetic field to cause changes in current flow that your amplifier detects as playing music.
All that’s required for operation is plugging your cables in and pressing play. These instruments have gained praise for their natural sound and ability to capture every dynamic in your performance, which explains why so many legendary musicians employ them.
On the downside, passive pickups can be more susceptible to interference from hum and electromagnetic fields, potentially weakening their signal to your amp and not providing you with the rich tone you’re after. Plus, passive models may be more vulnerable than their active counterparts to dead batteries.
One major drawback of passive pickups is their reduced dynamic range compared to active ones; you might need to use more effects pedals to achieve your desired sound when using them, and cannot be turned up as loudly when plugged in compared with active pickups; furthermore, dead batteries are an annoyance when performing live.