In this post I’m going to try to de-mystify pickups. We’ll go over how they’re made and how they work, what’s available, and things to bear in mind when choosing pickups. This will hardly be an exhaustive explanation, but at the very least will hopefully be a springboard for your own Google and Wikipedia searches.
This is a massive topic, so I suppose a sensible place to start would be at the beginning.
Where it all began
It was around 1936 by the time guitar manufacturers stopped mucking around with horse-shoe magnets and the like, and Gibson came out with what we know as the “Charlie Christian” pickup.
It had a bunch of wire wrapped around a bobbin with a metal “blade” running along the middle of it under the strings. Beneath that coil there were two flat bar magnets. These pickups had a clear sound and relatively high output, but were fairly noisy by today’s standards. Mind you, there wasn’t much in the way of fluorescent or dimmable lights back then to contribute interference.
You can still buy modern versions of these, although they’re mostly used by jazz guitarists chasing a particular vintage sound.
P-90s
In the early 40s Gibson upgraded from the “Charlie Christian” to the P-90. They used thinner wire and managed to get much more of it wound on the bobbin. The blade was gone in favour of six individual pole pieces lined up with the strings. This pickup had a brighter sound and higher output.
P-90s are still quite common these days, and modern versions are somewhat less noisy. They’re mostly used in a rock, blues, or punk context, as they couple quite nicely with overdrive. Having said that, some pretty sweet jazz sounds can be obtained with a P-90 in the neck position.
Fender’s Single Coils
In the early 50s Fender threw their hat in the ring. They brought out the Telecaster and Stratocaster which had their own design of pickups in them.
Leo Fender was a notorious tight-ass, so it came as no surprise when his pickups were made more efficiently and with less materials. Instead of great big bar magnets under the coil with pole pieces poking up through the bobbin, these pickups utilised six individual magnetic slugs for pole pieces.
They had less noise, lower output, and a crisper, brighter tone than P-90s.
Humbuckers
So far all these pickups had a tendency to hum. A lot of fuss has been made about this “60 cycle” hum, but truth be told it’s only really a big problem:
- At high gain settings
- When you stop playing and keep your volume right up, and
- If you’re standing at the wrong angle to your amp
Still, around 1955 a Gibson employee by the name of Seth Lover attempted to create a version of the P-90 that didn’t hum. The end result looked a lot like two of Fender’s single coil pickups back-to-back with reverse winding and reverse polarity.
The two opposing coils cancelled out each other’s hum. They produced a higher output and tended to be a bit warmer/darker sounding than their single coil predecessors.
How does pickup construction affect sound?
Output
High output can be great for adding fuel to a high gain sound. An amp set to the limit of its clean sound can be pushed past edge-of-break-up into overdrive when you wind you’re guitar’s volume knob up. It’s important to remember that with high signal strength usually comes some amount of compression. This helps with sustain but can reduce playing dynamics. It won’t matter how hard or soft you hit the strings, the volume remains the same.
Low output pickups can make a mild overdrive seem almost clean without the signal strength to make it break up adequately. On the other hand, the lack of compression means greater pick sensitivity and dynamic scope, which allows for more expressive playing. Your sound gets louder and quieter according to your pick attack.
Wire
The higher the KΩ rating, the more wire there is likely to be on the pickup. More wire usually results in higher output and warmer tone. Likewise, a thicker gauge of wire will typically have a warmer tone. Conversely, less wire and thinner wire would typically mean a brighter tone with lower output.
Magnets
Generally speaking, the stronger the magnet, the higher the output of the pickup. Having the strength of a pickup’s signal bolstered by the strength of the magnet means you don’t need as much wire to achieve the same output level. This allows for high output pickups with a bright sound.
The most common types of magnets found in guitar pickups are alnico (aluminium, nickel, cobalt) and ceramic. Alnico magnets will commonly have a number associated with them. The higher the number, the stronger the magnet. Ceramic magnets tend to be stronger than Alnico.
So if you’ve ever wondered how you can get different tones from different pickups, hopefully this helps explain it. You can mix and match magnet strength with quantity and thickness of wire to achieve different levels of output and brightness or warmth.
Comparatively speaking…
With all that in mind it would be fair to make the following observations:
Fender style single coils are some of the lowest output and brightest sounding pickups around. This is particularly true with strats.
Tele bridge pickups can be a bit of an anomaly. They’re positioned on a bit of an angle, as they’re too big for the guitar and the pole pieces wouldn’t line up with the strings if they weren’t installed like that. They were originally re-purposed lap steel pickups (did I mention Leo Fender was a tight-ass?), hence their odd size.
In order for a bit of wire to complete one loop around the larger bobbin, it would have to be longer. As a result you have more wire and higher output on a tele bridge pickup than you would typically get from a strat. They also have a metal base plate which adds to the output and arguably the tone as well.
Being bright with high output leaves the Tele bridge pickup in similar sonic territory to a P-90:
- Single coil dynamics/pick sensitivity
- Not quite as high output as a humbucker but more than a strat single coil
- Not quite as bright as a strat but brighter than a humbucker
Choosing Pickups
If you’re thinking about changing your pickups you’ll need to consider:
- The level of output you’re after
- Tonal preference (may need bright pickups if plugging into a dark sounding amp and vice versa)
- The size and shape of the route on your guitar where you’ll be installing said pickup. These days pickup manufacturers have managed to produce:
- Single coil sized humbuckers
- Humbucker sized P-90s
- “Active” pickups with a built in pre amp for even higher output and tone shaping capabilities. These require an extra section routed out of your guitar to allow for a battery compartment.
After sorting that out, you’ll want to check out the catalogues of a few brands to see what they offer that meets your needs. Once you have a short list of contenders, I’d advise going to Youtube and searching for that particular pickup model and your amp to hear examples of how they go together. Look up a few written reviews, but take those with a grain of salt.
Ultimately the best way to decide would be to play a guitar with that pickup in it plugged into your amp, but that’s rarely possible.
Brands
If you’re going to put together a short list, you’ll need to get an idea of what’s out there. I’ve compiled a very short list of brands here to get you started.
Its almost impossible to have a discussion about after market pickups and not mention Seymour Duncan. They have an extensive range of professional quality pickups and are probably one of the most popular brands on the market.
Likewise with DiMarzio. For many years they’ve been Ibanez’s first choice for pickups. They have a similar range and reputation to Seymour Duncan and are well worth checking out.
Fender and Gibson sell their own pickups as aftermarket upgrades. If you’d like to add a taste of their legendary tone to a cheaper guitar, this could be one way to go about it.
Bareknuckle are rapidly gaining a reputation for high quality pickups, especially in the high output department.
EMG have a popular range and have built a reputation around their active pickups. Famously endorsed by James Hetfield and used by a long list of other metal guitarists.
For many years there wasn’t a lot of competition in the pickup market, and manufacturers could pretty much name their price. This set a precedent, and most pickups tend to be unjustifiably expensive. Some more recent pickup manufacturers are looking to buck that trend.
Firstly, there’s IronGear Pickups. Their whole philosophy is that you shouldn’t have to spend a huge amount of money to achieve outstanding tone. They pride themselves on their attention to detail with tone and quality control at reasonable prices.
They’re out to give the major players a run for their money. While I’m not sure they’ll bother them too much in terms of market share, their pickups are definitely worth a listen.
Secondly, there’s Tonerider. While they’re not thumping their chests and declaring a crusade against the big boys like IronGear seem to be, their range of pickups are at a similar price point and level of quality. Do yourself a favour and check them out.
Tone Quest 