Electric Guitar Pickups
It is doubtful that any part of an electric guitar receives as must attention as the choice of pickups. As a result, guitarists have a dizzying array of pickups to choose from. But, what's the difference between them?
Most electric guitar pickups work the same way. A highly conductive (usually copper) coil of wire is wrapped around a magnet that extends across the guitar's strings (which are designed to respond magnetically). When the strings vibrate, they distort the pickup's magnetic field. In turn, electrons in the copper coil respond to the magnetic distortion. This distortion is the the signal that is transmitted through the cable to the amplifier. This is where art and science merge. Changing the type and power of the magnets and the gauge of the copper wire will have a profound effect over how frequencies are transmitted into the amplifier.
Most of us, as guitarists don't need to know all of the technical details but a good understanding of certain design concepts will go a long way in the search for that elusive "perfect tone." The most obvious variation between pickups is pickup type. There are basically two; single coil and double coil.
Another consideration is output. High output pickups will drive an amplifier into distortion more readily than low output ones. If heavy distortion is a priority, high output is a must. But, output comes with a price. Generally, to gain in one aspect of pickup response means to lose in another. Finding the right pickup means balancing these characteristics with the needs of the player.
Single Coil Pickups
Single coil pickups were the first pickups to be developed for electric guitars. Because of their glassy, vintage tone, their popularity remains. These pickups generally do not have a very high output so, they usually don't deliver for the heavy metal guy. However, they are very responsive and have a great sounding top end (treble) so they are ideal for those bubbly clean tones. Also, when overdriven, they "break up" very smoothly allowing the player to control the amount of distortion just by pick control or judicious use of the volume knob.
The tradeoff is that most single pickups are noisy, meaning that they pickup a lot more than what the guitar strings are doing. Radio interference, police calls, 60 cycle hum from florescent light fixtures and every other wave radiating through civilization seems attracted to those otherwise wonderful sounding, single coil pickups. Every major manufacturer and basement tinkerer has joined the search for the answer of how to create a "quiet single coil" that still responds like a single coil. Some pretty innovative ideas have been marketed. Still, most of the tone junkies put up with the noise or find ways to minimizes it and stay with the traditional single coil design.
| This is the standard single coil pickup. There are thousands of versions of it in a dizzying variety of colors. | |
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| This single coil pickup was originally housed in an authentic lipstick tube in the 50's. Today, they are available in a number of vintage-reissue and vintage look-alike guitars. They are characterized by low output and a thin trebly tone. | |
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| The opposite of the lipstick tube pickup, the "soapbar" has a large magnet with many coils giving it a deep, rich sound that, unlike humbuckers, retains an airy, bright quality. | |
Double Coil Pickups
The noise problem is nothing new. Back in the forties, or even earlier, guitar manufacturers were seeking solutions to interference generated noise. At one point, someone (the debate rages on over whom so, I'm staying out of that issue) theorized that using two coils arranged a certain way would cancel out hum. It worked, and the humbucker was born. So named because they "buck hum," humbucking pickups are much quieter than their single coil brothers. Also, because of the added magnetic strength, these pickups deliver much more output than single coils. So, for distorted playing styles, these pickups are ideal.
While they distort easily, the clean tones from double coil pickups are great, too. There is; however, a significant loss of certain frequencies (mostly high) so, they lose the airy bright quality of single coils.
| This is the classic humbucking pickup. Like the single coil, there are thousands of them out there and each is different. It is also available in many colors or covered versions like the one below. |  |
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| This pickup is basically the same as other humbucking pickups but, with a chrome cover over it. The cover has the effect of reducing the output of the pickup which is generally not desirable. But, the cover is attractive. |  |
Which is Best?
I'm sure, by now, you've given some thought to your own playing. The decision is easy if you play one style of music and have no interest in playing with more than one sound. If you're like most players; however, you like a variety of musical styles. So, which pickups offer the right choice? The answer is both. Many guitarist are opting to put single coil pickups in one position and humbuckers in others producing options that are selectable on the fly.
Some humbucking pickups are even wired to allow the player to "tap" into one coil at a time making the pickup single coil or double coil with the flick of a switch. In kind, there are now many double coil pickups that are sized to fit into the routing of a traditional single coil. Each has it's unique sound characteristics. Of course, a trip to your local dealer will help you to make your selection.