A brief guide and introduction to two types of electric instrument pickups

Introduction:

Modern-day electric guitars, basses (and even some other types of stringed instruments) utilize a variety of electronic pickups to capture the instrument’s sound. Although there are several different types of pickups, there are two types that are the most common. Some instruments use humbuckers, and others use single-coil pickups. Although the nature of these two types of pickups have many similarities, they have fundamental differences in sound reproduction.

This review examines the basic differences, similarities, and qualities of both humbuckers and single coils. Although there is a good bit of detail in this article, the physics and low-level technical details of instrument pickups are not covered here – this review is from a high-level introductory point of view.

Please note that this guide is not all-inclusive. Many manufacturers do thing subtly different than others – some do things the same way. It is worth noting that there is nearly always an exception to any rule or idea when it comes to pickups, manufacturers, sounds, and construction.

Many modern day guitars are amplifiable by means of special devices that allow string and body vibrations to be captured electronically – with the result being a signal that can be sent to an amplifier or other output device (headphones or recorders, for example). These on-instrument sound-capture devices are commonly referred to as “pickups.” Guitars and basses with pickups have been dubbed “electric guitars” and “electric basses” – because they are amplifiable.

What is the best number of pickups to have in a guitar?:

Some guitars have one pickup, many have two or three, and some even have four or more pickups. Each brand and model of guitar is often unique with the way its pickup(s) is/are set up. The range of sounds created by these different setups is incredibly wide. There is no “right answer” to this question. The quality of an instrument’s sound is subjective. There are a great many well-made guitars with one pickup, just as there are many that have two or three.

For example, a Standard Stratocaster is configured with three single-coil pickups. One of the few Gibson guitars with three pickups is the Les Paul Custom with three humbucker pickups. Despite the same number of pickups, these two guitars have distinctly different sounds.

The two most commonly-used pickup types in modern electric guitars and basses:

Pickups, by and large, come in two primary categories (there are others, but not covered here):
Single-coil pickups are just as their name implies, a single coil of wire is used to capture the instrument’s sound.
Humbuckers are also aptly named: they have two distinct coils of wire that work with each other in concert to cancel electrical “hum.”

Which kind is “the best?”:

As with the number of pickups, “the best” is subjective. A great deal of fantastic music has been made on both single-coil and humbucking pickups. There really isn’t a “best.” For the most part, the right one depends on the sound it makes, the music being made, and the needs and desires of the musician. Both pickup types come in high- and low-quality manufacture. Most amplified instrument manufacturers make instruments with one, the other, or even both.

Notably, there is a Fender Stratocaster that has one humbucker and two single-coils. Also, there is a Gibson Les Paul that has one single-coil and one humbucker.

What is different about their sounds?:

To understand this, one needs a little background… the electrical current from a wall socket generally contains noise (in the US, 60 cycles a second in a constant “hum”). This noise goes through the guitar as it is electrified. Humbucking pickups are manufactured to quiet this “60 cycle hum.” Therefore, in most cases, single-coils have some hum (however quiet) in them. Recent innovations in single-coil pickup technology have come a long way towards removing the hum – but by and large, single-coils hum and humbuckers don’t.

Other than the hum, single-coils are generally “voiced” more like a bell-type or bell-ring tone. They are often bright, clear, and are even sometimes “twangy.” With amplification and modifications, single-coils can be very flexible and used in many types of music.

An alternate variety of single coil, the “P90” (sometimes called a “soapbar”), is warmer, wider in sound, and often like a marriage between a single coil and a humbucker. Gibson is famous for its early-day P90 pickups, often installed in their finest guitars. Soapbars are making a mild comeback in the guitar world…

Humbuckers tend to lean towards a smoother, less strident sound. They can be very clean and strong. Humbucking-pickup instruments are often described as having a warmer and “creamier” sound than single coils.

Again, neither sound is “better.” Each sound has its place and each sound has its values.

How can I tell which type a pickup is (just by looking at it)? What do they look like?:

Many different manufacturers make their pickups look different from one another. Still others make them look exactly the same, just built differently. Sometimes, it is impossible to tell the variety of pickup from the looks alone. At times, you must know something about the pickup to be able to determine if it is single coil or humbucking.

However, and in general, the vast majority of pickups have a look that is distinct. For example:
Most Fender single-coil pickups are thin, wide, and have small shiny round post ends in the cover of the pickup: 6  (guitars), 4 (four-string basses), or 5 (basses with 5 strings). There are also many other manufacturers that make their single-coils look similar (DiMarzio, GFS, Seymour Duncan, Fralin, and many others).



Some single-coils come with closed covers, and have no metal-colored pole tops showing. Manufacturers such as Lace and EMG produce covered singles.


P90 pickups have a different look, too. Some are between a humbucker and traditional single coil in size, while others are actually single-coils housed in a cover that is the size of a humbucker (notably the Gibson P94 or GFS Dream90). Note that P90 pickups aren’t just a different look – they sound fundamentally different than traditional single-coils.


Humbuckers generally come in two distinct looks: open-faced and covered. The covered variety may have a shiny nickel-colored metal shell on top (or sometimes black or gold) with six metal screw tops on the top of the cover. In a humbucker, since there are two coils in the rectangular shape, the screws are closer to one edge or another – not in the middle. Some manufacturers cover the little poles and screws of their humbuckers with an entirely-closed cover, such as EMG and Lace.


Open-face humbuckers look like two thin single-coil bobbins tied closely together. One coil has the little screws you see in most covered humbuckers, and the other will have flat pole pieces (like traditional single coils).

What kind of pickup is best for me and my music?

This is also a subjective question. But, in general, you can find that most types of pickups can be pressed into use for nearly any kind of music. Since music is a creative art, musicians often push boundaries, traditions, and norms.

In general, you can find single coils in traditional country, rock, and even punk. Humbuckers also work for country in some cases, but are more common in rock music (both pop and hard rock).

The best advice here is to play examples of both pickup types at a local music store, and to find out what kind of instrument professionals use to make the type of music you like. These are good starting places.

The truth of the matter is that some experienced players will only play one type or another, while still other players enjoy anything with strings (acoustic or electric). Decide for yourself what you like… be open to having one, the other, or even both.

A little pickup history:

George Beauchamp, in the late 20s early 30s, is credited with creating the single coil pickup. The Beauchamp single was introduced in Adolph Rickenbacker’s early 30s guitars and basses

Seth Lover, an employee of the Gibson company in the 50s, is credited with inventing the humbucker. Lover is also credited with creating the “Wide Range” humbucker for Fender in the 70s.

A short note about how common single-coil and humbucker pickups work:

Most single-coil and humbucking pickups work because of the same basic principle: magnetism. As metal strings vibrate in the air over a pickup, they disrupt the magnetic field of the magnets in the pickup(s). Although the magnetic fluctuation is extremely small, pickups can detect this fluctuation very accurately and convert them into electrical impulses. Most of the time, better pickups more accurately capture and transmit the string’s fluctuation in the magnetic field.

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