ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE, HUMBUCKER VS.

SINGLE-COILPOLE PIECES, COIL WINDINGS,

MILLIVOLTSYES, NAVIGATING THE WORLD OF ELECTRIC GUITAR PICKUPS IS ENOUGH TO
GIVE ANYONE AN ANEURYSM. AND WHAT THE HECK IS A HENRY ANYWAY?
LET US ANSWER THAT AND COUNTLESS OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE WITH THIS

COM P R EH EN S I VE G U I D E TO T H E
D I Z ZY I N G WO RL D O F PI CKU PS.
B Y C H R I S G I L L

guitarworld.com 59

I
ts a no-braine r that the two most
important elements of an electric guitar rig are the
guitar and amp. But what is the third most important
element? The pickups. Why? Because they are the
critical, essential link between the guitar and amp,
transmitting the guitars signal to the amp while also
acting as sort of a gatekeeper by boosting and/or
cutting certain frequencies coming from the guitar.
While a guitars tone woods and construction account for
much of its overall tonal characteristics, the pickups are the
source of a guitars primary tone, shaping its personality by
sculpting the guitars inherent acoustic tone into something
thats (hopefully) more refined, sonically attractive, articulate
and dynamically responsive before it reaches the amp and
speakers for further tone shaping.
One of the easiest, fastest and sometimes even cheapest
ways to significantly improve a guitars tone is by upgrading
its pickups. Simply put, a poor set of pickups can make a great
guitar sound lousy, but a great set of pickups can make a cheap
guitar actually sound pretty good. Dont believe it? Consider
the example of many low-budget Teisco and Harmony/Sil-
vertone guitars from the Sixties built out of cheesy plywood
and inferior mystery materials but equipped with gold foil
pickups, which on their own fetch almost as much on the used
market as the entire guitar they were installed into because
those pickups make pretty much any guitar sound divine.
While changing pickups can provide a guitar with a signifi-
cant tonal makeover, a good set of pickups basically enhances
what is already there instead of completely transforming a
guitar into something else. One way to think of the process is
like swapping engines in a car. For example, one could install
a Corvette 327 engine in a 1940 Ford Tudor sedan (and lots
of hot rodding enthusiasts have done so), but while the swap
60 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017
Two signature models from DiMarzio:
Steve Vai Dark Matter 2 (left)
and John Petrucci Sonic Ecstacy
will increase the Fords top speed and improve performance,
the new engine wont turn the Ford into a Corvette. Similarly,
one cant turn a Strat into a Les Paul just by installing full-size
humbuckers; theres much more that influences a guitars
tone, such as body and neck woods, scale length, neck and
headstock angles, bridge construction and so onbut a pickup
swap will certainly change the guitars performance and
personality.
Probably the most difficult part of the pickup-swapping
process is deciding which pickups to choose in the first place.
Back in the Seventies when replacement pickups first hit the
market in significant numbers, the choices were basically
split between vintage-style or high-output models made by
a handful of pickup specialists. Today there are hundreds of
choices, which include low-cost generic models, numerous
variations of vintage classics, super high-output versions, an
ever-growing selection of artist signature models, accurate
reproductions of obscure cult pickups, revolutionary modern
designs and much more, offered by a growing variety of guitar
companies, pickup specialists and small boutique makers.
Then there are various specs that confuse neophytes and old
farts alike and can be as difficult to decode as a Japanese book
from a native English speakers perspective.
The good thing is that if you have a particular, reasonable
P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F LO L L A R U S A
tone goal in mind, theres a very strong likelihood that theres
a pickup out there that will deliver the goods. Of course, you
dont want to go through a dozen or so pickups before you find
the right one, which is why were here to help you navigate
through the vast and often confusing world of todays replace-
ment pickup market. From the terms and technologies behind
pickup design to the tools you need to install pickups yourself,
the following information is essential knowledge that should
put you on a faster track to tonal nirvana.

WHAT IS A PICKUP?
F O R T H I S A R T I C L E well be focusing exclusively on stan-
dard magnetic electric guitar pickups and not on other variet-
ies such as piezo or other contact transducers, microphone-
based pickups or optical technology.
The modern electric guitar pickup that we all know and
love was initially conceived in the early Thirties by George
Beauchamp for the first commercially successful electric
guitarthe Ro-Pat-In/Rickenbacker A-25/A-22 Frying Pan
lap steel. Whereas previous electric guitar pickup designs
focused on capturing the vibrations of a guitars top or body,
Beauchamps design focused on the vibrating strings instead.
His design incorporated two large horseshoe-shaped magnets
that surrounded the strings near the bridge and a wire coil
wrapped around a bobbin that surrounded individual mag-
netic pole pieces for each string.
A standard electric guitar pickup creates a magnetic flux
field, which in turn magnetizes a string made of ferromagnetic
material like steel or nickel. When the string is plucked, the
vibrations of the magnetically charged string disturb the flux
field. As the magnetic field fluctuates, the disturbances are
transmitted through the wire coil as electrical current.
The overall design of a magnetic electric guitar pickup
is very simple, but numerous variables such as the type and
strength of the magnet(s), size of the coil(s), size of the wire,
wire material, wire insulation, number of windings, winding
pattern, pole piece design and so on affect a pickups perfor-
mance, output and tonal characteristics. While its important
to be aware of these variables and how they can affect sound,
dont worry too much about the finer details unless you plan
on designing your own pickups.
PICKUP TYPES
I N T H E G R A N D S C H E M E of things, there are only two
basic types of electric guitar pickups: single-coil and hum-
bucking. A single-coil pickup generally consists of a coil
of wire wrapped around a bobbin surrounding
either individual pole pieces for each string or a
single, continuous blade that extends across all of
the strings. A humbucking pickup involves two
wire coils placed either side by side or in a top and
bottom stack configuration, also with the coils
surrounding the pole pieces or blade(s). Usually a
humbucking pickup has a single flat, bar-shaped
magnet placed below a side-by-side configuration
of coils and centered lengthwise between each coil
and its set of polepieces, which are made of ferrous
material such as steel to conduct magnetism from
the bar magnet and generate the magnetic field. On
a single-coil pickup and some stacked humbuckers,
the pole pieces are usually made of permanently
magnetized material, although many exceptions ex-
ist, like the P-90 pickup design, which features two
bar magnets underneath the coil with ferrous pole
piece screws placed in between the magnets.
In general terms, single-coil pickups tend to be
62 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017
smaller in size, have lower output and produce brighter tones
with emphasized treble, but they also tend to pick up unwant-
ed interference like 60-cycle hum. Humbucking pickups are
generally larger, deliver higher output levels and offer warmer
tones with pronounced midrange, while also eliminating
most extraneous noise due to the noise-canceling properties
resulting from using two coils with reversed polarity and the
current flowing in opposing directions. However, over time
these distinctions have become blurred, and its now common
to find humbucking pickups in smaller, Strat- and Tele-sized
configurations, single-coil pickups with noise-canceling tech-
nology and many other variations.
SINGLE-COIL
PICKUP TYPES
BY FA R T H E M O S T popular and common single-coil pick-
up types are Strat- and Tele-style pickups. However, there are
a multitude of other varieties worth consideration that each
offer their own distinct tonal personalities and performance
characteristics. The Gibson P-90 (in soapbar and dog-ear
housings) is a very popular choice, but Gibsons similar and
earlier design known as the Charlie Christian pickup featur-
ing a single blade pole piece is also a cool alternative with cult
appeal, especially among jazz, country and blues players. The
Fender Jazzmaster and Franz pickups (the latter commonly
found in Guild electrics from the Fifties) look similar to P-90
pickups, but each has its own distinct voice, as do Fender Jag-
uar pickups, which have similar dimensions to Strat pickups
but are surrounded by metal claws to focus a parallel magnetic
field along each string.
Other interesting classic, original single-coil pickup
designs include the lipstick tube pickups found on many
Danelectro and Silvertone guitars, Gretsch HiloTron pickups,
DeArmond/Dynasonic pickups commonly used by Gretsch,
Burns Tri-Sonic (a key component of Brian Mays tone), Rick-
enbacker toaster top and variations of the Sixties gold foil
design found in Teisco and Harmony guitars.
Bare Knuckle
Cobra pickup
P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F B A R E K N U C K L E

Lollar Pickups'
Traditional
HUMBUCKING
PICKUP TYPES
S E T H L OV E R S O R I G I NA L humbucking pickup design,
introduced on Gibson guitars in 1957 and nicknamed the
PAF for the patent applied for decal affixed to the base and flatter frequency range than many players are accustomed
plate through the early Sixties, remains the basic template for
the majority of humbucking pickup designs produced today.
However, there are several other popular classic variations,
including Gibsons smaller mini-humbucker and Firebird
pickups, the Gretsch FilterTron and Fender Wide-Range
(also designed by Seth Lover).
PASSIVE VS. ACTIVE
T H E M O S T C O M M O N distinction after single-coil/
humbucking is whether a pickup is passive or active. Passive
pickups are the traditional wire coil/magnet/pole piece design,
and they remain the most popular style of pickup on the market
today. Passive pickups have a high-impedance design (low cur-
rent, potentially high voltage), and output is usually increased
by wrapping the bobbins with additional turns of wire and/or
using more powerful magnets. However, increasing the output
of a passive pickup also can affect the tone in undesirable ways
such as making the treble response too dark or shrill, and the
pickups can become more susceptible to undesirable external
noise. If the magnets are too powerful, a strong magnetic field
can actually suppress string vibration, decreasing sustain and
dynamic responsethe reverse of the desired outcome.
Active pickups have similar basic construction to passive
pickups, but the circuitry uses an active preamp (usually
powered by a 9-volt battery) to boost the signal, allowing
low-impedance designs (high current, potentially low volt-
age) incorporating fewer wraps of coil wire and less powerful
magnets. There are several benefits to this type of design:
reduced noise (particularly with single-coil designs), higher
overall output, consistent tone when turning down the vol-
64 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan
Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustane pickups
pickups
ume control, no high-frequency loss when using long cables,
consistent clarity and note-to-note definition whether using
clean or high-gain distortion amp settings, and the ability to
use active tone controls to boost or cut frequencies (whereas
passive tone controls are really just low-pass filters that can
only roll off treble frequencies to make the tone darker). The
downside of active pickups is that the tone can cover a wider
to, which some players find too cold or sterile, and the output
is generally more consistent, which some players consider less
dynamically responsive.
As always (at least when it comes to pickups), there are
plenty of exceptions to these general descriptions. Some new
active pickup models are designed to provide warm tones
similar to vintage passive pickups, and some modern passive
pickup designs have expanded treble and bass to provide a
wider frequency range without sacrificing dynamic response.
OUTPUT
N OW T H AT W E V E discussed most of the popular dif-
ferent types of electric guitar pickups, lets get into the basic
details of pickup construction and specs that guitarists should
know. In discussions, reviews, recommendations and sales
literature for pickups, the topic of output seems to dominate.
Pickups are often categorized as low-, medium- or high-out-
put, and the term vintage output gets thrown around a lot,
usually for low- or sometimes medium-output pickups.
This all seems relatively self-explanatory, but confusion
often arises when getting into specific ways of measuring
output, particularly since the biggest pickup companies use
P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F D I M A R Z I O
different means for listing these specs. Seymour Duncan uses
DC resistance, which is measured in ohms, while DiMarzio
measures output in millivolts. Some companies prefer to
specify inductance (measured in henries) or even a combina-
tion of two to all three of the previous.
DC resistance is the easiest spec to measure as it involves
little more than using a multimeter set to measure 20k ohms
( ) and connecting the meters red probe to the pickups hot
 wire (usually white or red) and the meters black probe to
ground (either the base plate, braided shielding or ground
wire, which is usually black). Actually it doesnt really mat-
ter if you swap the multimeters red and black probes as the
reading will be the same, but I think its good to maintain a
consistent approach as a matter of habit.
General DC resistance ranges for Strat and Tele pickups are
typically between 6k and 8k ohms, while some lipstick tube
single coils have DC resistance around 3-4k ohms and vintage
PAF-style humbuckers measure between 810k ohms. Modern
high-output pickups often measure at least 12k ohms to values
above 20k. But while DC resistance provides a good ballpark
estimate of a pickups output, it doesnt tell the whole story as
resistance is influenced by several factors like the total amount
of windings, the gauge of the coil wire and magnet strength.
One effective description Ive read compares DC resistance
output specs to determining a persons size only by measuring
their height. That may give you a general impression of their
size, but is a 120-pound person who is six feet tall really bigger
than a 250-pound person who is only five feet tall?
So why dont most other companies use millivolts like
DiMarzio does? The problem there lies with the numerous
variables involved in measuring output this way. Essentially,
one needs a very controlled environment where, at the very
least, the same type of string at the same tension placed the
same distance from the pickup is playing the same note struck
at the same strength, and so on. Millivolt specs are good for
comparing different models offered by the same company, but
comparing pickups between different companies is not useful
as the standards are not consistent. Like DC resistance, output
millivolts are really only helpful for a ballpark estimate.
I could confuse you even further by discussing inductance
(which is measured in henries), but since so few companies
list this spec, Ill just skip it for this article. Long story short:
dont worry too much about pickup output descriptions and
specs. Depending on the tone you desire, a low-output pickup
can be as good of a choice as a high-output pickup. High-
output pickups became popular in the Seventies as a quick
and dirty means to push an amp into more saturated distor-
tion, but now that most amps have high-gain preamps and any
number of overdrive and distortion devices are readily avail-
able, the distinction has become less important.
EQ
T H I S S P E C I S much more helpful in the grand scheme of
things than output. Do you want a warmer sound from your
guitar? Then youll probably want to consider a pickup that
emphasizes midrange and bass. How about more clarity, pres-
ence and cut? A pickup with boosted treble frequenices may
be an ideal choice. Most manufacturers EQ descriptions are
pretty accurate and many of their websites include recorded
examples that provide excellent reference standards, but keep
in mind that the new pickups installed in your personal guitar
may not match the tone of the guitar in a soundbite due to
different tone woods, scale lengths and other construction de-
tails, as well as the variations that exist even in two different
guitars of the same model.

TOOL TIME

I
ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR DIY PICKUP REPLACEMENT
dont mean to put your local
guitar repair tech out of work, but
the skills required for replacing
pickups are so simple that there is
no reason you shouldnt consider
doing this job yourself. For the
labor cost of one pickup replace-
ment job, you could buy all the tools
youll ever need to replace pickups for a
lifetime, and for a few bucks more you
can do the job with ease and speed.
The most important tool for pickup
installation is a good soldering iron or
station. The main consideration here
is that the iron has ample power to
melt solder quickly both on potentiom-
eter lugs and bigger surfaces like the
back of a pot, tremolo claw or other
surfaces used for grounding. A 40-watt
soldering iron is sufficient for most
jobs (and inexpensive), but even better
is an iron or soldering station with vari-
able power or temperature. The Weller
WES51 is an inexpensive 50-watt
soldering station that is variable from
350 to 850 degrees F and costs less
than $100. Higher wattage produces
higher temperatures that can quickly
heat up braided shielding and the back
of a potentiometer enough to ensure a
solid solder joint without damaging the
pots internal resistive strip. Another
reason to use a high-power soldering
iron or station is that many new guitars
use lead-free solder, which can only be
removed at temperatures higher than
425 degrees.
Youll also need two tips for the
irona pencil-style tip with a sharp
point for precision work at lower watt-
age (such as soldering a wire to a pot
lug) and a chisel tip with a wide, flat
edge to distribute heat quickly across
larger surfaces (such as the back of
a pot). If you opt for just a soldering
iron, youll also need a stand (soldering
stations usually have built-in stands).
Other essential items include 60/40
(tin/lead) solder with rosin-core flux
(do NOT use acid-core flux) or lead-free
rosin-core solder (only if your soldering
iron is powerful enough) and a good set
of wire cutter/strippers that can re-
move insulation on wire between 10 to
20AWG. Solder wick or a solder sucker
is helpful for removing old solder (and
keeping it from damaging your guitars
finish). A curved-jaw locking hemostat
or a device called a third hand can
be very helpful for holding wire and
components securely while freeing your
hands for the soldering iron and solder.
Chris Gill

66 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017


Fishman Fluence Humbuckers for seven- and eight-string guitars
As a rule of thumb, I find its best to try to achieve some
sort of balance between the guitar and pickups tonal char-
acter. If you think that your guitar with its current pickup
configuration sounds too dark, look for brighter-sounding
pickups and perhaps even consider low- or medium-output
models. If its too trebly, weak and thin-sounding, go for high-
output pickups with boosted midrange and bass.
MAGNETS
W H I L E S E V E R A L D E TA I L S of a pickups construction
affect its tonal character and output, the type of magnet(s)
that it uses can tell you a lot about its character right off the
bat. The most common types of magnets used for pickup
construction are alnico and ceramic. Alnico is short for
aluminum, nickel and cobalt, and alnico magnets are usually
an alloy of iron, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and copper, and
sometimes titanium as well. Alnico magnets can be made in
a variety of different compositions with each element in dif-
ferent percentages, which are graded as alnico 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and
so on (an alnico 3 magnet actually has no cobalt, while alnico
8 and above magnets have a small percentage of titanium).
With the exception of alnico 3, a higher number corresponds
with a stronger magnet. The most common magnets for guitar
pickups are alnico 2 and 5. Ceramic magnets are made from
barium, strontium and lead-iron oxides, which results in a
stronger magnet that also is cheaper to produce.
While a pickups overall tonal character is influenced by
many different factors, in general terms, weaker magnets like
alnico 2 tend to emphasize midrange while stronger magnets
like alnico 5 have more of a scooped mid personality with
extended bass and treble response. Ceramic magnets usually
produce brilliant treble and crisp, articulate attack.
Other magnets used less often for pickup construction
include samarium cobalt (featured in Fenders discontin-
ued Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups) and neodymium
(featured in Q-Tuner pickups). Both are rare earth magnets
that are generally stronger than alnico and ceramic magnets
but also more expensive to produce due to the higher cost
of the raw materials. Another uncommon magnet is rubber
ferrite (similar to the magnets most of us use to affix our kids
artwork to the refrigerator), which is used in most gold foil
pickup designs.
68 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017
WINDINGS
M O S T P I C K U P manufacturers will not reveal the specifics
of how their various pickup models are wound because this is
where the true art of pickup design comes into play. Dozens
of variables are involved here including the gauge/thickness
of the copper wire used, the thickness of the wire insulation
(which affects how close the metal of the wound wires are
to each other), how tight or loose the coils are wound, how
many total windings are used, the pattern of the windings, the
width and depth of the windings and much more. However,
you dont need to be concerned about these details unless you
plan on winding your own pickups one day. Again, a pickup
makers EQ charts are more helpful in the long run.
One detail to consider, however, is whether a pickup is pot-
ted (the windings coated in wax, epoxy or other material) or
not. Coil windings, particularly if the wind is loose, can vibrate
against each other when a guitar is played at loud volumes,
which can result in a piercing, nasty feedback squeal. However,
at lower volumes loose windings can produce microphonic
tones that, simply put, deliver a natural, acoustic-like sound
similar to using a microphone. Light potting is an ideal compro-
mise, providing some acoustic-like resonance while resisting
squeal. Heavy potting is best for guitarists who play at exces-
sively loud volume levels, but some players think the overall
tone of heavily potted pickups is too tight and focused.
Then there is the entirely new design of the Fishman
Fluence pickups, which replaces copper wire coils with an in-
novation called the Fluence Core, consisting of two multi-in-
terconnected-layer boards. This design provides two entirely
different tones (such as active/passive) at the flick of a switch.
Another relatively new innovation is Laces Alumitone pick-
ups, which feature current driven passive technology that
enables a design with minimal coil windings and low DC re-
sistance to produce increased output levels with the expanded
frequency response and low noise of active designs.
COVERS
P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F F I S H M A N
P I C K U P C OV E R S P R O T E C T the fragile wire coils from
damage, but depending upon the material theyre made out of,
they also can affect the pickups magnetic field and resonant
peak. A cover that is made of ferrous material and/or plated
with ferrous material (like nickel) will affect the pickups
magnetic flux, but a plastic pickup cover wont (which is
 why Strat players dont remove the pickup covers). When
Seth Lover designed the original Gibson PAF humbucker, he
experimented with a variety of different materials for pickup
covers before making his final choice based on how it affected
the guitars tone (part of the reason later Gibson humbuckers
with chrome plating on the coversinstead of nickelsound
different). Removing the covers results in a different magnetic
field that boosts output and treble frequencies slightly.
POLE PIECES
T H E S I Z E A N D S H A P E of the pole pieces are critical
features of pickup design that affect the size and shape of the
pickups magnetic flux field. Generally speaking, wider pole
pieces will produce a wider magnetic field that picks up a larger
portion of the vibrating string, producing a more sonically com-
plex tone, whereas the narrower focus of a narrower pole piece
produces a more focused tone. A focused magnetic field can
be a good thing if you prefer bright, percussive twang, while
a wider field generally delivers richer, full-bodied tone. Some
single-coil pickups have staggered pole piece heights to com-
pensate for the varying output of different strings, while others
have the pole pieces all the same height (like Mitt Romneys
trees in Michigan). Height-adjustable pole pieces with screw
or Allen heads allow players to customize the compensation,
while blade-style pole pieces are a good choice for guitarists
who struggle with decreased signal strength when they bend
strings (as bending a string can move it out of a magnetic flux
peak and into a weaker valley). TV Jones, Van Zandt and Wilkinson offer an impressive
TWO-CONDUCTOR VS.
FOUR-CONDUCTOR
HUMBUCKER WIRING
I F YO U V E A L R E A DY shopped for humbucking pickups,
you may have noticed options for two- and four-conductor
A set of Fender
Custom Shop
Texas Special
Strat pickups
70 GU I TA R WOR L D DECEM BER 2017
wiring. Two-conductor wiring means the pickup has only
separate wires for the hot output and ground. Four-conductor
wiring provides two separate wires for each of the pickups
coils, identified as north start, north finish, south start and
south finish, with north and south referring to the polarity of
the separate coils. Four-conductor wiring offers a multitude
of output circuit configurations, including coil split/tapping
(for single-coil tones), series, parallel and out-of-phase. The
advantages of different wiring configurations are worthy of
an entire article unto itself, but my quick recommendation is
to choose four-conductor wiring if available as it can be wired
like a two-conductor pickup but it also offers other options
should you choose to explore those later.
MAKING THE
FINAL CHOICE
T H E N U M B E R O F C O M PA N I E S making replacement
pickups today is truly staggering and impressive. Most of
the major guitar companies like Dean, EVH, Fender, Gibson,
Gretsch, PRS and more sell pickups individually, and the
big specialists like DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan offer an
incredible variety of choices as well as designs beyond tradi-
tional Gibson-style humbuckers and Strat/Tele single-coils.
Even most smaller boutique companies like Barden, Bare
Knuckle, Curtis Novak, Kent Armstrong, Bill Lawrence, Lin-
dy Fralin, Lollar, Mojotone, RailHammer, Rio Grande, Suhr,
variety of models to choose from, as do bigger parts-oriented
companies like Allparts and WD. Active pickup specialists
include Bartolini, Bill Lawrence, Duncan and EMG, while
modern, revolutionary designs are available from Fishman,
Lace and Q-Tuner.
Just like guitar models, an abundance of signature model
pickups is available, and these pickups are a good place to
start if your goal is to sound similar to your favorite gui-
tar hero. Even if your favorite players dont have signature
models, it can be worth the effort to find out what pickups
they play as that can eliminate some of the guesswork about
a pickups overall tonal personality. If you
choose to go on your own path, dont be
afraid to experiment and make a few changes
as you go along. Pickups are a relatively inex-
pensive investment and as long as the pickups
you are swapping are the same size as the
ones already in your guitar the modification
is easily reversible.
Choosing the right pickups for your guitar
often can be better than getting an entirely
new guitar, especially if youre already com-
fortable with the playability of your ax. If
P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F F E N D E R
youve struggled with less than stellar tone for
years, and no new amp or pedal has been able
to fix it, changing pickups is the best solution,
and more often than not the results exceed
a players expectations. So get out there and
melt some solder, burn some fingertips and
find the tone youve always dreamed of.