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Electrical guitar pickups have two major classes: humbucker and single-coil. Though all magnetic guitar pickups work generally the same way, their tonal output is best suited to different genres.
The basic function of a pickup is to capture the vibrations of the guitar strings and convert them to electrical signals to be amplified through speakers.
Coming to prominence in the 1930s, single-coil pickups were used to add volume to guitars. As a basic design, a single-coil pickup works as an antenna. This design is ultimately flawed, however, due to the fact that a single-coil pickup picks up ambient electrical interference, creating a hum, especially as the volume of the speakers gets louder.
In order to combat the humming picked up by the single-coil system, Seth Lover, who was working at famed guitar manufacturer, Gibson, at the time, developed a pickup that cancelled the hum (or “bucked” the hum), in 1955. The Gibson Les Paul was the first guitar to implement the aptly-named “humbucker” pickup for mass distribution.
While single-coil pickups are synonymous with bright, vibrant, more linear sound, humbuckers offer warmer, fatter, bigger, richer tones. Single-coil pickups are great for country guitar or 60s style pop rock. Conversely, the best humbucker pickups are better-suited for heavy rock, jazz, and blues.
Pickups work best with a pickup cover. The best pickup covers help to protect your coils from damage, while also helping to control feedback, reduce distortion and filter sound to be warmer and more subtle. Of course, many musicians like the cosmetic boost that pickup covers provide as well, with the metal or nickel plates adding a slick, more polished look to a musician’s gear and overall setup.
We’ve rounded up some of the best pickup covers to get for your guitar. Here’s what to get.
