The Role of Pickups in Crafting Your Signature Tone
Pickups are the heart of your guitar's tone. They capture the string vibrations and convert them into an electrical signal, which is then amplified. There is always some level of microphonic involved that also pick up the acoustic characters of the guitar they are installed in.
Understanding how different pickups work and their characteristics is key to shaping your signature sound. It all starts with the guitar itself, but the right pickup “EQs” and filters the signal that goes into your amplifier.
In this post we cover the types of pickups, how they influence tone and tips for choosing the right ones to suit your taste and style.
1. Understanding Pickup Basics
Pickups are essentially magnets wrapped with coils of wire. When a guitar string vibrates, it disrupts the magnetic field around the pickup, creating an electrical signal that mirrors the string's movement. This signal is then sent to an amplifier. There are several key factors in a pickup’s construction that influence tone:
Magnet Type: Common types include Alnico (Alnico II, III, IV, V & VIII) and ceramic. Alnico magnets typically produce a warmer, vintage sound, while ceramic magnets are known for higher output and a more aggressive tone.
Coil Winding: The number of turns in the coil affects output and frequency response. Overwound pickups (more turns of wire) produce higher output and a darker, warmer tone, while underwound pickups tend to have lower output with a brighter, more articulate sound.
Coil Size/Shape: Another big factor is the overall shape of the finished coil. Example, 5000 turns of coil wire in a taller bobbin will not sound the same as the same 5000 turns of wire on a shorter bobbin. The taller bobbin will have a thinner coil around the bobbin to fill the height, and the shorter bobbin will have a thicker overall coil. As the wire fills the bobbins in layers, the size of the bobbin also changes the amount of wire is used to fill 5000 turns. One bobbin may have less overall wire in that 5000 turns than the other. This results in differing tonal characteristics.
2. The Types of Pickups
There are several main types of pickups, each with very distinct tonal characteristics:
Single-Coil Pickups
Single-coil pickups are known for their bright, clear, and crisp sound. They excel at highlighting the subtleties in your playing, providing excellent note definition and articulation. However, they are notorious for picking up electromagnetic interference, resulting in the infamous "60-cycle hum.”
* Look for Noiseless Single Coils if you need that single coil sound but need to mitigate that 60 cycle hum as much as possible. Those are made with a dummy coil staked underneath to cancel out the electromagnetic interference like a Humbucker but retaining most of that single coil clarity and spank.
Tone Characteristics: Bright, clear, with a tight low-end and pronounced high-end sparkle.
Popular Styles: Rock, country, blues, funk, and jazz.
Our Example: The Firecaster line such as the FC/58 and FC/63 for Strat style guitars and FC/52 and FC/62 for Tele style guitars - handwound and hand built in
Ontario Canada.
Humbucking Pickups
Humbucking pickups - “Humbuckers” - were designed to "buck" the hum associated with single-coil pickups by using two coils wired in opposite polarity. This cancels out electromagnetic interference while increasing output, resulting in a fuller, warmer sound with greater sustain. In addition, the two coils create a wider magnetic field which “picks up” a longer portion of the string vibrating above it which affects the tone, dynamics and increases audible overtones, especially in a P.A.F. style pickup. It gives it that classic Humbucker sound.
Tone Characteristics: Warm, thick, with a pronounced midrange and reduced high-end sparkle compared to single coils.
Popular Styles: Rock, metal, jazz, and blues.
Our Examples: The FiftyNiner, FilterKaster and Five/ series humbuckers - handwound and hand built in Ontario Canada.
P-90 Pickups
P-90s are a variation of single-coil pickups but with a larger coil and different construction, giving them a unique sound that falls between traditional single-coils and humbuckers. They have more output than standard single-coils but retain some of the brightness and clarity. P90’s can achieve this with the extra wire making up its coil and using two Humbucker bar magnets. More coil than a single coil + twice the magnet of a Humbucker makes for a powerful and arguably one of the most versatile pickup styles available. The only downside to the P90 is it’s still a single coil in the end, so it suffers from electromagnetic interference - “60 cycle hum” - but hey, who cares. Turn the amp up and don’t stop rockin’. You won’t hear the noise if you keep playin’!
Tone Characteristics: Punchy, with a raw, gritty edge. More midrange growl than typical single-coils but less smooth than humbuckers.
Popular Styles: Rock, punk, blues, and jazz.
Our Examples: The Two/52, Two/56 and Two/58 - handwound and hand built in Ontario Canada.
Active Pickups
Active pickups have built-in preamps powered by a battery, which gives them higher output and a more consistent, even tone. They are often used for their clarity, high gain, and reduced noise.
Tone Characteristics: Clear, punchy, with high output and extended dynamic range. Can sound compressed compared to passive pickups.
Popular Styles: Metal, hard rock, and modern genres.
Notable Examples: EMG, Fishman Fluence
3. Pickup Placement and Its Effect on Tone
Where the pickup is placed on the guitar significantly impacts the sound.
Neck Position: Produces a warm, full tone with more bass response, ideal for clean playing, jazz, blues, and rhythm guitar. Best not to use overwound pickups here.
Bridge Position: Generates a brighter, sharper tone with more treble and bite, suitable for lead playing, rock, metal, and aggressive styles. If your bridge pickup sounds too bright and “ice picky”, try rolling back the tone knob. Many players forget that it can be used at settings other than 10.
Middle Position: Found on some guitars, it provides a balanced tone that blends characteristics of the neck and bridge pickups.
4. Pickup Switching and Blending for Tone Shaping
Most guitars come with a pickup switch that allows you to select different combinations of pickups, here are the most common three:
3-Position Blade Switch: Common on Telecaster-style guitars, allows for bridge-only or neck-only pickup selection.
3-Position Toggle Switch: Often found on Les Paul-style guitars, allowing for bridge, neck, or a blend of both.
5-Position Switch: Standard on Strat style guitars, offers a wide range of tones by combining pickups in different configurations (e.g., bridge-middle, neck-middle).
Experimenting with these positions can significantly alter your tone and provide versatility in different musical contexts.
5. Choosing the Right Pickups for Your Sound
Here are some tips for selecting pickups based on your playing style and desired tone:
For Clean and Clear Tones: Single-coils are typically the go-to for their clarity and high-end sparkle. Consider Alnico V pickups for a brighter sound or Alnico II for a warmer, vintage vibe. Alnico III is also a great choice here as the tonal characteristic is gives is someone between an Alnico II and V but has a softer attack than the II.
For High-Gain, Distorted Sounds: Humbuckers, especially those with ceramic magnets or active pickups, are ideal due to their higher output and reduced noise.
For Versatile, All-Round Tones: Our choice here is a P.A.F. style pickup for the blend of warmth, lush midrange and chimney clarity as well as the hum cancellation. P-90 pickups offer a balance between the bite of single-coils and the warmth of humbuckers, making them a great alternate choice to the P.A.F.
For Maximum Tone Control: Look for pickups with coil-splitting or coil-tapping features. You’ll find these will come built with 4-conductor wire leads. These allow you to split a humbucker into a single-coil, providing more tonal options. This also allows you to wire them to give a phase reversing setting.
6. Modifying Your Pickups for Custom Tones
If you want to further refine your tone, consider pickup modifications:
Coil Splitting: Allows a humbucker to operate as a single-coil, giving you access to both humbucker and single-coil sounds.
Series/Parallel Switching: Changes the way coils are connected, affecting output and tone. Series mode produces a thicker sound, while parallel offers a brighter, more articulate tone.
Changing Potentiometers: The resistance of your guitar's volume and tone pots can impact tone big-time. Higher resistance (500k) is typically used with humbuckers for a brighter sound, while lower resistance (250k) is common with single-coils for a smoother tone. We have seen some Gibson Les Pauls come with 300K pots stock from the factory. Replacing those with 500K pots gave them a brighter and more open sound, often described as like "removing a wet blanket off the amp". If your Les Paul sounds a bit dull and uninspiring, have the pots checked with a multimeter first - much cheaper mod than buying and installing a new set of pickups because you'll likely still want to upgrade the pots to 500K.
7. Pickup Heights: How High/Low?
There is no right or wrong here. What we suggest is to start with either the guitar manufacturer’s suggested height measurements, or the pickup manufacturer’s suggested heights. We always start with the guitar manufacturer’s settings. If you have a Strat or Tele, use Fender’s suggested pickup heights for the chosen pickup type you are installing/adjusting. If it’s a Gibson, go with theirs. Ibanez? You get the point. Those aren’t law, they’re just a starting point. We suggest to start by checking your neck pickup. If it sounds too boomy or muddy, lowering it will help with the low end. Once that’s sounding good, check to see if your bridge pickup has a balanced overall volume compared to the newly adjusted neck pickup. Once that’s balanced, check the middle pickup and do the same.
Once all the pickups have been set for a balanced volume, check the in between settings. The goal here is to have a distinct tonal difference in the in-between positions. On a Strat style guitar with 3 pickups and a 5-way switch, Positions 1, 3 and 5 will be the 3 pickups individually. Positions 2 and 4 will combine either the Bridge and Middle pickups or the Neck and Middle Pickups. Those positions should have a plucky sound compared to the pickups individually. That’s the “Strat” sound. For guitars with only 2 pickups and a 3-way switch, you want the middle position (both pickups) to have a distinct 3rd sound compared to Bridge only and Neck only.
To sum up, if you want more output and volume, raise the pickup. If you want less, lower it. Pretty simple stuff, play around with it. It’s not going to ruin your guitar, just take measurements before you start so you can always go back to the initial settings. Measuring tip: Measure the bottom side of the Low E and High E string to the top of the pole piece of the pickup being adjusted/measured while fretting the string at the last fret.
The most important part is to have fun with all of this. Life is and can be way too short, enjoy the ride. Take care of yourself and have some fun dialing in and shaping your sound, that is afterall how we all become tone chasers…but remember, don’t just chase tone - chase inspiration!