You may have noticed that when you pluck the string near the nose’s bridge, it sounds fairly bright. On the other hand, when you pluck right down close to the neck, there is a rounder and softer tone. Likewise, if you put a pickup close to the guitar’s bridge, there is a brighter and sharper sound compared to a pickup that you may put near the neck. This is the reason why players use several guitar pickups – as it allows them to choose from various sounds.
A pickup is basically a microphone designed for an electric guitar. A guitar pickup is simply a magnet that can sense the strings’ vibrations and convert them into electrical signals that are amplified to produce the desired noise level. This magnet is made up of ferrite or alnico that is wrapped with copper wire coils.
This page provides some tips to help you buy the right guitar pickup for you.
A Single-Coil Pickup
A single-coil has a clear and twangy sound. It also sounds great through an undistorted and clean amp setting. It’s worth noting that a single-coil pickup is made by covering a wire around six pole pieces, which is put in place by flatwork to make a bobbin.
This cover is often put over the pickup to protect the wire. However, single coils tend to have a disadvantage. You can usually notice a little background buzz as part of the single-coil experience. While some players don’t mind this excess noise, others prefer to play without it. You can, however, find many noiseless single coils on the market, which are suitable for blues, country, and alternative styles.
The Humbuckers
The humbuckers are designed with two separate pickup oils and each is wound in a different direction. The two different coil directions cancel out the hum. In most cases, the overall tone is usually louder, thicker, fuller, and warmer than single coils.
Humbuckers are suitable for heavier styles, such as hard rock, classic rock, and metal. They can also add some raunch and toughness to blues. The smoother and softer tone of humbuckers also makes them ideal for jazz, especially if you intend to use the humbucker in the neck area on a big hollow-body guitar. There are several types of guitars that are closely associated with the humbuckers, such as Gibson guitars, Bare Knuckle, and more.
In some cases, you can see humbuckers and single coils on the same guitar. Some of the most popular configurations include using a humbucker in the bridge area and single coils in the neck and middle positions. You can also decide to use a humbucker in the neck and bridge position with a single-coil in the middle.
In conclusion, you need to choose a guitar pickup that meets your needs. There are several guitar pickup suppliers on the market, and now you can make sure that you choose the right pickup.
