
For example, Eric Clapton used humbucking pickups for much of the '60s, but single coils ever since the early '70s.

If you’re searching for the “right” pickup, you might start by listening to your favorite guitarists and identifying what they used to get the sound they have. Guitars can have different combinations of either single or humbucker pickups.

A humbucker also works great with distortion. This wiring changed the sound captured by the pickups, which is characterized as thick sound with more volume. They were made in an effort to combat the unwanted hum of a single coil pickup, hence the name humbucker. HumbuckerĪ humbucker is made up of two single coils that are wired in opposition of one another. Although they sound great with distortion, when played without distortion they sound bright and clean. They are a noisier design and can have an unwanted hum while you are not playing. They are characterized by having a sound that is clearer and with more high frequencies.

Single-coil pickups have been around for longer. The vibrations are turned into an electric signal that is sent to an amplifier to make the sound of the guitar louder. There are many types of pickups, but we're going to focus on two of the most popular: the single-coil and the humbucker.Ī pickup is a magnet that picks up the guitar string’s vibrations. What makes an electric guitar sound so amazing? Many things, the wood, the neck, the player … but mostly it's the pickups.
