TONE TIPS - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PICKUPS

Today, it's harder than ever to describe the sonic characteristics of pickup types - there are so many configurations, both stock and after-market, that blur the lines of each core design. 

- Chris Bird

For every classic single coil there's a stacked noiseless unit; for every vintage-voiced humbucker there's a high-output facemelter for metal. However, there are a few key categories of pickup to know about. A little knowledge of each one's origins and uses will help you identify your own tonal requirements should you wish to swap out your axe's pups.

SINGLE COILS

Early designs appeared in Rickenbacker lap steels, Gibson and Gretsch semis, and then later in Fender's Telecaster predecessor, the Esquire, but perhaps the archetypal single-coil pickup is that found in the Fender Stratocaster. The Strat's later five-way (originally three-way) switching design has become integral to common perception of what this type of pickup should sound like, and guitarists as varied as Jimi Hendrix and Cory Wong have made the sounds of these pickups their own. HSS/HSH-style Superstrats are arguably only simple variations on the original theme.

HUMBUCKERS