Humbucker Pickups

For electric guitarists who prefer a fat, round tone with zero hum, the humbucker reigns supreme - in fact, it's been that way ever since it was created by Seth Lover of Gibson in 1955. Today's line of humbuckers is a lot more extensive than it was 50 years ago, and this catalog has more than enough options to prove it. From Gibson '57 Classic Humbuckers to Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Sets and even EMG signature models from Zakk Wylde, you've just hit the mother lode when it comes to humbucker pickups.

If you're new to the guitar, you might be wondering what the difference is between humbuckers and single-coil. Before the humbucker was developed, there were only single-coil pickups, (essentially, magnetics) which contained wire that was wrapped around a series of magnetic poles. No matter which company manufactured single-coil pickups, they all faced the same issue: unwanted frequencies and hums. The creation of the humbucker solved this dilemma; by pairing two pickups together, they cancelled each other out and the hum was eliminated (ie: bucked). Another upside to the humbucker's design was that they produced more output, which is why so many guitarists who favor a heavily distorted sound use them. Of course, every guitarist has their preferences when it comes to pickups: some only use single-coils or humbuckers exclusively, while others prefer their axe to have both single-coils and humbuckers (which can be combined for creating any number of cool guitar tones).

To better understand which humbucker pickups are right for you, you'll need to know how each humbucker design will influence your guitar sound. In this section, you'll find both active and passive pickups. If you're a metal guitarist, your best bet is to go with an active pickup because they have a higher output. Need some suggestions? Try the EMG-KFK Kerry King 81/85 Humbucker Set or Seymour Duncan Livewire Dave Mustaine Active Pickup Set.

While active pickups deliver a very balanced sound no matter how soft or hard you play, passive pickups respond to your playing technique. If you want a more versatile sound and play a variety of genres like jazz, blues or early rock, passive pickups are for you. There are many best-selling passive pickup options here, including the DiMarzio DP155 Tone Zone Humbucker Pickup and the Gibson 498T Alnico Humbucker, amongst others.

There are so many humbucker pickups that deserve a closer look, you'll definitely want to spend time here. Swiping out your current pickups for a set of new humbuckers is an excellent way to upgrade your axe and get the tone you've always dreamed of. Just remember that when you're ready to make the change, practically every humbucker pickup you can imagine is waiting in these pages.