How to Select Guitar Pickups for Your Guitar
The guitar pickup is one of the most essential parts of any guitar. In conjunction with the guitar and the amp, pickups help players achieve their desired tone. There are many guitar pickups to choose from on eBay, and you can choose one that complements your instrument and your playing style.
How do guitar pickups work?Guitar pickups are responsible for capturing sound vibrations and transforming them into signals, making them transducers. They are placed underneath the guitar strings, and they translate the vibrations of strings into electrical signals, which are then made audible via amps, mixers, and speakers.
What are the main pickup types?- Single-coil: These magnetic pickups are constructed out of a coil of wire and magnetic pole pieces. This creates a magnetic field, which is disturbed by the movements of guitar strings. These disturbances alter the flow of the current, which courses from the guitar output to the amp. Single-coil styles only have one coil of wire. This technology first appeared in the 1920s, and its a hallmark of vintage instruments. Tonally, these magnetic pickups have a bright, crisp sound.
- Humbuckers: Humbuckers have two coils. They are out of phase with each other, which means that they cancel out any electromagnetic interference created. They are known for their warm, thick sound.
- Piezoelectric: These do not use a magnetic field to gauge vibrational changes. Instead, they use crystals or film strips. This results in bright, percussive tones. They are often used with acoustic guitars.
When choosing a new, used, or preowned pickup on eBay, guitarists must consider many factors. They should think about the musical genre they want to play. The bright, biting tones of single-coil devices are often preferred by country musicians, who want to maximize twang. They are not just used by country artists, however. Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan also used this type.
The thick, warm tonality associated with humbuckers makes them popular with metal, rock, and jazz players. Slash and Carlos Santana, for example, use humbuckers almost exclusively. Desired genre is not the only factor worth considering, however. Some instruments are built for specific guitar pickups. Most Gibsons, for example, use double-coils while most Fenders use singles. Sometimes, the instruments body simply is not routed to accommodate variable coils. eBay can help you select the right guitar pickup by categorizing its features. Here are some categories to select from:
- Type: : Options include Humbucker, Mini-Humbucker, Piezo, Preamp Pickup, Single Coil, and Soapbar.
- Position: You can select where you want the guitar pickup to be placed on your guitar. You can include pickups for the bridge, middle, neck, soundhole, or under saddle.
- Fit: Guitar pickups are available for acoustic, bass, and electric guitars.
- Condition: Both new and used pickups are available on eBay.
There are many companies manufacturing high-quality pickups, which enable guitarists to achieve a variety of musical styles. They include:
- Seymour Duncan
- DiMarzio
- Gibson
- Fender
- EMG
- Fishman
- Bartolini
- LR Baggs