pickups

Latest Updates

Alex Lifeson holds his new signature Lerxst Limelight pickguard

“The original Hentor brought a mix of tone and playability that empowered me to explore sounds I had never attempted before”: Alex Lifeson’s LERXST Limelight pickguard provides the transferable tones of one of his most iconic instruments

By Phil Weller published 10 April 24

Lifeson’s Hentor Sportscaster was used extensively throughout the ‘80s, and featured on numerous Rush records and tours

“The best Tele tones I've ever had”: Rabea Massaad seeks to make the Telecaster more versatile than ever with new Bare Knuckle Nomad pickups

By Phil Weller published 13 March 24

Rabea Massaad's third signature set with Bare Knuckle aims to do for the Fender Telecaster what his radical Triptych single coils did for the Stratocaster

A selection of Fender pickups on a colorful background

Should you replace or upgrade your guitar? Fender just gave you the answer with a whopping 20% off official parts and pickups

By Matt McCracken published 8 March 24

Here are the four discounted upgrades we'd choose from the official Fender shop

NAMM 2024: “If ’80s hair metal on a Gretsch Country Gentleman is your thing, who are we to stop you?” DiMarzio supercharges the Filter’Tron format with 3 new humbuckers – including a Super Distor’Tron

By Phil Weller published 12 January 24

The legendary pickup firm’s New’Tron, PAF® Tron, and Super Distor’Tron aim to deliver a sound in between an ES-335 and a Telecaster while increasing their compatibility with modern amps

A humbucker and a P90 pickup on a Gibson guitar

P90s vs humbuckers: Which pickups should you choose?

By Matt McCracken published 14 December 23

We deep dive into the differences and similarities between these two powerful pickup options

Joe Bonamassa called his ‘51 Fender Nocaster “the most dynamic instrument I have ever played in my life” – now Seymour Duncan has released a signature pickup set based on that guitar

By Matt Owen published 5 October 23

The prized guitar was recreated by Fender as an $8,500 signature model in 2021 – and now its humbucker/single-coil combo can be bought as a standalone set

Fishman’s game-changing Fluence Modern pickups just got even more versatile – with sounds “you’ve never heard in a humbucker before”

By Matt Owen published 18 September 23

As well as a slick new Open Core version of the celebrated Fluence Modern format, a whole new voice has been added to the roster

A Charvel San Dimas super strat and a Jackson King V electric guitar on a purple background

Active vs passive pickups: What’s the difference?

By Richard Blenkinsop published 7 September 23

Join us as we weight up the differences between active and passive pickups to see which is right for you

Forget humbuckers – there's a triple-coil pickup in Schecter's new Sunset Triad guitar

By Matt Owen published 24 August 23

Schecter's gnarly new model may feature the wildest spec of the year so far, but it joins a select cohort of guitars to offer the elusive tri-coil pickup

Closeup of a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker

Best electric guitar pickups: upgrade your tone with single-coils, P90s, humbuckers, and more

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 23 May 23

We’ve rounded up the best electric guitar pickups available on the market right now for a range of budgets, including models from Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, and more.

Jake Bowen (left), and his DiMarzio Mirage signature pickups

DiMarzio partners with Periphery’s Jake Bowen for Mirage signature pickups – a “super-saturated” set that has been tailored to his picking technique

By Matt Owen published 16 May 23

The pickups were previously found in Bowen's Ibanez JBM9999 signature guitar, and are said to be the next step in his quest to “push his progressive metal sound forward”

Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio signature pickups

We’re living in a new golden age for guitar pickups – here’s why

By Matt Parker published 21 April 23

From multi-voice options to Bluetooth switching and a stream of signature sets – after decades of stagnant development, there has been a boom in pickup innovations

Slash and Seymour Duncan Slash 2.0 pickups

Seymour Duncan issues new version of Slash’s signature humbuckers with one key upgrade

By Matt Owen published 19 April 23

The Slash 2.0 pickups are based on the GNR rocker's flagship APH-2 set – which he's used for nearly a decade – but make one essential tweak

Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa '63 Cradle Rock pickups

NAMM 2023: Joe Bonamassa and Seymour Duncan release ‘63 Cradle Rock Strat signature pickup set, based on the blues-rocker's prized sunburst Fender

By Matt Owen published 5 April 23

The three single coils, crafted in the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop, were deemed by JoBo to be "spot on" recreations of those found in his original '63 Strat

Best P-90 pickups: Close up of Gibson Non-Reverse Firebird Studio with three P-90 pickups

Best P-90 pickups: Rejuvenate your guitar tone with a fresh set of P-90s covering various price points and styles

By Daryl Robertson published 3 April 23

The P-90 is one of the most versatile single coil pickups ever made and here's the very best from Seymour Duncan, Fishman, Mojotone and more

Seymour Duncan Josh Smith Flat V1 pickup set

NAMM 2023: Josh Smith and Seymour Duncan release the Flat V pickup set – an unorthodox blend of Tele-style single coils

By Matt Owen published 31 March 23

The pickups – which first arrived in the blues titan's Ibanez signature model – feature a unique combination of Alnico 2, 3 and 4 magnets in order to facilitate dynamic, expressive playing

Close up of a Fishman acoustic guitar pickup on a 12-string acoustic guitar

Best acoustic guitar pickups: Our recommended acoustic pickups for all budgets

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 3 March 23

No matter what style of guitarist you are, the best acoustic guitar pickups from LR Baggs, Fishman and others will help you get more from your tone

Cory Wong holds his signature Stratocaster (left), Cory Wong's Seymour Duncan signature Clean Machine pickups

Seymour Duncan brings the funk with standalone release of Cory Wong signature Clean Machine pickups

By Jackson Maxwell published 7 February 23

Aside from the requisite, spanky funk cleans, the Clean Machines also produce – with the help of an extra-hot, Alnico V-powered bridge pickup – "singing" leads that are said to excel when driven

Fender's J Mascis signature Jazzmaster pickups

J Mascis looks to offer sweet vintage tones in abundance with new signature Fender Jazzmaster pickup set

By Jackson Maxwell published 17 November 22

In tandem with the pickups, Fender has also released a broader line of Mascis signature accessories

Gibson has launched its own pickup shop

By Jackson Maxwell published 11 October 22

Much like the company's guitar lineup, the offerings from Gibson's new pickup shop are split into the Historic, Original and Modern Collections