Joe Satriani’s amp builder has released a potentially game-changing pickup system – which gives players the power to choose where their gain is created

3rd Power has introduced the MagFRAG pickup system – a potentially game-changing new evolution that gives players unprecedented control over their gain staging.

The tube amp specialist, which has previously built amps for the likes of Joe Satriani, unveiled the latest edition of its proprietary system at NAMM last month. First launched back in 2017, the updated MagFRAG humbuckers and single-coils look to push the boundaries of modern pickup engineering and design.

It is true we are living in a golden age of guitar pickups. Over the past 10 years there has been a huge leap forward in pickup tech, which all started when Fishman launched its flagship Fluence Modern humbuckers back in 2014.

At the time, Guitar World hailed the Fluence system as “the first truly new electric guitar pickup system design in more than 80 years”. MagFRAG – an accessible passive pickup design – is aiming to be equally influential in the passive pickup sphere.

In essence, MagFRAG pickups use a multi-magnet platform design to give players intentional control over how and where gain is created. That means they utilize a string-specific magnet voicing – for example, alnico II, V and beyond – to improve “clarity, balance and dynamic response”, unlike conventional pickups, which use a single magnet bar at their core.

As 3rd Power puts it, MagFRAG isn’t about “chasing vintage replication”. It’s about pushing the boundary. It’s a new approach to the “modern tone ecosystem”, homing in on a player’s touch while preserving musical feel “across a wide range of gain structures”.

MagFRAG was originally designed as a high-resolution interface between a guitar and amp, but later became a pickup system that has since been rolled out through two distinct families: PraXIS and Drive.

The PraXIS Series is about transparency and dynamics. PraXIS Reveal, made from a low-mass coil architecture, prioritizes touch sensitivity and clarity over output, meaning gain can be shaped at the pedalboard or amp stages. It also means every nuance of the player’s hands and instrument remains intact.

Elsewhere, PraXIS Reference offers a more full-range voice said to be more suitable for “modern electric guitar”, while Reference+ offers increased output and ‘push’.

There’s also the MagFRAG Drive Series, made up of Drive and Drive Studio pickups. The first is voiced to engage the front end of an amp with responsive saturation and bumped mids without excessive compression, while the latter offers an unpotted configuration for more controlled microphonics, enhanced “harmonic bloom” and “studio-grade responsiveness”.

A pickup system that lets you intentionally and deliberately choose where your gain staging comes from sounds like a neat idea, and the multi-magnet design seemingly offers a fresh take on conventional passive pickup design.

In the provided diagrams, for example, there are three distinct types of magnet used in one pickup, which will no doubt have an interesting effect on overall tone and behaviour.

These are a new development and a significant departure from conventional passive pickup design. In fact, they’re so new, that the newest versions of the MagFRAG pickups are yet to surface online, and the 3rd Power website currently states “Coming Soon” on the landing page.

“MagFRAG is about intent,” said Dylana Nova Scott, Founder and Chief Designer of 3rd Power Amplification. “Where you choose to shape gain should be a musical decision. The MagFRAG Pickup System gives players clear, purpose-built tools to decide whether that happens at the guitar, the pedalboard, or the amplifier.”

Like any new development, though, it will be interesting to see just how revolutionary the MagFRAGs can be when it rolls out. For example, how effective the MagFRAGs are at differentiating gain stages in practice – ie, whether the gain comes from a pedalboard or amplifier – remains to be seen.

No doubt we’ll see plenty of demo videos in the near future, though, so keep your eyes peeled on 3rd Power for future updates.