Guitar Pickup Parts

Fender Custom Shop ’69 Strat Pickups offer you a unique construction and vibe. These are the guitar pickups that can deliver the coveted clear, transparent highs; thumping lows; and bleeding midrange response and feel that define electric guitar tone as we know it. Construction: Just like the originals, these Fender pickups are built using height-staggered Alnico V magnets and a special gray bobbin. Each pickup is checked, dated, and initialed by none other than Fender Custom Shop master pickup-building legend, Abigail Ybarra, who has been winding pickups for Fender since the late 1950s.

Plant Fender’s Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Jazz Bass pickups under your strings, add fingers or pick and grow a healthy garden of giant-sized tone. The SCN pickups deliver truly noise-free Jazz Bass tone with lots of power and dynamic response. The neck and bridge pickups have a DC resistance of 11.6K and inductance of 3.8 Henries.A special combination of traditional magnets and Samarium Cobalt magnetic material delivers incredible dynamic and magnetic response. SCN pickups noiselessly kick up a half century Fender bass sound with thunderous vibe, silky feel, and transcendent tone. Standard equipment in Fender’s American Deluxe Jazz Basses.

The Gibson ’57 Classic Humbucking pickup for the neck position. The guitar pickup features Gibson’s special Alnico II magnet, wax potted to fight high-volume feedback squeal; vintage enamel-coated wire; nickel-plated pole pieces; nickel slugs; maple spacers; and vintage-style, 2-conductor, braided wiring.

The Gibson ’57 Classic Plus Pickup mimics those late-1950s humbuckers that received a few extra turns of wire. This treatment gave the pickup slightly higher output without sacrificing its rich vintage tone, which helped overdrive tube preamps to a smooth level of saturation without becoming overpowering. Made with the same features as the Gibson ’57 Classic.

The BurstBucker Pro enhances the vintage “edge” of Gibson’s popular BurstBucker guitar pickups with the added feature of an Alnico 5 magnet. The Gibson BurstBucker Pro Humbucker Pickup has a characteristic sweet harmonic complexity and crystalline clarity that derive from its slightly unmatched bobbin windings. Alnico V magnets are used in place of the traditional Alnico IIs, yielding fatter, meatier tone with more drive and attack. The Burstbucker Pro Pickup provides classic Gibson “Patent Applied For” tone with a hint of attitude. Extra noise reduction keeps things quiet even with a high-gain rig.

The P-94 guitar pickup is a unique combination that provides the best of both worlds — the classic Gibson P-90 sound in a traditional humbucker-size housing. Replacing a humbucker with the P-94 requires no routing or other damaging modifications to the guitar. The P-94 uses the same enamel coated vintage wire and Alnico V magnets as the P-90 and comes in calibrated neck and bridge models for balanced output — or combine the P-94 with an existing humbucker for unique tonal combinations. The P-94 component has higher output and sustaining qualities than traditional single-coil pickups, giving it plenty of bite when needed, with enough responsiveness to allow subtle nuances for enhanced dynamics.

With scorching riffs and remarkable stage presence, Zakk Wylde has earned his reputation as heavy metal’s premier lead guitarist. From Ozzy Osbourne, Pride and Glory, and now Black Label Society, Zakk has always used EMG active pickups. The Zakk Wylde model features the EMG-85 and EMG-81, as used on his signature bull’s-eye Les Paul guitar. Installation is literally a snap—it’s solderless, just use the included Quck-connect cables.EMG-85 Although the EMG-85 pickup has more measurable output than the 81, its frequency response and string interface are different. The 85 uses two Alnico magnet-loaded coils with a wide aperture to maintain a beefy low end and a fatter top end. Because of a more natural tone, it works great as a rhythm and blues pickup because it has loads of output but isn’t muddy. It’s a perfect choice as a rhythm pickup in combination with an 81 in the bridge.The midrange has great definition and doesn’t get foggy or muddy in the rhythm position. The EMG-85 works best if you like the natural distortion that comes from overdriving the front end of your amp. Under any condition, the humbucker responds accurately to your technique.EMG-81 The EMG-81 pickup is a high-output pickup designed especially for the lead guitarist. The 81 is at its best for high volume overdrive and amps with a master volume. Whether you’re playing power rock ‘n’ roll, or overdriving your amp, there’s a razor sharp attack, and incredible sustain for brilliant soloing. If you’re looking for exceptional qualities in a rock pickup, the EMG-81 is the one.Distortion during lead passages is consistent, sustain is long and the breakup fades smoothly. The ceramic magnet in combination with wide aperture steel poles lend a quick attack but the tone stays nice and fat at the same time. Perfect if you’re the only guitarist in the band, and need to switch from rhythm to lead and still keep the band moving. Another great thing about the EMG-81 humbucker is it’s quiet. If you’re playing at really high gain the last thing you need is noise.

The EMG-ALX Alexi Laiho signature model with ABQ EQ/Boost is an EMG HZ passive model that includes the ABQ EQ/Boost. It features a push (to activate) / pull (to deactivate) control. The custom-designed ABQ has a 3-band EQ, which can be adjusted for creating different tone settings. In addition, the preamp output can be adjusted as well to add or subtract gain. This pickup and preamp combo meets Alexi’s demand for something unique that includes high gain, solid tone, versatility and clarity to enhance his distinctive style. Now, in one package, a player can get all the reliability and innovation that EMG is renowned for, and all the aggressive guitar tone that Alexi is well known for.

The EMG-KFK Kerry King (Slayer) signature model includes the EMG-81 and EMG-85 along with the PA2 (20dB gain booster) to deliver maximum distortion for Kerry and Slayer’s bone crushing tones. This is his exact configuration used for live and studio action.EMG-81 High-output pickup designed especially for the lead guitarist. The 81 is at its best for high volume overdrive and amps with a master volume. Whether you’re playing power rock ‘n’ roll, or overdriving your amp, there’s a razor sharp attack, and incredible sustain for brilliant soloing. If you’re looking for exceptional qualities in a rock pickup, the EMG-81 is the one.Distortion during lead passages is consistent, sustain is long and the breakup fades smoothly. The ceramic magnet in combination with wide aperture steel poles lend a quick attack but the tone stays nice and fat at the same time. Perfect if you’re the only guitarist in the band, and need to switch from rhythm to lead and still keep the band moving. Another great thing about the EMG-81 is it’s quiet. If you’re playing at really high gain the last thing you need is noise.EMG-85 Although this humbucker pickup has more measurable output than the 81, its frequency response and string interface are different. The 85 uses two Alnico magnet-loaded coils with a wide aperture to maintain a beefy low end and a fatter top end. Because of a more natural tone, it works great as a rhythm and blues pickup because it has loads of output but isn’t muddy. It’s a perfect choice as a rhythm pickup in combination with an 81 in the bridge.The midrange has great definition and doesn’t get foggy or muddy in the rhythm position. The EMG-85 pickup works best if you like the natural distortion that comes from overdriving the front end of your amp. Under any condition, it responds accurately to your technique.EMG-PA2 Straight booster preamplifier mounted on a mini toggle switch. Perfect if you want to just plain overdrive the input of your amp for distortion. It has a trim pot so you can preset the amount of boost up to an additional 20 dB. The PA2 will also work with passive pickups.s

The EMG 81-X Active Humbucking Pickup provides increased headroom giving the voicing an organic and open tone while still maintaining the clarity and response that EMG’s are renowned for. Using powerful ceramic magnets and close aperture coils and powered by a newly designed preamp, the 81-X shines with detailed intensity, incredible amounts of high-end cut and fluid sustain. Traditionally used in the bridge position, this active guitar pickup will make your leads slice right through even the densest mix like a hot knife. When used in both positions the sound can only be described as blistering. Other recommended pairings include the EMG 85-X and the versatile EMG 81-X/60-X combo. Give it a try and experience why the “X” factor is exciting players all around the world.The replacement pickup package Includes: EMG’s exclusive solderless Quik-Connect system; split shaft volume/active tone control set, output jack, battery clip set, screws & springs.

The EMG 85-X Active Humbucker Pickup features close aperture coils loaded with Alnico V magnets and powered by a newly designed preamp, the 85-X is a powerful pickup with exceptional tone and versatility across the spectrum. The Alnico magnets give a warm growl and velvet lead tones that enable you to play the deepest of blues to the most extreme metal. Try this guitar pickup in the bridge position for exceptional smoothness and soul. It pairs well with just about every other humbucker in the EMG line. Give it a try and experience why the “X” factor is exciting players all around the world.The complete replacement pickup package Includes: EMG’s exclusive solderless Quik-Connect system; split shaft volume/active tone control set, output jack, battery clip set, screws & springs.

The EMG 60AX guitar pickup packs plenty of output with a balance of tones that is classically thick with smooth mids, big lows, and responsive highs. This model features close-aperture coils loaded with alnico magnets instead of the ceramic of EMG’s regular 60s, giving it a warmer, thicker sound and a full-treble response to provide some serious meat to your playing. It’s traditionally used in the rhythm position for everything from clean, bluesy tones to hard-rocking crunchiness. These X-series EMG pickups provide increased headroom, giving the voicing an organic and open tone while still maintaining the clarity and response that EMG pickups are renowned for. X-series guitar pickups are best described as bridging the gap between passive and active tone.The EMG 60AX humbucker package includes: EMG’s exclusive Solderless Install System, a split shaft volume/tone control set, an output jack, a battery clip set, plus screws and springs.

Inside the EMG-89 guitar pickup are both single and dual-coil pickups, each with its own output. The single-coil mode is an Alnico-loaded stacked EMG-SA. The dual-coil mode consists of two Alnico-loaded coils opposite one another, creating a pickup similar to the EMG-85. A push/pull volume or tone enables you to switch from the clarity of a single-coil to the fatness of a humbucking. Virtually noiseless in both modes. The EMG-89 humbucker’s separate outputs give you option to utilize EMG tone enhancing accessory circuits on either pickup output.

This EMG-SL20 Steve Lukather System is equipped with an SLV/SLV/85 pickup mix wired up with a single master volume and tone. The SLV is a custom pickup designed for Steve. The SLV is an overwound version of the SAV guitar pickup and features hidden pole pieces. The over-winding creates an even fatter tone to match up with the EMG-85 humbucking.The SL20 system is mounted on a black pearl pickguard with black knobs. Installing the SL20 pickup in your guitar won’t guarantee you a Grammy award, but it’s a great way to get started.

Kirk Hammett first visited EMG back in the early ’80s when Metallica was a local group on the rise. The KH20 system joined the EMG-81 with a pair of EMG-S single-coil pickups. These guitar pickups are all built around ceramic magnets for the tightest, most controlled sound. They’re mated with a five-position switch and master volume and tone controls. The KH20 comes pre-assembled on a custom pearl white pickguard with contrasting black knobs.EMG-S These pickups feature the same construction as the EMG-SA but replaces the Alnico magnets with ceramic. They have the equivalent output of the EMG-SA but feature a brighter tone quality accentuated in the upper middle to high frequency response (similar to later model Strat pickups). By using the EMG tone modeling technique, these pickups have “sparkle” with added definition for depth and increased sensitivity. With accent on high frequency, these guitar pickups have that classic single-coil sound without the disadvantages of high impedance single-coil design.

DiMarzio created the Breed Neck Pickup in response to a request from Steve Vai for a fat, classic humbucker sound to contrast with the hotter, screaming Evolution-equipped guitars. The neck pickup is a bit louder and fatter-sounding than the PAF Pro pickups that Steve used on his earliest Jem guitars. Harmonics are easy to get, and 4-conductor wiring coil enables cool “notch tone” coil-splitting.The guitar part is recommended for the neck position on bolt-on trem guitars and bridge position on set-neck fixed-bridge instruments.As a neck pickup, the Breed has more than enough power to balance with high-output bridge pickups: it will work with the Tone Zone, Super Distortion and Evolution as well as The Breed bridge model. In the bridge position, it has a very warm, hot PAF tone-really smooth, with nice harmonics.

The Breed bridge pickup is not as hot as the Evolution, but it’s got a warm and punchy mid-range coupled with a fat low end that rolls off before it can get muddy. If you’ve seen Steve Vai play in the last few years, you may have seen him playing an Ibanez Jem guitar with the word “Pogo” taped on the face. The Pogo is fitted with DiMarzio Breed pickups and is the result of Steve’s desire to have a fat, classic humbucker sound to contrast with the hotter, screaming Evolution-equipped guitars. Harmonics come easily and the 4-conductor wiring coil enables cool “notch tone” coil-splitting. Recommended for the bridge position on solid body guitars.The Breed was designed to warm up and smooth out the sound of 25-1/2 scale trem guitars. It’s got a lot more power than a PAF, but it also has a finer touch than high-output models. Picking hard will generate a lot of voltage, but a softer attack will clean up the sound of an overdriven amp.

The Breed bridge pickup is not as hot as the Evolution, but it’s got a warm and punchy mid-range coupled with a fat low end that rolls off before it can get muddy. If you’ve seen Steve Vai play in the last few years, you may have seen him playing an Ibanez Jem guitar with the word “Pogo” taped on the face. The Pogo is fitted with DiMarzio Breed pickups and is the result of Steve’s desire to have a fat, classic humbucker sound to contrast with the hotter, screaming Evolution-equipped guitars. Harmonics come easily and the 4-conductor wiring coil enables cool “notch tone” coil-splitting. Recommended for the bridge position on solid body guitars.The Breed was designed to warm up and smooth out the sound of 25-1/2 scale trem guitars. It’s got a lot more power than a PAF, but it also has a finer touch than high-output models. Picking hard will generate a lot of voltage, but a softer attack will clean up the sound of an overdriven amp.

The DiMarzio DP159 Evolution Bridge Pickup is a hefty humbucker designed for maximum impact and power. The Evolution pickup’s sound is tight, aggressive, and loud. The DP159 Evolution incorporates DiMarzio’s patented dual-resonance coil configuration that senses more harmonic overtones than ordinary humbuckers. Perfect for solos that really cut through. Low notes are very tight, and the highs have a lot of presence. DiMarzio designed the DP159 pickup for Steve’s Ibanez Jems, but it can add a lot of punch and definition to Les Paul and similar set-neck guitars – even the lowest bass notes really jump out of the amp, and feedback occurs easily with a wide range of harmonic overtones.

Designed for maximum impact and power—to get a tight, aggressive, loud sound. It incorporates a patented dual-resonance coil configuration that senses more harmonic overtones than ordinary humbuckers. Works in almost all solidbodies and most semi-hollowbodies as well. Though specifically created for Steve Vai’s Ibanez Jems, it can add a lot of punch to Les Paul and similar set-neck guitars. Makes the lowest notes jump out of the amp, and feedback occurs easily with a wide range of harmonic overtones.

The DiMarzio DP159 Evolution Bridge Pickup is a hefty humbucker designed for maximum impact and power. The Evolution pickup’s sound is tight, aggressive, and loud. The DP159 Evolution incorporates DiMarzio’s patented dual-resonance coil configuration that senses more harmonic overtones than ordinary humbuckers. Perfect for solos that really cut through. Low notes are very tight, and the highs have a lot of presence. DiMarzio designed the DP159 pickup for Steve’s Ibanez Jems, but it can add a lot of punch and definition to Les Paul and similar set-neck guitars – even the lowest bass notes really jump out of the amp, and feedback occurs easily with a wide range of harmonic overtones.

The DiMarzio DP175 True Velvet is a vintage-style single-coil pickup that’s clean and bright. The True Velvet pickup gives your high strings sweet sound above the 12th fret. The DiMarzio True Velvet was designed to make this happen by tuning the coil to a frequency range that’s bright but not thin. DiMarzio combines this with a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The neck and middle models have the same specs except for reverse wind / reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions. The bridge pickup is just a touch warmer and louder, so the transition between pickup positions is very smooth and natural. The DiMarzio DP175 single coil pickup comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.

The DiMarzio DP176 True Velvet is a vintage-style single-coil pickup that’s clean and bright. The DP176 pickup makes your high strings sound sweet above the 12th fret. The True Velvet pickup does this by tuning the coil to a frequency range that’s bright but not thin. DiMarzio combined this with a magnet stagger specifically designed to enhance string balance, which produces great clarity, even with full chords. The neck and middle True Velvet pickups have the same specs except for reverse wind / reverse polarity on the middle pickup for hum cancellation in the 2 and 4 positions. The bridge pickup is just a touch warmer and louder, so the transition between pickup positions is very smooth and natural. The DiMarzio bridge DP176 True Velvet Pickup comes standard with hand-ground magnets and vintage cloth covered wire.

The DiMarzio DP223 PAF Humbucker Pickup uses new technology to duplicate the qualities of vintage pickups-without sacrificing their presence and open sound. This PAF Bridge Model is a hotter version of the PAF. There was no such thing as a neck or bridge humbucker in the 1950s, but there was a wide range of performance between individual pickups. Some of the old pickups had a lot of wire on the coils, which created more power and a warmer tone. Not just for set-neck 24-3/4″ scale guitars, the DiMarzio DP223 PAF is also an excellent bridge pickup for trem-equipped electric guitars with bolt-on necks.

Although Eric Johnson is best known as a Strat player, he has always played humbucker-equipped guitars as well. After getting a new 1959 Les Paul reissue, Eric asked DiMarzio if it could be made to sound like an old Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar, and DiMarzio said, “No problem!” The guitar pickups they designed are exact replacements for standard, full size humbuckers. They are bright with great presence without sounding thin. When Eric tried them, he said they were almost as clear-sounding as Strat pickups, and he was surprised at how well they sounded with heavy distortion, because no matter how overdriven the sound, it did not become muddy. The EJ Custom is available with exposed coils in all standard DiMarzio colors and plated or unplated nickel covers at additional cost. Recommended for all positions, in solid, semi-solid and hollowbody electric guitars.Tech Talk: If you look at the DC resistance specs for these guitar pickups, you will see they’re very similar to PAF-style models. However, their performance is very different in 2 important areas. They have less power and much more treble response than “vintage” humbuckers. In fact, treble response is comparable to that of typical single-coils, but since bass response is still very solid, the EJ Custom isn’t thin-sounding. It’s outstanding for chords and fingerpicking, and has exceptional definition for soloing, even with extreme amounts of distortion.

The vowel-like open wah-wah feel of the PAF Pro and FRED is combined with tremendous midrange and bass for a sound that really kicks hard. Because the lows, mids, and highs are all boosted, using a Tone Zone feels like cranking up an extra set of tone controls. It adds further dimension to the sound of your amp – that elusive edge that can make a good-sounding rig into a great-sounding one. Notes seem to get bigger after they’re picked, and burn hard as they sustain. It’s the right stuff to wake up your amp. Ballsy, aggressive tone has plenty of drive in all the right frequencies, abundant gain to push preamps and power amps, and sensitivity to pick attack that gets the most out of any style from metal to blues. Hot enough to qualify as a high-output pickup but with a wider dynamic range. Hard picking will produce a lot of power and softer picking will be much cleaner and quieter.

The Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion Humbucker gives a high output and retains clarity. A massive ceramic magnet and hot symmetrical coils deliver tremendous power and raw distorted rock sound. 4 conductor.

The Seymour Duncan SH-1 ’59 Model Electric Guitar Pickup is built with the same kind of enameled wire, nickel-plated studs, and balanced coil windings that humbucker inventor Seth Lover used in his first pickups. It looks and sounds just like a ’59.

A Phat Cat is an actual single-coil P-90 Soapbar guitar pickup that fits under a humbucker guitar pickup cover and drops into humbucker-equipped guitars. The tone is big and fat, er, phat. It uses two Alnico 2 magnets for more sustain and softer attack. Also, the metal covers provide more shielding and noise reduction than standard soapbar covers. Comes with single-conductor hookup cable.

The Seymour Duncan SH-2N Jazz Model Pickup is suitable for musicians who need an accurate, clear tone for fast jazz runs. The brighter sound has slightly less output and is a good match with most pickups. A popular combination is The Jazz Model in the neck with either a JB (SH-4) or Duncan Custom (SH-5) in the bridge.

The original custom Pearly Gates pickups were wound for the famous ’59 Les Paul Standard that defined the raw, rebellious sound of Texas blues rock. Essentially a variation on the Patent Applied For sound, Seymour Duncan’s Pearly Gates sound sweet, but is slightly rude, with great sustain and a bright top that make harmonics jump out of the guitar.