Pickups – What’s The Difference? Guitar Lessons Made Better

When talking about pickups it’s easy to get lost and confused.  Like a subway sandwich there are just too many options to choose from.  What’s the difference between single coil and double coil?  What are EMG pickups?  Do I need a pickup if I have an acoustic guitar?  Below I’ll answer those questions for you. 

Within my student’s guitar lessons, I try to offer the best advice on what guitar to buy to suit the musical tastes and sound preferences of the student.  The hardest thing to pick from is what type of pickup is best for the sound you want to create.  Certain pickups are synonymous with certain guitar brands and sounds.  To better understand the differences, I’ve laid out the comparisons to make choosing the right guitar easier.

What’s the difference between single coil and double coil?

Single coil pickups are more common on Fender Stratocaster style guitars.  They often have a thinner sound and can hum a little.  Often those who use this type of guitar prefer that type of sound.  It can create an older more rustic sound to your guitar when rocking chords or soloing.  Usually these types of guitars will have 3 single coil pickups with a 5-way selector switch.  This is to allow you to create different combinations to get the best sound for you.

The alternative to the single coil is the double coil.  Made most famous by the Gibson Les Paul style.  Another name for a double coil is a humbucker.  Humbuckers/double coil pickups get their name because of their ability to buck the hum created by a single coil pickup.  They are popular with modern day musicians because of their versatility.

What are EMG pickups?

EMG pickups are made specifically for the heavier rock/metal player.  They are great at producing a really heavy yet clear sound which is great for those low notes in dropped tuning. You will find players like James Hetfield and Zack Wylde who actually have their own signature range of pickups because of how much they like and use them.

Do I need a pickup if I have an acoustic guitar?

Electro Acoustics also have built in pickups.  Fishman and Seymour Duncan are well respected brands and offer quality sounding pickups.  You can even buy detachable pickups which are often placed in the sound hole of a regular, non-electro acoustic, acoustic guitar.

I have students who have all types of guitars and therefore all types of pickups.  Within their guitar lesson with Fresh Music Aberdeen we talk about what works best and sounds the best.  We discuss the differences and the advantages of certain pickups.

My favourite are the Alnico-II pickups.  As a massive Slash fan I like to be able to recreate the same sounds as he does within the classic GNR and SMTC tracks.  I like the classic rock sound and punch these pickups offer.  They suit my style of playing and I love the sustain that they produce.

In Summary

There are so many different types of pickups available to buy depending on your requirements.  It’s worth taking your time, trying as many guitars as you can to see what sound you prefer.  From there, do your research online and check out what others are saying about those specific pickups.  There are lots of YouTube review videos on the different types of pickups.  Once you’re confident go ahead and buy the guitar that works for you or alternatively buy the pickups and wire them into an existing guitar (more on that in another blog).