Gibson humbuckers and P-90 single-coil pickups have helped produce some of the most astounding electric guitar tones of all time, and they continue to inspire innovative forays into sound production.
However, the many variations—and different tonal characteristics—within those two pickup categories can make shopping for a new Gibson guitar challenging if you’re looking for a very specific sound. Likewise, if you’re planning to upgrade or alter the sound of an instrument you already own, the options for Gibson replacement pickups can be overwhelming.
So, our mission here is to offer a tonal, feature and “best use” overview of a significant amount of Gibson humbuckers and P-90 single-coils. This information should be quite valuable if you’re considering replacing your pickups, want to know more about the models in a favorite instrument or enjoy schooling friends and bandmates about their pickups. Knowledge, after all, is power—pickup power.
Table of Contents
A Two-Minute Tutorial on Pickups
Gibson Pickup Comparison Chart
What Are Gibson Humbucker Pickups?
Tone Talk on Gibson Humbuckers
What Are Gibson P-90 Pickups?
Sound Survey of Gibson P-90 Pickups
Pick Up Your Fave Pickup
A Two-Minute Tutorial on Pickups
This article is not meant to be a deep dive into pickup electronics. There's plenty of information out there if you want to get lost in ohm readings, polarities and more. (Pro Tip: Keep in mind that pickup design is sort of like alchemy—it’s full of superstitions and suppositions.) Here are the basics:
A typical guitar pickup consists of a few components—wire, magnets, pole pieces and a plastic bobbin that holds everything together. Adjust any of these variables, and you'll change the sound of the pickup. For example, coiling more wire around the bobbin increases output but decreases treble. Fewer wraps of wire reduces output as treble increases. The strength of the magnet matters, too. Gibson predominantly uses alnico magnets in its pickups, which are made from a blend of aluminum, nickel and cobalt as well as other trace elements, such as iron. Here’s a current lineup of Gibson’s “alnico collective,” along with their basic sonic qualities:
- Alnico II: Low output; warm, sweet and especially sensitive to picking dynamics.
- Alnico III: The weakest alnico variety; produces clear and articulate tones.
- Alnico V: Strongest of the three magnet varieties; delivers a bright, aggressive tone.
Gibson Pickup Comparison Chart
|
Pickup |
Basic Voicing |
Magnet |
Tonal Characteristics |
Price (each) * |
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
PAF* voicing. Balanced frequency response. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
PAF voicing. Overwound for more output, warm and creamy. Wax potted for feedback reduction |
$149 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico II |
PAF vibe, but can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$169 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
Underwound for chime, clarity and distinctive overtones. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
Smooth, balanced and creamy tone. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$169 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
PAF vibe. Full, balanced tone with airy highs. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
Increased output for warmth and punch. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico II |
PAF vibe but with enhanced high mids and bell-like treble. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$119 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Ceramic |
Articulate highs and increased sustain. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$119 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico V |
Enhanced upper mids, great crunch and sustain. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$119 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Ceramic |
Enhanced lows, articulate treble. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$119 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
PAF voicing. Low output, full, airy. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
PAF voicing. Medium output, full, edgy. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
PAF voicing. Fat, meaty, lots of attack. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico III |
Standard on Gibson Custom Shop Historic Reissue models. Original PAF voicing, warm and sweet. |
$269 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico III |
Standard on Gibson Custom Shop Historic Reissue models. Original PAF voicing, bright, clear harmonics and articulate overtones. |
$269 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
Evokes the thin, quack-y out-of-phase tone of the pickups in the famous “Greeny” Les Paul—now owned by Hammett. |
$299 (set) |
|
|
Contemporary |
Ceramic |
Overwound for punishing output and sustain. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Ceramic |
Enhanced midrange. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Ceramic |
Overwound for punishing output and sustain. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico V |
High output for shredders. Can be wired for coil split. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$119 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico V |
Overwound for shimmering highs and taut lows. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Contemporary |
Alnico V |
More overwound than Firebird Reissue Mini Humbucker for increased output. Wax potted for feedback reduction. |
$129 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico II |
Bright and coherent. |
$129 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
Emulates Gibson T-Type pickups from 1966–1979. Clear and dynamic. |
$149 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$119 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico V |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$119 |
|
|
Vintage |
Neodymium |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$129 |
|
|
Vintage |
Neodymium |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$129 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico III |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$119 |
|
|
Vintage |
Alnico III |
Bluesy and soulful, or snarling and gritty. |
$119 |
Pricing as of December 2025*
What Are Gibson Humbucker Pickups?
Gibson launched a sonic revolution in 1957 with the introduction of the humbucker pickup. Designed by Seth Lover, humbuckers "bucked" the electromagnetic interference (60-cycle hum) that typically bedeviled single-coil pickups. Lover’s innovation accomplished this feat by using two coils of wire with opposite magnetic polarities that cancelled out noise and improved clarity. As an added bonus, humbucking technology produced fat tones with enhanced bass and midrange frequencies as well as delivering a higher output and a touch of beneficial signal compression.
Obviously protective of the groundbreaking invention, Gibson affixed “Patent Applied For” stickers on the pickups to dissuade other manufacturers from copying its design. In fact, while the patent was granted in 1959, Gibson continued using the stickers through 1962. To this day, PAF humbuckers made during that brief timespan often command astronomical prices on the vintage market.
Tone Talk on Gibson Humbuckers
'57 Classic
The Gibson ’57 Classic humbucker aims for an accurate recreation of the vintage PAF sound, but what does that mean to you if you’ve never heard one? Well, original PAFs are the engine for classic ’60s- and ’70s- era songs by Eric Clapton (with Cream), Billy Gibbons, Paul Kossoff, Duane Allman, Peter Green, Jimmy Page, June Millington, Michael Bloomfield and others. Some more contemporary artists—who have recorded tracks using guitars equipped with actual vintage PAFs or PAF reproductions—include Slash, Joe Bonamassa, Gretchen Menn and Marcus King.
The Sound: Warm lows, articulate mids, shimmering yet slightly restrained highs.
Fabulous for: Classic rock, blues, blues rock, jazz and retro riffery in all styles.
Shop Now: Gibson '57 Classic Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson ’57 Classic the Right Pickup for You?
Pick It: If your rock T-shirt collection only showcases bands from 1969–1976.
Keep Searching: If your tonal saturation meter loves slamming into the red.
Also Check Out: Gibson ’57 Classic Plus (overwound for more output), Gibson ’57 Classic 4-Conductor (can be wired for coil splitting), Gibson ’57 Classic Underwound (less windings for more chime) and Gibson ’57 Classic Quick Connect (solderless installation, can be wired for coil splitting).
'60s Burstbucker
The Gibson ’60s Burstbucker evokes humbuckers of the 1960s, when Gibson transitioned from manual to automated coil windings and switched to more potent Alnico V magnets. The result was consistent output and tone as well as increased signal strength hitting a player’s amp. Quite the sonic benefit for the era’s emerging rock guitar heroics. The ’60s Burstbucker provides a somewhat past/future vibe of Gibson’s pickup evolution, as it recreates the unbalanced coils of early PAFs and uses post-transition Alnico V magnets.
The Sound: Brighter, airier and more aggressive (especially for overdrive tones) than PAF-style humbuckers; enhanced picking dynamics.
Fabulous for: Classic rock, alternative rock, blues, blues rock and anyone wishing to celebrate the very early days of hard rock.
Shop Now: Gibson '60s Burstbucker Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson ’60s Burstbucker Right for You?
Pick It: If you deploy picking dynamics and guitar knob adjustments as huge elements of your style.
Keep Searching: If you dime all of your guitar’s controls and never ever touch them again.
'70s Tribute
With heavy rockers on stage, in clubs and all over the radio airwaves, Gibson T-Top humbuckers—produced from 1966–1979—were devised for the high-output-hungry guitarists of the 1970s. The Gibson ’70s Tribute humbucker bottles the dynamic and explosive grind unleashed by classic rock icons such as Jimmy Page, Mick Ronson, Duane Allman and so many others.
The Sound: Potent bass response, punchy mids, tight highs and ready to rage.
Fabulous for: Hard rock, high-energy blues, glam and glam metal, industrial rock and experimental styles.
Shop Now: Gibson '70s Tribute Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson ’70s Tribute Right for You?
Pick It: If you love high output—as long as it stops a mile or so short of “metal.”
Keep Searching: If your pedalboard includes several distortion, fuzz and boost pedals, because “you can never get enough gain.”
Also Check Out: Gibson T-Type (a perhaps more accurate tribute to Gibson T-Tops).
490T/490R Modern Classic
Coil-split wiring—a feature included on the Gibson 490T Modern Classic and Gibson 490R Modern Classic—increases a pickup’s tonal vocabulary. Activated by push/pull pots (usually on the guitar’s tone knobs), coil splitting disables one of the humbucker’s two coils, effectively transforming the pickup into a single-coil model, providing players with two sonic signatures from one guitar. Note: All Gibson pickups with 4-conductor wiring can do the hum/sing switcheroo.
The Sound: The 490T/490R begins with the smooth, lush and articulate personality of a vintage PAF pickup but updates the basic sound with expressive mids and more prominent highs.
Fabulous for: The usual classic rock and blues stylings, and the coil-split feature also gets you into funk and twang territory. In addition, the 490s are great pickups for cover band players where a lot of different tones are required, but you don’t want to change guitars all night.
Shop Now: Gibson 490T Modern Classic Treble Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson 490 Modern Classic Right for You?
Pick It: If you dig options.
Keep Searching: If in your personal tone battle between humbuckers and single-coils, the single-coils were not victorious.
496 Hot Ceramic
As guitarists in the 1970s began sounding like Star Trek’s Captain Kirk asking engineer Scotty for “more power,” Gibson continued to develop pickups with added muscle. The Gibson 496 Hot Ceramic answered the call in the early ’70s, utilizing a brawny ceramic magnet in place of previous alnico varieties.
The Sound: Cuts like a scalpel without being overly harsh. Excellent sustain, harmonics and high-end gloss.
Fabulous for: Hard rock, alternative rock and any music requiring soaring, saturated lead tones.
Shop Now: Gibson 496 Hot Ceramic Rhythm Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson 496 Hot Ceramic Right for You?
Pick It: If you shout, “Yes, sir!” every time Captain Kirk asks for more power.
Keep Searching: If you pull a Scotty and say, “But Captain, too much power will send us spiraling into a sonic wormhole.”
498T Hot Alnico
Yet another racehorse in Gibson’s power-hungry stable of humbuckers, the Gibson 498T Hot Alnico offers additional balanced windings on each coil for a molten output. Another enhancement is spreading the pole pieces on the 498T wider apart to best match string spacing at the bridge—a small move that can clarify and energize articulation of each string. Finally, the 498T features shielded, 4-conductor wiring to accommodate coil-splitting functions.
The Sound: Increased clarity and impact. Aggressive upper-midrange frequencies, mammoth crunch and sustain for days.
Fabulous for: Hard rock, alternative rock, metal and even any country rock act with a ready-to-shred lead guitarist.
Shop Now: Gibson 498T Hot Alnico Treble Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson 498T Hot Alnico Right for You?
Pick It: If you feel the need to dominate every sound on the bandstand and in the studio.
Keep Searching: If you just joined a jazz trio with lots of supper club gigs.
500T Super Ceramic
If you’re a fan of James Gunn’s 2025 Superman film, consider the Gibson 500T Super Ceramic as a sonic emulation of the Man of Steel’s rambunctious and untamed super pup, Krypto. This is a truly feral pickup with a none-more-metal output level. Like other contemporary Gibson pickups, the 500T offers 4-conductor wiring.
The Sound: Hotter than the surface temperature of Venus. Excellent definition, midrange punch and sustain.
Fabulous for: All genres of extreme metal, any style with “core” as its suffix, experimental music forged by sonic iconoclasts and lovers of EBow-like near-endless sustain.
Shop Now: Gibson 500T Super Ceramic Treble Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson 500T Super Ceramic Right for You?
Pick It: If you dream of hitting a note, then going to the gym, the store, the movies and an afterhours club, and the note is still ringing when you return to your rig.
Keep Searching: If there’s even 1.7% of timidity in your tonal viewpoint.
Burstbucker
The 1970s was a period of upping the gain for Gibson humbuckers to better serve (and attract) the era’s guitarists who were looking for more grit, grind, sustain and saturation. By the 1990s, however, the company was revisiting its pickup past. Introduced during that time, the Gibson Burstbucker Type 1 and Gibson Burstbucker Type 2 recapture the tone recipe of the original PAF—albeit at varying degrees by design. With its Alnico II magnet and unmatched wire windings, the Burstbucker Type 1 accurately emulates the late ’50s and early ’60s PAF sound. The Burstbucker Type 2 shares its sibling’s basic circuitry, but it’s wired for a slightly higher output.
The Sound: Hefty bass frequencies, coherent mids and shimmering highs.
Fabulous for: Classic rock, blues, blues rock, jazzing in the neck position and riffing on the past.
Shop Now: Gibson Burstbucker Type 1 Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson Burstbucker Right for You?
Pick It: If you adore the warm and open guitar timbres unleashed by your fave ’60s and ’70s players.
Keep Searching: If the PAF vibe isn’t aggro enough for your music.
Also Check Out: Gibson Burstbucker Type 3 (overwound and hotter version of Type 1 and Type 2), Gibson Burstbucker 61T/61R (Alnico V magnet, good grit and bark) and Gibson Burstbucker Pro (Alnico V magnet, chunky lows and focused mids and highs).
Custom Custombucker
Gibson Custombuckers are considered the company’s most accurate and evolved take on its original PAF pickups, and, as a result, they are often standard equipment on Historic Reissue models crafted by the Gibson Custom Shop. An interesting aside is that Seth Lover’s 1955 design for the PAF humbuckers quite clearly specified Alnico V magnets, and yet Custombuckers are outfitted with Alnico IIIs. However, this discrepancy is not a lapse by Gibson. Supply chains being what they were in the ’50s, early PAFs could feature Alnico II, III or V magnets. Custombuckers acknowledge the variances of the past and break with Lover’s preference for Alnico V magnets.
The Sound: Much like Tina Turner’s famous “nice and rough” introduction to Ike & Tina Turner’s version of “Proud Mary,” Custombuckers are warm, sweet and sparkling when played clean, and get ferocious and savage when pushed into overdrive.
Fabulous for: Classic rock, hard rock, blues, blues rock, contemporary jazz, uptown funk and feisty R&B.
Shop Now: Gibson Custom Custombucker Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson Custom Custombucker Right for You?
Pick It: If you like to start things “nice and easy” but love to finish “nice and rough” with stratospheric solos and overdriven grooves.
Keep Searching: If your tone stature doesn’t recognize guitar sounds recreated before 1980.
Also Check Out: Gibson Custom Custombucker Underwound (fewer windings for clear and articulate harmonics).
Custom Kirk Hammett Greenybucker Set
The Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Greenybucker Set delivers the snarky, out-of-phase sound made legendary by the 1959 “Greeny” Les Paul Standard originally owned by Peter Green (John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac), then Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy, solo) and now in the hands of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (hence these pickup’s “signature” designation). The Greenybucker’s celebrated reverse-magnetic polarity is retained on the set’s rhythm pickup (just like the original), and each pickup features asymmetrical coil windings and Alnico II magnets.
The Sound: In his investigation of the Greeny tone, Guitar Player magazine’s Andy Ellis discovered the phase shift of the rhythm pickup reacted to pitch changes and endowed high notes with a “hollow cry.”
Fabulous for: Classic rock, hard rock, metal, blues, blues rock and those who dig out-of-phase guitar textures.
Shop Now: Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Greenybucker Humbucker Pickup Set
Is the Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Greenybucker Right for You?
Pick It: If, since hearing the out-of-phase guitar intro on Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing,” you often think of, ahem, nothing else.
Keep Searching: If it quacks like a duck, it’s not for you.
Dirty Fingers
Gibson Dirty Fingers high-output humbuckers feature a vigorous ceramic magnet, overwound coils, 4-conductor wiring for coil splitting and adjustable pole pieces for fine-tuning the gain of each string.
The Sound: Output for days, brutish overdrive tones and ruthless midrange frequencies.
Fabulous for: Hard rock, metal, shredding and extreme music of any genre.
Shop Now: Gibson Dirty Fingers Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson Dirty Fingers Right for You?
Pick It: If you aspire to be the “Hulk smash” of guitar tone.
Keep Searching: If your love of pop, trad jazz and/or surf music can’t abide overdrive in any form.
Also Check Out: Gibson Dirty Fingers SM (“SM” stands for “single magnet”—a ceramic 8 instead of the trio used for the basic Dirty Fingers) and Gibson Dirty Fingers Quick Connect (features Gibson’s solderless wiring system).
Eruption
The name of the Gibson Eruption should be a dead giveaway of what this humbucker is all about. But while there’s no official endorsement of this pickup from Eddie Van Halen or his estate, the Eruption has globs of Eddie DNA. First, the Eruption was created by Gibson master luthier Jim DeCola as a tone tribute to the shredders who played Kramer guitars (now owned by Gibson) in the 1980s. Amazingly, DeCola is very conversant with Van Halen’s sonic vibe, as he worked closely with the guitarist to develop his signature Peavey Wolfgang models in 1996. And Van Halen himself built several guitars with the Kramer team. (“The Kramer 5150 was my workhorse and main guitar after I retired my ‘Frankenstein,’” Van Halen told Guitar Player.) The Gibson Eruption features Alnico V magnets and 4-conductor wiring.
The Sound: Aggressive mids, stout lows and controlled highs. If wired for coil-split function, midrange frequencies become (obviously) thinner with a nice spank.
Fabulous for: Hard rock, metal and any face-melting musical sojourns.
Shop Now: Gibson Eruption 4-Conductor Treble Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson Eruption Right for You?
Pick It: If you worship all things Eddie.
Keep Searching: If your tone heroes are Chet Atkins, Howard Roberts, Cory Wong and the atmospheric side of Yvette Young.
Firebird Reissue Mini-Humbucker
Although the shape of the Gibson Firebird can make it challenging for some to play comfortably, few can deny its epic cool. Likewise, the Gibson Firebird Reissue Mini-Humbucker makes a very hip visual and tonal statement. The Mini-Humbucker features Alnico V magnets and overwound coils.
The Sound: Think of a humbucker dressed up in a single-coil’s overcoat. The sound is full overall, but it also exhibits clear and articulate mids, taut lows and crystalline highs.
Fabulous for: Rock, country rock, blues and jazz fusion.
Shop Now: Gibson Firebird Reissue Mini-Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson Firebird Reissue Mini-Humbucker Right for You?
Pick It: If you geek out over the image of Johnny Winter wielding a Firebird, and you also enjoy less conventional humbucker tones.
Keep Searching: If your sense of style is repelled by minibars, minivans and mini humbuckers.
Also Check Out: Gibson Firebird Reissue Plus Mini-Humbucker (overwound for slightly thicker tone) and Gibson Original Mini-Humbucker (Alnico II magnet, brighter sound).
T-Type
Gibson T-Type pickups pay homage to the company’s T-Top humbuckers—manufactured from 1966–1979—that were favored by many ’70s-era guitarists. (Interestingly, Gibson never officially designated these pickups as “T-Tops”—that was a label invented by the guitar community and inspired by the “T” molded into the top of the plastic bobbin.) The T-Type offers Alnico V magnets and balanced coil windings.
The Sound: Slightly scooped mids (articulate and chime-y), well-defined high frequencies, and taut and controlled bass.
Fabulous for: Classic rock, alternative rock and blues rock.
Shop Now: Gibson T-Type Rhythm Humbucker Pickup
Is the Gibson T-Type Right for You?
Pick It: If your music playlists celebrate guitarists of the swinging ’60s and fab ’70s.
Keep Searching: If those playlists are populated by Slipknot, Rammstein, Meshuggah and their close musical associates.
What Are Gibson P-90 Pickups?
In 1946, Gibson engineer Walter Fuller designed the P-90 single-coil pickup—where a single bobbin is wrapped with coiled copper wire—that first appeared on the company’s ES-150 hollowbody and was also offered on the inaugural Les Paul in 1952. Renowned for its articulation, dynamic response and complex harmonics, this versatile pickup has been used by jazz greats (Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Howard Roberts), rockabilly rebels (Carl Perkins, “Honey Don’t”), blues rockers (Leslie West, “Mississippi Queen”) and punks (Billie Joe Armstrong, “American Idiot”).
There are two varieties of P-90s. The soapbar style resembles—wait for it—a bar of soap. Soapbars are height adjustable and designed for guitars with pickup routes. Dogear P-90s (yes, they look somewhat like dog ears) screw directly to the top of a guitar. The electronics are virtually identical, although the different mounting methods—and how they couple with the guitar body—can inform the resulting tone.
Sound Survey of Gibson P-90 Pickups
P-90 Dogear and P-90 Soapbar
Simply by looking at them, the Gibson P-90 Dogear and Gibson P-90 Soapbar scream retro hip. But the sound of P-90 pickups has withstood the test of time, and they can ably inform practically any genre of music performed today. Both the Soapbar and Dogear variants feature Alnico V magnets, with the mounting system (as explained above) being the only significant difference between the two styles.
The Sound: Amazing dynamic sensitivity to picking dynamics. Typically, chunkier than Fender single-coils. Tight bass, beautifully clear and gritty mids, and, as Joe Bonamassa says about the highs, “a sparkle on top.”
Fabulous for: Rock, blues, jazz and, yes, punk.
Shop Now: Gibson P-90 Soapbar Single-Coil Pickup
Are Gibson P-90s Right for You?
Pick It: If you like single-coils but want something with just a tad more tonal weight.
Keep Searching: If you dig the sound of humbuckers, and, yeah, you’re staying put.
Also Check Out: Gibson P-90 DC Dogear and Gibson P-90 DC Soapbar (Neodymium magnets, hum cancelling) and Gibson P-90 DC Dogear Underwound and Gibson P-90 DC Soapbar Underwound (Alnico III magnets, lower output, brighter tone than standard P-90).
Pick Up Your Fave Pickup
Guitarists always seem to be seeking “grail tones” by any means necessary. The path might be new guitars, amps and pedals, but it can also veer into upgraded hardware and fresh electronics. Don’t underestimate the impact of new pickups in this quest, as how else can you transform the sound of a favorite guitar for a budget-saving outlay of around $200 or less?
Given the popularity of guitar mods and customization, replacement pickups are likely going to be hot commodities for a long time to come. To that end, we hope we’ve given you some useful data for assessing how Gibson pickups might enhance, amend or intensify the tonal performance of your guitar.
But, in addition to this article, we have other resources to assist your pursuit of the perfect tone. For example, dig into "The Best Pickups for Les Pauls" and "The Best Pickups for Gibson SG Guitars" for more insights. If you’d like to speak to a “personal pickup concierge,” we have those, too. Guitar Center’s Gear Advisers can provide direct counsel regarding your tone goals and which Gibson pickups can best provide them.