Instruments
The four types of guitar pickups — which should a beginner choose?
Single-coil, humbucker, P90 and piezo shape your tone. Understand them before your first electric guitar lesson.
Published 20 June 2018 · 1 min read · KARON Education
In one sentence: Pickups are an electric guitar's microphone. Single-coils are bright, humbuckers are thick and noise-free, P90s sit in between, and piezos amplify acoustic guitars. Choose by the music you like, not by price.
Single-coil
Fender Stratocaster/Telecaster. Bright, articulate — blues, funk, pop, indie. Hums under high gain.
Humbucker
Gibson Les Paul/SG. Two coils cancel hum; thick, loud — rock, metal, jazz.
P90
An oversized single-coil with mid-range bite — punk, garage, blues-rock.
Piezo
Under the bridge of acoustic guitars; senses body vibration, keeps the acoustic sound when plugged in.
Advice for beginners
Don't swap pickups yet. Learning amp EQ and right-hand dynamics improves tone far more. Our electric guitar room has Marshall and Randall amps for side-by-side comparison. Electric guitar course.
