Using the Guitar Pickups
Another important aspect of electric guitar playing is learning how to make the most of the different sounds available from the various pickup settings. These will vary from one guitar to the next, as some have three single coil pickups, others have two double coil humbucking pickups (often called humbuckers) while others have various combinations of these two basic types.
Single coil pickups originally came from Fender guitars like the Stratocaster. They have a bright, crisp and sometimes cutting quality. Humbuckers came from Gibson guitars like the Les Paul. They have a fatter more beefy sound. Today there are many companies making variations on these basic pickup types. Each one has it’s own sound and everyone has their own preference. Many professional guitarists use more than one guitar, each with different pickups, to give them different sounds for different songs, especially when recording.
Single coil pickup
Double coil "Humbucker"
Using the following example, listen to the sound of the two basic types of pickups. First, play through the example with single coil pickups; then play it on a guitar with double coil humbuckers. Listen carefully to the different tonal qualities of each pickup.
