Best Electric Guitar Pickups & Pickup Covers in 2022

Last update: December 14, 2022

Are covered pickups better?

There is no clear consensus on whether covered pickups are better. Some guitarists prefer them for their aesthetic appeal, while others find them to be more versatile. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference.

Can you put covers over pickups?

There's no definitive answer to this question since it depends on the type of pickups you're using. Some pickups are designed to be used with covers, while others aren't. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to put covers over your pickups. If you're unsure, it's always best to consult with the manufacturer or a qualified guitar technician.

Can you remove pickup covers?

Most pickups have removable covers, but there are a few that don't. If your pickups have covers, you can usually remove them by unscrewing the screws that hold them on. If your pickups don't have covers, they're probably not meant to be removed.

Do covers on humbuckers make a difference?

There's no definitive answer to this question as it depends on personal preference. Some guitarists feel that covers on humbuckers make a difference in the tone, while others don't notice a difference. Ultimately, it's up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to use covers on their humbuckers.


Fender Pickup Mounting Tubing for Electric Guitar Review:


These, in my opinion, are superior since they give the pickups a more secure connection to the guitar's body. Do they permit the pickups to have more sustain from the body? I'm not sure. It would seem they would. Will they eventually become brittle, fracture, and disintegrate? I'm not sure. They might. I still enjoy them, though. The Tele neck pickup required stacking two on each side, but they are functional. However, vintage slotted screws must be handled with caution as they require a little bit more torque. Rabbits love the springtime.



Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz Set Electric Guitar Electronics Review:


I notice that as I become older, I can hear more and more intricacies in my instruments. Additionally, I'm beginning to realize that some of the highly regarded pickups don't sound that great to me. For instance, my wife gave me a used PRS SE Zack Myers guitar for Christmas that had been updated with Gibson Classic '57 pickups. These pickups, though, are legendary, yes? However, they seemed muddy and completely "boring" to my ears. I was beginning to wonder if I simply had a "tin ear" because I'm not that talented of a player.I gambled and bought these SD pickups after reading numerous reviews and listening to a ton of online sound samples. They arrived on a day when I really had some time to install them with Amazon's customary quickness. Despite the lack of coil splitting in the PRS, the installation went quite smoothly because to the clear instructions. I was pleased with the precise soldering I did and the tidy way I tied up all the wiring. As soon as I had finished, I strung the guitar again and plugged it in.All I have to say is WOW! Nothing murky here, my friend! Both the neck and the bridge have hot, jazzy tones that are nice and big. This particular set of puppies completely altered the guitar's personality. It resembles a unique instrument. My favorite.So, by all means, give these things a go if you're still debating. You won't be let down.



Kmise Zebra Faced Humbucker Double Coil Pickups For Electric Guitar Pickup (Black & Cream) Review:


In a number of my guitars, I have multiple cheap pickups from different dealers, and these humbuckers from kmise have performed the best of all of them. Unexpectedly, they're also more affordable than some of the alternatives. My most recent endeavor is a reverse-headstock jackson that I whipped up out of primarily discarded components. I needed a spare guitar that I wouldn't feel embarrassed to wreck. I had soldered in three separate sets of inexpensive pickups from other sellers before attempting these in an effort to get some quality pickups in this project. With every set I had previously tried, I had at least one issue, including unwelcome noise, not being hot enough, and poor intonation. I was genuinely amazed by these brand-new kmise humbuckers. They are extremely hot and produce a good, balanced tone with very little unwanted noise when set up correctly. Due to their dual coil design, they were simple to set up; nevertheless, they require a two conductor connection to connect to your electronics. Because they are stamped with a B or a N to indicate the bridge or neck position on the back, I could quickly determine which pickup belonged where. Additionally, the pole spacing will be narrower on the neck pickup and wider on the bridge pickup. They came with two plastic trim plates to install them, all necessary hardware, and were in great brand-new condition when they were delivered. The cables are a little bit shorter than I'd like them to be, and that's the only thing I'd change. The neck pickup was the farthest from the selector switch, so if necessary, there was nothing extra to strip off and create a fresh, clean connection. I simply soldered everything in the manner it came because everything turned out OK in the end. Overall, whether you install these pickups in a beautiful instrument or a not so nice guitar, they are completely worth the money. If you set them up properly, they will perform. With my buy, I'm quite happy.



Vintage Forge Cream Curved Bottom Humbucker Pickup Mounting Ring Set (Bridge & Neck) for Epiphone Guitars HR1800C-CRM Review:


During the full update, they were used to dress up the appearance of the Jay Turser Les Paul. Additionally, the matching knobs were purchased from Vintage Forge. Very pleased with both products. For my other guitar upgrading projects, I'll most definitely be placing other orders from them...



Onown Pickup Wiring Kit PIckup Piezo 50mm Sensitive Transducer Pickups Prewired Amplifier with 6.35mm Output Jack for Cigar Box Guitars and Acoustic Instruments Review:


This product is just as good as comparable ones that cost two or three times as much. works flawlessly and. It took me less than 20 minutes to install using good knob and hardware. With. For fastening and maintaining a tidy, clean job without loose wires rattling around after installation, use a plastic self-adhesive zip tie mount! a good purchase that I'll make again soon! Oh, did I also mention that it arrived a day early? Well.i. I just finished! The CBG I just finished tuning, but not the blues, lol!



FOXNOVO Professional Sealed Humbucker Pickups Set for Gibson Epiphone Les Paul Guitars (Black) Review:


Very good! Although not outstanding, these pups are unmistakably comparable to those found in many imported guitars made by Epiphone, Ibanez, Squire, Jackson, etc.These have plastic covers that act as a "seal." That still offers a lot more security than naked pickups. Plastic coverings are preferred by some manufacturers (Lace, EMG), as they do not interfere with eddy currents like metal covers do. When low-impedance preamps are utilized to reduce noise instead of metal shielding, plastic covers are typically used for active pickups. Although these are passive pickups and not active pickups, the intention, in my opinion, is to make them look to be active like the active pickups that are so well-liked by fans of metal head distortion.The fact that these pickups are TWO-WIRE and NOT FOUR-WIRE simplifies wiring but limits the use of elaborate coil-splitting or phase switches.Sound? I find the 500k ohm pots to be a touch gloomy, but then again, I prefer single coils. Actually quite nice with 1 meg ohm pots!They have inexpensive thin wire and powerful ceramic magnets. The output from this combo is more than enough to power today's ultra-sensitive Doctor Distorto amps, as well as a typical preamp.The energy comes from the hot ceramic magnets. Because they don't utilize a lot of pricey copper, these retain enough treble to be somewhat articulate despite the resistance provided by the tiny wire. Keep in mind that more windings equal more resistance.Resistance rating vs. power output is a topic that most people find confusing. Although they are not directly associated, the two appear to be related. Both greater resistance and lower resistance do not necessarily signify louder or weaker pickup.Higher resistance actually simply makes the BASS output louder, which is audible to untrained ears. That increased low-end appears beneficial because so many amateur bedroom rockers have to perform at bedroom volumes. More bass is always preferred by children or those with developmental delays because they are typically playing one-finger monkey-knuckle power chords on out-of-tune strings.Real experts know that good CLEAR low end comes from genuine-world volume through real amps and enormous speaker cabinets, just like me, the know-it-all prick. I'm allowed to "pull rank" a little bit here because I started making real vinyl records before the majority of readers were even born. So if you could pardon and indulge my hubris. It will be advantageous to you.Even while many modeling amps, preamps, and pedals today attempt to replicate that blazing four-12" sound, we can still tell the difference. In recordings, you can always hear it, and you can actually FEEL it at loud sounds.Professional bassists therefore utilize a house mixer or post-effects to enhance bass; they never use stage amps or clunky, flabby, high-resistance pickups that are grungy or muddy. Don't believe me, please. Just listen to Van Halen, Hendrix, and Jimmy Page. Weak pickups coupled with STRONG amps have produced some of the heaviest guitar tones ever. Clarity is provided by the puppies' relative weakness. The low end is provided by the amplifiers, cabinets, recording methods, and sheer volume.Keep in mind that you can always increase bass at the editing stage without adding much noise. However, adding treble EQ to anything will always produce audible hiss. In light of this, a quiet pickup with high-end frequencies is always preferable. With the mixer's EQ or the tone knobs on the amps, you can add as much bass as you require. Treble may always be decreased without producing more noise.I hope that clarifies some common misconceptions about pickup resistance ratings and power relationships as well as the distinction between authentic professional rigs and knockoffs.I did receive TWO pickups for this amount, in contrast to one dissatisfied reviewer here. They precisely resemble the image.For use close to the bridge, one of them is probably "hotter" than the other. There was no discernible difference between my two that I could find. each about 7.5 k) Because of this, I tested the 1-meg pot at the neck position, where it significantly improved clarity.My plants arrived covered in wax, which is typically fine with me, but I believe they were only dipped and not vacuum potted. This is because the bridge pup occasionally makes a loud microphonic screech. The second pickup... no issues. That indicates inconsistent quality control, and the wax potting is probably just a brief dip in regular candle wax. Pro-pups are vacuum-potted in extremely thin beeswax or a proprietary wax-like syrup for a number of minutes.Under no circumstances could I give these five stars, but at this price I feel they deserve four. For a price-to-performance benchmark, that ranking takes value into account.In actuality, you might buy these merely to learn pickup rewinding or customize them. Considering how inexpensive they are, you could actually purchase FOUR of them and choose the two that sound the best to replace any pickups that the little junior rocker smashed during his heavy metal bedroom gig.Given the price, these are fantastic as long as you do not have high expectations. These are a fantastic value if you simply need a quick, low-cost replacement for a damaged pup in a beginner's guitar.Sorry if you're seeking for the best "sleeper" discount on obscure yet very professional pickups. It will cost extra money.Amazon won't let specific URLs in reviews, so here are some resources if you want brief explanations of pickup ratings and specifications; Just look for "Seymour Duncan pickups 101," "Dimarzio FAQ," or "StewMac," "how-to" articles and instructional videos on wiring and pickups.I include those references mostly to assist others and to support some of the claims I've made here.For the record, I have no connection to any specific pickup manufacturer, and I don't believe that you need to spend a lot of money to obtain a beautiful tone. I speak from years of professional playing as a studio musician and constant touring, as well as from experience and hard-won knowledge.I have used so many pricey pickup brands because it is more convenient to purchase guaranteed quality from reputable manufacturers. I am aware that the top companies' expensive advertising and sponsored endorsements account for the majority of their unit costs. I've tried just about any pickup (or amp, guitar, or pedal) you can imagine because I've been sponsored by numerous brands at various points in time. Having said that, if you want to spend the premium, I can recommend all the major brands.Check out StewMac's Golden Age pups if you want an extremely high-quality pickup that is more affordable. They have always performed admirably and make up 40% to 60% of the top brands. Caution: in order to choose the best pup based on its characteristics, YOU MUST KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. I did so because of such instructional materials.You will never learn enough to make wise decisions if you are hesitant to read. Sound decision, huh? ;-)You have a chance to learn enough about pickups to find good ones for a reasonable price if you can put up with my tedious, haughty verbosity, of course. ;-)



TraderPlus 2Pcs Piezo Contact Microphone Pickup for Guitar Violin Banjo Mandolin Ukulele Review:


I previously used the Luvay/Adeline AD-35 transducers with both my nylon-string guitar and ukulele (see my review). They do not have a removable guitar cord or an integrated volume control, but they are superior in terms of clarity and response and lack the unpleasant super-sensitive microphone-like behavior. They are significantly less bulky (low profile) than those other brands, and the short cord and female jack make them simple to use.I installed the two of these immediately onto the bridge of each instrument after testing them out in various locations along the ukulele bodies. However, I exposed the adhesive by removing the backing from the adhesive disc and then puttied it with a quarter-sized amount of blue teacher's adhesive. The pickup was then attached to the instrument by me. Despite being in contact with the bridge, the blue putty is concealed from view. In this manner, if necessary, I can easily shift the pickup around the body of the ukulele.


Do pickups get better with age?

As anyone who’s ever played a vintage guitar can attest, pickups definitely get better with age. The question is, why? The answer has to do with the materials used in the construction of the pickup, as well as the aging process itself. Pickups are typically made from a combination of copper wire and magnets. Over time, the copper wire develops a patina that gives it a unique look and sound. The magnets also change over time, becoming more magnetically polarized. This combination of changes results in a pickup that is more responsive to the string

Do rusty pickups affect tone?

Most guitarists will tell you that yes, rusty pickups do affect tone. A lot of players believe that the rustier the pickup, the greater the effect on tone. Many players also believe that a rusty pickup will make your guitar sound more vintage.

Does adding pickup covers affect sound?

Adding pickup covers does affect sound, though it is generally a very small change. The cover acts as a barrier between the string and the magnet, which can slightly dampen the string's vibrations and therefore change the sound. The change is usually very subtle, however, and many players don't even notice it.

Does pickup cover material matter?

Most guitarists would say that the material of a guitar's pickup cover does not matter, as long as it does not affect the sound of the guitar. However, some guitarists believe that the material of the pickup cover can affect the sound of the guitar, and therefore prefer to use a cover made of a certain material.

How can I make my pickups sound better?

There are a few ways to make your pickups sound better. One way is to adjust the height of the pickups. If the pickups are too low, they will sound muffled. If the pickups are too high, they will sound harsh. Another way to improve the sound of your pickups is to use a different type of metal for the poles. Alnico magnets will give you a warmer sound, while ceramic magnets will give you a brighter sound. Finally, you can try different types of pickups. Single-coil pickups will give you a brighter sound, while humbucker pickups will

How do you install plastic pickup covers?

Installing a plastic pickup cover is a relatively easy process that can be completed in a few minutes with just a few tools. First, remove the old pickup cover by unscrewing the four screws that hold it in place. Next, clean the area around the pickup opening with a rag to remove any dirt or debris. Then, line up the new pickup cover with the opening and screw it in place with the four included screws. That's it! Your new pickup cover is now installed and ready to use.