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All About Electric Guitar Pickups

Pickups are an important way to diversify the way you play your guitar, and may be necessary to find the exact sort of tone that you're looking for – whether for a single song or for an entire concert lineup.    Pickups greatly impact the way the music sound, so understand your electric guitar pickups (what they are, how they work, and how to use them) is important.

The concept behind these pickups is relatively simple.  The electric pickup will run a current behind the strings which impacts the way the music sounds.  Depending on exactly where on the strings the pickup is placed, you'll get a different sound.  The exact size and form (figure eight or direct circle, also known as humbucker and single coil) will also create a different sound.

If you have just two pickups, you will usually have the option to use one, the other, or both.  If you have three pickups, you'll have the option to use any two that are next to each other, or each one individually (meaning there will generally be five options).  It is possible, but rare, to find instruments that have more pickups.  You will decide which pickups are activated by using your electric guitar pickups selector, which can come in one of many different forms, depending on your guitar.

There is no such thing as the perfect pickup, but there may be such a thing as the perfect pickup or pickup position for a specific song or a specific need, so don't hesitate to experiment.