Picking Up Your Pickups For Your Squier Guitar

 

Author : Gabriel Rose

    After modding your guitar neck, the next thing you can upgrade that will affect tone the most are your pickups. There are hundreds of different pickups you can buy,  and they each have their slight differences. There are a couple of main types of pickups that exist though. Before I get into the specifics of how the different styles of pickup sound, I want to go over how pickups actually work.

 Magnets : How Do They Work?

     I don't need a scientist to explain it to me. But really, it's quite simple. A guitar pickup is a series of magnets surrounded by extremely fine copper wire. This creates a generator which amplifies the wavelength of the string as it twangs. Single-coil pickups are made exactly like this, and can sometimes amplify amp frequencies as well, producing the dreaded buzz. This is why the humbucking pickup was invented. The humbucker has a second set of magnets facing the opposite direction that reverses the sound polarity of stray sounds. Therefore amplified amp buzz is cut out as it's reversed into a frequency we don't hear, while the frequency of the string enters the pickup normally.

      There are a couple of different factors that affect the tone that pickups generate.  Considering the fact that the magnet makes up the heart of the pickup, depending, on what it is made of will have a strong affect on tone.

     In the early years of the electric guitars Alnico was traditionally used as the magnet material, favored for its mellow tone and smooth response. As these classic guitars have aged, it's been found that their tone dampens over the years as moisture and sweat wear down the magnets. You'll see Alnico magnets used in many "vintage" pickups.

     Ferrite / Ceramic pickups were designed in the mid 1950s as an alternative to Alnico. An alloy created from mixing strontium and iron, they're found commonly in more budget instruments. Stronger and longer lasting than Alnico, they tend to display less string "warbling", and have an overall brighter tone.

      Rare Earth magnets are many times stronger than ceramic magnets. They're stronger, brighter, and much more powerful. They aren't commonly found, and are only now starting to be using in newer pickups.

Are Pickups Like Fine Wine? : Vintage VS Modern Pickups

     I can't really describe the tonal differences between vintage and more modern pickups. It's a subtle difference that you can really only understand once you get out there and play as many different guitars as you can. I can tell you a couple different things between the two though. Humbuckers are louder. They are much louder, as they are literally two single coil pickups interlaced and reversed. Even though the only point of humbuckers were to remove the hum caused by amp frequencies, they affect tone in many important yet subtle ways. Most people agree that humbuckers are more suited for a distorted sound, whereas single coils will be much more appropriate for clean guitar. In the end it's all down to preference though, and the only way to figure out what you want is to get out there and try out different guitars.

     If you're looking to stick traditional with your Squier stratocaster or telecaster, you'll want to grab a pair of single coils. Don't think that makes selecting a pair of pickups easy. There are a fair amount of brands to choose from, all with different sounds, and more importantly, different prices. When buying these for your electric guitar, pickup reviews are important. The guitar community can be incredibly detailed with their reviews, and it's important to look at what they have to say.  Among electric guitar pickup brands, the most well known are:

• Seymour Duncan
• DiMarzio
• EMG
• Gibson
• Fender

All of these companies offer great sounding pickups for different purposes. I'm going to go over a couple of specific models, and address the intricacies they have.

DiMarzio DP415 Area '58' Pickup - $61.95 ea.
     The DiMarzio DP415 is a warm vintage pickup using Alnico 2 magnets. The guitar pickup reviews featured on Musician's Friend state that the DP415 has a solid warm tone, with a good amount of attack, and amazing response. They're very sensitive to small magnet adjustments, so when installing them, a lot of fine adjustments may be necessary. At $62 per pickup, it's an expensive upgrade to consider. With many positive reviews attesting to it's beautiful range and tone though, it's an investment worth considering. You can find it cheapest on Amazon here.

Seymour Duncan SSL-5 Custom Staggered Single-Coil Pickup - $52.95 ea
     The SSL-5 is a classic Seymour Duncan single coil pickup. Although advertised as a bridge pickup, it's been tested to work great anywhere else. If you're looking for a real classic Fender sound, you'll get it from these pickups. Quiet and smooth, they offer supreme clarity and clean sound. Seymour Duncan recommends that you use the SSL-5 as a bridge pickup, and SSL-1s for the neck and middle pickups to achieve maximum tonal variety. At $52.95 each, they're a slightly cheaper alternative to the DP415s, with a more classic sound. Again, they can be found cheapest on Amazon with free shipping SSL-5 guitar pickup Amazon page.

 EMG S1 Hot Passive Single Coil Pickup - $59.00 ea
     The EMG S1 is loud. Guitar pickup reviews describe it as a powerful pickup with tons of depth and action suitable for distortion. The S1 is a great pickup for those interested in a more powerful rock or metal sound, and will keep up with any other sound going on. Loud and deep, the S1 is great for those who really need to be, well, loud. You can find them on Amazon with free shipping EMG S1 guitar pickup page.
 
Broke But Still Rockin' : Budget Pickups

     So if you don't have the couple hundred dollars it takes to replace the pickups on your guitar, you still have a couple options. If you're running a Squier stratocaster, you can simply decide not comes to replace all of your pickups, and replace what you can. You can also look into budget pickups, which will offer significant improvements still over your stock guitar pickups. GFS pickups are regarded as some of the best guitar pickups for the price. At around $35 per pickup, they're around half the price of more expensive name brand pickups. You can find all of their models at Guitar Fetish, with in-depth specs and prices. You can find a video of GFS pickups in action on our video page.


Here's The Skinny About Pickups

     After the neck, pickups are the most important part of the guitar that you can change. Replacing pickups can be the most expensive of all mods, and it really comes down to how much you're willing to spend on that Squier stratocaster or telecaster you have. If you're going to spend the money it takes to replace your guitar pickups, know that like any expensive item, it is an investment that will definitely pay off in the long run. Always make sure to read as many guitar pickup reviews as you can before making your purchase, and if at all possible, get your hands on a guitar that has them installed. Installing the pickups is usually quick and painless, and when purchasing pickups, an instruction booklet it usually included.  And as always, never stop rockin'. You can have the best pickups in the world, but if you don't practice, you aren't going to get anywhere. Up next : body mods.

 

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