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THE SOURCE OF THE WORLD’S FINEST PICKUPS
Since 1935
When it comes to musical instrument design, Gibson’s reputation for innovation is legendary. Nowhere is this more apparent than in electrification. One of the true pioneers of the electric guitar and guitar pickup design, Gibson’s many years of research and manufacturing have helped shape the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for almost 90 years.
While it hasn’t previously been well-known to the public, since 1935, Gibson has been the source of the world’s finest pickups. From the player-favorite P-90 to the humbucker™ perfected in 1955 by Gibson engineer Seth Lover, the Gibson Pickup Shop offers a variety of pickup styles and configurations for all types of players.
ABOUT THE GIBSON PICKUP SHOP
EXPERT ENGINEERING
About Our Pickups
All Gibson pickups incorporate superior construction and are made using the highest quality materials. Our hand-assembled pickups feature specially made magnets, maple wood spacers, high-quality cover materials, and four-conductor or vintage two-conductor wiring. Each pickup magnet is magnetized at the Gibson Pickup Shop to ensure peak performance. The use of maple spacers (not plastic) helps to reduce unwanted vibrations.
The Gibson Pickup Shop uses Swiss-made Meteor ME-301 coil winding machines. These are historical winding machines; Gibson has been using this style of winding machine since the 50s. They are highly accurate, precision winders that can handle winding a larger quantity of coils simultaneously.
The History of Gibson Pickups
1935-1936
Gibson has been responsible for numerous innovative product introductions throughout the nearly 90 years that Gibson has been producing guitar pickups.
As early as 1935, Gibson introduced its first electromagnetic pickup, referred to as the “bar.” The first model this appeared on was the Gibson “Hawaiian Electric,” but it was quickly adopted to the ES-150 by 1936. Made famous by electric guitar pioneer Charlie Christian, the bar pickup was extremely successful.
1940s
In the 1940s, Gibson introduced new and improved versions of the electric guitar pickups bearing several revolutionary improvements – many of which are still relevant today:
- The introduction of “Alnico” magnets (made with aluminum, nickel, and cobalt)
- Individually adjustable pole pieces to balance individual string output
- The addition of volume and tone controls
1946-1948
The P-90 single coil pickup was released in 1946 and ignited a new era of sound. It remains a highly popular model right up to the present day.
By 1948, Gibson had introduced the first two-pickup configuration on the ES-150, giving guitarists greater flexibility and adding a palate of tones that we not previously available.
1952
In 1952, Gibson’s first solidbody was introduced, equipped with twin P-90 single coil pickups, individual volume and tone controls, and a three-way pickup selector switch.
In the early 50s, Gibson sought to eliminate the 60-cycle hum that was unavoidable in all single coil pickup designs. This endeavor to “buck the hum,” headed by Walter Fuller and Gibson engineer Seth Lover, would change the electric guitar world forever...
1955-1957
The results were incorporated into the model PU-490 pickup, in which Gibson filed a patent for the design in 1955. The new Humbucker™ was first used on a 1957 ES-175 and became the standard pickups on two Les Paul models in 1957, the Goldtop and the three-pickup Les Paul Custom. These original early humbucker pickups (1957-1960) remain the Holy Grail of pickups in today’s market.
1970s
In the late 1970s, Gibson released the Dirty Fingers humbucker. This appropriately named pickup is manufactured with three powerful ceramic magnets to produce maximum output without compromising the guitar’s original tone. This popular humbucker became a favorite of rock and metal guitarists due to its high output and blistering tone.
1980s
In the 1980s, Gibson sought to offer players a reissue of the famed “Patent Applied For” humbucker, and as it was eventually named (in 1990), the ’57 Classic is a faithful re-creation of the first Gibson humbuckers, with balanced coils and Alnico 2 magnets.
2002
Gibson’s Burstbucker line of pickups was first introduced on dealer-exclusive models, primarily for the Japanese market. They were later released as aftermarket replacement pickups in 2002. These “Patent Applied For” inspired models feature Alnico 2 magnets and asymmetrically wound coils and replicate the subtle variations of the true, iconic humbucker tone that the vintage originals are famous for.
2013
In 2013, Gibson introduced the Custombucker as standard equipment on Historic Reissue Les Paul models from the world-famous Gibson Custom Shop. These pickups use warm, sweet-sounding Alnico 3 magnets and unbalanced coils and, like the originals, they are left unpotted to accurately deliver the sonic characteristics of the highly cherished early “Patent Applied For” humbuckers. They have become player favorites and are now available separately for the first time.
GIBSON PICKUP SHOP VIDEOS
Setup Guides, Demos and How They're Made.