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.

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

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.