Pick Pickups history

Pickup's History and the Trajectory of Great Figures

What's the difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar?

If asked that, most people would probably answer whether it uses an electrical circuit (electric) or not. And the part that significantly contributes to the [electric] element of the electric guitar is the pickup. Simply put, a pickup is a component that converts the vibration of the strings into an electrical signal. By outputting this converted electrical signal to an amplifier, it enables the guitar to produce a loud sound.

This is the structure of the magnetic pickup, which is now the mainstream type for electric guitars. This component, called the pickup, has a long history alongside the electric guitar, with many different types and brands existing. This time, we'll explore the history of pickups and the pickup brands.

The History of Pickups

The history of pickups traces back to the 1920s.

The widespread adoption of public radio in 1920 and the start of record sales in 1925 were major factors, leading to a surge in Hawaiian music's popularity across the United States.

Many guitarists at the time used acoustic guitars with slide techniques, but there were disadvantages as an instrument, such as volume differences compared to vocals. Consequently, in 1926, National in Los Angeles developed the resonator guitar, which attached nickel silver metal to the top of an acoustic guitar body.

The resonator's metal plate functioned like a speaker, successfully increasing the volume.

George Beecham, who worked at National, founded a company called Law Pat In in 1931 with Adolf Rickenbacker and Paul Vath, who had also worked at National.

This company, Low Pat-In, later became Rickenbacker.

There, the House Shoes PU was developed, designed for steel strings, converting string vibration into electrical signals to amplify sound.

This is often called the progenitor of the magnetic pickup!!

Later, around 1936, Gibson introduced the so-called " " Charlie Christian PU was developed, and in 1946, Walter Fuller's P-90 made its debut!

Pickups/Parts Stock Here

1950s: The Dawn of Magnetic Pickups

In 1946, the year Gibson developed the P-90, Fender was founded. In 1950, the Single Coil PU was introduced on the Broadcaster, and in 1951, the Precision Bass PU with hum-canceling effects appeared.

In 1954, the Stratocaster was released, and single-coil pickups for the Strat were also developed.

Fender's electric guitar pickups possessed a crisp, sharp sound characteristic. Although they were single-coil like the P-90, they had a completely different character.

Why were pickups with such characteristics developed?

The background lies in Fender's target audience being country & western guitarists.

Country & Western music often utilizes lap steel guitars.

Lap steel guitars often have a tight, well-defined sound, and the Telecaster's sound, being similar to that of a lap steel guitar, spread primarily among country and western guitarists.

Fender pickups feature magnets directly attached to the pole pieces, resulting in a simpler construction.

This design allows for greater versatility, enabling the development of numerous pickup variations during the 1950s and 60s. Examples include the Jazzmaster pickup, which features increased coil windings and shorter pole pieces, and the Jaguar pickup, which incorporates a yoke extending from the bobbin to the side.

In contrast, Gibson guitars possessed a mild and warm sound characteristic, leading to their widespread adoption among jazz guitarists.

In 1954, Gibson released the Les Paul Custom, marketed as a " Les Paul thatgoes witha tuxedo," specifically targeting jazz guitarists.

The Les Paul Custom featured P-480 (Alnico V) pickups in the front position.

This pickup was designed with the DeArmond Pickup as a reference. While structurally similar, it uses block-shaped magnets, giving it a very distinctive appearance.

Then in 1957, Seth Lover introduced the P-490 (humbucking pickup) from Gibson.

The P-490 featured hum-canceling effects and connected two coils in series, resulting in a pickup that was resistant to noise and delivered powerful output.

The history of the humbucker, continuing to this day, began here.

Gibson and Gretsch: Unraveling the History of Pickups

Tracing the roots of Gibson's P-480 (Alnico V) pickup reveals the Dynasonic pickup from Dualmond as its foundation. This Dynasonic pickup gained prominence when it was installed in Gretsch guitars around 1949.

Dualmond itself had been developing pickups that could be retrofitted onto archtop guitars since around 1938. Notably, these pickups could be installed with minimal modification to the wood. This innovative approach led to Dualmond being called the originator of replacement pickups.

Following Dynasonic, Gretsch's Iconic Filter'Tron Pickup

Dualmond, and another indispensable element in Gretsch pickup history.

That is the Filter'Tron pickup.

The Filter'Tron is a pickup designed by Ray Bats, which began appearing on Gretsch guitars around 1957. Like the P-490, this pickup employs a humbucker structure. While its basic structure is similar to Gibson's humbucker, the Filter'Tron's major distinguishing features are its 12 individually adjustable pole pieces and its smaller size compared to Gibson's design.

The fact that its patent was granted in 1959, the same year as Gibson's humbucker, further underscores its historical significance.

Late 1960s: Changes in the Music Scene and Pickup Evolution

From the late 1960s, the expansion of the rock scene and the widespread adoption of Effector changed the sound demanded of electric guitars.

Fender brought in Seth LaVerre, who developed the P-490, to create the Wide Range humbucker with twelve pole pieces.

Gibson developed the Super Humbucker, featuring three ferrite magnets and epoxy resin filled within the cover, byBillLawrence. In 1976, they developed the single-coil pickup installed on the S-1. Fender focused on humbuckers, while Gibson also began developing single-coil pickups.

Pickup/Parts inventory here

1970s Replacement Pickups and Active Systems

As the 70s began, brands specializing in pickups started to appear, and the concept of "replacement pickups" became widely known.

In 1975, DiMarzio Pickupsreleasedthe Dual Soundand Super Distortion.

The Dual Sound featured coil-tapping capability, allowing the use of only one coil in a humbucker to produce a single-coil-like sound. This design enabled a single guitar to deliver a wide range of tonal characters.

DiMarzio pickups, known for their clear tone and low noise, gained immense popularity among many artists.

In 1978, Seymour Duncan emerged, launching models aimed at being pure replicas of vintage guitars and pickups that incorporated modern elements based on vintage sounds.

This marked the beginning of the ongoing history of Fender/Gibson-style replacement pickups. Beyond replacement pickups, the 1970s also saw the popularization of another type of pickup.

That is theactive pickupsystem ( ).

Active pickup systems required batteries or power sources. By converting the guitar output to low impedance, they reduced noise and prevented sound degradation.

Beyond just the pickups themselves, the introduction of active systems also led to the widespread adoption of active controls, enabling boost/cut of specific frequency bands.

The proliferation of active pickups was driven in part by the miniaturization of electronic components/circuits and the need to reduce power consumption.

As a result, EMG—a brand synonymous with active pickups —developed a distinctive pickup design featuring an integrated pickup body and preamp housed within a plastic case.

After leaving Fender in 1976, Leo Fender founded Music Man, where he developed the Stingray Guitar/Bass. This instrument features a 9V battery for its controls and incorporates a unique humbucker pickup made from single coils wired in series.

This also features low-impedance output, showcasing the benefits of active circuitry.

Pickup/Parts inventory here

Pickups continue to evolve not only through guitar development, but also through advancements in music and technology. Here, we explore the people and brands that have profoundly influenced the ongoing history of pickups!!

Brands/People

Seth Lover