Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Guitarists in the early 1950s had a big problem on their hands: the annoying hum of single-coil pickups. When Gibson engineer Seth Lover introduced a way to cancel that noise, a new era of guitar tone was born. Instead of a single coil, Lover used two, wound in opposite directions and wired out of phase. Seventy years later, the humbucker is still being refined and reimagined. PG contributor Tom Butwin sets out to demystify the humbucker pickup and how modern designers and builders have evolved the design, construction, and circuitry.
00:00 Series Intro
00:30 How Does A Pickup Work?
01:42 The Humbucker Solves A Noisy Problem
03:05 P.A.F. and Vintage Output Range
04:51 P.A.F. Overwound equals higher output
05:42 High Output Bridge / Vintage Neck - Voiced to Complement
06:22 Balanced Coil Winding vs. Scatterwound
07:40 Expanding Beyond Standard P.A.F.
08:12 The Differences in Alnico Magnet Grades
10:03 The Mini Humbucker and The Firebird
11:46 Active Circuitry?
12:42 Low Noise Is Not Just For High-Gain
13:18 Rob Turner and the 81/85 Set
13:48 Multi-Voice Active Pickups
15:30 Wrap-Up and What's Next
Shop the Humbuckers:
StewMac Parsons Street: stewmac.sjv.io/9VJvv0
StewMac Parsons Street Overwound: stewmac.sjv.io/bkmRWP
Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz: sweetwater.sjv.io/QY6Akx
Lollar Monolith: lollarguitars.com/monolith
MagFrag Humbuckers: 3rdpower.com/magfrag-humbuckers
Railhammer Humbuckers: railhammer.com/products/humbucker
Seymour Duncan Seymourized Mini Humbucker (Firebird spec): seymourduncan.com/single-product/seymourized
Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Firebird: seymourduncan.com/single-product/antiquity-ii-firebird
Seymour Duncan Mini Humbucker: sweetwater.sjv.io/X4XGJb
Seymour Duncan Mortal Coil: sweetwater.sjv.io/enAemQ
EMG Zakk Wylde: sweetwater.sjv.io/Pz6R5N
Fishman Fluence: sweetwater.sjv.io/GbZOL9
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGYouTube
Win Guitar Gear: bit.ly/GiveawaysPG
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com
PG's Facebook: facebook.com/premierguitar
PG's Instagram: instagram.com/premierguitar
PG's Twitter: twitter.com/premierguitar
PG's Threads: threads.net/@premierguitar
PG's TikTok: tiktok.com/@premierguitar
© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2026
#guitar #guitarist #guitarplayer
Guitarists in the early 1950s had a big problem on their hands: the annoying hum of single-coil pickups. When Gibson engineer Seth Lover introduced a way to cancel that noise, a new era of guitar tone was born. Instead of a single coil, Lover used two, wound in opposite directions and wired out of phase. Seventy years later, the humbucker is still being refined and reimagined. PG contributor Tom Butwin sets out to demystify the humbucker pickup and how modern designers and builders have evolved the design, construction, and circuitry.
00:00 Series Intro
00:30 How Does A Pickup Work?
01:42 The Humbucker Solves A Noisy Problem
03:05 P.A.F. and Vintage Output Range
04:51 P.A.F. Overwound equals higher output
05:42 High Output Bridge / Vintage Neck - Voiced to Complement
06:22 Balanced Coil Winding vs. Scatterwound
07:40 Expanding Beyond Standard P.A.F.
08:12 The Differences in Alnico Magnet Grades
10:03 The Mini Humbucker and The Firebird
11:46 Active Circuitry?
12:42 Low Noise Is Not Just For High-Gain
13:18 Rob Turner and the 81/85 Set
13:48 Multi-Voice Active Pickups
15:30 Wrap-Up and What's Next
Shop the Humbuckers:
StewMac Parsons Street: stewmac.sjv.io/9VJvv0
StewMac Parsons Street Overwound: stewmac.sjv.io/bkmRWP
Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz: sweetwater.sjv.io/QY6Akx
Lollar Monolith: lollarguitars.com/monolith
MagFrag Humbuckers: 3rdpower.com/magfrag-humbuckers
Railhammer Humbuckers: railhammer.com/products/humbucker
Seymour Duncan Seymourized Mini Humbucker (Firebird spec): seymourduncan.com/single-product/seymourized
Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Firebird: seymourduncan.com/single-product/antiquity-ii-firebird
Seymour Duncan Mini Humbucker: sweetwater.sjv.io/X4XGJb
Seymour Duncan Mortal Coil: sweetwater.sjv.io/enAemQ
EMG Zakk Wylde: sweetwater.sjv.io/Pz6R5N
Fishman Fluence: sweetwater.sjv.io/GbZOL9
Subscribe to PG's Channel: bit.ly/SubscribePGYouTube
Win Guitar Gear: bit.ly/GiveawaysPG
Don't Miss a Rundown: bit.ly/RIgRundownENL
Merch & Magazines: shop.premierguitar.com
PG's Facebook: facebook.com/premierguitar
PG's Instagram: instagram.com/premierguitar
PG's Twitter: twitter.com/premierguitar
PG's Threads: threads.net/@premierguitar
PG's TikTok: tiktok.com/@premierguitar
© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2026
#guitar #guitarist #guitarplayer
