Check out this post on coil tapping if you want to learn more about this feature. Humbuckers and in particular, ones with a coil splitting or tapping function, are very versatile.

They can still be used for cleaner tones, however, they are less commonly used for country music than single coil pickups. Humbuckers are great for high gain styles of music like heavy rock and metal. They have a warmer and more mellow tone than single magnet pickups and are also louder as they have a higher output. The dual magnet design has the main function of reducing the humming found at high gain, hence the name вЂњhum-buckerвЂќ. They usually either look like two single coils joined together or, a large pickup encased in a metal covering (see the picture below). Humbucker pickups have two magnets, instead of just one like P90 and single coil pickups. Some guitarists still use single coil pickups through a distorted amp so they are used for rock as well. The humming issue when using high gain means they are less commonly used for metal and heavy rock, however this is not a rule. What styles of music do They Suit?Дue to their bright and twangy sounds, single coil pickups are commonly used for blues and country music because they are great for clean tones. If you crank up the distortion too high, then youвЂ™ll hear a вЂњhummingвЂќ sound. The main issue with single coil pickups is that they donвЂ™t cope with high gain very well. They have a fairly low output compared to the other pickup types meaning they sound quieter. They sound crisp and twangy as they favour high-frequencies (treble), and has less emphasis on low-frequencies (bass). They are best known for their bright tones.

Single coil pickups consist of one magnet, so this is just one core material wrapped around with copper. The double magnet design allows them to reduce the level of feedback produced, making them more suitable for heavy rock and metal compared to the one magnet design of single coils and P90вЂ™s. Humbucker pickups produce a warmer and louder sound compared to single coil and P90 pickups. Both single coils and P90 pickups use one row of magnets. However, single coils typically suffer from more feedback so are not usually selected for heavy rock and metal. Single coil pickups produce a brighter sound compared to P90 pickups. IвЂ™ve created this guide so you know all about each type of pickup, and the differences between them so you can decide which is best for you.

But, their different structures allow them to achieve different sounds. They all have the same function, to detect the sound of the strings and send it to the amplifier so you can hear the guitar through the speakers. I can't even really name a favorite, but on any given day, I like the P90s as much as any of 'em.There are tonnes of different brands and models of electric guitar pickups, and three main categories: single coil, P90 and humbucker. But in the past year, since i started playing a lot again after many many years of barely playing at all, I've found that I love strats as much as I ever did, but I've also developed a taste for humbuckers and P90s. I had a set in an old Firebird I had in the early '80s, but never liked the neck on that guitar so I never really had a chance to learn to appreciate the pickups. I'm new to them or at least to liking them. Not as smooth as a humbucker, a little easier to play with just a bit of dirt. Growl is the term I keep coming back to - they've got a lot of midrange and they sound awesome clean or with just a bit of drive. I guess you could think of them as kind of a midpoint, a lot fuller, throatier, more growl than a strat or tele single coil, more midrange and easier breakup than a humbucker. I can't talk about the technical aspects of 'em, but P90s definitely have their own sound, unique from single coils or humbuckers.

P90 pickup vs single coil vs humbucker