Pickups
Gibson Pickups Explained
A reference to Gibson's pickup families — PAF humbuckers, modern humbuckers, P-90s and mini-humbuckers — with magnets, output, tone and which guitars use each.
Pickups do more for your tone than any other component. Gibson's catalogue breaks down into a few families: vintage-voiced PAF humbuckers, modern humbuckers, the P-90 single-coil, and mini-humbuckers. This guide maps them and links to the full pickup pages and the guitars that use them.
Output ratings and DC resistance vary by year and production run. Treat the values as typical, not exact.
Pickups at a glance
| Pickup | Type | Magnet | Output | Typical position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '57 Classic | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium | Neck |
| '57 Classic Plus | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium-High | Bridge |
| Burstbucker 1 | Humbucker | Alnico II | Low | Neck |
| Burstbucker 2 | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium | Bridge |
| Burstbucker 3 | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium-High | Bridge |
| Burstbucker Pro | Humbucker | Alnico V | Medium | Neck/Bridge |
| 490R | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium | Neck |
| 490T | Humbucker | Alnico II | Medium-High | Bridge |
| 498T | Humbucker | Alnico V | High | Bridge |
| 496R | Humbucker | Ceramic | High | Neck |
| 500T | Humbucker | Ceramic | High | Bridge |
| P-90 | Single-coil | Alnico V | Medium-High | Neck/Bridge |
| Firebird Mini-Humbucker | Mini-humbucker | Alnico V | Medium | Neck/Bridge |
| T-Top Humbucker | Humbucker | Alnico V | Medium | Neck/Bridge |
PAF humbuckers: '57 Classic and Burstbucker
The '57 Classic and the Burstbucker line both chase the late-1950s 'Patent Applied For' sound with Alnico II magnets. The '57 Classic has balanced coils for a smooth, even response; Burstbuckers use intentionally mismatched coils for a rawer, more dynamic vintage character. See '57 Classic vs Burstbucker and Burstbucker 1 vs 2 for the differences.
Modern humbuckers: 490, 498T, 496R, 500T
The 490R/490T set is Gibson's smooth, versatile modern standard, fitted across many SG and Les Paul models. The 498T is a hotter Alnico V bridge pickup; the 496R/500T are ceramic and the hottest in the line, found on the Les Paul Classic. Compare Burstbucker vs 490 and 498T vs Burstbucker.
P-90
The P-90 is Gibson's classic single-coil soapbar — a fat, gritty, punchy pickup that sits between a traditional single-coil and a humbucker. It is the voice of the Les Paul Junior, Les Paul Special and SG Special. It hums under high gain, so it is not the best pick for modern metal.
Mini-humbuckers and T-Top
The Firebird Mini-Humbucker is a bright, chiming blade-pole pickup — the signature voice of the Firebird. The T-Top Humbucker is a 1960s–70s pickup reissued for the 70s Flying V and 70s Explorer.
Matching pickups to music
Vintage-voiced humbuckers (Burstbucker, '57 Classic) suit blues, classic rock and jazz. Hot humbuckers (498T, 500T) suit high-gain rock and metal. P-90s suit blues, indie and country. If you are unsure, a vintage-voiced humbucker set is the most versatile starting point. See the pickup database for every model.