A Humbucker, also known as the “Double Coil” Pickup, is a series of magnets that reside in the body of an electric guitar which measures the vibration of the guitar’s strings. When the guitar strings are strummed or plucked, an electro-magnetic field is created by the magnets in the guitar, which is “picked and communicated to the amplifier which converts the recieved signal into sound. Unlike single coil pickups, the humbucker uses two sets of magnets (A.K.A. coils). These multiple coils are connected in a series, therefore create a bigger beefier sound than the single coil pickup.

First patented by the Gibson company, there are several types of humbuckers. The rail humbucker is a smaller type that divides a single coil size lengthwise in half. The Stacked humbucker is designed to fit in a single coil space and has the coils stacked as opposed to side by side. Coil Splits are humbuckers that allow the guitarist to choose to use one or both coils through a switch on the guitar.