Starting in 1946, the Gibson Company has been at the forefront of pickup technology. In that year Gibson introduced one of the most durable tone generators, the P-90 single-coil pickup, to the world. The P-90, with its snappy top end and rich chocolaty mids and lows, remains a pillar of the sonic architecture of electric guitar. Just three of the important players in the P-90 spectrum are Wes Montgomery, who played P-90 equipped Gibson L-5s; Robby Krieger, whose dark, gorgeous tone with the Doors sprang from a Gibson SG with the tone pots rolled off; and the late Randy Rhoads, who pumped a Gibson Les Paul Custom with humbuckers through a raft of Marshalls to generate his wall of sound onstage with Ozzy Osbourne.

Gibson also invented the first humbucking pickup, made in 1955 by company engineer Seth Lover and given the nickname “P.A.F.” That tag didn’t happen just because “Lover Pickup” would have implied something entirely unrelated to guitars. P.A.F. stands for “Patent Applied For,” which appeared on a sticker on the bottom plates of every humbucker Gibson made until 1959, when said patent was finally issued.

The two-coil humbucker – named for its ability to cancel the hum generated by single-coil pickups – is ubiquitous in popular music, from Eric Clapton’s and Peter Green’s classic Gibson Les Paul Standard tones with the Bluesbreakers to Jimmy Page’s roaring solos to Duane Allman’s hot buttered slide to The Edge’s textural wailing. Today, this still robust 52-year-old remains synonymous with power and versatility.

The third essential Gibson pickup style is the mini-humbucker, which was invented by Gibson’s sister brand Epiphone. This model provides a nice bridge between the big, warm tones of the humbucker and the snappy, brighter tones of single-coil pickups like the P-90 and other single-bar- and multi-pole-magnet single coil pickups. Although their lineage goes back to earlier Epis like the Sheraton, these clear, crystalline pickups with just enough mad-dog bite became truly popular when the Gibson Firebird was introduced, boasting mini-humbuckers, in 1963 and the guitar was subsequently embraced by such luminaries as Johnny Winter and Steve Winwood, who rocked a Firebird during his tenure with Traffic and Blind Faith.

Angus Young pickup 

For over 25 years, Angus Young has been driving the sound of AC/DC with his Gibson SG. Now he's teamed up with Gibson to create the ultimate pickup for the searing riffs that he's known for.

With it's enamel-coated wire, special Alnico V magnet and matched coils, the Gibson Angus Young Signature humbucker provides a 1-2 combination of vintage-style punch and ripping tone that will cut through almost anything.
For those about to rock, consider the Gibson Signature series Angus Young pickup, which comes in neck and bridge configurations. It’s as powerful as a locomotive without sacrificing classic tone, and has a slew of coil deployment options. True to vintage form, the Angus Young pickup has enamel-coated wire, but it’s got a new-generation Alnico 5 magnet and matched coils. The bridge pickup is the secret weapon in Angus’ main Gibson SG. Spec’d for maximum versatility, it has four-conductor wiring for series, parallel and split coil variations. And the pickup is wax potted twice to eliminate microphonic feedback.