Given that Gibson first started making electric guitar pickups in 1935 and set the table for how a humbucker should sound with the PAF, perhaps it is only appropriate that the brand has opened its own pickup shop.
Okay, we can’t promise that you’ll find an original PAF humbucker there – those are the preserve of the museum and vintage-market, and insanely expensive – but for all Gibson pickups, from its P-90s through to a range of BurstBuckers, the official Gibson Pickup Store is the place to go.
As with the guitars, Gibson arranges its pickups into different ranges. There is the Historic Collection, which gathers the period-appropriate data to offer all the Golden Era pickups.
Here you’ll find the Custombucker in various formats, including uncovered Double Black and Zebra configurations, with Historic Nickel or Gold covers, with both pickups available individually or as a matched set. Just the thing to give your much-loved Epiphone Les Paul a refresh.
The Original Collection comprises models from across Gibson’s history, from P-90 Dogear and Soapbar single-coils, through ’57 Classic humbuckers, Burstbucker Types 1 and 2, Pros and 60s Burstbuckers, and the Original Mini-Humbuckers found on classic Gibson electric guitars such as the Les Paul Deluxe.
There are some deep cuts in the Original Collection, too. Who here remembers the Dirty Fingers humbucker? Well, that fiery ‘70s p'up in all its overwound ceramic glory is now available to buy for $129.
Finally, there is the Modern Collection, which comprises the likes of the 490 and 498 humbuckers, all available with open-coils or with Gold or Chrome covers so you can find one to best match your guitar.
DCR values and specs are all offered online, and Gibson has been helpful enough to shoot a welcome video walking through the history of the brand’s pickups and the different sounds they can give your guitar. Check it out at the top of the page, and for more details on the models on offer, head over to the Gibson Pickup Shop.
