Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Harley Benton goes for the '80s vibe as it refreshes its ST-80FR shred guitars in six Sparkle Burst finishes – including Hologram.
Guitars Harley Benton takes on the high-performance heavyweights with a Sparkle Burst refresh of its $400 Floyd-equipped S-style
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2026: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Deals of the week logo
Tech MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found over £1,000 off a PRS, $200 off the Akai Pro MPC Key 37, and so much more
A Spark Link receiver in a Spark Mini practice amp
Guitars Best guitar wireless systems 2026: Cut the cord and liberate your playing today
Harley Benton TE Tremolo Series
Guitars Harley Benton unveils three entry-level T-styles with Bigbsy-style vibratos and vintage mojo to burn
Two guitars lying on the floor with guitar cables
Guitars Best guitar cables 2026: Leads and patch cables for all budgets
Mark Morton with his signature Les Paul Modern
Artists How Mark Morton and Gibson reinvented the Les Paul for modern metal – and why passive beats active humbuckers hands down
Close up of LR Baggs acoustic guitar pickup
Guitar Pickups Best acoustic guitar pickups 2025: electrify your acoustic for stage, studio and sound fx – our top picks for all budgets
Gretsch Synchromatic Flacon close up of pickguard
Electric Guitars Best Gretsch guitars 2026: Nail that Gretsch sound at any price point
Custom Line King-12 CE NT
Acoustic Guitars "For a guitar that comes in at this price, the overall build is impressive, with a level of attention to detail that’s more than respectable": Harley Benton Custom Line King-12 CE NT review
Hottest music tech gear of NAMM
Tech The best music tech gear of NAMM 2026: Epic polys, acoustic synths, budget samplers, a Behringer Juno and more
A man restringing a Les Paul electric guitar
Guitar Strings Best electric guitar strings 2026: Sets for all styles and budgets
Harley Benton ST-Modern Carlos Asensio
Electric Guitars “An absolute steal when it comes to quality and value for money”: Harley Benton ST-Modern Carlos Asensio CGM review
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $500/£500 2026: Affordable electrics
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Guitars

NAMM 2014: Fender reveals new pickup range

News
By Matt Parker published 24 January 2014

Humbuckers and single-coils galore

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Custom Shop Blackguard Tele pickups

Custom Shop Blackguard Tele pickups

NAMM 2014: Fender has unveiled no less than six new pickup sets available for individual purchase this year, including the likes of the Custom Shop Blackguard Tele set, Deluxe Drive Strat and Tele sets and Twin-Head Modern humbuckers.

Browse through the gallery to read up on each new model and head to the Fender site for more information.

Custom Shop Blackguard Tele pickups

PRESS RELEASE: The Fender Custom Shop Blackguard Tele® pickups are made with flush-mounted alnico 5 magnets in the bridge and alnico 3 magnets in the neck using enamel-coated magnet wire, and are made to reproduce the pickup set that was introduced in the early ‘50s version of the Broadcaster.

The Blackguard bridge pickup provides a hotter output and more mid-range growl than other vintage-style Fender pickups, and has a copper-plated base plate for vintage accuracy.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Custom Shop Twisted Tele pickups

Custom Shop Twisted Tele pickups

PRESS RELEASE: The Fender Custom Shop Twisted Tele pickups deliver hot high-output Telecaster® tone with a dash of sparkling Stratocaster® character.

Made with alnico 5 magnets, each pickup is tailored to its position (neck and bridge) to achieve its individual sonic character. The neck pickup has a nickel/silver cover for especially clear Telecaster tone, with Formvar magnet wire and a taller bobbin to accommodate more windings.

The bridge pickup has enamel-coated magnet wire and a slightly shorter bobbin with a higher number of windings to create darker, more full-bodied midrange.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Twin-Head Vintage Humbucker pickups

Twin-Head Vintage Humbucker pickups

PRESS RELEASE: Fender’s Twin-Head Vintage Humbucking Neck and Bridge pickups deliver moderate output and warm tone with greater headroom and harmonics.

The neck pickup is made with alnico 2 magnets for sweetly musical tone, while the bridge pickup is made with alnico 5 magnets perfect for an aggressive HSS Stratocaster. They are both wound with specially coated Formvar wire, and feature a thick aluminum base plate for decreased magnetic-field interference. Their all-new three-pin solderless connections make for remarkably easy pickup replacement.

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Fender Deluxe Drive Stratocaster/Telecaster pickups

Fender Deluxe Drive Stratocaster/Telecaster pickups

PRESS RELEASE: The Fender Deluxe Drive Stratocaster® and Telecaster® pickups are supercharged with the highest output of all of Fender’s single-coil pickups, with over-wound design and alnico 3 magnets that make them ideal for high-gain amp settings.

When used with clean settings, the Deluxe Drive Telecaster pickups still deliver classic Telecaster snap, and the Stratocaster pickups sparkle brilliantly. In addition, the middle Stratocaster pickup is reverse-wound/reverse-polarity for hum canceling in positions two and four.

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Twin-Head Modern Humbucker pickups

Twin-Head Modern Humbucker pickups

PRESS RELEASE: Fender’s Twin-Head Modern Humbucking Neck and Bridge pickups deliver high output and warm tone with greater headroom and harmonics.

The neck pickup is made with ceramic magnets and is wound with specially coated Formvar wire. The bridge pickup is made with alnico 5 magnets, is perfect for an aggressive sound, and is wound with special enamel-coated wire.

Both pickups feature a thick aluminum base plate for decreased magnetic-field interference and all-new three-pin solderless connections make for remarkably easy pickup replacement. Mounting hardware is included with all pickup sets.

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Matt Parker
Matt Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

Read more
Seymour Duncan Mortal-Coil Multi-Voice Humbuckers
Guitars Seymour Duncan unveils MortalCoil active humbucker set – will it dethrone Fishman as metal’s state-of-the-art pickup?
 
 
Squier Sonic Series: featuring mini-Stratocasters, single-humbucker Esquires and cult offsets too, the Fender-owned budget brand has made a big play for the beginner market in 2026
Guitars Squier unveils huge Sonic Series refresh – super-affordable, beginner and child-friendly versions of classic Fender models
 
 
The Fender 75th Anniversary Telecaster collection comprises five limited edition models, including an American Professional Custom Telecaster in 2-tone Sunburst, an American Ultra II Telecaster in Liquid Gold, a Vintera Road Worn 1951 Telecaster in Butterscotch Blonde, an American Professional Classic Cabronita, and a Player II Telecaster in Diamond Dust Sparkle.
Guitars Fender celebrates 75 years of the electric guitar that started it all with limited edition collection
 
 
Slash wears a top hat and plays a Gibson SG live with Guns N' Roses, with pink and blue lights in the background.
Artists “The SG that I had at the Ozzy gig, that guitar needed a louder pickup but I still wanted that true-to-life guitar sound that I like”: Slash and Seymour Duncan dial up the raunch with the Guns N’ Roses legend’s signature 3.0 humbuckers
 
 
Gibson Custom Shop Aged Greenybucker Set: with the nickel housings given the Murphy Lab treatment, these are exacting replicas of the pickups found in the Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett “Greeny” Les Paul, complete with the out-of-phase middle position sound.
Guitars Gibson unveils the $449 Murphy Lab aged humbucker set that will make your Les Paul sound like ‘Greeny’
 
 
All the best guitar gear from this year's NAMM Show
Guitars The best new guitar gear of NAMM 2026: More effects, more amps, more guitars and more tech than ever
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God takes a solo onstage with his prototype signature Les Paul
Artists Mark Morton on the chemistry behind Lamb Of God's twin-guitar groove and what he owes ZZ Top
 
 
Thundercat performs at Aviva Studios on March 27, 2026 in Manchester, England
Singles And Albums “Mac’s death was a traumatic experience for me”: Thundercat on how losing Mac Miller made him change his life
 
 
Beetronics Pollinator Hazee Delay
Guitar Pedals “It feels more like a DIY creator building something weird for themselves”: Beetronix Pollinator Hazee Delay
 
 
Lindsey Buckingham
Artists "Oh, wow!": Lindsey Buckingham reacts to TikTok covers of Fleetwood Mac’s Never Going Back Again
 
 
The JHS Pedals Coyote is a replication of the Moonrock Fuzz, a cult classic made by G.S. Wyllie, and it comes in a gold enclosure with artwork featuring a black Coyote howling.
Guitars JHS Pedals’ turns loose the Coyote – a fuzz pedal tribute to a “lost” cult classic and its maker
 
 
Zakk Wylde cups his hand to his ear as he asks the crowd for more during a 2026 Black Label Society performance.
Artists “Look at AC/DC. Whatever was popular, it didn’t matter. It’s like McDonald’s. ‘We make the Big Mac and we make fries and we don’t care about doing sushi’”: Zakk Wylde on musical identity, jailhouse rocking with Ozzy and the return of Black Label Society
 
 
Latest in News
christopher cross
Samples SampleRadar: 142 free yacht rock samples
 
 
John Oates and Michael Jackson
Artists John Oates agrees with Daryl Hall that I Can’t Go For That was the inspiration for Billie Jean
 
 
Dio, 1983: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Viv Campbell
Drummers "We were just having a great time”: Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio
 
 
Thundercat performs at Aviva Studios on March 27, 2026 in Manchester, England
Singles And Albums “Mac’s death was a traumatic experience for me”: Thundercat on how losing Mac Miller made him change his life
 
 
session cards
Music Theory And Songwriting Can this $149 deck of cards help you write better songs?
 
 
Taylor Swift sings the National Anthem as the Detroit Lions host the Miami Dolphins in a Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on November 23, 2006.  (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Artists Back in 2006, Taylor Swift took a hands-on approach to getting her music played on the radio
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...