HABANERO PICKUPS BY GROVER JACKSON
Bonney Bridge
Handmade in California, this overwound bridge pickup has a 16.7k resistance, and comes in nickel, black, or zebra.
$110 street
FISHMAN
Fluence Richard Z Kruspe Signature
Each pickup in the Rammstein guitarist’s signature set features three selectable voices. This active set is rechargeable—a battery pack is optional. Red finish is encouraged, though stainless is also available.
$309 street (set)
GFS Pickups
SBS Arena Power PLUS
The most affordable alnico ’bucker on this list has a 14.5k resistance and features the company’s Kwikplug system for fast swapping.
$39 street
SEYMOUR DUNCAN
Invader
Featuring overwound coils, a trio of ceramic magnets, and oversized metal-oxide pole pieces, these humbuckers promise heavy bass response and are available in 6-, 7-, and 8-string sizes.
$109 street
DIMARZIO
Super Distortion
A classic since 1972! This ’bucker, with its 13.68k ohms of resistance, is intended primarily for bridge-position installation and comes in a wide range of colors.
$89 street
GIBSON
498T Hot Alnico
A hotter spin on the 490 series humbucker, this boasts a resistance of 14.2k and is spaced for bridge position.
$119 street
PRS
m Bridge Humbucker
The company’s house high-output humbucker comes in gloss nickel and measures 15.7 k resistance.
$200 street
LOLLAR
dB Humbucker
While these boast the lowest resistance on this list (12.7k in bridge position), they’re the pickup maker’s hottest offering. Plus, they look hip!
$200 street
EMG
81
The classic active pickup boasts 3,000 hours of battery life and features the company’s Quick-Connect cable for easy installation.
$99 street
LINDY FRALIN
High Output Humbucker
The pickup maker’s highest output offering is a hot take on a PAF and comes in a variety of color and cover options.
$160 street
DiMarzio Super Distortion T
This single-coil-sized version of the company’s legendary Super Distortion is aimed at T-style players who want the thick sound of a ’bucker in the bridge. It has a pronounced low-mid response with a roll-off on the high end.
$99 street
Seymour Duncan STL-3 Quarter Pound
Centered around a set of alnico 5 magnets, this high-output single-coil crosses into P-90 territory. You can also get a tapped neck variation that allows for both vintage- and high-output sounds within a single set.
$89 street
TV Jones Starwood Tele Bridge
Introduced in 2016, this T-style pickup features the guts of the company’s T-Armond pickup, but with a little more juice. Like many of the pickups on this list, it’s a straight drop-in replacement for standard-sized pickups.
$120 street
Mojo Tone ’52 Quiet Coil
With less than 10 components in a single pickup, Mojotone made these designs very simple. They use their “Quiet Coil” technology to get rid of the hum without batteries or stacked coils. The pickups are also scatterwound for more sensitivity and clarity.
$98 street
Fender Ultra Noiseless Vintage Telecaster
These stacked-coil setups aim to capture the classic sound and sparkle of vintage Tele pickups. They use alnico 5 magnets, Polysol-coated wire, and flat, non-beveled pole pieces. The neck pickup measure about 11k resistance and the bridge comes in around 10k.
$199/set street
Lollar Special T Bridge
Jason Lollar is a bona fide pickup genius, and his take on the classic ’50s Tele sound is represented here with a pronounced mid and bass response along with a smoother top end. Described as slightly hotter than a vintage Broadcaster pickup, the bridge comes in at 8.0k.
$125 street
Fishman Greg Koch Gristle Tone
Wisconsin’s most gristly guitarist teamed up with Fishman to create an entire T-style setup based on their Fluence technology. Each set includes both pickups, a control plate, and an output-jack cup with a USB charging input. With the push of a button, you can easily go between “blackguard” and “whiteguard” tones.
$359/set street
Ron Ellis 52T Bridge
Ellis might be one of the most in-demand pickup designers around today—and the going rate for his offerings bear that out. This particular flavor goes after the “blackguard” tones of classic Tele pickers such as Vince Gill and Brent Mason.
$375 street
Lindy Fralin Steel Pole 42
Described as a cross between a T-style pickup and a P-90, this design houses a ceramic magnet and adjustable steel pole pieces. Sonically, it has a mid-forward tone that offers a faster breakup when playing with distortion.
$115 street
EMG RT
Hate the hum? These active pickups aim to balance the punch and clarity of vintage Tele pickups with the modern convenience of quiet. It uses alnico magnets and a custom winding to increase bandwith and fullness of tone.
$89 street