Pickups Explained

If you are relatively new to playing acoustic or Classical guitar then you may not be familiar with amplification just yet, or fully understand the role that pickups and microphones play in this process. A pickup is simply a transducer device for capturing the vibrations of a stringed musical instrument and converting these into an electrical signal that can then go on to be amplified. Pickups feature either a magnet and copper coil or a crystal. A magnetic field is created which when disturbed by the playing of the strings, changes the current of the coil or crystal which can then flow through an output to the amplifier. In simple terms a pickup is essentially a microphone.

There are several kinds of pickups available but the most popular choice for Classical guitars are contact pickups as they do not require expert installation and are the least invasive. They can be attached to the instrument to cause no damage and are easily removed too. Contact pickups (transducers) also produce the most natural sound with the amplified sound possessing a tone close to that of your instrument when played unplugged.

The pickup is placed on the soundboard, usually close the bridge but can be easily moved around until you find the position that produces the sound you are looking for.

Our Range of Classical Guitar Pickups

At London Guitar Studio we have an excellent collection of affordable pickups that offer exceptional sound quality and versatility. Each of our classical guitar pickups can be used with any other stringed instrument that has a soundboard and all are suitable for most forms of live performance. Choose from our single or dual tunable pickups and our dual pickup with gain (volume).