Why change pickups?

Do you accept international orders?

How much do your pickups cost in US dollars (or any other currency)?

Which is the left coil and which is the right coil on a humbucker?

Do the different woods affect the tone of the pickup? 

What is the difference between neck and bridge position pickups?

What is different about the middle pickup?

Can different models be mixed on the same guitar?

Are your pickups potted?

What value should potentiometers (pots) should be used?

What is DC resistance?

If you have any other questions contact us.

Why Change Pickups?
Upgrading pickups is the most cost effective way to improve your guitar's performance. Even expensive guitars are designed for a variety of different players. This means your guitar's tone is meant for a wide range of players not just for you. With Swineshead pickups you can customise your guitar's tone to your style of playing. Finally - Swineshead pickups look great! With a huge range of different styles available its a great way to personalise your guitar.

Do you accept international orders?
Yes! We regularly ship pickups all round the world including the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Make sure to select the international postage on the order form. Once despatched, international orders usually take between 3 to 7 working days to arrive. Postage costs £5.95 per order for international customers. Postage is free worldwide on orders over £70.

How much do your pickups cost in US dollars (or any other currency)?
All our prices are in pounds sterling (GBP). For up to date prices in a variety of currencies visit our international pricelist.

Which is the left coil and which is the right coil on a humbucker?
On the order page it mentions the left and right coils of humbuckers. On a humbucker the left coil is closest to the bridge and the right coil is closest to the neck. Click here for a diagram.

Do the different woods affect the tone of the pickup? 
No. Unlike a guitar, a pickup's sound is based on the properties of the wires and magnets inside it and generally not upon on the material it is made from. The different woods listed on the site won't effect the pickups sound in any way. 

What is the difference between neck and bridge position pickups?
Because the string vibrates further in the neck position than the bridge position, a neck position pickup will produce more volume than the same pickup in the bridge position. It is for this reason that all of our pickups come in a bridge and neck version. Neck position pickups are slightly less powerful than the bridge equivalent.

What is different about the middle pickup?
Single coils are available as bridge, middle and neck position models. As well as balancing the output with neck and bridge pickups the middle position pickups are reverse wound with reverse polarity allowing hum canceling in positions 2 and 4 on a standard 5 way switch. 

Can different models be mixed on the same guitar?
Although all our pickups are available as calibrated sets it is possible to have two different pickup types on the same guitar. As the different types of pickups will have different output levels you may need to balance the output with the height screws.
 
Are your pickups potted?
Potting is a technique used to solidify the pickup by filling the pockets of air inside it. Pickups that are not potted often results in uncontrollable, high pitched squeals at high volume or gain levels (known as microphonic feedback). All of our pickups are potted.

What value should potentiometers (pots) should be used?
We recommend 500k for humbuckers and 250k for single coils. Different value pots can be used but will give a subtle change in tone.

What is DC resistance?
It is a measure of the pickup's resistance to direct current (DC). It is often used to give a rough guide to the pickup's output, generally higher output pickups have a higher DC resistance.