Swapping pickups is one of the most effective ways to reshape the character of your guitar and bring it closer to the sound you hear in your head. Whether you’re chasing more clarity, higher output, tighter lows, or a smoother response, the right pickups can make a dramatic difference.
I’m not of the view that expensive pickups contain some kind of magic — at their core they’re coils of wire and magnets — but different designs, outputs, and voicings absolutely do change how a guitar responds. In fact, fitting a quality set of pickups to a budget guitar (which often comes with weak or poorly voiced stock pickups) is one of the most cost-effective upgrades you can make.
Every Pickup Job Is Different
At a glance, pickup replacement looks simple: remove the old units and wire in the new ones. In reality, it’s rarely that straightforward.
Different guitars use different:
- switching systems
- wiring layouts
- grounding schemes
- pickup configurations
If the new pickups use different wiring standards or coil options, things quickly become more involved. No two pickup jobs are ever truly identical.
Choosing the Right Pickups
Before any work starts, it’s always best to have a chat.
We’ll talk about:
- what pickups you currently have
- what you like (and don’t like) about your current sound
- what style of music you play
- what you’re hoping to change
There are thousands of pickup models on the market, and plenty of marketing hype to go with them. Many players simply choose what their favourite guitarist uses — which can work, but it isn’t always the best solution for your guitar or playing style.
Different guitars will sound different even with the same pickups installed, which makes choosing blind a bit of a gamble. A quick conversation can save you spending a lot of money on something that isn’t quite right.
If you’re considering a change, it’s always worth talking it through first.
Pricing & What to Expect
Pickup fitting itself is straightforward if:
- the wiring cavity is clean
- the electronics are healthy
- the guitar is already set up reasonably well
However, once the strings and scratchplate or control cavity are removed, other issues often reveal themselves.
Common problems include:
- Previous DIY wiring jobs — messy, incorrect, or poorly soldered electronics
- Overheated or failing components — pots, switches, or caps that need replacing
Reassembly can also introduce extra work, especially if:
- The guitar has a floating trem system (e.g. Floyd Rose) and different string gauges are supplied, requiring trem balancing and adjustment
- The guitar was poorly set up to begin with — at which point it makes little sense to return it playing badly after fitting new pickups
Where additional work is needed, I’ll always explain what’s involved before going ahead.
Pickup Replacement Prices
- £30 per pickup
- Strat-style guitars (three pickups on one scratchplate): £75 for all three
Restringing (required for pickup work):
- £10 – fixed bridge or Strat-style trem
- £15 – floating trem systems (locking nuts, Floyd Rose, etc.)
If the guitar would benefit from a proper setup, I’ll let you know and you can decide whether to go ahead:
- Full setup: £45
Strings:
- £7 per set, or you’re welcome to supply your own