What is the best guitar pickup?

When you are planning on buying a new guitar, this is one of the more important questions you need to ask yourself. The pickup configuration on a guitar is one of the main factors for the overall sound of that guitar. So to truely answer this question, it really depends on your style and taste - it depends on you!

Generally, the single coil pickups are more "clean" or "bright" when compared to the humbuckers. They produce a more snappy sound and have better articulation.

Single coil pickups, however, are more susceptible to electromagnetic noise and interference. This is caused from things like power lines, amplifiers, speakers, cell phones, etc. Electromagnetic interference often causes a "hum" in the output from single coil pickups. This "hum" effect is normally very slight, but more noticeable from the amp in silent sections of the music or in the absence of actually playing your instrument (while still turned on/up).

The sound a single coil pickup produces has a wide range from the strong, thicker midrange tones of the Gibson P-90 (single coil) to the bright and clean sounds of the legendary Fender Telecaster single coil!

On the other hand, the humbucker pickups have more "beef" and "warmth" with their sound. They tend to have a more heavy or fat tone to them and are far less likely to pickup electromagnetic interference. Humbuckers actually get their name from the fact that they cancel out this interference - they "buck the hum".

If you are going for a more heavy sound and style, a humbucker pickup might be more ideal for the overdrive/distortion options you get with it.

It is not a bad idea to spend a little time at a guitar store and try out both types of pickups (on different guitars) before making a choice. Have fun with it!