Gearank

Gold Foil guitar pickups are a unique type of pickup, found on vintage budget brands like Harmony guitars. And while the guitars they came on were definitely beginner’s instruments, gold foil pickups are famous for their chimey and snarling tone. They’re so unlike any other commonly found pickup that it’s hard to even describe the difference.

Specifications:

• Position: All (Select Position at Checkout)
• Magnet Material: Alnico
• Dimensions: 2.73 in x 1.42 in x 0.62 in
• String Spacing: 50 mm
• Available Colors/Covers: Nickel, Black

But unfortunately, the pickups have become somewhat of a collector’s item. Original gold foil pickups can cost in excess of $150, and many of them are prone to microphonic feedback. Thankfully, there are a few companies who have launched modern reproductions of these pickups; with GFS producing the most affordable example.

At just $40 a pop, the GFS Gold Foil Single Coil Humbucker Shell Electric Guitar pickup is easily affordable for just about any musician. And unlike their vintage inspiration, these pickups are actually surprisingly feedback resistant. They also have a more modern output, so you get the great chime and snarl found in these pickups without the weak volume. Even better, if you buy a full set of the humbucker sized GFS gold foil pickups they’re actually noise cancelling.

To see which pickups are currently on our recommended list go to our guide: The Best Budget Guitar Pickups.