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When it comes time to replace your pickups, there is one main thing to consider. It’s important to recognize whether your new selection will fit into your guitar. Humbuckers will not fit in the place of a single coil without proper modifications.
In this Killer Rig article, we will explore the different electric guitar pickup dimensions. With the intent to help you find the right fit and tone for your instrument.
Humbucker Dimensions
Most humbuckers have a standard size of about 2.70″ x 1.45″, however, there are many variations.
Some are covered by metal or plastic to add a decorative look, but this may require a larger space. Let’s take a look at some standard humbuckers from well-known brands.
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan’s Black Winter humbucker is one of their most popular models. They are an uncovered pickup, and so are quite standard when it comes to size.
The dimensions of the Black Winter humbucker are:
- Height: 0.876″
- Width: 2.695″
- Depth: 1.438″
- Coil length: 2.624″
- Screw to screw: 3.063″
- Click here for the Black Winter dimensional drawing
It’s important to know the width and height. You need to determine whether the pickup will fit into the body cavity of your guitar. It is also important to know the coil length to make sure it will fit through pickguards and covers.
Dimarzio
Another popular humbucker is the Dimarzio Dark Matter. This is also an uncovered humbucker. It’s slightly bigger than the Black Winter, but not enough to make any difference.
The dimensions of the Dark Matter are:
- Height: 0.855″
- Width: 2.7″
- Depth: 1.5″
- Coil length: 2.63″
- Screw to screw: 3.1″
- Click here for the Dark Matter dimensional drawing.
Covered Humbucker Dimension
With the addition of the decorative cover, the dimensions change to accommodate it. But in most cases, it’s not enough to prevent them from fitting in a standard humbucker body cavity route.
But this depends on the guitar and the pickguard spacing that has been allocated for the humbucker. Seymour Duncan’s High Voltage covered humbucker is a good example of this. The dimensions are as follows:
- Height: 0.776″
- Width: 2.745″
- Depth: 1.495″
- Screw to screw: 3.063″
- You can find the High Voltage dimensional drawing here.
7-String Humbucker
There are also 7-string humbuckers on the market for those who play this type of guitar. These are a bit longer to accommodate the extra string, and will not fit in a 6-string guitar.
An example of a 7-string Seymour Duncan humbucker is the JB Model. The dimensions are as follows:
- Height: 0.766″
- Width: 3.071″
- Depth: 1.384″
- Screw to screw: 3.465″
- Click here for the JB model dimensional drawing
As you can see, the size of this pickup is different from a 6-string version. Not only is it wider, but the screw hole centers are different.
8-String Humbucker
8-string guitars are becoming more popular, and so there are now pickups available to fit them. These are even longer than the 7-string versions, with the addition of yet another string.
An example of an 8-string Dimarzio humbucker is the Super Distortion 8. The dimensions are as follows:
- Height: 0.840″
- Width: 3.574″
- Depth: 1.46″
- Screw to screw: 3.75″
- You can find the Super Distortion dimensional drawing here.
Mini Humbucker Dimensions
Mini humbuckers are about half the size of a standard unit. They are typically found on Gibson Les Pauls from the late ’50s and ’60s. These pickups can be hard to identify as they sort of resemble P90s.
They have become more popular as of late. And they are still made by companies like Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio, among others. A good example is the Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini Humbucker. The dimensions are as follows:
- Height: 0.876″
- Width: 2.590″
- Depth: 1.095″
- Screw to screw: 2.924″
- You can find the Vintage mini-humbucker dimensional drawing here.
It’s also worth noting that the mini-humbuckers are normally covered with an enclosure. This will affect the dimensions.
Single Coil Guitar Pickup Dimensions
Single coils are another kind of pickup, but are much smaller than a humbucker. They are always found on Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters. Many other guitars use them, but they are made exclusively with these models in mind.
S-Style Stratocaster Models
There are three single coils on a Stratocaster, and they are all the same size. They are mounted in the neck, middle, and bridge positions.
The dimensions of a standard Stratocaster single-coil are as follows:
- Height: 0.65″
- Width: 2.74″
- Depth: .70″
- Screw to screw: 3.02″
These dimensions are based on the Dimarzio Red Velvet single-coils. You can find the dimensional drawing here. You will find that these dimensions are universal. At least with most single-coil pickups on the market, no matter who is manufacturing them.
Telecaster Models
Telecaster pickups are different from the Stratocaster sets. The bridge pickup in particular is mounted to the body in a way that makes it pretty unique. The bridge and middle are more like a strat pickup but have a cover.
The T-Style bridge pickup of a telecaster has the following dimensions:
- Width: 2.885″
- Height: 0.685″
- Depth: 0.77″
- Bottom Plate Height: 1.515″
- Dimarzio Twang king Bridge Reference Drawing
The T-Style Telecaster neck pickup dimensions:
- Width: 2.585″
- Height: 0.57″
- Depth: 0.685″
- Bottom Plate Height: 0.80″
- Twang King Neck Dimensional Drawing
P90 Pickup Dimensions
P90 pickups are a bit larger than a Stratocaster single-coil. They have a signature sound that many guitarists love.
An example of a P90 pickup is the Seymour Duncan Vintage model. The dimensions are as follows:
- Width: 3.30″
- Height: 1.280″
- Depth: 0.865″
- Dimensional Drawing
Some versions of the P90 come with what is called dog ears to mount them. This will change the dimensions a bit and should be considered. Some versions come with a cover and some others with brackets.
Conclusion
These are the most common guitar pickup dimensions that you will encounter. As always, make sure to double-check the size of your pickups before ordering them to avoid any issues.
It also doesn’t hurt to contact the manufacturer and make sure that their pickups will fit your guitar. There is nothing worse than bringing home a new set, only to find that they don’t fit.
