What are Bass Guitar Pickups?
Bass guitar pickups are the rectangular black boxes you see on the bass guitar body beneath the strings. Inside the pickups are magnets. These magnets pickup the vibrations of the metal bass strings. The pickup magnets create a magnetic field around the bass strings. An electronic signal is produced when bass string vibrations disturb that magnetic field. That electronic signal is then sent to a bass amp and translated into sound. The pickups are probably the most influential part on a bass guitar’s tone. The way the pickups are designed to translate the sound of your bass is the final say in how your bass is going to sound. The good news is pickups are fairly easy to exchange. As long as you buy a well-constructed bass, you can always drop some new, good-quality pickups in for under $200.
