If you can’t find the best pickups for baritone guitar, you are in the right place. We will help you make an informed decision.
Quite similar to a standard electric guitar in terms of looks and performance, baritone guitars feature a bigger body, heftier internal bracing, and longer strings (or scale length).
The relatively larger body and higher scale length of a baritone guitar facilitate tuning the instrument for delivering low-pitched tones. In addition, the low-pitched string of a baritone enables you to craft various harmonics, triads, arpeggios, and other musical tones.
To craft deep, rich, and full tunes with typical coloration and muddiness, you’ll have to tune the instrument to a major third, impeccable fourth, or fifth lower than standard E-A-D-G-B-E. One tried-and-tested way to tune down across the strings of a baritone for achieving the lower-pitched dark and mellowed tunes is using suitable 6-string pickups.
As there are no standardized pickups compatible for using with baritone guitars, you can mix and match PAF-style humbuckers, lipstick pickups, P-90s, and moderately thick single-coils.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at our list of the best pickups for your baritone guitar.
Best Pickups for Baritone Guitar (Comparison Table)
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient Set (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | EMG 60 Humbucking Pickup (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | K&K Pure Mini Pickup | Check Price |
 | Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient Set | Check Price |
 | DiMarzio Evolution Humbucker | Check Price |
 | DiMarzio DP207 Drop Sonic Pickup (Best on a Budget) | Check Price |
1. Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient Set (Editor’s Choice – Best Pickup for Baritone Guitar)
It’s probably the best passive pickup for any baritone guitar.
The Nazgul/Sentient Pickup Set reinforced with a hefty ceramic magnet and bespoke winding coils pairs perfectly with a 6-string guitar. The Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient Set comes to your aid, particularly if you specialize in playing a 6-string fretted baritone guitar. With the Nazgul/Sentient pickups sitting pretty in the bridge and neck slots, your baritone offers the best of both worlds- basses and guitars.
The deadly combination of ceramic magnets and classic winded coils guarantees a judicious intermingling of diffusion, articulation, and pick attack. This pickup pair comes in immensely handy for ‘drop D tuning,’ resulting in a better feel, response, and strings’ intonation. The ‘Nazgul’ bridge- and ‘Sentient’ neck pickups sync perfectly, enabling perfect harmonic symphony across the frequency spectrum and incredible taut bass.
Pros
- High-output passive humbucker pair for 6-string guitars
- The combined effect of two versatile humbuckers helps deliver a fantastic gamut of tones
- As the designation, ‘Sentient’ indicates the neck pickup instinctively senses how to create a harmonic and balanced tone
- Nazgul bridge ensures the delivery of high-gain notes peppered with assertive mids and extensive lows
- Ideal for instruments featuring semi-warm or bright bodies like maple and rosewood
Cons
- If you’re aiming for subtle idiosyncratic Djent notes, look elsewhere. Well, you don’t need to look elsewhere anymore: we have a good buying guide about the best pickups for Djent.
2. EMG 60 Humbucking Active Guitar Pickup (Close Runner-Up – Best Neck Pickup for Baritone Guitar)
The ultra-compact and heavy-duty EMG 60 Humbucking Active Guitar Pickup packs in ample output tempered with balanced melodious highs, huge lows, and chunky mids. This active humbucker pickup continues to feature the close aperture spirals like a mini-humbucker for generating rich and bright harmonics.
On the other hand, the solid and rugged ceramic magnets enable the EMG 60 to produce a full-on treble retort characterized by abundant output perfect for distinctive single-note solos.
The copious output also comes with incredible clarity as well as extremely whacking high-end. This active humbucker pickup from EMG 60 is guaranteed to work wonders for rhythm guitars extensively used by heavy metal players. Any rhythm player taking advantage of this EMG humbucker in a band belting out plenty of midranges will stand out thanks to the pickup’s distinguishing crunch.
The EMG 60 pickup designed for excelling in the neck position furnishes exceptional clarity and tonal quality to your instrument. In addition, the proprietary quick-connect jack enables you to drop this pickup in the neck slot without resorting to soldering.
Pros
- Active humbucker well-suited for 6-string guitars and rhythm position
- It perfectly pairs with an EMG 81 active humbucker bridge for across-the-board versatility
- High-output pickup ensures sparkling clean, high-end
- Comes with a complete hardware set for hassle-free installation/mounting, including prewired split shaft volume/tone pot set
Cons
- Concealing and covering the battery and the circuit board could be problematic
3. K&K Pure Mini Acoustic Guitar Pickup
The Pure Mini Pickup from K & K Sound has a distinct edge over most pickups created primarily for acoustic guitars. The Pure Mini is a transducer-only passive pickup for acoustic guitar that does not require any battery or onboard electrical supply.
It is K&K’s award-winning pickup meticulously designed for mounting on your instrument’s bridge plate is just the thing for accomplishing a rich organic sound.
Acoustic guitar players have reported that the Pure Mini is the most performance-driven passive pickup out there that works wonderfully even without a preamp. To say last but not least, the K& K Pure Mini is strongly recommended for players expecting a temperate full-range signal letting them make the most of their instrument.
Pros
- Triad transducer-style pickup perfectly companionable with guitars featuring steel strings
- This passive pickup in sharp contrast to under-saddle pickups (that sound too trebly) gives an off-balanced and full-range signal
- A versatile pickup that serves as a bridge–plate transducer producing an incredibly natural and transparent tone
Cons
- Installing this 3-head passive pickup seems a no-brainer apparently but not so in reality
- Notes produced with the help of this pickup may not please purists
4. Seymour Duncan Pegasus/ Sentient Set
Progressive metal players will warm up to this painstakingly calibrated Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient pickup set, providing a seamless mix of articulation and riffing. As a heavy rock or progressive player, you’ll find this passive pickup pair for bridge and neck indispensable for dialing in the unmistakable gamut of modern metal tunes.
Overwhelming demand from 6- and 7-string bassists compelled K &K to launch an upgraded Pegasus ‘bridge’ originally conceptualized for extensive-range instruments.
The Pegasus bridge pickup integrates Alnico 5 bar magnet with custom-wound specs. This bridge pickup enables a luxuriant, receptive, balanced, and snug tone that works excellent for progressive metal. The Pegasus aids in delivering well-rounded harmonics typified by a pronounced midrange and an intense and beefy low-end.
The highly resonant pinnacle gives way to a shimmering top end with a brilliant harmonic bloom in the high-gain territory. As a pickup with the restrained output, it syncs well with clean tones and distorted ones as well. Finally, the Sentient neck works as an expressive pickup with vintage-style output that delivers pure, clean tones with a vibrant response and a sweeping harmonic array.
Pros
- The handy adjustable bridge and neck pickups for ringing in a judicious mix of taut highs, marked midrange, and intensive low-end
- 4-conductor lead for multiple wiring options
- Vacuum wax sealing for minimal microphone and screech-free performance
Cons
- Many players have found the Pegasus bridge not entirely receptive to attack.
5. DiMarzio Evolution Bridge Humbucker Pickup
If you want your 6-string guitar to give off an abundance of output with a focused, taut and insistent tone, then look no further. It is one of the best DiMarzio pickups for baritone guitars.
Created for celebrated guitarists, the DiMarzio Bridge Humbucker Pickup comes with a proprietary dual-resonance configuration for generating greater harmonic overtones than standard humbuckers. Featuring 4-conductor lead wiring and ceramic magnets, the Evolution is a workhorse driving your amp to enable it to realize its maximum potential.
Take your instrument with the Evolution embedded in the bridge slot to any gig or recording studio for lasting impact. To squeeze the most out of DiMarzio Evolution, you’ll need to have the appropriate setup, including an intensely hot amp. The Evolution Bridge Humbucker Pickup works perfectly for high-octane performances is also ideal for the densest studio mixing.
Pros
- One of the best pickups for 6-string baritone guitars
- Compatible with both set-neck and bolt-on neck instruments
- It reproduces plenty of harmonic overtones
- Both the pickups have been designed with meticulous care for maximum effect
- Full-bodied, well-rounded highs with tight low notes which ensures pickup notes stand out in nearly every situation
Cons
- Output is commendable but could have been more robust
- The cleans could be a tad too hot for several players
6. DiMarzio DP 207 Drop Sonic Pickup (Best on a Budget)
A humbucker with an amazingly high output, the DiMarzio DP 207 Drop sonic bridge pickup has been specially engineered for dispensing extensive low-end. At the same time, this bridge humbucker supports customized drop tuning for bringing out heavier musical tones with an excellent treble response for standard tuning and single-note solos.
The singular architecture reinforced with 4-conductor lead wires allows the reproduction of 2 distinct single-coil notes and three extra sounds with parallel humbucker techniques besides the typical series humbucking sounds.
This review wraps up our list of the best baritone guitar pickups.
Pros
- High-output bridge humbucker for drop-tuned heavy chords and extensive low ends
- Patented design for two separate single-coil tunes and three extra sounds via parallel humbucking mode
Cons
- Not quite suitable for jazz or rock genres and subgenres
Do Baritone Guitars Need Special Pickups?
The baritone guitar’s scale length makes all the difference and sets it apart from standard guitars and basses. The scale length-the span or extent of the suspended string from the nut to the bridge-of Fender- and Les Paul-style guitars vary from 24/3/4”-25/1/2”. On the other hand, most baritone guitar models have a scale varying from 27”-28”, enabling heavier cords for tuning down a 4th or 5th.
Since the tuning of a baritone is the same as that of a standard bass (only a bit lower), the delivery of harmonic range is also identical. So you can transform your humble bass into a baritone by replacing the strings with heavier ones and extending the scale. Yes, it’s as simple as that. But if you’re looking to bring out that unique muddy baritone sound, you may need to work on the pickups.
You can nail that typical baritone soundstage using one single coil and one humbucker to put things in perspective. Unfortunately, the same pickups that help create deep sounds on a Fender Strat or Gibson sound grimy and muddy on a baritone. As the hefty strings of a baritone go a long way in enabling ‘drop tuning,’ choosing ‘thin’ sounding coils is recommended.
Additionally, see to it that the pickups’ output is somewhat lower to accommodate the intensity with which the strings push the pieces.
As for humbuckers, go for any good PAF-style pickups that come with an output on the lower side, such as the DiMarzio DP207 or the Seymour Duncan Pegasus reviewed above. We should also note that the majority of the best baritone pickups are humbuckers.
Finally, arrange a switch in series/parallel on the humbucker or a coil-split for best results.
Conclusion: The Best Pickup for Baritone Guitar Is…
When choosing the right pickups for your baritone, you’re spoilt for choice owing to mindboggling variety. Whether you play progressive metal, jazz, or rock, you can take your pick from Tele bridge pickup, Rio Grande “Bastard” P90s, Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio humbuckers, etc.
Single-coils used in combination with humbuckers also work but make sure you choose thinner coils. The Danelectro lipstick pickups are another category that perfectly fits the bill.
Our winner is the Nazgul/Sentient Pickup Set. These are the best pickups for baritone guitar available on the market at the moment.