Are you looking for the best pickups for surf guitar? Then, you are in the right place.
Surf music is a popular music genre that came into existence in the early 1960s in Southern California. Been a less popular genre in pop culture at the moment, Surf rock still has its fans.
It also has been influential in garage and punk scenes where you will hear bands using surf rock tone elements.
As surf rock has persistent popularity, there are still many manufacturers preparing gear that can meet the requirements of surf rock and capture its aesthetics.
You can make or break the surf guitar sound with the pickups, so it is necessary to choose the proper pickup. A standard, bright and hot single-coil pickup will do the work. The reverb and tremolo effects are the base of the classic surf sound, and the pickups should compliment them.
This article will help you look for a pickup upgrade on your gear to get that surf rock vibe. We have gathered some of the models that can be paired with the correct effects to give a tone of Dick Dale time.
Best Guitar Pickups for Surf (Comparison Table)
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Fender Pure Vintage '65 Strat Pickups (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Seymour Duncan APST1 Twang Banger Strat Pickup (Close Runner-Up) | Check Price |
 | Fender Tex-Mex Telecaster Single-Coil Pickups | Check Price |
 | Lace Alumitone Single-Coil Pickup | Check Price |
Fender Pure Vintage ’65 Strat Pickups (Editor’s Choice for Surf)
Fender Pure Vintage pickups are made with precise specifications, from genuine original-era cloth wiring to vintage bobbin construction. It offers traditional and authentic Fender tone and performance. This is a powerful, clear, and clean surf rock tone of mids-60s Stratocaster-like meaty sounding vintage ’65 strat pickups. It is well constructed and has an enamel-coated magnet wire that offers vintage-style warm tones.
Alnico 5 magnets offer more focus and increased dynamics. The staggered pole pieces balance output and volume across every string.
It is wax potted with fiber bobbin and period-correct cloth wire construction. As a result, the pickups have that signature punch and bite feature of good strat.
You can swap these pickups for the dynamic and brighter set. The legends use this pickup for excellent sound. When considering the budget, it is affordable. The pickup offers the best sound quality to fill the gap.
These pickups perfectly perform across the entire frequency range removing the noise without disturbing the signal. The installation is easy so that you can enjoy the surf tone instantly. The dynamics captured even and clear responses. The pickup holds the tone without any problem.
Pros
- Wax potted
- Enamel coated wire
- Vintage style Warm tones
Cons
- None
Seymour Duncan APST1 Twang Banger Strat Pickup (Close Runner-Up)
Seymour Duncan Twang Banger Strat Pickup offers tonal versatility. It is a true single-coil direct replacement strat bridge pickup with spank and twang of Tele bridge pickup. The pickup design comes with an enamel wire plain wind which is described as aggressive. The pickup has Alnico 2 magnet pole pieces with a custom stagger.
The hidden weapon is a copper-plated steel plate that is under the pickup. The copper plate disperses the magnetic field as the base plate of the Tele bridge pickup does. As a result, it gives gusty, and it is also capable of quacky chimney strat tones.
The pickup performs extremely well, and guitarists are fond of this pickup. The signal has amplitude enough to fill the gap. It is an affordable option so that musicians can quickly improve their performance. This pickup option will impress you for sure. This pickup is a pretty well casually gig that does not need any setup.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the brand uses inverse wiring in the leads. So it would be best if you reversed them when soldering. First, you need to cut the wire which connects the plate to the lead and add other wires from the opposite lead to the base plate as the base plate is grounded.
The pickup magnets and the base plate will connect to the output if you do not re-ground the base plate and reverse the leads. This will cause unbearable noise, and the connection to the output will be unstable, which will turn on and off. However, it is challenging to cut the wire of the pickup you purchased, but you need to do it if you are planning to install it.
Pros
- Sounds great
- Clear tones
- Durable
Cons
- None
Fender Tex-Mex Telecaster Single-Coil Pickups
Fender came into existence in Southern California. It is an American icon with worldwide influence ranging from the stage to the studio and beyond. This pickup is popular among guitarists, even from beginners to esteemed artists. In addition, the Fender instruments, gear, and amps are famous worldwide, making the company a symbol that globally resonates.
Leo Fender had built the first electric guitar nearly seven decades ago. Since then, the company has made several accessories and instruments with innovation and musical expression. The instruments serve players at different setups. The pickups offered by Fender are made for exciting, loud, and clear tones as they are made with precision.
The pickup offered by Fender is a perfect upgrade to get the Tele-style guitar. It gives a Tele twang and bites with some snarl when you need it.
These are great pickup options when you do not want to spend excess money. However, the bridge pickup ground wire is short in length, and it is only about three inches.
So you need to be aware that the wire should be attached to the ground under the saddle. You may need to splice in additional segments to reach the volume pot easily. You may also use springs to secure the pickups instead of the rubber spacer available in the packaging. It might be possible to open up the pickup cutout slightly as it is bigger. The tone offered by this pickup is beefier, fuller, and has a better bite.
Pros
- Over wound for a clear tone
- Crisp high
- Maximum output
Cons
- Installation is troublesome
Lace Alumitone Single-Coil Pickup
Alumitone Single coil pickup is one of the best quality pickups of the century. The pickup has a huge bottom and top end.
This is a passive design pickup, aluminum-based rather than copper. Because of aluminum, the pickup has lesser resistance and higher output. In addition, the pickup has a current-driven design instead of conventional voltage-based.
When considering the sound, it has more bass when compared to traditional single-coil pickups. The mids and volume are more than conventional pickup. These pickups are nicely equalized with smooth yet clear highs. It sounds excellent, and no difference in sound can be seen when a phase is reversed.
The pickup has polished chrome and is available in Gold and black. These are lightweight, and the pickups are 70% lighter than conventional pickups. These pickups are a direct replacement for single-coil pickups.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Direct replacement for single-coil pickup
- Aluminum-based
Cons
- None
How Much Do Pickups Matter for Surf Rock Sound?
For different people, surf music means different. For example, the Beach Boys were a vocals band, while the ventures used Mosrites with single-coil hot pickups. Generally, the fans of surf music think it to be a Dick Dale sound. Still, the Dick Dale uses very heavy flatwound strings and a Strat.
Getting the surf sound depends on many factors, so it isn’t easy to focus on one quality. A pickup is among the primary ingredients to get solid surf rock tone, but it does not mean that it is not the only important part.
The kind of tremolo and reverb are also important parts of the sound. If you have budget constraints, then it is better to get pedals in order and then spend the left money for pickups upgrade.
However, a new pickup only will not turn you into Dick Dale suddenly. Get a good tremolo bridge if you do not have one. It is necessary to get a new bridge and pickups. Moreover, the final decision depends entirely on you. The guitar construction will help you know which pickup to buy.
So, The Best Pickup for Surf Is…
When it comes to choosing the best pickups for surf, it is always very subjective. More importantly, pickups selection depends on your tone. For getting that surf rock tone, several factors are involved, and thus, pointing to any single requirement is problematic. Generally, a surf rock sound requires bright single-coil pickup; however, many guitarists break this perception.
The proper pickup for the surf gives close to ideal surf sound. The list mentioned above has lots of best quality surf pickups options, and my favorite is Fender Pure Vintage ’65 Strat Pickups, as it gives a clean, clear, and powerful surf tone. However, each pickup qualifies as the best pickup in their way.