
If you’re searching for some of the best cheap humbuckers available on the market right now, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right part of the Internet! In today’s article, I’m going to highlight 10 of the coolest and most inexpensive pickups that you can potentially add to your electric guitar.
Upgrading your guitar and adding some new pickups can significantly impact your overall tone. The main problem is that a lot of high quality single-coils and humbuckers tend to be really expensive. Still, it’s totally possible to find quite a lot of good pickups that are actually not that expensive.
That’s why I decided to create a list of 10 best cheap humbuckers available under $50 and $100. Feel free to check out the list below and scroll down to the next section if you want to read more details about each of these models. Hopefully, this guide will help you find your next set of humbuckers!
10 Best Cheap Humbuckers – List
Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5 | See on Amazon |
FLEOR High Output Alnico 5 | See on Amazon |
DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion | See on Amazon |
Wilkinson WVC Vintage Hot | See on Amazon |
DiMarzio Air Norton DP 193 | See on Amazon |
Wilkinson Classic Tone | See on Amazon |
OriPure High Output Alnico 5 | See on Amazon |
Seymour Duncan SH2N | See on Amazon |
Blizzard Of 59 Vintage Humbuckers | See on Amazon |
DiMarzio DP151 PAF Pro | See on Amazon |
1. Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5
Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5 humbuckers offer a really good and versatile tone at a relatively low price. Surely, anyone who’s on a tight budget will appreciate the high quality of these pickups.
This is actually one of the most affordable humbucker sets available on the market. Still, although the pricing of these pickups is low, it doesn’t mean that they’re bad. In fact, a lot of guitarists agree that they can easily compete with much more expensive pickups.
Overall, if you’re playing on a budget guitar (like a Squier Bullet or Mustang for example), adding these humbuckers to your guitar will significantly improve your tone. That’s why I highly recommend checking them out.
Here’s a quick sound demo.
2. FLEOR High Output Alnico 5
FLEOR High Output Alnico 5 humbucker set is an another amazing choice for everyone who’s searching for best cheap humbuckers under $50 and $100. Again, it will really rough to find a better pickup set at this price level.
These are high output humbuckers, which means that they’re perfect for such genres as blues, rock and metal. If you’re looking for a really thin, clean sound – you should probably look for different pickups. These ones are made to rock!
Undoubtedly, considering how inexpensive and good sounding these humbuckers are, they’re definitely worth the money. That’s why I have no hesitation in recommending checking them out.
Here’s a quick demo.
3. DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion
DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion is an another high quality humbucker that you can add to your own electric guitar. This is an excellent pickup, but if you’d like to get two of these, it won’t be that cheap.
The Super Distortion is an ideal choice for anyone who loves rock, grunge or metal music. Upgrading your budget guitar with that particular humbucker will dramatically improve your overall tone. If you’re into fat riffs and fast, melodic solos – the DP100 is designed for you.
Overall, DiMarzio DP100 humbucker offers a fantastic value for the money. Long sustain, powerful crunch, clear articulation and a relatively low price – who needs anything else? That’s why I highly recommend checking it out!
Here’s the demo.
4. Wilkinson WVC Vintage Hot
Wilkinson WVC Vintage Hot set is an another really cool set of humbuckers that deserves a lot of attention. These particular pickups are made in Korea and they offer a really unique, vintage tone.
If you’re a lover of 80’s rock and metal, you will definitely enjoy the high quality of these humbuckers. They not only sound great, but they also look great! Especially on a Les Paul or SG-style guitar.
Unfortunately, I can’t find any proper demo of these particular pickups, but based on what you can read online about them, they are truly fantastic. Surely, it won’t be easy to find better humbuckers with the budget under $100!
5. DiMarzio Air Norton DP 193
DiMarzio Air Norton DP 193 is an another high quality humbucker suitable for the most demanding guitarists. Although it’s not the cheapest pickup on today’s list and for some guitar players it may seem expensive, it’s definitely worth the money.
Who is it for? Well, it will be perfect for anyone who’s searching for a fat, warm and hot guitar tone. The Air Norton DP 193 is really versatile, but at the same time it doesn’t sound muddy at all.
Whether you like clean or distorted tones, this humbucker won’t disappoint you. There’s a really high chance that you’ll immediately fall in love with it. That’s for sure!
Here’s the demo.
6. Wilkinson Classic Tone
Wilkinson Classic Tone Humbucker Set is an another affordable and great sounding option for a lot of guitar players. These pickups are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to spend too much on new humbuckers.
Honestly, there’s not much to complain about at this price level. These pickups sound surprisingly good and they’re actually really cheap. In my opinion, these are one of the best cheap humbuckers that you can potentially find on the market right now.
Although these pickups may not be as good as pickups offered by DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan, they’re definitely the best choice if your budget is limited. That’s why I highly encourage you to check them out!
7. OriPure High Output Alnico 5
OriPure High Output Alnico 5 is an another inexpensive and great sounding humbucker that you can potentially add to your own electric guitar. This humbucker proves that you don’t really need to spend hundreds of dollars in order to find a really good humbucking tone.
Who is it for? Well, it will be a perfect choice for anyone who plays on a budget electric guitar with basic stock pickups. Although this humbucker can’t compete with humbuckers made by high-end brands (such as DiMarzio, EMG or Seymour Duncan), it’s still a great alternative.
I’m positive that this is one of the best cheap humbuckers under $50 and $100 that you can find on the market right now. That’s why I recommend checking it out!
Here’s the demo.
8. Seymour Duncan SH2N
Seymour Duncan SH2N is one of the most expensive pickups mentioned on today’s list, but it offers an amazing quality. Undoubtedly, it’s definitely worth that amount of money.
What makes it so special? Well, the SH2N is a really versatile humbucker which offers a smooth and warm guitar tone. It’s a perfect choice for all guitar players who are searching for an extremely clear articulation.
Although it’s not that cheap, I’m sure that you’ll benefit from adding this humbucker to your own electric guitar. There’s a really high chance that you’re going to immediately fall in love with that sound.
Here’s the sound demo.
9. Blizzard Of 59 Vintage Humbuckers
This is an another high quality humbucker set recommended for all guitarists who like vintage sounds. It’s a perfect choice for lovers of ’80s rock and metal!
What makes them special? Well, their sound can be described as clear, crisp and oldschool. The exceed all the expectations and they seem to be one of the best cheap vintage-sounding humbuckers that you can potentially find on the market right now.
Overall, I have no hesitation in recommending this set to anyone who’s thinking about upgrading their stock pickups. These ones will significantly improve your tone!
Here’s the demo.
10. DiMarzio DP151 PAF Pro
DiMarzio DP151 PAF Pro is an another high quality pickup suitable for the most demanding guitarists. It’s not that cheap, but it works perfectly for rock, grunge and metal genres.
The sound of this humbucker can be described as bright, punchy, balanced and oldschool. It’s a really versatile pickup, so it can be used for a lot of different styles of music. It cuts through the mix perfectly, so it’s a great choice for all lead and rhythm guitarists out there.
Undoubtedly, DiMarzio DP151 PAF Pro is one of the best cheap humbuckers that you can find under $100. I highly recommend checking it out, because there’s a high chance that you’re going to love it!
Here’s the demo.
Summary
As you can see, finding the best cheap humbuckers is not that difficult once you know which models are worth the money. I’m positive that if you stick to one of the options mentioned above, you will be really satisfied and you’ll significantly improve the tone of your electric guitar.
Which humbuckers would you choose? Leave a comment down below and share your thoughts with our readers, we are really interested to hear what are your thoughts about it!
Thanks for checking out today’s guide, hopefully it was helpful. If you’re looking for more gear recommendations, you may also like: