# Mini-humbucker > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mini-humbucker > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mini-humbucker.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-humbucker > Source revision: 1344983983 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Pickup for electric guitars 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe The **mini-humbucker** is a [humbucking](/source/Humbucker) guitar [pickup](/source/Pick_up_(music_technology)) (used in [electric guitars](/source/Electric_guitar)). It was originally created by [the Epiphone company](/source/Epiphone). The mini-humbucker resembles a [Gibson](/source/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation) [P.A.F. humbucker](/source/P.A.F._(pickup)), but is narrower in size and senses a shorter length of string vibration.[1] This produces clearer, brighter tones that are quite unlike typical Gibson sounds.[2] It fits in between single-coils and full-sized humbuckers in the tonal spectrum. It is frequently used in jazz guitars in a 'floating' arrangement, where it's mounted at the end of the [fingerboard](/source/Fingerboard), or on the [pickguard](/source/Pickguard) not into the body of the instrument. The mini-humbucker technology was acquired by Gibson when they purchased Epiphone in the late 1950s. After this acquisition, Gibson began using mini-humbuckers in various guitar models. They continued to use them on many Epiphone electric guitars (now manufactured under license for Gibson) and several of Gibson's archtop jazz guitars. A slightly different variation of the mini-humbuckers was used on [Gibson Firebird](/source/Gibson_Firebird) guitars, thus giving them a very distinctive tone. The Firebird pickup uses a pair of long 'rail' magnets whereas the Les Paul Deluxe mini-humbucker uses a single bar magnet below one ferrous rail and six threaded ferrous pole pieces. The Deluxe mini-humbucker has adjustment screws for the pole pieces; the Firebird mini-humbucker does not. In the 1970s, mini-humbuckers replaced Gibson's original [P-90](/source/P-90) single-coil pickups on several of Gibson's budget guitar models, as well as the Les Paul Deluxe: the size and shape meant that it could fit very comfortably into the space occupied by the P-90, so no extra routing was required in the solid body guitars. Only select re-issue Gibson models are still made with mini-humbuckers, as they are less popular than standard humbuckers. In 2011, Gibson released a '70s Tribute line of guitars, offering inexpensive mini-humbucker variants of the [Les Paul Studio](/source/Gibson_Les_Paul_Studio), Firebird,[3] and [SG Special](/source/Gibson_SG); these use the Firebird style of mini-humbucker pickup. Mini-humbuckers were also used in some models of the [Nighthawk](/source/Gibson_Nighthawk). A mini-humbucker pickup design is also used for the pickups in [Rickenbacker](/source/Rickenbacker) 650 guitars and 4004 basses. Many third-party pickup manufacturers make mini-humbuckers. ## Notable users - Johnny Winter used an [Epiphone Wilshire](/source/Epiphone_Wilshire) equipped with mini-humbuckers early in his career. He later moved to the very different Gibson Firebird which also features mini-humbucking pickups - [Pete Townshend](/source/Pete_Townshend) of [The Who](/source/The_Who) used a number of Gibson Les Paul Deluxe guitars in the 1970s that featured the mini-humbucker.[4][5] - Scott Gorham ([Thin Lizzy](/source/Thin_Lizzy)) and Barry Bailey ([Atlanta Rhythm Section](/source/Atlanta_Rhythm_Section)) are users of the mini-humbucker. - Caleb Followill from [Kings of Leon](/source/Kings_of_Leon) uses a Gibson ES 325 with mini-humbucker, which he only uses when playing live. - Jeff Carlisi of [38 Special](/source/38_Special_(band)) used a 1969 Gibson Les Paul with mini-humbuckers as his primary studio guitar.[6] - [Neil Young](/source/Neil_Young) is also a user of the Firebird mini-humbucker fitted in his “[Old Black](/source/Old_Black)” guitar. - Clarence Gatemouth Brown switched to the Gibson Firebird shortly after it was introduced in 1963 and used its mini-humbuckers and his finger-picking style to create a signature tone for his swing blues. - As part of Motown's original, 3-guitar, Funk Brothers rhythm section, Eddie "Chank" Willis used a Gibson Firebird with mini-humbuckers to complement the tones of Robert White's Gibson L-5 and ES 335 and Joe Messina's modified Fender Telecaster. - [Paul Gilbert](/source/Paul_Gilbert) uses the PG-13 mini-humbucker pickups designed for him by DiMarzio, in his signature model Ibanez Fireman guitars.[7] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Lollar, Jason (May 2009). ["Humbuckers and Mini-Humbuckers"](http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/200905_1/?fm=2#pg65). *Premier Guitar*. **14** (5): 60. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Mini-Humbucker"](http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Divisions/Gibson%20Gear/Pickups/Mini-Humbucker/). [Gibson Guitar Corporation](/source/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Firebird V 2010"](http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Firebird/Gibson-USA/Firebird-V-2010.aspx). [Gibson Guitar Corporation](/source/Gibson_Guitar_Corporation). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Pete's Gear: Gibson Les Paul Deluxe"](https://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/lpdeluxe.html). *Whotabs*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Gibson Pete Townshend Les Paul Deluxe #1"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110903003427/http://www.thegibsonshop.com/guitars/les-paul/gibson-pete-townshend-les-paul-deluxe-1). Gibson Shop. Archived from [the original](http://www.thegibsonshop.com/guitars/les-paul/gibson-pete-townshend-les-paul-deluxe-1) on 2011-09-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["The Official Jeff Carlisi Web Site"](http://www.jeffcarlisi.com/guitarsandstuff/lespauls.html). Retrieved 26 June 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Paul Gilbert for DiMarzio PG-13 Mini Humbuckers"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X2pANKyh14&feature=share). *[YouTube](/source/YouTube)*. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/-X2pANKyh14) from the original on 2021-12-19. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mini-humbucker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-humbucker) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-humbucker?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.