Nod to The Legend · The instruments · 1955

Seth Lover's Humbucker

Gibson engineer

Single-coil pickups hum. Lover put two coils wired in opposition side by side so the hum cancels out, and filed the patent in 1955. Early ones carried a "Patent Applied For" sticker, so players still call them PAFs.

Still heard: The thick humbucker tone is the root of hard rock and metal guitar.

Related legends

All 190 legends · Join PurpleGlue free