Guitar Pickup Wire

MWS is the largest supplier of music industry pickup wire in the world. Since the 1970s MWS has supplied some of the world’s top guitar craftsmen with custom-made-to-order pickup wire. Over the decades, we have produced thousands of variations of guitar pickup wire at the request of customers. Some of our customers go to extremes to produce a highly particular tone or a tone that is accurate to a particular era instrument. MWS works right beside them in their quest for the perfect sound.

Variations in materials can have a huge impact on a pickup’s sound. The gauge of the wire, its insulation type and thickness, and the purity and flexibility of the copper or silver all influence the tone in subtle yet important ways. For example, two pickups can have an identical number of turns and identical magnets, but by using a different gauge of wire, one can produce a little fatter sound while the other is smoother on the top end. Although we offer options such as pure silver, copper is still the most popular.

Insulation in particular has a major effect on a pickup’s sound. There are at least 18 different types of wire insulation: polyurethanes, nylons, poly-nylons, polyester, and to name a few. See below for popular insulation options.