How To Store Your Unused Pickups

So, you just bought some Fralin Pickups and installed them on your guitar. Congratulations! What do you do with your old pickups? What’s the best way to store your unused pickups? We’ve got some quick tips for you!

Why Does Pickup Storage Matter?

If you carelessly throw your old pickups in a box, you risk damaging them permanently, and the cost to repair them can be expensive (although, if you need a repair, we can help!) When we store pickups we’re not using, we want to watch out for the following problems:

1. Demagnetizing the pickups
2. Excessive Humidity
3. Metal Filings
4. Physical damage

By storing your pickups carefully and safely, you’re not just preserving them but maintaining their performance, which guarantees that your pickups will last longer, sound better, and retain all the hardware you would otherwise lose by not being careful. It’s a small effort for a significant reward.

How Not to Treat Your Precious Pickups:

Here are some ways to guarantee damage to your beloved guitar and bass pickups:

1. Storing them in a humid environment with no protection or barrier from the elements (this could corrode magnets and wire)
2. Forcing pickups together magnetically when they are repelling each other (this can demagnetize the pickup’s magnets)
3. Throwing them in a box with metal filings or small parts without any protection (this can lead to physical damage to the pickups)

Preserving Magnetization

Here’s how to store a set of Stratocaster Pickups to preserve the magnetic strength of the Alnico Magnets. All pickups attract and stick together nicely.

How To Safely And Correctly Store Your Pickups

To safely store your pickups, consider the leading causes of damage above. We want to protect our pickups from the elements, damage, and demagnetization. To protect your pickups:

1. Wipe pickups clear of dirt/beer/sweat, and dust before storing.
2. Remove stuck metal filings from the pickup’s magnets using tape, as described in our How-To-Guide
3. Wrap each pickup in a protective layer of foam (optional)
4. Stick Single Coil pickups together, top to top, so the magnets attract each other. You don’t need to do this with Humbuckers or P90s – just Fender®-style pickups like Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster pickups
5. Store in a box marked with it’s contents, respective hardware, and seal the box in a plastic bag to protect from humidity
6. Store in a cool, dry environment

Well, there you have it – correctly storing your Guitar or Bass pickups is incredibly simple and can relieve some headaches down the road. Have any tips of storing your old pickups? Drop a comment below!