Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Pickups

A pickup swap is one of the most direct ways to change how a guitar responds under your fingers and through your amp. Seymour Duncan's Alnico II Pro line, available at LV Guitars, puts Alnico II magnets into the formats gigging players actually run: bridge and neck humbuckers, Trembuckers, Tele sets and Strat sets.

Strat players can pick the staggered-pole APS1 or the flat-pole APS2, and RWRP versions are available for those who want the reverse-wound, reverse-polarity option, which is handy for hum-cancelling when two pickups are combined. Humbucker players can choose the APH-1b bridge or APH-1n neck, with white, black and nickel cover finishes to suit the guitar you take on stage.

Because the family covers so many guitar types, you can keep a matching pickup voice across a Strat, a Tele and a humbucker-equipped guitar in your rig. Prices span roughly $99 to $277, covering single pickups through complete sets for a player or a collector refitting a favorite.