Zebra Vs Reverse Zebra Pickups

In this blog we shed some light on some commonly asked questions when it comes to choosing your Zebra style pickups.

A question we get asked on a fairly regular basis when it comes to guitar pickups is "What is the difference between Zebra and Reverse Zebra pickups?" and "What ones shall I pair together?" When we get repeat questions like this here at GigGear we really like to get them answered properly, therefore this mini blog should tell you everything you need to know about the mystery Zebras.

So what does a standard Zebra pickup arrangement look like? The industry standard NECK Zebra humbucker will have a cream top bobbin that is paired with a black bottom bobbin while the matching standard Zebra bridge pickup will have a black top bobbin and a cream bottom bobbin. This means that the way to identify a guitar with two standard Zebra humbuckers fitted is the fact that both black bobbins are facing inwards towards each other. 

Occasionally people will specifically ask for a Reverse Zebra Humbucker. This is essentially a Standard Zebra Humbucker but the only difference is that the cream and black bobbins have been switched around. This change in appearance and opposite look is why they are called “Reverse Zebra”. The way to pick out if a guitar has Reverse Zebra Humbuckers fitted is if the two cream bobbins are point inwards towards each other. 

Now you must remember that this whole concept is only from an aesthetic point of view. All Zebra pickups of the same model will react exactly the same as their reverse zebra brothers. With that in mind, if you think of an actual Zebra (See above!) the stripe pattern will always go white, black, white, black etc. You would not see two colours next to each other, so for the full on Zebra effect that will look great you could also consider pairing a Standard Zebra with a Reverse Zebra for a cool stripy effect! (See below)