Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by Teemu Suomala
3 humbuckers…WHY? Well, first of all, humbuckers sound pretty freaking awesome. Always. So why not throw 3 of them to your axe to maximize all the humbucker-goodness…right..?
Me being a sucker for humbuckers is no secret. The warm, thick, and versatile sound of a humbucker(s) is just honey to my ears. You can’t really never go wrong with humbuckers. This is why I was happy to put together this article that gathers the top-notch guitars with 3 humbuckers together. I also reveal my 3 favorites…and if you have any questions, check the FAQ section of this article or leave a comment.
Let’s get started!
Check our full electric guitar pickup types guide here.
Author: Teemu Suomala
I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I also noticed that most guitar websites don’t do a really good job, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website. I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar. I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog(I guess that went the right way…).
19 Guitars With 3 Humbuckers
Some copies have suffered from poor quality control, but when you get one that’s got the great all-around finish, you have a really high-value 3 humbucker offset guitar in your hands. Sterling by Music Man St. Vincent has a really classy look, versatile tones, and it’s a ton of fun to play. It’s a light guitar and a bit neck/headstock heavy, but if the playability and sound fit you, it’s a keeper.
At the time of writing, there was unfortunately no 3 humbucker guitars with 7-way rotary switches available.
Price Range Icon Meanings:
$= $200-499
$$= $500-899
$$$= $900-1199
$$$$= $1200-1799
$$$$$= $1800
*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂
| Model | Pickup | Body Style | Price Range | Check Current Price (affiliate links) |
| Harley Benton DC-600 VI – Cheapest | 3 x Roswell LAF AlNiCo-5 vintage-style humbuckers | SG | $ | Thomann* |
| Sterling By Music Man St. Vincent – Solid Budget Choice | 3 x Sterling by Music Man mini humbuckers | St. Vincent | $$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| Jackson X Series Soloist SL3X DX – Best Budget | 2 x Jackson High Output Mini Rail Humbucker & Jackson High Output Humbucker | Modern Strat | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Kramer Guitars Jersey Star | 1 x Seymour Duncan JN Humbucker & 2 x Seymour Duncan JB Humbuckers | Jersey Star | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Kramer SM-1 – Worth Checking for High Value Lovers | 2 x Seymour Duncan Cool Rails Humbucker & Seymour Duncan JB Humbucker | SM-1 | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature FRM300PR | 3 x DiMarzio PG-13 Humbucker | Paul Gilbert Signature | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Schecter Ultra-III – 3 x On-Off Coil Split Slider Switches | 3 x Schecter Diamond Alnico Plus Gold Foil Humbuckers | Ultra-III | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Fender Dave Murray Stratocaster | 1 x Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for Strat SHR-1N & 1 x Seymour Duncan JB Jr. SJBJ-1N & 1 x Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for Strat SHR-1B | Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez ATZ10P-STM Andy Timmons – Best Overall | 2 x DiMarzio “The Cruiser” Humbucker & 1 x DiMarzio AT-1 Humbucker | Modern Strat | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez Andy Timmons Signature ATZ100 | 3 x DiMarzio The Cruiser Humbucker | Modern Strat | $$$$ | Sweetwater |
| Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Goldie | 3 x Music Man Custom Mini-Humbuckers | St. Vincent | $$$$$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| Duesenberg Starplayer TV Custom | 3 x Duesenberg D-Tron humbuckers | Semi-hollow | $$$$$ | Thomann |
| Gretsch G6131G-MY-RB Limited-edition Malcolm Young Signature Jet – Best Premium | 2 x TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity Humbucker & 1 x TV Jones Starwood Humbucker | Double Cut | $$$$$ | Sweetwater |
| PRS Studio | 2 x PRS Narrowfield Humbucker & PRS TCI-tuned 58/15 Humbucker | PRS Double Cut | $$$$$ | Sweetwater |
| PRS Special Semi-Hollow | 2 x PRS TCI-tuned 58/15 LT Humbucker & PRS Narrowfield Humbucker | PRS Double Cut Semi-Hollow | $$$$$ | Sweetwater |
| Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature JS2GD | 2 x DiMarzio Satch Track Humbucker & DiMarzio FRED Humbucker | Modern Strat | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Gibson Custom 1963 Les Paul SG Custom Reissue | 3 x Custombucker Alnico III Humbucker | SG | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue VOS | 3 x Custombucker Alnico III unpotted Humbucker | Les Paul | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue VOS – Bigsby Vibrato | 3 x Custombucker Alnico III Humbucker | Les Paul | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
If you desire for more 3 pickup guitar options, check out this article about them: 67 Guitars With 3 Pickups – The Master List
Our Favorite Music Store in The World!
Why?
– Excellent Customer Service (4.7/5 Trustpilot Score)
– Fast & Free Shipping
– Gear is Inspected, Tested, & Ready to Play When it Arrives to You (We love this)
– Fair Prices
Visit Sweetwater:
3 Best Guitars With 3 Humbuckers – My Favorites
Best Budget – Jackson X Series Soloist SL3X DX
What I like
- Really fast playing
- Versatile & mean sounding pickups
- 12″-16″ compound fretboard radius makes riffing near the nut and shredding down the neck smooth
- Offers high value for the money
What I don’t like
- Not a tight-budget guitar
Who is it for?
If you are after a fast-playing guitar with 3 humbuckers, the Jackson X Series Soloist SL3X DX is one of the best choices. Its compound radius fretboard paired with a smooth “Speed” neck shape ensures you with comfort and ease of play. The pickups are built for metal, but are surprisingly versatile. This is no one-trick pony.
Check Today’s Price on
Best Overall – Ibanez ATZ10P-STM Andy Timmons
What I like
- I love the super narrow nut width of 1.594″(neck is narrower than usual)
- High-quality Wilkinson WV6-SB bridge is smooth to use and feels great against your picking hand
- Gotoh MG-T Locking tuners hold the pitch
- These humbuckers are versatile with a huge V
- Usually comes with a Gig Bag
- Graph Tech NuBone nut improves sustain (better than plastic and synthetic bone ones)
- Coil-split for the bridge humbucker
What I don’t like
- Narrow neck is not for everyone
Who is it for?
If you are after a premium-level guitar with a relatively affordable price tag and 3 humbuckers, Ibanez ATZ10P-STM Andy Timmons is an excellent choice. This ATZ comes with all the premium hardware, Gotoh locking tuners, NuBone nut, Wilkinson bridge, etc. Ibanez has also made it a super versatile instrument with coil-split and 3 great-sounding DiMarzio humbuckers. This was easily my best overall choice.
Check Today’s Price on
Best Premium – Gretsch G6131G-MY-RB Limited-edition Malcolm Young Signature Jet
What I like
- Standard U-neck offers vintage playability
- TV Jones humbuckers provide excellent classic rock tones
- Real bone nut for improved sustain and tone
- A shorter scale length (24.6″) reduces string tension (makes strings easier to press down)
- Usually comes with a Hardshell Case
- Chambered body increases volume when played unplugged
- Made for classic tone, but still versatile
- Really cool Gretsch 60s Jet Vibrato tailpiece
What I don’t like
- Standard U neck can feel too bulky for small hands
- Vibrato can feel weird to use at first
Who is it for?
If you are after 3 humbuckers that are ready to roar crunchy classic rock tones and playability that offers vintage feel, Gretsch G6131G-Malcolm Young Limited-edition is one of the top choices. TV Jones humbuckers offer really high-quality sound, everything from hardware to hardshell case is premium material, and the guitar has a strong vintage vibe. What else can I ask?
Check Today’s Price on
FAQ
Why Do Some Guitars Have Three Humbuckers?
3 humbuckers enable players to use different pickup combinations, offer really warm tones, and give a plenty of versatility. Also, 3 humbucker pickups allow the use of a 7-way switch (usually a rotary switch(rare nowadays)), which is really cool and increases versatility.
And then a couple of other, pretty obvious reasons. First, there’s a demand for guitars with 3 humbuckers (that’s probably why you are here). Some people (like me) just are suckers for humbuckers and would probably hit their guitars with 4 or 5 buckers if they got the chance, haha.
Lastly, some players like to play with the wirings and electronics, hit their guitars with coil-split, and all sorts of other extra stuff. And as a project guitar, 3 humbucker axes are just awesome.
What Brands Create Guitars With 3 Humbuckers?
The following brands are known for producing guitars with 3 humbuckers:
- Harley Benton
- Sterling By Music Man
- Jackson
- Kramer
- Ibanez
- Fender
- Gibson
- Schecter
- Music Man
- PRS
- Duesenberg
- Gretsch
What Guitar Models Typically Have 3 Humbuckers?
The following guitar models are frequently equipped with 3 humbuckers:
- Les Pauls and other Single-Cut guitars
- Stratocasters
- SG’s
- PRS Double Cut models
- Semi-hollowbody guitars
Is Guitar With 3 Humbuckers Worth it?
It depends. If you hate the sound of humbuckers, then don’t buy a guitar with 3 humbuckers, haha. But if you just love humbuckers, want ultimate humbucker-versatility, and are ready to try something different, then a guitar with 3 humbuckers might be a great option. Before you grab a new guitar with 3 buckers, have a look at the pros and cons:
Pros and Cons of A Guitar With 3 Humbuckers
Pros
- Versatile, handle different genres well
- An unbelievable amount of tone options are available
- Really warm and thick tones are definitely present
- Humbucker lovers dream
- You can always lower the middle pickup (if it bothers you at all) and improve the playability
Cons
- A bit more complicated wiring and electronics (potentially more things can go wrong)
- Can sometimes be a bit more expensive (usually not tho)
- You can hit a large middle humbucker with your pick quite easily (getting used to can take some time, but this is not a problem for every player and you can also lower the pickups if needed)
- 3 humbucker guitars rarely have a 7-way rotary switch nowadays
I’ve never had any more problems with 3 pickup guitars than I’ve had with 2 pickup guitars. 3 pup axes have worked great for me(my first guitar was cheap strat with HSS pickup configuration and it never had electrical problems). So it’s likely that technical issues are the least of your worries. But I recommend trying a 3 pickup guitar out to find out if the playability and sound are for you.
Conclusion on Guitars With 3 Humbuckers
It was really interesting to dive into the world of 3 humbucker guitars and discover more about custom wirings, vintage-styled 7-way rotary pickups switches, etc. I had a blast and glanced at some really fantastic instruments.
I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.
Now go, my son, and Rock!
You might also like:
5 Best Hollowbody Guitars Under $1000 in 2023 – Great for Jazz & Blues
5 Best Electric Guitars Under $200 in 2023 – Budget Guitars In-Depth Tested
5 Best Metal Guitars for Beginners in 2023 – Kickstart Your Shred Journey
Yamaha Pacifica 112V Review – In-Depth Tested
5 Best Electric Guitars for Small Hands in 2023 – The Only Guide You Need
Also:
The Vintage V1003-BB, certain models of the Dean Cadillac, the Orville Les Paul Custom 3PU, the ESP Eclipse-1, the ESP Super-3, the Gibson Firebird VII, and the G&L Ascari GTS3….all have 3 full-sized humbuckers.
Thanks for pointing those guitars out Christopher!