Pickup ring

The plastic or metal bezel that surrounds a humbucker and carries the two height-adjustment screws.

It exists because a humbucker is mounted from above: the ring sits on the body face, the pickup hangs from it, and turning the screws raises or lowers the whole assembly against the ring's spring or foam. Its height also sets the range of adjustment available, which is why replacing a low ring with a taller one is sometimes needed to get a pickup low enough. Some designs dispense with it and mount the pickup directly to the cavity floor or from a pickguard.

Example: a pickup that will not go low enough to sound clean usually needs a taller mounting ring, not a different pickup.

Pickup ring

See also