[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1401445065' post='2463637']
Time to show my ignorance, too - I was under the impression that as single coils are prone to unwanted noise, a humbucker will solve this problem... you do get extra beans as well, but I don't think overdrive or distortion is the main purpose.
[/quote]
Correct on both counts. A single coil pickup is vulnerable to radio frequency interference (RFI), and mains hum from nearby equipment. A humbucker has two coils joined in series (usually) or parallel (sometimes available as a switchable option e.g. on G&L L-series), with the magnetic polarity and coil-winding direction reversed - this has the effect of adding together the signal from the strings, but cancelling out incoming noise. The output is higher (in series mode), but there is usually some treble loss compared to a single coil.
Many people do not realise that the P pickup is also a kind of humbucker, where each coil senses 2 strings rather than all 4.