Well, a humbucker does what the name implies. It bucks hum.

In most Strat style guitars you have the Single Coil pickup which is a single row of magnetic pole pieces. This setup usually has a bit of hum. The sound is twangy and is ideal for blues and classic rock.



This setup allows the hum to be canceled out. this gives you a cleaner, fuller sound and higher output which is ideal for metal and distorted sounds. Hope that helps.