Pickup covers - On, or Off?

[Benno]

Hi Guys,
I was considering removing the plated pickup covers on my Gibson LP Studio. A few people noted that this increases the output.
Has anyone done this and noticed a difference, or are aware of the benefits / disadvantages with doing this before I take to my baby with a screwdriver. :eek:

[VillageIdiot]

Someone will come along with something more informed at some stage, but before you whip them off...


1) If the covers are plastic (which they might be I think), taking them off will make little to no difference.

2) If they are metal, then taking them off might make the pickups sound like *****, because they're voiced to be played with the covers on.

3) The covers may be soldered/waxed/glued on in addition to the screws. If you have to desolder and you miss, you could irreperably damage the pickup.


Boy... that was a no good news post. :)

[johnny]

let those coils breathe!!!!!!

[malcom]

Taking the cover off on old pickups (original PAF's) can result in more high end, and therefore more percieved output.
New pickups are made all sorts of ways, so it's hard to say what'll happen.

[cubby]

It is very easy to destroy the pickup - be careful.

[Benno]

Originally posted by cubby
It is very easy to destroy the pickup - be careful.

haha, hope your not talking from experience??

[cubby]

Originally posted by Benno
haha, hope your not talking from experience??

I personally would not remove the covers from my pickups for numerous reasons - but I have seen a few screwed up.

[satchaholic]

i got a Studio.. they're metal.. i wouldn't do it though.... i believe they are glued or whatever to the actual pickup to reduce "microphonics"... somethin like that...

-1.. i wouldnt mess with it... i love em stock ;)

[Motorhead]

The traditional metal looking covers are actually chromed brass so no change in tone whether they are ON or OFF.

... butttt a lot of things can happen when you take things apart.

Like Malcom said old PAFs were made with covers in mind but they were also a lot more fragile back then ... hence the cover.

The cover will help protect a non wax potted PU from external noise but a having a cover on or off on a well made wax potted PU is to a large extent irrelvant and simply an esthetic thing.

The higher out perceived from an older PAF's covers being removed has been shown to result from the PU being slightly high or closer to the strings. Even though the cover should not make a difference in the hight of the PU the perception of the distance of the PU to the strings is much different.

[devankdevank]

Plus covers make the pups look infinitly cooler.

I'm really sick of humbuckers with the coils showing...

[Alecto]

I remember reading an interview with the late Cesar Diaz, guitar tech to the stars (Bob Dylan, SRV) and he said, "I make a lot of money of people who removed the covers from their pickups. The first thing that happens is that sweat gets in there, then the pickup shorts out."

Uncovered pickups are wrapped in such a way that the above scenario won't happen. Pickups that are originally covered don't have that kind of protection (that's what the covers are for, after all). Translation: either stay with the covered pickups or get new ones.

[Death99K]

What about putting covers on???
Is it possible to put cover on your run of the mill humbucker? Or wont they fit? Also if they sell them can you get them in black?

[buddhaguitarist]

The traditional metal looking covers are actually chromed brass so no change in tone whether they are ON or OFF.

dude brass is known to make tone muddy. in the 70s and 80s when gibson's reputation slipped as much as fender's did, a lot of that was attributed to the fact that they started using cheaper chromed brass instead of nickel for pickup covers, hence people starting to remove the covers in the first place. i think they are back to using nickel now, as pretty much every replacement piclup company is (duncan, dimarzio etc). as for black covers... u can get them in black chrome, or solid black plastic like emg covers, with or without holes for the polepieces. check out stewmac or allparts or something. guitarelectronics.com has a pretty good selection, i believe.

[Motorhead]

Originally posted by buddhaguitarist
dude brass is known to make tone muddy. in the 70s and 80s when gibson's reputation slipped as much as fender's did, a lot of that was attributed to the fact that they started using cheaper chromed brass instead of nickel for pickup covers, hence people starting to remove the covers in the first place.

I believe you ... Seymour Duncan was the 1st to say that nickel should be used for covers back in mid '70s.

... but I need a link explaining the brass-to-nickel controversy to show people since some PU makers still make their PUs with brass covers but voice the PU differently by using formvar instead of plain enamel wire or a higher gauge wire (say 43).

If you can provide a link it would help me out a lot.

[Death99K]

Sorry to sorta go against the grain of the origional post here but im now pretty interested in putting some on.
If I cant get a hold of any covers from those sites do you think it would be possible to get an unfinished dimarzio cover and paint it black?
Also will the plastic ones destroy any of the origional tone or are they considered to have less effect than a metal cover??
Oh and how would you attach them to the pickup? My guess is to just do something like silicon the cover to the pickup where the screws go for height adjustment, however im probably wrong...
I couldnt find any plastic covers, do you have any specific links that you could give me? I searched on those sites but couldnt find it, then I though maybe some project box lids could be used but i couldnt find any that would work out.

[lp_man]

Definately leave em on, they look tons cooler.

[baby_blues]

my pickups are covered completly in metal with no holes for the polepeices. My guitar is a fenandes vertigo, the cool rare orange one that is discontinued. All the others i have seen have differenct pickups and scratch plate though. I've never seen anything like them. They look kinda like tony iommi pickups but in a silver cover.

i have no idea what is underneif! The output isn't that high, the sound like a powerfull singlecoil, but kinda bassy. Maybe a p-90?

i'm thinking of taking them off next time i change the strings just to satisfy my curiosity. But whats your opinion?

[Deke]

will covering a previously open seymour duncan custom pickup cause any problems?

[nastynate]

I put some Gibson Metal covers on my SG and it made the thing feedback like crazy. As soon as I pulled them off, it went back to being quiet. The only way I would try it again would be to wax pot the pickups after putting on the cover. Even then that doesn't guarantee they won't cause feedback.


Of course, mine may be an isolated case.

[gollywog]

i remember reading an interview with Joey Santiago once, where he explained why his 1960 reissue goldtop was pup coverless. he took the covers off after he was told by somebody (he evidently trusted) that:

"it'll sound better if you get some dust in there...and <person> was right."

well, to each his own. i'm actually a big supporter of those DIYers. if you have the knowhow (read again; if and only if you have the knowhow), play around. you can't really mess anything up so bad that you won't be able to restore.
unless you try relicing it. (that, i don't support).

[baby_blues]

surely you can just that the covers off by:

-removing the strings
-remove the pickguard
-remove the pickups from the pickguard
-the the covers off
-put it all back together

can't be that hard surely? Not much chance of messing somthing up, or am i missing somthing?

[lp_man]

Newer p'up covers dont come off at all :)

[FacingUsAll]

Originally posted by Deke
will covering a previously open seymour duncan custom pickup cause any problems?

Depending on the material, it *may* cause eddy currents that *may* alter the tone of the pickup.

[gollywog]

Originally posted by lp_man
Newer p'up covers dont come off at all :)

hacksaw ;)