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Do pickup covers affect tone?

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  • #46
    Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

    Originally posted by super rad stuff View Post
    for the most part, the covers won't affect the tone because whenever people put them on, they usually raise the adjustable screws out a couple turns to make the height match look-wise, cancelling out the rounding of the high end from the cover. the high end will be ever-so-slightly-rounder, and that's about it.
    This is a good point and absolutely true. Maybe thats why I hear very little difference. Like I said in my previous post, the difference is so minimal, you can compensate in other ways. But the difference is so subtle, you yourself might not even notice.
    If I know I'm going crazy, I must not be insane.

    Originally posted by TheLivingDead
    DON'TGETMADBRO

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    • #47
      Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

      Well, I guess I will just leave it as I like it better visually. I guess the plastic covers with holes for all 12 poles won't make a difference in sound.

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      • #48
        Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

        Originally posted by Benjy_26 View Post
        Unless you set up your pickups to where the poles are flush with the flatwork and the pickup itself is kissing the strings, your argument holds no water. Plastic is non-conductive.
        Do I gotta do a video demonstration?


        Try the following:
        You'll need a metal screw that a magnet will attract (pickup height adjustment screw), and a magnet.


        Take a pickup cover (metal or plastic) and drop a screw into it that the magnet will attract, then place the height adjustment screw on the magnet in an upright position (hold it with your fingers, as it would be touching the magnet inside the pickup), then touch the screw directly under the cover. Move it around and watch the screw inside it follow loosely.

        Next, place the screw onto a sheet of printer paper and the magnet+screw directly underneath (screw head touching the paper). The screw follows more tightly than with the cover.



        I've been sitting here as I type this doing these exact tests with a ceramic magnet, a plastic cover, a metal cover, a sheet of paper, and a pickup height adjustment screw. Those are the results.



        Originally posted by post toastie View Post
        my thought is that without covers you get more of a hollow body sound. in my uncovered guitars i find that when played without amplification, you can hear the notes bouncing out of the cavity. a very wooden sound. not exactly a true hollow body sound, but definitely setting out in that direction.
        This is my impression as well. Best way I can define it is Tony Iommi's tone on Wheels Of Confusion from Vol.4 compared to the smoother, less middy tone of Tomorrow's Dream.

        There's a slight metallic "honk" or midrange arc.
        Originally posted by Brown Note
        I'm soooooo jealous about the WR-1. It's the perfect guitar; fantastic to play, balances well even when seated and *great* reach for the upper frets. The sound is bright tight and very articulate. In summary it could only be more awesome if it had b00bs and was on fire!
        My Blog

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        • #49
          Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

          Originally posted by DrNewcenstein View Post
          Do I gotta do a video demonstration?


          Try the following:
          You'll need a metal screw that a magnet will attract (pickup height adjustment screw), and a magnet.


          Take a pickup cover (metal or plastic) and drop a screw into it that the magnet will attract, then place the height adjustment screw on the magnet in an upright position (hold it with your fingers, as it would be touching the magnet inside the pickup), then touch the screw directly under the cover. Move it around and watch the screw inside it follow loosely.

          Next, place the screw onto a sheet of printer paper and the magnet+screw directly underneath (screw head touching the paper). The screw follows more tightly than with the cover.



          I've been sitting here as I type this doing these exact tests with a ceramic magnet, a plastic cover, a metal cover, a sheet of paper, and a pickup height adjustment screw. Those are the results.





          This is my impression as well. Best way I can define it is Tony Iommi's tone on Wheels Of Confusion from Vol.4 compared to the smoother, less middy tone of Tomorrow's Dream.

          There's a slight metallic "honk" or midrange arc.
          I know exactly what you're saying, but again I think that your logic is flawed. A humbucker is usually not set up to be physically touching the strings. This should leave enough adjustment range so that you can raise it that extra bit after installing a plastic cover so that the distance between the bottom loaded mag and the strings remains essentially the same. Since a plastic cover will not affect the overall inductance of the circuit or modify the eddy currents, there should be no change in tone.
          Ain't nothin' but a G thang, baby.

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          • #50
            Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

            Changing pickup height versus polepieces height leads to a major change in sound even if you keep the strings-to-magnet or strings-to-polepieces height the same. Of course people hear a major difference after putting the cover on when they got the polepieces out. Usually they also set the pickup lower by whatever the cover offset is.

            Doesn't change the fact that even with height the same and polepieces in the same place there is a change from a conductive cover.

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            • #51
              Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

              Originally posted by DrNewcenstein View Post

              Best way I can define it is Tony Iommi's tone on Wheels Of Confusion from Vol.4 compared to the smoother, less middy tone of Tomorrow's Dream.

              There's a slight metallic "honk" or midrange arc.
              very interesting.

              which brings us to: "and what of covers WITHOUT holes ?"

              i wonder if there's any data on the difference between holes and no holes ?

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              • #52
                Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

                Originally posted by DrNewcenstein View Post
                Take a pickup cover (metal or plastic) and drop a screw into it that the magnet will attract, then place the height adjustment screw on the magnet in an upright position (hold it with your fingers, as it would be touching the magnet inside the pickup), then touch the screw directly under the cover. Move it around and watch the screw inside it follow loosely.

                Next, place the screw onto a sheet of printer paper and the magnet+screw directly underneath (screw head touching the paper). The screw follows more tightly than with the cover.
                Of course it does. Paper is a lot thinner than a cover, much more pliable and offers a lot less physical resistance.
                Generic signature line.

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                • #53
                  Re: Do pickup covers affect tone?

                  So, morale of the story is: if you feel you must cover your pups, make sure they are pretty high end already so the sound isn't affected as much??

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