Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

[Mukobi]

I recently purchased a guitar (Dean EVO Special Select), and the previous owner had swapped out the pickups for a GFS Brown Sound in the bridge and a Gibson 490R in the neck. For whatever reason, these pickups came with ugly black pickup covers, so I decided to take them out.

The GFS cover came off easily enough, but when I unscrewed the 490R to take off its cover, I noticed something weird. The height adjustment screw holes are part of the cover and not actually attached to the pickup, which means if I were to remove the cover, the pickups would have no way of attaching to the guitar body! Here is a picture of what it looks like.



What should I do to get rid of that ugly plastic while still having a working guitar? Is there some sort of part I can buy that replaces the metal back plate on the pickup with a plate that has screw holes? Or is there a metal cover I can buy that comes with screw holes attached to it?68

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

You've pretty much gotta just sell it and get a "regular" one instead.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

Yep, that particular version with the black cover is an all or nothing one.

 

[copperheadroads]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

What a joke as how Gibson can take a 490r & totally change it .
ditch the Nickel base plate & use 2 slug coils (which really will change the tone it adds treble ) add a flat brass base & glue it all in a plastic cover & still call it a 490r .

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

It is almost as if Gibson is making a fake version of its own product. :fingersx:

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

What a joke as how Gibson can take a 490r & totally change it .
ditch the Nickel base plate & use 2 slug coils (which really will change the tone it adds treble ) add a flat brass base & glue it all in a plastic cover & still call it a 490r .

I'd say that's Gibson in a nutshell.

 

[jtees4]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

I don't understand why people think this is a problem per Gibson. It is not the standard 490R uncovered or chrome covered pickup, and they didn't try to make it out to be. It's the plastic covered pickup that is meant to stay covered. The specs are i believe the same as a 490R so it is a 490R. I do agree, you need to just get a new pickup if you want a chrome cover.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Gibson 490R screw adjustment holes built into cover

I don't understand why people think this is a problem per Gibson. It is not the standard 490R uncovered or chrome covered pickup, and they didn't try to make it out to be. It's the plastic covered pickup that is meant to stay covered. The specs are i believe the same as a 490R so it is a 490R. I do agree, you need to just get a new pickup if you want a chrome cover.

That's the problem. The specs aren't the same. The regular 490R has a nickel baseplate which has different magnetic properties compared to a brass baseplate. Also, screws create a differently shaped magnetic field compared to slugs. If this pickup has two slug coils then that's an instant difference.

This is kinda like when they reintroduced the Les Paul in 1962.