Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

[Starman]

I recently got a shop floor custom SH-6n Distortion Neck and it was ordered with long leg baseplate for my Les Paul which has early “tall” type vintage/historic pickup rings.

As soon as it arrived I installed a high quality repro aged nickel PAF type cover on it.

The cover didn’t go “down” as far as a normal cover would, and I had to raise the pole screws a lot to have them come out of the cover holes.

I realized tha most likely the thick ceramic magnet changed the height of the bobbins off the baseplate, yes? Am I correct?

Then issue #2 was that the now installed height of the pickup is automatically raised a bit over a normal humbucker. Thus during my adjusting I usually make the neck pickup flush to ever so slightly below the pickup ring, but with long leg baseplate I run out of adjustment screw length to lower the pickup as far as I wish.

So it appears running covers and long leg baseplate in a thick ceramic Duncan can be an issue on LP style mounting. If I left it uncovered it wouldn’t be too much of an issue it seems.

Anyone else ever run across this?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

The cover didn’t go “down” as far as a normal cover would, and I had to raise the pole screws a lot to have them come out of the cover holes.

If you had to raise the screws a lot, I think perhaps the cover didn't seat properly on the pickup. They are made with double thick mag/spacers though. That could affect your height adjustment but the difference is only 1/8" I think.

 

[Starman]

Re: Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

Yes it was only about 1/8” or a very slight bit more, but that is a lot on such a small object. The cover was clamped on, it defiantly was seated completely.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

if the cover is sitting on the top of the bobbin, you shouldnt have had to raise the screws any more than usual. the screws always need to be raised a bit to be flush with the cover so if you have the cover flush with the top, there probably isnt anything out of the ordinary

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

if the cover is sitting on the top of the bobbin, you shouldnt have had to raise the screws any more than usual. the screws always need to be raised a bit to be flush with the cover so if you have the cover flush with the top, there probably isnt anything out of the ordinary

That was my thinking too.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Installing cover on ceramic mag pickups questions

Starman, when you say the cover didn't go down as far as usual, are you judging that by the amount you had to raise the pole screws, or by the amount of overlap in back at the edges of the baseplate?

Either way, you might be able to drill out the screwholes in the legs (the way people do for direct mounting) then attach nuts for the mounting screws to the top side instead of the bottom. Even if they have to be slightly further apart than the original holes were, I think your screws should be able to thread okay, especially since they'll be all the way at the end. That might get you a little extra adjustment room.