P90s with no covers on them?

[J E C]

The build that I have been working on is going to have a HB (hopefully a 78) in the bridge with no cover, and a normal sized P90 in the neck. I was thinking of mounting it without a cover to better match the look of the bridge PU.
What do you guys think?
Also, do P90s have the copper shielding tape rapped around the coil like SD HBs? I have never owned a P90 nor ever pulled one out of a guitar that I have worked on, so any incite is very much appreciated.
Thanks, John.

 

[AlexR]

Re: P90s with no covers on them?

Well, for one you'll have to do your rout a fair bit smaller. Those covers probably account for 8mm in both width and length.

The other thing is that they look a little messy aesthetically. The bobbins are wide, but the coil is actually shallow and doesn't reach anywhere near the edges like a humbucker - so you'll have these two wafer looking bits of plastic and a 'void' in between. Its also a place you could get 'things' caught on. The bobbins also look like the cover over them, so there's no massive difference in look.

 

[uOpt]

Re: P90s with no covers on them?

Unfortunately the things are pretty ugly without a cover with their large top plate with sharp corners.

 

[Frogman]

Re: P90s with no covers on them?

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: P90s with no covers on them?

Go for it. Why not? I'd just make sure to cover the sides with something to keep the gunk out. 3M brand Photo Tape would be ideal if you don't want to buy a roll of bona-fide coil tape. they are both pretty much the same thing anyhow, but the 3M stuff is available more places and usually isn't as expensive.

 

[J E C]

Re: P90s with no covers on them?

Thanks for the responses. I was thinking of no cover to 1) give it a similar look. 2) so it would be a little smaller in size to better match the HB since I am not using a mount ring. One problem with this idea that I see right off, the pole pieces don't screw down in to the bobbin like they do in a HB. This is the main ugliness issue. Of coarse a person could cut and trim the cover so only the top to sits on it. When I get one, I will have to get a second cover to play around with. Maybe trim it and mount the PU in a rout in a scrap piece of wood to see how it looks.