Pickup Covers: On or Off?

[ACH91332]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

I just think the pickup is more responsive without covers. Just me. All my live guitars are uncovered. I can get feedback and harmonics with less effort and just sound more raw and open. I have a few guitars I have covers on and sound awesome but for all my live guitars that's just what I do. They are the only guitars I tweak and mess with electronics where as my home guitars guitars I don't use on stage and I like to keep their integrity intact.

All that said I do have one guitar I have covers on that I use live. It is a Les Paul Gold Top with the black back and it just looks way more beautiful with covers. I took out the hex screws where the covers are mounted, put slotted screws in their place and put the covers on. It is noticeably warmer but that's fine. It's a beautiful guitar that I love to use live and it's not like I'm divebombing with it anyways. It deserves to look amazing at the expense of my exact stage specs.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

IME, covers on/off depends on the pup. Overall I agree that an on cover will give a very subtle mute o the highs, and that off will give a subtle opening to the pup.

But - this is really dependent on the pup and the music. If I'm rocking my distortion through a recto setting - whatever; No difference.

My Vintage T-top, through my Pro Jr. clean...subtle difference (and not a good one in that case...).

If you can go non-potted, I think it gives a touch of air/natural verb to the pup. Very subtle thing. But not worth it if you get feedback etc...

 

[Northwinds]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

My ES-335 was made in 1980 and came from the factory with those awful "Dirty Fingers"

If you have these "awful" pups still and want to sell/trade them, they would go to an appreciative buyer so PM me if they are available (unless Aceman beat me to the PM). The Dirty Finger's properly potted and grounded are the ultimate stadium rockers and are best enjoyed in Explorer's, V's and Les Paul's

Are the pole screws gold or chrome?

 

[cheezemaster]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

I'm sure this has been asked before.. will Gibson pickup covers fit on Duncan pickups?

 

[eggman]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

Howdy,

Northwinds: Someday my lovely wife will have to sell this elegant guitar after I'm gone. I've been advised that it's value would be better if I retained the "original" P/Us, no matter how unsuited they are for this guitar!
Thanks for asking. I believe Gibson makes "Dirty Fingers" again, if you are interested. Good luck!
Eggman

 

[uOpt]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

I just had my 2000 Epi Explorer fitted with 59/JB combo, new 500K neck pot, 250K bridge pot (thanks Blueman for this great tip), Vitamin Q caps. Also had the frets recrowned and set up beautifully. I'm just getting to some really nice tones here with my Peavey Delta Blues 115. Amazing how this all has flipped this guitar on its ear. So, for now at least one more question for the forum: Pickup covers - On or Off? Right now they're off. How much tone/output difference does this make? Any input is appreciated.

Sound-wise the cover on does about the same thing as switch 500 Kohm volume pots to 300 or 250s. It is pretty hard to hear when you don't combine it with other changes (which most do).

Looks-wise I always liked the look of Les Pauls with one covered and one uncovered humbucker. It give the impression of a "work guitar", a guitar that somebody cares enough about to really go and max out it's capabilities.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

Looks-wise I always liked the look of Les Pauls with one covered and one uncovered humbucker. It give the impression of a "work guitar", a guitar that somebody cares enough about to really go and max out it's capabilities.

Or that someone was too lazy or too cheap to put a cover on the other PU. First thing I think of. It's like going outside with one shoe on.

 

[ToneSage]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

All you have to do is understand the physics of this deal! when you run the pups with covers off, you get a little bit wider range from the fact that your non-adjustable coil is "seeing" it's section of string sans interference from the ________ metal cover. (the blank is for whatever metal your covers are made from)

If you think about it, there are many tricks you can do to your humbuckers to personalize your tone if you do things WITH the covers, as opposed to leaving them off and just having the full 1.25" or whatnot of string being picked up. remember that pickups generate an alternating current so the shielding the cover provides can serve or hinder your tone, depending on what you are after.

 

[SFW]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

Depends on the guitar. I have a gold top Les Paul, so I have covers on my pups... because that's what looks right.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

If you think about it, there are many tricks you can do to your humbuckers to personalize your tone if you do things WITH the covers, as opposed to leaving them off and just having the full 1.25" or whatnot of string being picked up. remember that pickups generate an alternating current so the shielding the cover provides can serve or hinder your tone, depending on what you are after.

Since there's always more treble available at the amp (who's maxed out with their treble & presence at '10'?), you can get back the little you might lose with covers. Besides, after a while uncovered HB's get dust & lint stuck on them & look pretty shabby. To me, the only statement you make with uncovered HB's is: that while you spent the money for an aftermarket PU, you couldn't scrape up the extra $10 for a cover to do it right. How many of you have cars with hubcaps? And how crappy do cars look without them?

 

[Aceman]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

I don't agree with "You can always get it back."

with passive tone, the best you can do is max whatever is there in the first place. If a guitar has lousy highs - no bloom, mush, not crip, etc...all you do by pushing the eq is making a very loud version of a crappy sound.

If the cover really adversly affects some of the subtle but key aspects of the high, boosting the treble will only make it more apparent.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

i think the tonal difference between covers and no cover is noticeable but not a night and day difference. i also dont think you can get the same effect of no cover with a cover and turning up the treble on the amp. you can add high end to the tone but it isnt the same.

 

[cakire82]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

Is the same case for plastic or wood covers? If I were to cover my JB with a plastic would it also change the sound(same hight)? Do I need to use the waxing procedure also for plastic or wood covers>

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

plastic and wood covers shouldnt effect the tone other than they typically result in the pup being further from the strings

 

[cakire82]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

plastic and wood covers shouldnt effect the tone other than they typically result in the pup being further from the strings

So as long as distance between the pole pieces' top point and string is same wood or plastic cover would not effect the sound. It is nice to now.

Do wood or plastic covers require waxing before they are mounted on pickups?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

i also dont think you can get the same effect of no cover with a cover and turning up the treble on the amp. you can add high end to the tone but it isnt the same.

If there is a difference between open coil, versus covers with a little more treble added at the amp, that doesn't mean that the difference is a bad thing. It may be a tone some players like better.

And of course, a lot of us try to warm our bridge PU's with magnets and 250K pots (or just the fact that we prefer our bridge PU's to be overwound), and having covers helps in that regard. The challenge I have with every guitar is getting more mids & less treble in the bridge PU. Good lord, treble's always there in abundance.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

All you have to do is understand the physics of this deal! when you run the pups with covers off, you get a little bit wider range from the fact that your non-adjustable coil is "seeing" it's section of string sans interference from the ________ metal cover. (the blank is for whatever metal your covers are made from)

If you think about it, there are many tricks you can do to your humbuckers to personalize your tone if you do things WITH the covers, as opposed to leaving them off and just having the full 1.25" or whatnot of string being picked up. remember that pickups generate an alternating current so the shielding the cover provides can serve or hinder your tone, depending on what you are after.

I'm sorry but this is kind of glibberish.

The covers are not magnetic, they don't do anything to how the magnetic field "sees" the strings. The sound change (if you leave the pickups at the same height and the polepieces the same amount out) comes from eddie currents which dampen the amplitude of the resonance peak (which is the same thing a lower value volume pot does).

As mentioned mechanical issues and the fact that guitarists will use the covered pickups at different heights with the polepiece farther out causes a bigger difference than that.

 

[Señor Verde]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

I generally agree with uOpt on this. If you have covers on and remove them, but put the pickup back in without readjusting the poles and put the pup the same distance from the string as before there won't be any noticeable difference, if you use a good, thin, all nickel cover. I use bare nickel covers from Mojo or Gibson nickel covers. these are all solid nickel and do not contain brass or copper. they are also the thinnest I have found.

I also agree with Zang. I put a short line of GE silicone across the slugs and clamp the cover on tight before soldering it into position. Since the pickup was potted originally the only feedback you need to worry about is caused by the cover. That bead of silicone will keep the cover from vibrating and feeding back.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Pickup Covers: On or Off?

Make sure you use a good quality nickel cover. Gibson "bridge" covers fit SD trembuckers, "neck" covers fit standard width SD's. I've done this a couple times and the effect is so miniscule it's not really worth mentioning. In my experience it's not even close swapping a 500K to a 250K, but I've never used one of those brass covers. I've heard they suck out the high end, so that's probably the case with whoever said that.