Questions about open humbucker cover.

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psychepool

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I would like to use this type of open cover.
There is no other reason, just an apparent reason.

The question is, is there a sound difference when you attach an open cover?
When the nickel cover is installed, it feels milder than when it is open.
I wonder if there is such a kind when the open cover is attached.

And if you just tinker with the plate without wax porting, are there any other issues? I am a bit worried about the problem something like howling. Please answer.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Hi,
I have 2 of these I have used on my Gibson guitars bridge. Just on the bridge, on my SG 61, and a L.Paul Jr., just for looks.
I made sure they were nickel, and I aged them myself with a little white apple vinegar, strong vinegar. If I switch to a more powerful p'up, like a 59/Custom hybrid, I think on the Gibsons the whole cover (nickel) looks the best.
I prefer an open bridge always. But my LPJr was very boring looking with an open black humbucker, so with my zebra Seth Lover and an aged open cover, it it is just cool looking. It looks cool by itself with a black dog ear, or a nickel covered humbucker, but I really like the sound of an open p'up.
That is why on my white Strats I had MJ, and Throbak, and also Electric City Pickups make me double coil white bucker's, which I use only in the bridge, so they match great with my white single coils. Not cream, but snow white. So no need for any open covers on those, they look great, just like two singles pushed together.
I hope that helps you. I really think nickel is cool. Don't know why chrome is making a comeback. They are so bright it is distracting, and I felt that way before I even had my first Gibson. But clearly, that's just me. My 2 cents.
Steve Buffington
 
Questions about open humbucker cover.

I had partially open covers like on a filtertron and they tightened the bass and warmed up the highest trebles. It was very subtle though. Not detrimental, just different. I liked the subtle difference


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Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

"Very subtle" is putting it mildly. I don't believe that there is ANY audible difference between uncovered pups and ones with open covers, all else being equal. The benefit is that you can wax pot your pup under the open cover, if you want to. The open covers are also very, very sexy.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

I think those types of covers look great, while protecting the bobbins.
I also subscribe to the notion that ANY magnetically transparent cover DOES NOT affect the tone of the pickups.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Uh-oh, a question for the lab coat crowd. lol!

Technically, they "could" have an impact. But I think you'd have to be like Eric Johnson or Yngwie to hear it. I have a few Mojotone sets with the open covers. I think the biggest draw to them is that they are handy for people that like their pickup way close to the strings, but don't want to do the Dimebag "tape trick"
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

I certainly think I couldn't hear a difference. In fact, I know I couldn't. I think it is more for a certain look. It has a cool retro thing going. But you might need some pretty sensitive ears to hear a difference.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

I don't have direct experience using those particular covers, but I would expect any affect to be more detectable if it were next to another pickup, like in a HHH Gibson or an HSS situation. It's like the claw shield on Jaguar pickups.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

ICTGoober said:
I think those types of covers look great, while protecting the bobbins.
I also subscribe to the notion that ANY magnetically transparent cover DOES NOT affect the tone of the pickups.
Click to expand...

+1. For me the problem is not strings getting caught under the pups but on the side of the pole's threads. Happened to my UV/Blazes. Some sort of film on the top would help.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

To what degree do nickel/silver humbuckers provide EMF shielding?

The Jaguar claw was mentioned; I've always felt the claw cut down on a lot of noise (or else by experience, Jaguars can be silent guitars compared to say Jazzmasters, and my belief was that the "claw" was implemented in part as a fix for that noise.) Leading me to wonder/highjack, I'm not certain whether the claw on a Jaguar is transparent/nickel silver or brass, steel or something else... Anyone knowledeable?
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

GilmourD said:
By design? You realize that Seth Lover designed them with covers, right?
Click to expand...

tell that to all those blasphemers who don't use metal shielding (read : most of the biggest pups makers)
 
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Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Is the claim now that conductive paint in the cavities of a humbucker guitar won't have any effect?
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Open covers have no effect on the tone that I've been able to detect. [Full disclosure, I only have one pair of these right now.]

o6hfELN.jpg

Even those who do perceive a difference agree it's negligible. The good news in this for those who wish to try them is, it's not necessary to seek out the best quality nickel silver for these- IMO you can probably use cheap ones without worrying about degrading your tone.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Covers do effect tone in subtle ways. The bareknuckle covers vs open coils video shows this off.

Certain covers are more tonally transparent than others. It all depends on the prep that is done to put on the final plating.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

AlexR said:
Covers do effect tone in subtle ways. The bareknuckle covers vs open coils video shows this off.

Certain covers are more tonally transparent than others. It all depends on the prep that is done to put on the final plating.
Click to expand...

Not sure whether you realized the thread isn't about regular covers- it's about "open" covers which have the top cut out over the coils and only cover the sides of the pickup.

Many of us agree with you that regular covers can change the tone of a humbucker, especially the high end. The general consensus seems to be that good nickel silver covers affect the tone only slightly, while cheap covers can indeed dull the tone quite a bit.

But very few seem to hear a noticeable difference using the open-topped covers. Speaking only for myself, I've never noticed a difference.
 
Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

greekdude said:
tell that to all those blasphemers who don't use metal shielding (read : most of the biggest pups makers)
Click to expand...
Go back and read what you said then read what I said. You will then realize why this reply is a non sequitur.

Also, cover removal wasn't done by designers. It was done by people like Eric Clapton and before there was an aftermarket and the aftermarket is catering to people that like that.

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Re: Questions about open humbucker cover.

Eddy currents swirl perpendicular to the changing magnetic field. The string is magnetized in the same direction as the pole piece, so the eddy currents move around in circle patterns directly below the guitar strings. The currents swirl in the slugs and screws, and if you have a metal cover, then they also swirl in the cover, over the slugs, and around the tops of the fillister screws. The open top covers decrease eddy currents almost as much as having no cover at all, though some currents still manage to swirl around the whole perimeter of the open cover. If the cover were to have a very fine cut through it somewhere, there would be virtually no eddy currents to speak of.
 
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