David Garner
New member
Re: Should I Unpot 57 Classics ?
Those who say you cannot realistically un-pot a pickup are correct. That being the case, you can decide if you want a potted pickup or not, and if not, I would recommend just picking up a used set of Seths, Antiquities, or any of the myriad of boutique pickups that come from the winder unpotted.
My take on potting is simple. I will buy a potted pickup, or I will buy an unpotted pickup. But I will not pot an unpotted pickup, and I see no use in trying to melt the wax from one that is potted. A lot of things can be changed after the fact. Magnets, height, pole pieces, covers versus no covers, etc. But an unpotted pickup should never be potted, and a potted pickup cannot be unpotted.
FWIW, I vastly prefer unpotted, but some of my favorite pickups are also potted (the 57 Classics being among them). I love the Slash set, the stock Pearlies, the 498t/490r set, etc. None of them are exactly what I want, but they are great pickups. And I'll also say, the difference between the Slash set and my unpotted Custom Shop Pearlies is noticeable, but not really that great. It's mostly going to boil down to preference. If you play a lot of very high gain stuff, you'll want them potted.
As for playing live, I do it several times a year. I have never had any feedback issues with reasonable gain levels (up to AC/DC, GnR, Van Halen levels of gain). This was recorded at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta with a set of Wolfetone Dr. Vintage pickups that are unpotted (it's abbreviated, but it should tell the tale, and you can see I was right in front of the amp and it was cooking):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu8_kwNJYYg&feature=youtu.be
Those who say you cannot realistically un-pot a pickup are correct. That being the case, you can decide if you want a potted pickup or not, and if not, I would recommend just picking up a used set of Seths, Antiquities, or any of the myriad of boutique pickups that come from the winder unpotted.
My take on potting is simple. I will buy a potted pickup, or I will buy an unpotted pickup. But I will not pot an unpotted pickup, and I see no use in trying to melt the wax from one that is potted. A lot of things can be changed after the fact. Magnets, height, pole pieces, covers versus no covers, etc. But an unpotted pickup should never be potted, and a potted pickup cannot be unpotted.
FWIW, I vastly prefer unpotted, but some of my favorite pickups are also potted (the 57 Classics being among them). I love the Slash set, the stock Pearlies, the 498t/490r set, etc. None of them are exactly what I want, but they are great pickups. And I'll also say, the difference between the Slash set and my unpotted Custom Shop Pearlies is noticeable, but not really that great. It's mostly going to boil down to preference. If you play a lot of very high gain stuff, you'll want them potted.
As for playing live, I do it several times a year. I have never had any feedback issues with reasonable gain levels (up to AC/DC, GnR, Van Halen levels of gain). This was recorded at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta with a set of Wolfetone Dr. Vintage pickups that are unpotted (it's abbreviated, but it should tell the tale, and you can see I was right in front of the amp and it was cooking):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu8_kwNJYYg&feature=youtu.be
