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Post subject: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:41 am
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I am looking at some metal covers for high output single coil pickups. I have read some technical information that says metal covers can create strong "eddy" currents.

This tech info is way over my head, but if I chew it all up and barf it back, it seems that metal covers and "eddy" currents can reduce resonant peaks, attack sensitivity slopes, and other stuff that sounds bad. But I am not an expert.

Yet, I see Gibsons, Tele, Gretsch, lipsticks, Fender Humbees all over the place with metal pickup covers. Why would all these folks use them if they really do dull the sound?

I am very curious and would greatly appreciate your sage and personal opinion about the benefits/hazards of metal pickup covers.

I have a Squier 51 that I am interested in returning to a more original appearance. I would like to use a MIM strat pickup in the neck position with a metal cover to look more original rather than use the anemic 4.5K stock pickup.

Thanks for your kind consideration of my latest Axe Dilemma


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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 6:06 am
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itswhatido wrote:
I am looking at some metal covers for high output single coil pickups. I have read some technical information that says metal covers can create strong "eddy" currents.

This tech info is way over my head, but if I chew it all up and barf it back, it seems that metal covers and "eddy" currents can reduce resonant peaks, attack sensitivity slopes, and other stuff that sounds bad. But I am not an expert.

Yet, I see Gibsons, Tele, Gretsch, lipsticks, Fender Humbees all over the place with metal pickup covers. Why would all these folks use them if they really do dull the sound?

I am very curious and would greatly appreciate your sage and personal opinion about the benefits/hazards of metal pickup covers.

I have a Squier 51 that I am interested in returning to a more original appearance. I would like to use a MIM strat pickup in the neck position with a metal cover to look more original rather than use the anemic 4.5K stock pickup.

Thanks for your kind consideration of my latest Axe Dilemma


Actually, there are two reasons. The first obviously is cosmetic; the second is for shielding. Some players are very adamant about shielding "the living fecal matter" out of their instruments for quietest operation. Conversely, others want the most volume and frequency response they can get out of their instruments and do not concern themselves with the former's ideology. And then there's the third camp that wants the guitar to look as aesthetically pleasing as possible so if the covers do that, well then that's that and they deal with the sonic fallout, good, bad or indifferent.

As to "dulling the sound", yes, covers and/or extreme shielding do but "dulling" in the commonly accepted sense of the word may be too extreme. At best to most ears, it is like setting the volume and tone pot permanently on '9' by comparison with the cover(s) off.

Just like choices of picks, string sets, etc, this issue too is the prerogative of the individual player.

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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:25 pm
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Yep, I get it. Extraordinarily useful!!

In my specific case, the resonant sound of the input chain is everything. Well, almost. It's always nice to have a nice looking excellent sounding guitar.

My guitar is excessively bright. A minor loss in wide open throttle will, in my case, most likely be a blessing yielding a tone improvement to my ears. I don't shred much at all. Not that it's a bad thing, just doesn't stir my soul the way a fat sounding P90 does. I use overdrive to gently warm up my amp sound sometimes. Rarely can I command a "Slash" tone where drive is a consistent component.

I am going with metal covers, a soft set on pickup height to cool things off a little, and TUSQ saddle and nut upgrades to build body, sustain, and knock some more of the bright out of this guitar.

I very much appreciate and respect your insight into this topic. You've given me a very practical way to view my latest curiosity. I hope I have described my sound more clearly. Interested in your opinion on my intentions as I hope to balance the low/mid/high sound of my basswood Squier 51 strat with maple fretboard, only one MIM strat pickup and a single humbucker as well.


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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 8:09 am
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Glad to be of assistance.

Consider too with covers, the pickup(s) cannot be as close to the strings than without. Also, that it is the slug coil of any HB where more of the strings are sensed than that of the screw coil where here too, the slug coil is further away than the screw coil as literally, the screws can be adjusted up through the cover. Consequently with a cover, any pickup will be sending a weaker/cleaner signal to the amp. Needless to say, by necessity, frequency response is attenuated as well. I don't buy into the popular notion of covers being "acoustically invisible" for one hot second either.

Well, you asked for it:

I may be in a minority here but I do not place as high an emphasis on body woods for tonality of a pickup as most do. Rather, I find the totality of the hardware is more of a factor where the woods and the guitar's construction are more involved in the guitar's overall resonance than sound shaping. For example, a Les Paul with P-90s and a 'hot' Tele can certainly do each other's job (YMMV).

The physics involved in where a given pickup is placed in or on the body of the guitar must also be considered.

Actively using a tone pot or pots seems to be a 'lost art' nowadays. For example, I've had people come up to me and say things along the lines of that they love the sound of their neck pickup but the bridge pickup seems just a hair too bright so let's change the pickup, pots, caps or whatever. I astonish them when I lower the tone pot to about '8' and lo and behold, their problem is not only solved but they were completely oblivious to the fact that the solution was literally free and under their nose. Now I'm not saying this is the situation with you, per se. Rather, what I am saying is that in accordance with my prior paragaraph, there are certain, INHERENT factors with the construction of any and ALL instruments which cannot or will not change without extreme electronic intervention. Granted too, superior hardware usually makes for a superior responding instrument however (and at the risk of being redundant), this can also change the tonality of the instrument. Consequently and realistically, any guitar can be modified to mimic another sonically if one keeps heaping on the electronics, piezos and EQs also included.

I will say this too: The frequency response of a 'generic' Tele neck pickup will dwarf vs. the frequency response of a 'generic', full sized HB as each are what they are where this issue segues into the whole 250K vs. 500K pots along with .022uf vs. 047 caps aspects.

Diatribe off!

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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:04 am
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As usual, Martian -- an excellent dissertation!

(insert serious applause emoticon here)

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 12:51 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
As usual, Martian -- an excellent dissertation!

(insert serious applause emoticon here)

Arjay


I thank you!

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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:29 pm
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Thank you for sharing your considerable insight. Now its up to me to transform enlightenment into boogie and soul. Keeping my fingers crossed when I am not playing!


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Post subject: Re: Metal covers decrease resonant peaks?
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:36 pm
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itswhatido wrote:
Thank you for sharing your considerable insight. Now its up to me to transform enlightenment into boogie and soul. Keeping my fingers crossed when I am not playing!


Glad to help!

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