humbuckers... with metal covers or without???

da rok · **Joined:** Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:38 am **Posts:** 392

i mainly use single coils... but ive modded my ibanez and i was wondering if i should put a metal cover on the humbucker or not... i have a tonerider ac4, which gives a bb king type of tone, i heard somewhere that by putting a cover on it i will lose a bit of trebble, seeing that this is already a mellow pickup, i think it will be too muddy or isnt the difference that big? wats ur guys comments?

Martian · **Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:58 pm

da rok wrote:

i mainly use single coils... but ive modded my ibanez and i was wondering if i should put a metal cover on the humbucker or not... i have a tonerider ac4, which gives a bb king type of tone, i heard somewhere that by putting a cover on it i will lose a bit of trebble, seeing that this is already a mellow pickup, i think it will be too muddy or isnt the difference that big? wats ur guys comments?

It will lose a small amount of treble, gain a small amount of bass and because you can't get the polepieces as close to the strings with a cover on as you could with it off, you'll lose a small of volume.

da rok · **Joined:** Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:38 am **Posts:** 392

i think i can deal with that... the gold covers will sure look good :mrgreen:

TimDrakeMusic · **Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:52 pm

I like the look of the metal covers. And anything it changes can surely be compensated for by tweaking a knob or two on your amp.

radio_friendly_unit_shifter · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:24 am

i was always wondering if the covers make a tone difference....

way cool jr · **Joined:** Tue May 18, 2010 7:34 pm **Posts:** 6911

do they make chrome single coil covers and humbucker sized single coil covers martian?

da rok · **Joined:** Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:38 am **Posts:** 392

ive never seen a chrome cover for a normal sized single coil... that would be pretty sweet...

way cool jr · **Joined:** Tue May 18, 2010 7:34 pm **Posts:** 6911

yes it would. we shall wait to see what martian says.
hes a great source for all things pups.

Martian · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:52 am

way cool jr wrote:

do they make chrome single coil covers and humbucker sized single coil covers martian?

Thanks, guys!

In a direct answer to your question, yes, take for example Tele neck pickups. Also, DiMarzio makes chrome bobbin covers for their pickups. Other manufacturers even use some kind of "close to" chrome coating over plastic covers.

Ceri · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:40 am

Martian wrote:

Other manufacturers even use some kind of "close to" chrome coating over plastic covers.

For example, ninth item down on this page:

http://www.axesrus.com/axepupcovs.htm#PUC

I'm sure people can find those covers on a website near them. WDMusic offer them, though for a stupidly high price:

http://www.wdmusic.com/single_coil_pick ... _of_3.html

Also, I have a hazy memory of someone on this Forum having polished aluminium/aluminum single-coil pickup covers custom made for him by a machine shop. But I've searched hard and can't find that old thread. Rats...

Still, it can be done. Dunno what real metal enclosures around a single-coil pickup might do to its sound, though?

Cheers - C

Martian · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:58 am

Ceri wrote:

...Dunno what real metal enclosures around a single-coil pickup might do to its sound, though?

Cheers - C

It will create eddy currents, thus changing and usually attenuating the subject pickup's output and frequency response. As to outright cutting down on the hum, that is debatable considering the magnetic polepieces remain the greatest receptor of EMI.

JSJH · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 11:00 am

Chromed covers helped "slightly tame" the fire-breathers on the Gibson SG Faded.

Carvin seens to swear by them as a viable option.

Martian · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 11:20 am

JSJH wrote:

Chromed covers helped "slightly tame" the fire-breathers on the Gibson SG Faded.

Carvin seens to swear by them as a viable option.

If as in the case of Carvins, the covers are solid, meaning that they do not have openings for polepieces, they will be more effective than the usual types. On the other hand, Carvin pickups do not have solid base plates. Rather, they have two open slits which expose the coils/polepieces from underneath.

The bottom line is, other than for cosmetic purposes, everything is a trade off one way or the other.

As I and so many others have stated so many times, this whole hum thing has been blown way out of proportion to the point of paranoia with MANY a player. In my case, the generation before me never even had humbucking pickups yet their instruments and music fare quite well. YMMV.

da rok · **Joined:** Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:38 am **Posts:** 392

in almost all my guitars ( mailny single coil) i have almost no hum... but i have re wired them all... they used to hum before... was a bad earthing problem in all my cases...

T2Stratman · **Posted:** Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:38 am

I actually prefer not having the chrome covers...I took the cover off my tele rhythm pick-up and it had a significant increase in volume and highs. The front pick-up is much more useable now and I have not seen any increase in noise either.

FWIW

T2

:mrgreen:

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