freak show Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I was thinking of trying out a humbucker without the cover, just to see if I could hear a difference. Are the metal covers soldered to the actual pickup, or can they be removed and reattached without "surgery"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Usually, soldered tight and you will need to use an iron to sort it, Musikron will sort you out I remember something about a really hot iron and working quickly as the soldered joints are usually quite substantial. You might be lucky though the pups on my Sherris are sort of glued and on one pup the cover is actually free. but usually soldered like this with two lumps of solder Ease them out and check the backs, also if potted you will have to remove wax after taking the covers off they might not look pretty... I plan to take the gold covers off my SD Jazz/JB in the future. Good luck and I will be looking at this thread with interest.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak show Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Wow, that was an informative answer! Thanks, Joe! Unfortunately, I may just decide to "postpone" my little experiment now. I had been hoping that one could remove the cover without altering the guitar. All this talk of solder joints and wax makes me uneasy. You see, I like the way the pickups sound now. If I were to take off the covers, scrape out the wax, and then come to the conclusion that there was no improvement, I'm not sure I would be able to return the pickup to its original state. Actually, to be quite honest I suspect that I would probably end up with a smoking heap of charred wood and wire. LOL, maybe I should try to acquire a "project guitar" (and a soldering iron!), before I take the plunge... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 LOL' date=' maybe I should try to acquire a "project guitar" (and a soldering iron!), before I take the plunge...[/quote'] All my guitars are project guitars.....that's 75% of the fun........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 All my guitars are project guitars.....that's 75% of the fun........... Well ... at least HALF! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AS90 Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Yep, you need a VERY hot iron. Why not visit your local store and play an Epi LP Classic and a LP Standard to compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I always found it hard to hear the difference. It's there allright, but it's hard to say whether it improved or deteriorated the tone. I reckon the difference is more substantial if playing on ultra hi-gain settings, not sure. I never do. It's easy to put the covers back on. In some guitars I just pressed them on. If they're too roomy you could just use a dab of glue or rubber cement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjael Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 AS90 had the best idea, comparing two almost-identical guitars with open and closed pickups would be easiest. Failing that, you could just grab a set off ebay for $30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Wow' date=' that was an informative answer! Thanks, Joe! Unfortunately, I may just decide to "postpone" my little experiment now. I had been hoping that one could remove the cover without altering the guitar. All this talk of solder joints and wax makes me uneasy. You see, I like the way the pickups sound now. If I were to take off the covers, scrape out the wax, and then come to the conclusion that there was no improvement, [b']I'm not sure I would be able to return the pickup to its original state.[/b] Actually, to be quite honest I suspect that I would probably end up with a smoking heap of charred wood and wire. LOL, maybe I should try to acquire a "project guitar" (and a soldering iron!), before I take the plunge... It's not that big a job really as most of the covers are spot soldered in two places and applying any inexpensive soldering iron and running a pen knife through the heated solder blob will ensure a gap and proper separation....but.. once the cover is removed on p_ups that were not intended to be that way..it's not a pretty p_up to look at and you will have bits of wax coming off as well. I've done it as an experiment and there is a barely perceptible difference, but that's just my opinion...for what it's worth. Putting the cover back should be no problem..just slip it on and add some electronic solder after heating it up...the compromised wax potting will be though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak show Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 Thanks for the input, guys! The general consensus seems to be that removing the covers doesn't make a big difference, so I think I may just wait and try to compare guitars with and without in a store. That was a great idea. But I am starting to feel the craving to tinker a bit. I think I see a "project guitar" in my future, but I should probably start off by getting myself some fire insurance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smips65 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 And a drop cloth for all the running wax, unless of course, you like guitar candles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I'm fixing to go the opposite direction and install covers on my Flying-V's ceramic p'ups, and pot them with a high temp beeswax/parafin mix. I really like the 496r/500t ceramics, but i'd like to "sweeten" them up just a touch. I'll let y'all know how it went when it's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 A roll of solder wick goes a long way in getting that melted solder out of the way while it is molten. I actually like it better than the vacuum solder suckers, since you have to keep cocking them while melting solder with the iron. Solder suckers are good for removing solder from small components. I vote for buying a set of humbuckers from ebay for the test. At least you can go back easily if you decide there's not enough difference in the sound after the swap. Plus, you can sell the set you like the least after the test. Once you have unsoldered and unpotted the stock pickups, you have a job ahead of you to get them back to stock condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 The variance in tone is slight at best. Sometimes I believe I am imagining it, and very well could be. It took a bling tase test to convince me I couldn't hear a difference in caps, so this may be the same. I think of the covers as a strictly aesthetic choice whether or not to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpplayer Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I agree. I think a removed cover is more an aesthetic thing than a drastic tone difference. Maybe a slight bit brighter but thats it- just my opinion. Tip with wax removal: place the pickup on top of a mound of paper towel, and use a hair dryer on high heat. Melt it away, and the wax soaks in to the paper towels. Much easier than trying to scrape it all off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I agree. I think a removed cover is more an aesthetic thing than a drastic tone difference. Maybe a slight bit brighter but thats it- just my opinion. Tip with wax removal: place the pickup on top of a mound of paper towel' date=' and use a hair dryer on high heat. Melt it away, and the wax soaks in to the paper towels. Much easier than trying to scrape it all off.[/quote'] If I am removing wax form the bobbins I just wipe it off. Simple and keeps the rest of the wax where you want it, in the coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpplayer Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Yes possible to wipe it off too, but you still have an unsightly excess here and there. I used the dryer only enough to get any large amounts of wax off, and still keep the wax inside the pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 The best way of course is to wipe away any excess wax right after you pot the pickup and it cools slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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