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pickups covered vs un covered differences?


guitar_randy

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I have a 2001 special and put in a set of the 496r and 500t that I put covers on with 9-46's and really liked them, I wanted to play a little more with the pickup set so then I took the cover's back off and installed 10-52 and man just with that mod only, this thing smokes. I say huge difference with the covers off. Way back in the day everyone was pulling the covers, even jimmy page thought and said and did, pulling the covers sounded better to him and a host of many of our guitar gods though so also. Even so much as Gibson offers many guitars in their line up with uncovered pickups because of well jimmy page just for one, and oh-yea you gain all around with the covers off.

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Put some covers on my sg special faded yesterday.Ver y little to no sound/tone difference.Purely cosmetic' date='and not even sure it looks better with covers seeing as [b']the holes don't line up 100% to the poles[/b]

 

Are you sure you bought the correct covers? They are not all the same. Modern VS Vintage spacing as well as Bridge VS Neck covers for Modern PickUps. It is also my understanding that Gibson spacing is not the same as DiMarzio.

 

I had covers installed on on my Explorer and the luthier showed me first hand how the are all different. We had to order the correct ones from Gibson (Bridge/Neck Modern spacing, as my X was made in '04). I would guess your SG would need the same covers.

 

Here is some info... http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/covers_humbucker.htm When they talk about "measured on center" I believe they mean the center of the 6th and 1st poles if my memory serves me.

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Are you sure you bought the correct covers? They are not all the same. Modern VS Vintage spacing as well as Bridge VS Neck covers for Modern PickUps. It is also my understanding that Gibson spacing is not the same as DiMarzio.

 

I had covers installed on on my Explorer and the luthier showed me first hand how the are all different. We had to order the correct ones from Gibson (Bridge/Neck Modern spacing' date=' as my X was made in '04). I would guess your SG would need the same covers.

 

Here is some info... http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/covers_humbucker.htm When they talk about "measured on center" I believe they mean the center of the 6th and 1st poles if my memory serves me.[/quote']

 

No,I'm not sure.I wasn't planning on doing it.I found some covers for low price staring at me at guitar center other day,so I tried it.Its not off by much t'all,very very close,but what you say is probably the way it is though.These covers had no id on them whatsoever.Thanks for the link.

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Well with Modern spacing there is only 2/16" difference between Bridge and Neck pups and Vintage spacing is the same as the Modern Neck. So one of them should have fit if you got Gibson Vintage covers. I wonder if you put the Neck cover on the Bridge PuP and vice versa, (need close ups of the PuPs) or you may have got covers for DiMarzios. Also when you put the covers on did you POT them? They might get "microphonic" (not a good thing) if you didn't.

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Well with Modern spacing there is only 2/16" difference between Bridge and Neck pups and Vintage spacing is the same as the Modern Neck. So one of them should have fit if you got Gibson Vintage covers. I wonder if you put the Neck cover on the Bridge PuP and vice versa' date=' (need close ups of the PuPs) or you may have got covers for DiMarzios. Also when you put the covers on did you POT them? They might get "microphonic" (not a good thing) if you didn't.[/quote']

 

Didn't pot them no.So far,its sounds just as it did before I put the covers on.I guess time will tell

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On my 1990 LP Studio, I used to have a serious problem with the bridge pickup squealing when using a lot of distortion at a decent volume. Pulled the pickup cover off and the squealing went away completely.

 

Didn't really notice any tone difference.

 

Today at a guitar store I played an SG Standard with covered pickups. Given my previous bad experience with covered pickups, I turned the volume up louder than I normally would (and did not play it, just tested for squeal). I did eventually get an ear-piercing squeal, although the amp was up way, way higher than I would normally dial it at that point.

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O:) I have seen this debated for years as to whether or not covers on the pickups make a difference in the tone. I think it is possible that on some pickups there may be a slight change in tone, but I think the change is very slight.
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O:) I have seen this debated for years as to whether or not covers on the pickups make a difference in the tone. I think it is possible that on some pickups there may be a slight change in tone' date=' but I think the change is very slight.[/quote']

 

 

I agree,extremely slight

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