Removing the cover of pickups ?

[alans056]

Hello

 

I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom, with Gibson 57 pickups (gold cover).

 

I would like to know if it was possible to have my guitar look like this one by removing the cover :

 

 

 

Are there risks doing so ?

 

Thank you!

[Dub-T-123]

Yes you can.

 

It's easy just take the pickups out (unscrew the 4 screws on the corners of the pickup rings) and you will see two beads of solder holding the cover onto the pickup. Use a soldering iron to melt the solder away and the covers will pop right off. Be careful not to heat the pickup up to much with the iron.

 

You could also use a dremel to cut the solder but be careful not to hit the pickup or cut the cover up.

[alans056]

thank you for the info.

 

I read about wax issues and noise not being shielded anymore. is that a big issue ?

[Kimbabig]

thank you for the info.

 

I read about wax issues and noise not being shielded anymore. is that a big issue ?

 

You may have to scrape some wax off some and polish it a little, as to noise, just look how many artists use uncovered pickups. Go for it, it's your guitar.

[alans056]

And with what kind of product should I polish it ?

 

And will there be a lot of noise like the "bzzzzzzzzzzzzz" when the amp is on ?

[Dub-T-123]

Just use a cloth to wipe any wax off.

 

You shouldn't have any buzz or excess noise.

[misterfix]

I use a hot iron and a solder sucker. Two quick zaps and the cover is disconected. The pickups are usually wax dipped with the cover installed and quite frequently the cover is glued to the bobbins by the wax. A heat gun may be necessary to melt the wax bond and slide off the cover.Not warming up the cover runs the risk of damaging wiring to the bobbins. Depending on the pickup, the internal bobbins can be made of delicate vintage fiber board or plastic as in your picture. No guarantees if the color will be black, grey, or mixed.

The cover creates a Farraday cage shield that protects the pickup from RF(radio stations,florescent lighting). Depending on the cover material, the pickup may sound a little cleaner without the cover, but I prefer the covers on. The pickup will still be humbucking and except for external sources, there should be no buzz or noise change.

EDIT:

FYI - the fast easy way to clean wax off the bobbins is with a heat gun. A quick blast and the wax runs off leaving everything perfectly clean.