# Humbucker Cover Help!



## CAMARO68 (Feb 24, 2006)

Hi guys, I have a 1970 Gibson SG Standard in which I am doing a few minor things to put it back to original. The guitar when I purchased it never came with the humbucker covers. Now when I took it in a few months ago to get step-up and a new nut made for it I asked about them possibly putting new covers back on it. The tech said something about I shouldn't worry about it or it's not worth it and something about micro phonic feed back and that's why some people took them off back then. I also heard that yes taking them off sometimes gives you more treble. I like the look of them on there and they would protect the pick-ups with them on there but what do you guys think is it worth it? is it troublesome to do it properly and would my sound change a lot for better or worse? 

Any info will be greatly appreciated


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Covers/No Covers is longstanding debate. I'm sure you will get lots of points of view. I personally like the looks of covers and my ears are too old (or not acute....or BOTH) to hear any real obvious tonal changes between covers on/off. 

You can have problems with covers if they are not wax potted (or similar...I use 2 sided foam tape) but this is usually in higher gain situations...as I understand it. 

Putting covers on can be a pain because the pickup and cover act like a huge heat sink when you try and solder them together.
It is very helpful to have a very hot/higher powered iron and work quickly. You don't want to cook the pickup.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Dave


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

metal covers do alter sound but i think not in a good way . guys originally took them off to get a little more jam out there pickups , but your style of music might be the main factor ,you don't see that Manny covers with the heavy music guitar players . i think they looks good in a classic vibe I'm building a SG now & I'm winding my own pickups for it & I'm considering going with nickel covers 
here's a video of Davie boy removing & replacing a cover 
iMojo Humbucker Cover Video


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## CAMARO68 (Feb 24, 2006)

Ok well I am going to go for covers on it. I am trying to find vintage ones but might have to go for new ones. Would new ones fit and are they the same hole spacing?


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

measure from center to center of the screw poles , vintage gibsons were 49.2 mm 

Humbucker


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## CAMARO68 (Feb 24, 2006)

I just read on a site selling covers Vintage pole spacing is 1-15/16" for both covers, measured on center. which I believe that is converted 49.2


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

YouTube - RS Guitarworks: How To Install a Pickup Cover
a great little video of how to correctly install humbucker covers. its not difficult but it pays to follow the correct steps.
if you don't want to apply the small bead of silicone caulking as shown in the video, another trick that serves the same purpose, is to place a strip of black electrical tape over the top side of the pickup poles which are not exposed through the holes in the pickup cover. basically the reason for doing this is to provide a little separation from the metallic cover and the pickup poles to reduce or avoid the problem of microphonic feedback. 
best of luck.


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## CAMARO68 (Feb 24, 2006)

ok so Nickel plated pickup cover set for most USA made humbuckers. Modern pole spacing is 1-15/16" for the neck and 2-1/16" for the bridge, measured on center. Each cover measures 2-3/4" X 1-1/2". vintages covers are 1-15/16" for both bridge and neck so does that mean if I were to purchase new covers I would need to buy 2 bridge covers I am assuming?


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## CAMARO68 (Feb 24, 2006)

ok just found this out...... if the pole piece spacing on your neck & bridge pickups are identical you need 2 neck position covers -- if the spacing is not identical for the 2 pickups you need 1 neck & 1 bridge as the neck covers on new covers are vintage specs but the bridges are wider. 

Thanks for all the great input guys


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

I took the covers off the original T-Tops in my 75 Les Paul Standard, then went through a couple sets of DiMarzio PAF's in it before ending up with a Duncan JB in the bridge and my last remaiing T-top in the neck position. I still had the old covers after all these years and soldered them back on the T-Top and the Duncan (yes, it fit!) because I decided I wanted to go back to the original look. I honestly couldn't hear any difference, and now I am wondering if I am brave enough to unsolder and resolder one of them just one more time (without frying it) so that I can turn one of the magnets around (the 'Peter Green' mod-does anybody know about this?).
-Mikey


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

the magnet is flipped,to make it out of phase in the neck pickup 
How To Change Pickup Magnets (Pics) - My Les Paul Forums
this might help
The Peter Green mod once again. - Les Paul Forum


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## drift_boat (Feb 2, 2006)

Someone above may have covered this...but...see if you can make sure the covers will fit your pups. I purchased RS covers that did not fit my JSMoore hb's. Also had an old T-top that would not take a cover (can't remember why).


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

awhile ago I scored a TTop for my '74 Custom, it came without a cover. I found a gold humbucker out of a Studio someone was selling cheap, I bought it for the cover. Attacked it with my dremel to remove most of the gold off the top (to make it match the other one). It fit fine.
I used painters masking tape as a separator. And I clamp them solid before I solder.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

dwagar said:


> And I clamp them solid before I solder.


This is an important suggestion..IMHO. Just be careful not to clamp the cover onto the pickup too tight, to avoid damaging the pickup.

The guys on the Seymour Duncan forum frequently suggested using a Dremel tool for cutting through the solder when removing covers.

Cheers

Dave


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