Gibson SG faded- pickup suggestions.

[olddawg]

It's easy, If you have a good hot iron.
You want to melt the solder and use the blade all in one swoop.
I do it similar, but at the end I use a couple of small screw drivers to help get it off.
I bend the cover sides in some a bit before I put it back on, I want it real tight, with no gaps.
T

The first time I remember seeing HB pickups with no covers was Alvin Lee in the Woodstoock movie as a young teenager. I thought they were weirdly wired Strat pickups. Then I realized the covers were missing from the HBs. I've heard lots of arguments about the the advantages/disadvantages of missing covers over the years. I recently read an article that said, according to real imperical tests, it makes no difference at all. That height and pole adjustment has more effect. I've seen lots of old ones where the covers fell off. I've had ones be a bitch to remove because of potting. I usually leave them on or off for purely esthetic reasons. One of the best sounding (and playing) guitars I ever owned was an early 60's DC MM. Someone had made a large pick guard out of 1/4" plexiglass and painted it black from the back side, then mounted a pair of real 1959 PAFs on it. That guitar really sang. I often wondered if it was partly due to the acoustic reflectivity of the plexiglass.(and the lucky acquisition of the PAFs) But talking about HB pickups is like talking about anything where there is a huge range and variation other than general appearance. Some are dark, some are bright, some are hot. And also, as always... Tone is in the hands. Technique has a lot to do with it as well. Watch Hendrix play a Strat. Then watch him play a V. Still sounds like Hendrix. When I was in HS I had a really nice Mary Ford model SG/LP with soap bars. I put HBs on it. Wish I still had it and had never touched it. It was brighter with the HBs, at least through a TR. that was about 1973.

[Steve A.]

I should have made it clear that my advice about taking a covered pickup to a guitar tech was strictly for the OP. Thanks for all of the suggestions- a utility knife sounds great for getting the melted solder out of the way. If you screw up the tip it is no biggie...

Steve