Metal pickup cover

[hariossa]

Hi guys!

I'm building a solid body electric guitar and I wonder how the sound would be affected by putting metal covers on each pick up, does it change the sound much? in which way?

any advice highly apreciated.

[David Schwab]

It depends on the cover, but it usually softens the high end a bit. It's also less peaky sounding. I used to like keeping the cover on the neck pickup in my Les Paul and removing it on the bridge pickup.

[hariossa]

Thanks David,

Stew-Mac seems to ran out of chrome covers right now, I'll try to find some place to buy parts here in Europe...

Cheers!

[David Schwab]

I don't make pickups with metal covers, but I think the winders who do don't think too highly of Stew-Mac's covers, tone wise.

The problem is that brass covers kill more tone than nickel silver covers.

[hariossa]

have you ever tried stew-mac's golden age pickups? I don't want to start making my pickups now (I have enough work making the guitar) and I think most afordable pickups like Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan are overused, everybody has them...

[Biarnel]

I tried golden age HB on my last guitar project http://www.biarnel.com/liuteria/prots/prots2.html, and I can say they are sweet.

Clean, no hum, no microphonic, a good sound.
At least, way better than EMG Select humbuckers.

[Biarnel]

It depends on the cover, but it usually softens the high end a bit. It's also less peaky sounding.

I usually wrap my bass pickup in aluminum adhesive tape, and then ground it.
It will affect the response of the PU?

...what should I choose, more hum or less sound?

[David Schwab]

I usually wrap my bass pickup in aluminum adhesive tape, and then ground it.
It will affect the response of the PU?

...what should I choose, more hum or less sound?

That's fine, but don't make a closed loop of foil around the coil. So all you have to do is leave a slit on the side somewhere, and make sure it doesn't touch. The other trick is just don't touch the two ends of foil... use some insulating tape where they meet.

If you have a closed loop around the pickup it can dull the tone.

I use copper foil. I used to use aluminum. They work the same. Foil is a lot thinner than a metal cover, and the thinner the metal the less effect on the tone.

[Peter Naglitsch]

Thanks David,

Stew-Mac seems to ran out of chrome covers right now, I'll try to find some place to buy parts here in Europe...

Cheers!

Try Axes’r’us http://www.axesrus.com/axepupcovs.htm They are in England, shipped me my Gretsch style covers really quick to Sweden

[hariossa]

Hey Peter! thanks for the link, I ordered a pair of humbuckers (with covers) from them.

Biarnel, nice guitar! I'm glad to know I can trust Stew-mac's golden ages.

Thanks to all!!

[Biarnel]

..Thank you. I always try to do my best