Looking for pickup covers that are about 19mm deep

[yrag]

Hi there, thanks for looking. I bought two tim shaw pickups for my 80's les paul. One came with a cover (I'm assuming its original), One did not. I am trying to find a cover to match. It has the 49.2mm spacing and is chrome, so that is no problem to find, but the depth is different on newer remakes. Does anyone know where I can get a 49.2mm (pole spacing) that is the correct/matching depth of about 19mm? I did find blank pickup covers 19mm depth and may end up just drilling these, but would be much nicer and easier if I can find one or 2.

Here's a pic to illustrate the depth of my pickup cover vs. the more shallow type that are common.

[big_teee]

Welcome yrag!
I measured a mojo cover that I had in a drawer here in the house.
It's around 16mm deep.
I have some more covers in the shop, I will measure them a little later.
Is there a reason you need the deeper cover?
T
.

[yrag]

Well, i bought a 1984 les paul custom and its basically has all original parts as far as i can tell except for the cover of one pickup. So i was just trying to replace with something that looks original. So mainly for "restoration " I wonder since they seem so rare if the 19mm i have is original. But when i look at pics online of 1984 (tim shaw type) pickups they indeed look deeper.

[big_teee]

OK, I understand.
A lot of that era pickups had the covers taken off.
Maybe there are some laying around guitar techs scrap boxes.
You might try putting an ad in our flea market section?
You might offer to buy or trade someone for one?
Flea Market
GL,
T

[rjb]

From the Peanut Gallery

... So i was just trying to replace with something that looks original.

When the pickup is installed, how does the deeper cover look different?
Is there a gap between the shallow cover and the pickup ring?

-rb

[big_teee]

There will not be any difference in appearance once the pickups are installed in the guitar.
He's wanting to get it back to stock form.
Another thing the tim shaw pickups had were the short leg baseplates with patent number, and two rows of screw holes.
So I wouldn't mix in a long leg baseplate, if you want them to look stock.
T

[rjb]

To each his own.
I just don't understand the importance of having parts you don't see "look stock".

,
-rb

EDIT:
I do understand that things you don't see can make a difference.
If cold air were blasting in around the perimeter of my windows- even though they looked sealed- I might consider that a problem.
If my pickup covers were shorter than stock- but they looked stock in the guitar- and they caused no discernible degradation in tone or shielding, I might not consider that a problem.

-rb

[big_teee]

Maybe to understand, you need to own a 80s Gibson Les Paul.
I'm sure it is the vintage, and value appeal, of having it in OEM form.

I've repaired several vintage pickups, that got put in the guitar or bass case not to be played.
They liked the after market pickup better, but wanted the stock pickup for the collector, and vintage appeal.

It's his thread, so we need to honor that!
T

[rjb]

Maybe to understand, you need to own a 80s Gibson Les Paul.

Feh.
I have socks older than that.

OK, OK, I'm gone.
-rb

EDIT:

Talking about the 80s... in the 80's, I owned a cherry red 1967 Epiphone Broadway. I didn't know at the time that it was one of twenty-four made. I bought it from a store in Red Bank NJ, and eventually sold it back because it had been refretted by Phil Petillo- and I never could get used to playing on pyramid tops. I didn't give a hoot that it was non-stock. It just wasn't the right tool for someone with my limited abilities. IMHO, an old guitar is just an old guitar.....
https://www.archtop.com/ac_66bwyl.html
http://www.petilloguitars.com/frets.php
/

OK, now I'm really gone. I promise.

[yrag]

I do see your point. I think of it this way, if you have say a 1980s les paul you bought, and it had everything original but it had no truss rod cover. You could put any shape truss rod cover on (or none), after all, its not original to the guitar. But to me it would look a little weird to pick a different shape. Likewise, I have never seen a tim shaw pickup with a shallow cover on it, so it just looks weird looking to me. But I do see your point. Why "restore" something if its not original anyway?

Feh.
I have socks older than that.

OK, OK, I'm gone.
-rb

EDIT:

Talking about the 80s... in the 80's, I owned a cherry red 1967 Epiphone Broadway. I didn't know at the time that it was one of twenty-four made. I bought it from a store in Red Bank NJ, and eventually sold it back because it had been refretted by Phil Petillo- and I never could get used to playing on pyramid tops. I didn't give a hoot that it was non-stock. It just wasn't the right tool for someone with my limited abilities. IMHO, an old guitar is just an old guitar.....
https://www.archtop.com/ac_66bwyl.html
Petillo Guitars • Frets
/

OK, now I'm really gone. I promise.

[yrag]

By the way, if anyone has advice on drilling holes in a pickup cover let me know. I read a thread yesterday, about how someone, removed the pole pieces in the pickup and place the pickup in the cover. Then put a small sharp tipped punch, (like bolt or thick nail that had been ground down to a point) and lightly tapped it to mark where to drill the holes, then used a drill press. I was wondering if anyone thinks this would work ok or if there's a preferred or common method for drilling these holes.

[rjb]

I apologise for my curmudgeonly attitude, and for not helping restore your pickup to original appearance.
But you do seem to be taking it in stride.

I do see your point.... Why "restore" something if its not original anyway?

No, that's not my point. My point is why worry if the pickup "looks weird" when out of the guitar, if it looks exactly the same as OEM when installed in the guitar. Are you going to put the pickup in a display case, or in the guitar?
You (and all your adoring fans) can see the truss rod cover. They can't see the height of the pickup cover.

As an aside, most of my truss rod covers live in their instrument's case accessory compartment- in a little plastic bag with the screws and a hex wrench.

By the way, if anyone has advice on drilling holes in a pickup cover let me know... I was wondering if anyone thinks this would work ok or if there's a preferred or common method for drilling these holes.

I think that even if you drill the holes without damaging the chrome plating, that the base metal will be exposed around the sides of the holes. And those unplated sides will look a little weird.

-rb

[big_teee]

I agree with rjb on the hole drilling!
Rather than drill holes in a cover, I would replace both covers on the two tim shaw pickups, if you want them both to match.
Hole drilling accurately, in any cover, whether metal or plastic is harder than it appears.
I would be inclined to put two good quality nickel silver plated pickup covers on both tm shaw's.
Or, as I mentioned earlier, I would try to hunt down another tim shaw cover, that is out there in someones junk box.
Starting, posting a ad at the MEF flea market.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/f42/
You could also post that you are looking for a TS cover in the Parts thread, here at the B/H forum.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t34181/#post424490
T

[David Schwab]

I might have one tim shaw cover in storage. I removed it from the bridge pickup on my '81 LP and later sold the guitar.

Hint; the pickups sound better without covers, which is why people started taking them off in the first place. It's fashionable to have covers on pickups now, but it's just for that "vintage" look.

[yrag]

RJB - No need to apologize for the attitude, I appreciate you taking the time to reply and appreciate the input.

[QUOTE=rjb;451779] Are you going to put the pickup in a display case, or in the guitar?

Well, actually depending on what they sound like, I may just keep them with the guitar in case I ever sell it, but keep the guitar loaded with a set of 490r/498t that I have. I don't know yet because I want to see what they sound like with covers, etc and how prone they are to feedback, as they are not potted. So there's a reasonable chance they could end up outside the guitar.