Pickup cover question

[odin70]

Will a "no hole" pickup cover affect the sound of my quarter pounder pickup?

[SGD Lutherie]

Not as long as it is a plastic cover. Metal covers affect the tone somewhat, but plastic is non conductive, so it has no affect on tone.

[98pbass]

he's right metal does affect the tone. I think it increases signal to

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by 98pbass

he's right metal does affect the tone. I think it increases signal to

No, it filters out some of the frequencies. Metal covers produce small swirling electrical currents known as eddy currents. These currents produce small magnetic fields which oppose the field from the pickup's magnet. This in turn causes a loss of highs and a flattening of the pickup's resonant peak.

So it actually decreases the signal.

[Bredian]

We've been striping covers off humbuckers (Gibson) for awhile for that reason..

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Bredian

We've been striping covers off humbuckers (Gibson) for awhile for that reason..

+1

Now it's fashionable to leave them on, but younger players don't know why they were taken off in the first place. They often mess the tone up, especially if they are brass covers.