Electric Guitar pickups - covered or uncovered?

[Dru Edwards]

How do you like your electric guitar pickups? Covered or uncovered? Zebra, double black, or some other color scheme?

Gotta say that I like zebra pickups for their aesthetics. For those who don't know, zebra pickups are black and creme bobbins. Interesting history as to how it came about.

[muscmp]

i really didn't notice any difference so i left them covered on my les paul. some people say that there is less magnetic interference but i couldn't tell. may be partially whether or not you like the bare pickups or the cover look. others say that you can shorten the screws and that lessens the magnetism. like everything in the music world and the agf, it is all subjective.

play music!

[Bob Womack]

I usually buy an instrument I like the sound of and so don't tend to want to fiddle around much. All my purchased instruments have come with the covers on and so they've stayed there. That's okay because I prefer the covered look.

Bob

[guitararmy]

My only experience was with an early 70's Gibson ES-335. Removing the bridge pu cover increased the volume and added more presence, like taking the blanket off of a speaker...
I suspect the difference would depend on how hot the pu was.

[M Sarad]

I have had the covers off and on the PAFs in my Melody Maker. I can’t tell a difference.

[DukeX]

I have always kept the covers as they are.

[rockabilly69]

Only way to know is try them both ways, I personally like covers. The one thing I don't like is how Seymour Duncan plasters his name all over the coils

[Dru Edwards]

Yep, I'm the same as most of you, I've always kept the pickups stock ... either they're covered or not when I buy the guitar (or pickup) and they stay that way. I do prefer the look of zebra humbuckers though but that wouldn't sway me from not buying a guitar (I have Les Pauls with both).

[Jerry D]

When I bought my Strat, I left them uncovered. Looked fine.

But on the SG I bought, I thought the pickups looked a little too "ragged". So I put covers on them. Much better.

[MiG50]

I find that covers tend to make a pickup sound a tad warmer and rounder, while an uncovered pickup sounds just a little more aggressive and present. I'm a big fan of uncovered bridge pup, covered neck pup. YMMV.

[Jerry D]

Nope. Both or none.

[Gordon Currie]

I like them covered, uncovered means magnetized junk can build up over time.

Don't care how they look, only how they work. Used to be a fan of strong magnets until I found out how much tone, nuance and sustain can be degraded by strings that are too close to the magnet.

[jwguitar]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

How do you like your electric guitar pickups? Covered or uncovered? Zebra, double black, or some other color scheme?

Gotta say that I like zebra pickups for their aesthetics. For those who don't know, zebra pickups are black and creme bobbins. Interesting history as to how it came about.

I never really noticed much difference in the covered vs. uncovered debate. Really the biggest thing with pickups are the type of magnet and how many winds they have and if they are active or passive. Covers in my experience don't change a whole lot.

[moon]

Originally Posted by MiG50

I find that covers tend to make a pickup sound a tad warmer and rounder, while an uncovered pickup sounds just a little more aggressive and present.

Yerp. Eddy currents in the metal cover "smooth out" the response a little but it's only a small effect - assuming the pickup-maker used a sensible material like nickel-silver.