the old pickup cover question

[mwoeppel]

I asked this in another thread and got no replies, so I thot - well, maybe it's been asked and answered.

Like a good forumite, I did a search, but the only thing I could find was Tom and Brian referring to the "old pickup cover discussion". Tom, you didn't have a positive opinion....

I was looking at that koa cobra from the other day (not to buy! really! :p ), saw those covers on the humbuckers, liked the look.

So - if these are tone-suckers, why is there one on this TA? What about the other guys? A covered humbucker in the neck position gives some pretty mellow tone - I don't understand why they would suck.

So - Stan, maybe you can point me to the original discussion. If not, feel free to answer.

thanks!

[jimmieb]

Jimmie B I have them on my Cobra and love the look and I notice no tone suck, but I have heard it mentioned they did create some problems. I'd have to A-B them to know for sure.

Jimmie B

[tom]

i too loved the look, and had them in my personal guitar. for some reason i can't remember now, i changed them and was very surprised at the difference, like a curtain was lifted. yes the covers were nickle silver and not brass, so they were the "correct" material. also we hade to do some major mod ification to both the pickups and covers to make them fit our pickups. in the ned it just didn't make sense to do so much extra work for a negative effect.

[bruce]

I like to think of the "difference" in tone as just that... something different... yes there is a cover over the pickup, but is that a bad thing?? Look at some of the most expensive, sought after, and revered pickups out there... do they have covers? Jazz guys like the "not-so-direct" smoother feel they put on the pick attack.

Yes I remember a problem someone was having with a covered Anderson pick up... the problem was that the cover was removed, then re-installed wrong...hence the problem.

The old covered Anderson pickups sound great!... are they different??.. Yes, but so is a hollow chambered body vs. a solid body.

[jimmieb]

The entire time I've had my Cobra folks have raved at the amazing tone. In fact, Tom said when I picked the Cobra up, " This Cobra has a very strong bass, deeper than any I've heard". Or something like that. I love the tone and it has gold pickup covers. I'm sure it's different, but good different. If any of you know Eddie Espinoza, the Vineyard worship leader/song writer, he raved over the guitar and wanted me to sell it to him.

Jimmie B

[mwoeppel]

JimmieB -

What kind of pickups are under those covers?

[jimmieb]

JimmieB -

What kind of pickups are under those covers?
H-1, H-2 in the bridge.