Covers, or Not To Cover
Who likes covers on their humbuckers? Who does not? Who cares more how it sounds than looks? Ouch… too much hyperbole too soon? Why did they even start using pickup covers? You might find as many answers as there are stars in the sky… but that’s not what we’re covering today – ha! a pun!
In the banner photo, you’ll see a custom wound set from Mojotone. Look at those string shadows and check out the slight worn, relic look. Or take a look at a similar arrangement with the Brandonwound JP#1 set – go ahead, click on the photo for a closer look. When I see covers like those, I almost want to frame them for display. Then again, looking at those uncovered pickups, could you be missing out on something equally incredible in appearance? In these instances, we’re talking about dealing with custom winds at a boutique level shop… so I know the winders had the covers in mind when making them. That way, they are dealing with materials common to their craft and know how to maneuver the path to the ideal tonal goals.
And that is what’s also going to factor in to things at some point: how does it sound? A lot of hay has been made over the impact that covers have on a pickup. To that end, most any pickup company worth their salt should have been painstaking in efforts to find the most transparent alloys available. So what sort of cover works for you? One cool looking option is the DiMarzio Titan, with a cover suitable for a double row of adjustable screws – photo also clickable. And come on, it looks look cool. I recently grabbed a DiMarzio Dominion bridge humbucker with a black version in that style of cover.
Can’t decide between the options? Check out the open face cover, as seen on the Mojotone PW Hornet humbucker – of course you can click that photo. This might remind you of something commonly found on a humbucker-sized P-90. It’s also super functional for players that like the pickups close to the strings, but don’t want the strings getting caught on the tops of the bobbins. Could be a nice alternative to keeping gaff tape on hand, wouldn’t you agree? I also personally like the concept of keeping that magnetic field wide open and ready for the tones.
You can find all these companies (and more!) over on the LINKS page. But, I can see I’ve hit you with quite a few clicks already, so I’ll just drop them right here for you. All the companies mentioned have tech support that will be happy to answer any questions you have about their stuff… as well as the pickup covers!
Brandonwound Pickups Website | Facebook | YouTube
DiMarzio Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram
Mojotone Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram
