How Do I Install Covers On Humbuckers

[possum1284]

anyone know how to put covers on a humbucker?

Adam

[jay5]

No offense, but you can't be serious.

[possum1284]

i assume u just slide it on the solder it correct? i just wanna make sure.

Adam

[thegarehanman]

yes(and make sure the covers you order have the correct polepiece spacing)

Edited October 18, 2005 by thegarehanman

[mikhailgtrski]

i assume u just slide it on the solder it correct? i just wanna make sure.

Adam

←

Sure, but if you play loud or with lots of gain be prepared for some nasty squealing feedback ...unless you wax pot the pickups. There was a thread on potting not too long ago.

Mike

[thegarehanman]

...did you even consider that the pickups could be potted already? It's a valid concern, but I think you're exagerating the effects a bit. Possum, are the pickups already potted?

Edited October 19, 2005 by thegarehanman

[crafty]

It'd be great if we could get this posted in the right forum, or if the original poster could be bothered to do a search once in a while...

If the pickup isn't potted first, pot it. Then apply a thin bead of silicone to the top of the slug coil and then attach the cover. This will prevent the coils from vibrating inside the cover.

[Mattia]

I was under the impression that people often double-pot covered humbucker pickups: pot the pickup itself (windings), and pot the pickup cover to prevent that from squealing despite the anti-microphonic potting done on the coils.

[crafty]

You can do that and it's a great idea, but if you ever want to remove the covers again, the silicone method works well enough.

[thegarehanman]

I might consider using something other than silicone, perhaps latex tub caulk. You don't want to risk getting that silicone on raw wood(like if you had some silicone on the humbucker cover and you test fitted everything before finishing).

[mikhailgtrski]

Both methods will work. The ones I've seen use the double-potted method. Whatever method you use, the idea is to keep that cover from vibrating.

[frank falbo]

Right. Garehanman was only considering potting to mean within the coil wires. But since the cover is metal against metal, it can develop a feedback loop against one or more of the poles, or completely on it's own. It's got nothing to do with the initial pickup potting. Also I'll usually use a spring clamp to smash the cover down as far as it will go (regardless of what you're doing with the potting situation) and solder it with the clamp on it. You don't want any air gap between the coils and the cover, because then in reality your pickup is even farther away from the strings than you think. Plus, the screw poles have to come ut farther, which makes that coil even stronger than the slug coil by that much distance. The slug coil is already the weaker coil when a cover is applied.

[GregP]

The cover doesn't need to be potted.

Pickup microphonics are created by vibrating coils, not vibrating pickup covers. To top it off, pickup covers are generally non-magnetic metals such as aluminum or... tin? Not sure what it is, to be honest, but they pick metals that do not interfere in any significant way with the magnetic field. That's why you can get pickup covers that don't have any polepiece holes at ALL.

I missed the earlier thread, but I imagine it's one of those 10-page affairs in which people get carried away by the details instead of paying attention to common sense and scientific principles. You can argue all you want that a stainless steel pickup cover can contribute to microphonics, but until you buy and hold one in your hands, it's a moot issue anyhow. The cover you purchase will be aluminum or whatever the heck that stuff is.

Greg

[possum1284]

do the holes in the pickup cover go on the north or the south end of the pickup?

also should the pickups be reversed ex: neck punorth faces north and bridge pu north faces south.

Adam

[Mattia]

The cover doesn't need to be potted. 

Pickup microphonics are created by vibrating coils, not vibrating pickup covers.  To top it off, pickup covers are generally non-magnetic metals such as aluminum or... tin?  Not sure what it is, to be honest, but they pick metals that do not interfere in any significant way with the magnetic field.  That's why you can get pickup covers that don't have any polepiece holes at ALL. 

They might have some effect, but they can certainly vibrate and wreak some havoc with microphonics. Rattling and the like. The wax prevents any of that, as any odd vibrations can and do affect the sound. Potting the coils is the key, but keeping the cover on tight is also important. Covers are generally made of german silver, same stuff as frets, I believe, and I was under the impression that they do help shield the pickup from some EM interference. So they're not entirely 'transparent', although I guess they're close.

[mikhailgtrski]

My son put a Duncan '59 neck in his Epiphone LP. He took the cover off the Epi humbucker (it was double wax potted) and soldered it on the '59, no wax, no caulk. It sounds great clean, but it starts squealing if you turn up the gain. Interestingly, the bridge position Seth Lover (which is not supposed to be potted at all) doesn't have this problem. Maybe it's just a loose cover issue.

BTW, I'm pretty sure most covers are nickel.

Mike

[thegarehanman]

They could very well be aluminum. I'm almost certain aluminum is conductive(granted not as much as copper) but never(...I think) magnetically charged. Although...can you plate aluminum?

[mikhailgtrski]

I was a little off... A google search provided this:

"Early P.A.F. pickups as used on the 1956 lapsteels and 1957 Les Paul Standard had brushed stainless steel pickup covers (brushed to make them look nickel plated). This quickly changed to brass covers with a nickel plating. If the cover was gold, the brass was first nickel plated and then gold plated."

Aluminum and brass are non-magnetic, as are certain types of stainless steel, i.e. Type 302. But, then, I tend to prefer the look of an open humbucker.

To answer possum's question, the adjustable poles should (with most humbuckers) be to the outside... to the bridge side on the bridge p/u and to the neck side on the neck p/u. If you flip one of them around you'll put the pickups out of phase with each other.

Mike

[GregP]

I've got two covers sitting right here, and I can tell you for damned sure that they're not German Silver.

A rattling cover will still not cause microphonic behaviour. It might be hella annoying rattling around while you're trying to play, but it won't exhibit microphonic behaviour.

Greg

[jnewman]

Bartolini pots their pickups (which do not have adjustible pole-pieces or holes in the covers) with black epoxy. You could throw them off a building without hurting anything.

[possum1284]

i want to use schaller golden 50's and add covers to them. do they need to be potted? also from what you all wrote the ajustable side of the pickups goes on the pickup cover side with the holes, correct?

adam

[GregP]

If they're already potted (and I think they are), you shouldn't need to repot them. I'm a bit confused, though-- can't these pickups already come with a cover???

Just order the ones that already have a cover, if you're buying new.

If you're buying used, then yes, it's the adjustable polepieces that go through the holes... because... well... you can still adjust them that way... !

'Sides, the cover won't seem to fit right unless you do it the right way. The lumpiness of the raised adjustable polepieces will make it an odd 'fit'.

Greg

[possum1284]

im having a hard time finding them except on ebay. anyoneknow where i can purchase schaller golden 5o's with covers, im in the US by the way.

Adam

[lovekraft]

I have no idea what Epiphone makes their pickup covers out of, but I do know that putting Epi covers on other pickups without potting them will definitely make them microphonic, at least in some cases. I've had to pot up several sftermarkets that somebody put Epi covers on ("..so it'll match, dood!") to eliminate the squealing. They'd had no problems prior to installing the covers, so it's unlikely that anything else is to blame. No idea why, though...

[GregP]

OK, OK, I've been browbeat enough into saying:

- Might as well double-pot it anyhow, just to be safe. Potting is bone-simple and even a child could do it, so just give'er. Then you know you're safe.

As for the covers-- that's my mistake. I was thinking of the "Golden Age 50's" pickups from Stew-Mac. Stew-Mac used to carry Schaller, and these may have Schaller as the OEM, but they don't answer to exactly the same name, so they may not be the ones you're looking for. Sorry to get your hopes up.

Greg