I did that on my first guitar, an almost hollow/extreme chambered body along the lines of a Holdsworth Fatboy.
I wish I would have thought of soldering the springs to the ears but instead I put the screws in the holes and then crimped the springs onto the screws. I then put tape around the pup to give me a handle to help pull it up into place while I screwed it in. It was a major pain but I love the naked look. I did get pretty good at it after doing it about a dozen times.
Sorry, no pictures. I lost all that I had on my hard drive and it is on loan to a cameraless friend. I'm making him bring it back when he comes up for Thanksgiving, I miss it.
I have no idea how it might effect the sound, I don't play in high gain or high volume situations so feedback isn't a problem. I can't imagine that a pickup ring would change anything but it's looks.
Edit: Wait, I found a poor picture of Woody. God I miss her.