Pickup covers on or off

[67plexi]

Back in 2002 I had the Gibson Custom Shop make me a copy of my real 1960 Les Paul Standard received the custom shop copy 2003
the bridge pickup was dead and the neck pickup was dark and muddy sounding I called my friend Jim Rolph and he made me 4 sets of PAF clones
they sound wonderful I wanted a set of double white pickups Jim would not do that for me my real 1960 had double white bobbins
I have a set of Gibson double white custom shop pickups series one should I take the covers off or leave them on ???

 

[fitz]

I have a set of Gibson double white custom shop pickups series one should I take the covers off or leave them on ???

Double whites look cool, but that guitar would look great either way.
I'm also a fan of how zebras look, so...
Covers also affect the magnetic fields to a certain degree, so I'd say try them both ways and see what sounds better.

 

[GrooVey]

Oh man. That’s a tough one.

 

[GrooVey]

Generally I’m a fan of leaving the covers on. But…. Don’t think I’ve seen double white before. And if that’s what the original 60 had?

Sorry I’m no help.

 

[dmatthews]

Is that a set of PRS 59/09s?

 

[iblive]

I personally I like covers on. Aesthetics. No idea if it actually makes a tone diff with or without.

 

[dmatthews]

The only axe I have with covers off is my P22 with uncovered 57/08s. It really grew on me quickly.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Depends on the guitar, if you wanna match the 60 then ditch em, I say.

 

[DirtySteve]

To me pickup covers are like pick guards...off...always!

 

[JohnnyGoo]

On that guitar,covers on.

 

[Headache]

Covers on sometimes look better, but covers off always sound better.

Off for me.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

If it's supposed to match the original, the answer is obvious... But I concur with finding what sounds best.
Great synergy between wood and wire often hinges on very subtle variations.
Am aspect that's barely perceptible can sometimes make the difference between just OK and magic.

Am a bit surprised that Rolph wouldn't wind a set of double whites for you.
DiMarzio;s monopoly only covers double cream;, many makers offer all white.

 

[blues]

Back in 2002 I had the Gibson Custom Shop make me a copy of my real 1960 Les Paul Standard received the custom shop copy 2003
the bridge pickup was dead and the neck pickup was dark and muddy sounding I called my friend Jim Rolph and he made me 4 sets of PAF clones
they sound wonderful I wanted a set of double white pickups Jim would not do that for me my real 1960 had double white bobbins
I have a set of Gibson double white custom shop pickups series one should I take the covers off or leave them on ???

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I would be tempted to pop the covers off. I like them better than zebras. If you don't like the double white, you can always put the covers back on.

I had a 59 Rolph humbucker. I really like talking with him too. I had his 59 in my R7 Gold Top. I have a set of the Gibson 59 series two pickups. The bridge pickup and the Rolph 59 sounded almost the same.

 

[Purgasound]

I used to only like the covers on. I've taken them off quite a few pickups over the years. It's kinda like untucking your shirt.

 

[Eric'45]

Maybe there's a subtle difference in the sound between covered and uncovered.

Great synergy between wood and wire often hinges on very subtle variations.
Am aspect that's barely perceptible can sometimes make the difference between just OK and magic.

I must agree on this. Not all parts of a guitar contribute equally to it's tone. Uncovering a Humbucker or soldering in a different pot won't turn a mediocre guitar into an outstanding instrument. But finding every bit of Hardware to put together an instrument where it all just aligns, is a very satisfying experience. And few small changes at the same time can make a significant difference.
I personally love double Cream. I don't know why, but zebras never looked that good to me. And uncovered Black Bobbins just clash with the otherwise cream plastics IMHO.

When I wanted new PUs for my R8, I chose Amber Pickups. And because I also wanted a hot- rodded look, and I liked it to be visible that the Guitar was modded, I went with a Covered Neck PU and Double Cream Bridge. The good thing about that is, it is easy to remove or add a Cover later if the Bobbins have the "right" color initially.

 

[SG John]

Knowing what those pickups go for, I'd leave them alone. If you don't care about resale value, tear the covers off and go for the double whites. It's the look that you want.

 

[JeffB]

Sometimes the variation you get by adding/removing covers and the extreme high end frequencies and effects on feedback can be a positive. It's usually more significant if you are using non potted pickups, which is pretty much all I use. On one set of my Wolfetone Legends, covers have some kind of sympathetic vibration that helps generate a positive controlled feedback sound even at low volumes. Without covers, and set to exact same heights/pole piece tweaking, it's not there. On other sets, like my Greenybuckers (non potted), the covers increase unwanted feedback, no matter what- I've reinstalled them, tried some "better" aftermarket covers, etc. and this particular set just doesn't like covers with my rig.

Generally I prefer them off for clarity/extra spit.