Most guitarists rarely think about the pickup covers on their guitar. They were there when they bought the instrument, so they will probably stay in position forever. In fact, for most guitarists, the only decision they ever make regarding pickup covers is cosmetic, i.e. will the guitar look better/cooler without them? This is especially the case if they are fans of guitarists such as Eric Clapton (who was arguably the first ‘legendary’ guitarist to remove the pickup covers while playing with John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers in 1965/66) or Slash who re-started the pickup cover-less craze on mass in 1989.
But is there more to it than just cosmetic reasons? Does it change the tone of the guitar
Yes, it does, with most guitarists agreeing that removing the pickup covers allows the upper midrange frequencies to be a little more present and vocal sounding. However, the downside is that it can make the top end a little more screechy. How severe these tonal changes are will depend on the guitar, the wood, and how you play, but in most cases they will be subtle but still noticeable. Therefore, due to only subtle changes in tone, for most guitarists, the way the guitar looks without its pickup covers is the main reason for removing them.
Sticking with the subject of cool-looking guitars, are you…
Thinking of a New Look for Your Guitar?
Changing the pickup covers is a cheap and effective way to easily add your own style to an instrument. There are a number of options such as simply changing the color, for example, replacing the chrome pickup covers on Les Paul humbuckers with black ones, this looks particularly good on black guitars. Or, to take your guitar to another level, check out these Rainbow Pickup Covers from Guyker.
Or you could change the covers for some with interesting designs on them, such as the Guyker Cupronickel Butterfly Surface Humbucker Guitar Pickup Covers Set. These feature an evil-looking butterfly design with a skull on its back, and are available in Chrome, Gold, or Brass to fit in perfectly with your other hardware.
However, if you want more skull and less butterfly, then go for the Guyker Cool Humbucker Cupronickel Material Guitar Pickup Covers Set, again available in chrome, gold, or brass. Or for something a little bit more conventional, the Guyker Cool Humbucker Cupronickel Material Guitar Pickup Covers Set with its Tree of Life design, or the Guyker Cool Humbucker Cupronickel Guitar Pickup Covers Set which features an interesting symmetrical ‘Spades’ design.
And pickup cover replacement isn’t only for guitars with humbuckers, you can also radically change the look of single-coil guitars such as strats and telecasters. For example, the Guyker PS004 Brass Single Pickup Covers for Stratocaster® with its intricate swirl design is available in chrome, gold, bronze, or my favorite, rainbow. Or, for all you lovers of bats and all things dark, the Guyker PS003 Brass Single Pickup Covers for Stratocaster® which are available in the same colorways.
For more info on pickups and pickup covers for humbucking guitars check out my thoughts on the Best Pickups for a Les Paul Build.
Changing Pickup Covers is Far Easier than You Think
You might now be thinking “How to install pickup covers?”. Well, it’s one of the easiest modifications you can do to a guitar, so let’s take a look at the two most common methods…
For guitars with humbuckers that are set into the actual body of the instrument, such as a Les Paul, SG, 335, etc. you need to unscrew each of the four screws in the corners of the pickup plate that hold the pickup in place. The pickup can now be lifted out of the body but be careful not to pull it too hard, you don’t know how long the cable connecting it to the wiring harness is. Now unscrew the two screws on either side of the pickup (which have a spring around them) and you will be left with just the pickup and its cover. Remove the cover and replace it with the new one, then reverse the process to attach the pickup (and its new cover) back to the guitar.
Changing the pickup covers on guitars with single-coil pickups, such as strats and teles is also easy but quite a bit more time-consuming because you will need to remove the entire pickguard. First, remove all the screws positioned around the edge of the pickguard. You will then normally need to remove the strings, although this might be necessary if you can loosen each string enough to squeeze the pickguard underneath.
After you’ve removed the pickguard, unscrew the two screws holding each pickup in place and the pickup (and its cover) should drop out of the back of the pickguard. Remove the old covers and replace them with the new ones, then go through the same steps in reverse to rebuild the guitar.
How to give your pickup covers the aged vintage look
If you’re a fan of the relic’d guitar look or just want your plastic pickup covers (or any other plastic guitar part) to have a more vintage look, then all you need to do is enjoy a morning coffee. After the taste of the roasted coffee beans has got you ready for the day ahead, put the beans and some water in a plastic container, and add the pickup covers.
My advice is to be patient and check regularly to make sure the covers don’t age too much and turn a nasty brown color - not a good look! However, depending on how white your pickups are and the plastic they are made from, it could take a few days. If you’re not sure, remove the pickups and let them dry, if they haven’t aged enough you can always put them back in the coffee bath. If you like the look of them after removing them but want them a little more aged, don’t remove the coffee solution, leave it dry on the pickups for a more intense finish.
Wrapping it Up
I hope that this article has made you think about your pickup covers differently, firstly, do you actually want them on your guitar at all? And secondly, why stick with the boring old ‘standard’ covers when there are so many interesting options out there that will let you really customize the look of your guitar?
So, spend some time thinking about what will look the coolest on your instrument, and then go for it!
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