Strat PU covers with rounded or beveled edges?

[Donelson]

I want to try and round off the edges of a strat pickup cover, so that its profile is more like a tele neck PU. Mainly concerned with the middle PU. Anyone else try this?

I use fingerpicks, and hitting that hard edge on the PU cover with them is annoying, "buzz kill", as the pick catches. Like stepping in a hole. For that reason I always have set the middle PU totally flush with the pickguard on the treble side on the various strats I have owned.

I recently learned about how the original strats had countersunk holes for the pickup adjustment screws & almost-flat screws. I have done that now; very easy too; huge improvement.

Now I'd like to tackle this other similar issue of the PU cover edges. Maybe with rounded-off edges I could raise the PU up more for better output.

[AJBaker]

Interesting... Though to get the most out of it, you might need to cut away some of the top fiber bobbin, which could kill the pickup if you're not careful.

[AJBaker]

...or, don't bother with the plastic cover, and protect the coil with tape. Then you could try to trim the bobbin and round off the edges if possible.
But wait to see what some other members here say before trying anything.

[Donelson]

I just ordered a couple of extra white PU covers, to experiment on. Cost: Very little. I will attack them with file, sandpaper, whatever, to see if I can get a decent amount of "roundness" on the edge. If I could even raise up the PU 1/16" above flush with pickguard, treble side, with good playability, that would be an achievement.

[Donelson]

Messing with the plastic strat PU covers, to make them have rounded sides or edges, was & dud waste of time.

Here's what I did that is promising; much better: took a GFS Brighton Rock strat PU, which has a peekaboo chrome cover with a rounded edge profile like a tele neck PU, and covered over the magnets, so it's now very smooth to the touch. Of course the warranty as such was trashed with this procedure!

The PU height screws are coutersunk too; that also helps.

[Phostenix]

Another option is to buy some Bill Lawrence Wildest pickups. They all have rounded edges.