Removing a Tele neck pickup metal cover

[stratman323]

I'm sure this must have been discussed before, so please forgive me for raising it again.

For me, the weakest point of a Tele is the neck pickup. I know many of you will disagree, but there we are. Maybe I have just never found the right pickup for my ears? Anyway, I am wondering whether removing the metal cover might improve things a bit, even though it will spoil the look.

So, could anyone who has tried Tele neck pickups both with & without the metal cover please explain to me how you believe it affected the sound?

Thanks.

 

[mellecaster]

Roughly 70% of the folks that attempt to remove the cover (not for the timid) end up destroying the Pickup...then you must contend with the high E sometimes getting caught on the Bobbin...I would just get another pickup (perhaps a Bill Lawrence...or other w/o a cover) or research some other aftermarket Brands.

 

[cowardm]

I think most on here would agree that taking the neck pickup cover off is almost impossible to do without damaging the pickup. Try adjusting the pickup height and see if you can't get it more to your liking.

 

[stratman323]

Guys, I am aware of the difficulties involved, which is why I'm not rushing into anything. That's why I asked what the likely affect on the tone would be IF I did this.

Can anyone tell me please?

 

[PaulCreedy]

I added some chrome covers to some tatty humbuckers once, and they sounded a little brighter - so I would imagine it would sound "less bright".

 

[bugbiteaudio]

Here is some useful info in another thread:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/102574-removing-neck-pickup-metal-cover.html

 

[Sollophonic]

I removed pickup covers quite successfully of a couple of Squiers I used to own

What I did though was this. I carefully cut a neat slot in the cover, using fine drills and a jewellers piercing saw, such that the polepieces were exposed, yet the pickup had nice rounded edges so that there was no string catching issues.

Worked well for me, brightened the tone of the pickups quite a bit.

 

[nadzab]

Guys, I am aware of the difficulties involved, which is why I'm not rushing into anything. That's why I asked what the likely affect on the tone would be IF I did this.

Can anyone tell me please?

Virtually none.

Disclaimer: This is just a guess, as I have never done such a thing. but I strongly suspect that if you hear a difference, it will be mostly psychological. Maybe that's worth it....but you'll be the only one who hears it.

 

[redstringuitar]

Put some dents in it like I did, makes 'em look and sound more 'vintage'.

 

[Ronkirn]

1. Before removing the cover, buy a new pickup....that way your "down time" is minimized.

2. Instead of removing the cover, try the basic 4 way switching. the neck and bridge in series typically produces the sound you will want.

3. send thank you note to ron@ ronki . . .

Ron Kirn

 

[Stuco]

Put a strat/p90/humbucker/charlie christian/lipstick etc pup in there instead.

 

[cmm71]

It's actually not hard at all, I removed the cover off of my Nocaster neck pickup a month ago. There are 3 tabs on the under-side of the pickup that secure it to the bobbin. Bend those tabs back...bend them all the way back. Get a hair dryer and blow hot air on the cover for a few minutes, this will heat up the pickup and cause the wax potting to turn into a gel. You might want to use gloves since the cover will be hot. Grab the pickup by the mounting wings/tabs and gently pull on the cover. If the wax is hot enough it will give the cover up very easily. The center tab that you bent back might grab the bobbin as it pulls through the hole...I just snipped the tab off. The cover pulls right off and the wax is a bit of a mess but you can re-heat it and even it out.

I used some black string I robbed off of an old bridge pickup and wrapped the neck pickup. I blew warm air from the hair dryer over the pickup to melt the wax and saturate the string. When it dried it was as professional a look as any I'd ever seen.

As far as tone I didn't notice a great deal of difference. What made the most difference was that the pole pieces were significantly closer to the strings. The wax potting between the pole pieces and the chrome cover was built up so much that the poles were quite a distance from the strings when the cover was installed.

I personally like the look of the exposed coil and that was what made it more worth it to me.

 

[Ronkirn]

It's actually not hard at all,

Maybe.... maybe not..... it all depends on how the little booger was made.... was it "potted" after the cover was installed? Over wound.... your chance of screwing the pooch is much higher than your chances of actually improving anything...

Many of the covers tabs will break when you unbend 'em too... so you are going where you cannot get back from...

The number one question to ask yourself... "Am I tool challenged." this is delicate work.

Ron Kirn

 

[stratman323]

Here is some useful info in another thread:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/102574-removing-neck-pickup-metal-cover.html

That was exactly the sort of information I was looking for - many thanks for that.

 

[stratman323]

Virtually none.

Disclaimer: This is just a guess, as I have never done such a thing. but I strongly suspect that if you hear a difference, it will be mostly psychological. Maybe that's worth it....but you'll be the only one who hears it.

Presumably you didn't read the thread posted by bugbiteaudio?

 

[stratman323]

1. Before removing the cover, buy a new pickup....that way your "down time" is minimized.

2. Instead of removing the cover, try the basic 4 way switching. the neck and bridge in series typically produces the sound you will want.

3. send thank you note to ron@ ronki . . .

Ron Kirn

Ron. Thanks for your post.

1. I have a couple of spare pickups - I just haven't yet found a Tele neck pickup I really like, & the description of the sound when the cover is removed sounds like what it is I want from a neck pickup.
2. I have the 4 way switch on a Tele - it's OK, but it doesn't really work for me. Besides, the series option gives a fatter sound, what I want is the opposite of that.

 

[stratman323]

Put a strat/p90/humbucker/charlie christian/lipstick etc pup in there instead.

I have a Tele with a neck P90. It's a great sound, for a change, but there's a huge difference in tone between the two pickups. Even with an 8k P90 & an 8k Tele bridge (SD Broadcaster), it still seems a bit like a "Jekyll & Hyde" guitar. A humbucker would be even worse!

I think the ideal for me would be a Strat neck pickup on a Tele, & if this didn't require extra routing I would go for this straight away. But it does involve routing, & that's a last resort for me. I would sooner mess up one pickup than mess up the whole body. That's why I'm wondering if removing the cover would be the easiest fix, despite it's complications.

I appreciate all the contributions to this thread - thanks.

 

[sonny wolf]

I personally love the stock Tele neck pickup tone for it's fatness...you might consider that muddy but I like that roundness.Fender does however make the twisted Tele neck pickup which is voiced to be more Strat like...brighter and more defined.This pickup is not sold individually...only on certain custom shop models and the Mexican Baja Tele.But maybe online you might be able to find a used one that was removed from one of those guitars.

 

[stratman323]

I personally love the stock Tele neck pickup tone for it's fatness...you might consider that muddy but I like that roundness.Fender does however make the twisted Tele neck pickup which is voiced to be more Strat like...brighter and more defined.This pickup is not sold individually...only on certain custom shop models and the Mexican Baja Tele.But maybe online you might be able to find a used one that was removed from one of those guitars.

Thanks - I'll look out for one of those.

I've read various threads where people state that certain pickups have different types of metal covers - Nocaster, AV62RI, etc. How do you know what the cover is made from? I don't recall seeing this information disclosed by any pickup manufacturer.

 

[nadzab]

Presumably you didn't read the thread posted by bugbiteaudio?

I did - and it doesn't change my opinion. But my opinion may be completely wrong, like I said, I'm just speculating. I would submit, however, that the folks who experienced a dramatic difference in tone (and I'm reading that mostly as an increase in high frequencies, and "clarity") may not have put the pickup back in at precisely the same height as before which could certainly account for a difference in tonal character.

That would be my advice - if you haven't done so already, try different height adjustments before attempting surgery on your pickup. The suggestion of a no-load tone pot is a good one as well.