4 comments. If you have a good fit, pull the cover off the pickup and proceed. Discussion in 'Luthier's Guitar & Bass Technical Discussion' started by lightningsmith, Nov 6, 2010. Since they're plastic do I have to worry about unwanted noise as I would with any other cover? Messages: 780. I am here to teach you the quick and easy way to put a nickel-silver cover on a humbucker. Works well and I’ve had no problems with squealing etc on my my jazzbucker loaded Hagstrom Super Swede despite using zvex super hard on, catalinbread cb30 and fuzzface/tonebender . After gluing the chunk back in place, I machined a groove from the rear through the broken area and inlayed creme binding into it for added strength. Your mom can rest easy. This step helps reduce vibration and microphonics when installing the humbucker cover. Covering your pickups with a polished metal cover can improve the look and value of your guitar. Announcing the Eric Steckel Signature “Candy” Humbucker Set, a good soldering iron, at least 40 watts, preferably with a chisel tip. A buddy showed me recently, and it’s pretty simple. The improved version of the classic Fender Strat Bridge, The most consistent, top quality Strat® replacement body on the market today. Ed P Friend of Leo's. “But Maaaaatt,” you say, “Isn’t putting a cover on a humbucker really really hard? Nut/saddle shaping files clean up the bottom edge, and a final pass with a scraper blade leaves it as smooth as new. All are welcome, from seasoned pros to absolute beginners. If you did everything right, the solder should flow nicely and adhere to both the base plate and the cover. Don't make a new nut just to fix a low slot—fill it! Instead, I nibble the ring down to size with fret pullers. Put it in a 150-160 degree oven for a half hour or something. Instead, I nibble the ring down to size with fret pullers. How do you install plastic humbucker covers? Spray a cloth with window cleaner and use it to clean more tenacious grime build-up on your humbuckers. It should fit snugly but easily over the pickup, and the pole pieces should fit right through the holes. The pickup mounting ring in the photo at left cost less than four bucks, and it isn't much different than the $10,000 one I was asked to repair. I made these aluminum clips for installing humbuckers, and they’ve become must-have items on my bench: they hold the springs, screws, and mounting ring together in one piece. And now explain how you do it for 7 string Pickups. If your nipping gets crooked, you can quickly flatten the bottom of the ring by rubbing it on a flat surface covered with 80-grit Stikit sandpaper. Nice post Matt. Or you’re looking to class up your axe with some covered humbuckers, but you don’t want to go through the hassle or expense of replacing the pickups. If you have any questions about this method, please let me know in the comments. In about a minute, itâs down to size. Santa Barbara, California. It needed to be trimmed down by about 3/32". The corners of the ring are thicker, so I use my larger fret cutters there. Step 4: Put the cover on and apply pressure with your thumbs to stick it to the tape. To cut down the height of a mounting ring, nibble it away with fret pullers I finished-up by scraping and sanding the repair smooth all the way up to 8,000-grit Micro-Mesh sandpaper. The corners of the ring are thicker, so I use my larger fret cutters there. save. Warning: be careful not to apply too much heat, as this can damage the pickup. Some say that wax potting the cover has unfavorable effects on the tone, and prefer pickups that are attached using the method described here. I let it dry overnight. Thanks very much to Trevor Johnson of Lockwire Guitars for teaching me this technique. Itâs a good idea to test-fit, pre-drill and mount the hardware and electronics before you spray the finish. Perhaps, these ones. I used to try to do this on the bandsaw, but thatâs not a good way (broken plastic, elaborate holding jigs, lots of time lost). Read on... Before I tell you about the $10,000 humbucker mounting ring, let me show you a couple of good installation tips: To cut down the height of a mounting ring, nibble it away with fret pullers. Put the cover over the humbucker as a test fit. In this post, we are going to attempt to show you how to install every kind of Lindy Fralin guitar pickup with our Fralin Installation Guide. One of the pickup mounting rings on this Flying-V was too tall. If volume and gain are a big concern in your band, consider going with wax potted covers. It’s also a good idea to rough up the base plate of the pickup unless it already has some solder spots on it. Itâs a fumbly operation, especially when the pickupâs already wired into the guitar so youâre on a short leash with no room to move. He says that keeping the guitar 100% vintage will make that much difference in the resale value. Use sandpaper to sand the inside edges of the humbucker cover. Use your fingers to put pressure on the tape, then carefully remove the backing (if your tape has backing). it's much easier to take covers off than it is to re-install them. Wolfetone began making high-quality pickups in … Build the pedal that redefined overdrive. To properly add covers on humbuckers, you will need a ring. How to put pickup covers on humbuckers SIGN UP TO DISTROKID FOR ONLY 18 BUCKS: https://distrokid.com/vip/seven/897224 This creates a rock solid link between the pickup and the cover, and is the best guarantee you won’t experience microphonics (a.k.a. We’ll cover installing modern single-coil and humbuckers as well as vintage P90, and PAF style pickups. I’m not confident enough to install them myself. If you have a … It is open coil and I decided to put a nickel cover on it so I ordered a nickel trembucker cover from SD. It needed to be trimmed down by about 3/32". Wait a few seconds then apply a small amount of solder. Pause to admire your fine craftsmanship before you install it in your guitar. Installing a humbucker can be pain in the neck. Thanks for the help. I used to try to do this on the bandsaw, but thatâs not a good way (broken plastic, elaborate holding jigs, lots of time lost). Nov 28, 2011 #1.