Whether or not pickup covers are necessary depends on your personal preferences and the type of music you play.
Benefits of pickup covers:
- Protection: Pickup covers protect the coils of the pickup from dust, dirt, and moisture. This is especially important if you play your guitar in dusty or humid environments.
- Noise reduction: Pickup covers can help to reduce noise from external sources, such as fluorescent lights and radio waves. This can be helpful if you play at high volumes or in noisy environments.
- Aesthetics: Some guitarists prefer the look of guitars with pickup covers. This is a matter of personal preference, but pickup covers can add a classic look to your guitar.
Drawbacks of pickup covers:
- Tone: Pickup covers can slightly darken and muffle the sound of the pickup. This is because the metal cover reflects some of the high frequencies back into the pickup coil.
- Weight: Pickup covers add a small amount of weight to the guitar. This is not a major issue for most guitarists, but it is something to keep in mind if you are looking for a lightweight guitar.
- Cost: Guitars with pickup covers are often more expensive than guitars with open-coil pickups. This is because pickup covers are an additional cost for the manufacturer.
Do you need pickup covers?
Ultimately, whether or not you need pickup covers is a matter of personal preference. If you are concerned about protecting your pickups from dust, dirt, and moisture, or if you want to reduce noise from external sources, then pickup covers are a good option. However, if you are looking for the brightest and most articulate sound possible, or if you are looking for a lightweight guitar, then open-coil pickups may be a better choice.
Here are some additional things to consider when deciding whether or not to use pickup covers:
- The type of music you play: If you play a genre of music that requires a bright and articulate sound, such as metal or rockabilly, you may prefer to use open-coil pickups. If you play a genre of music that requires a darker and more mellow sound, such as blues or jazz, you may prefer to use covered humbuckers.
- Your playing style: If you play with a lot of distortion, you may prefer to use covered humbuckers. This is because the metal cover will help to reduce noise and feedback. If you play with a lot of clean tones, you may prefer to use open-coil humbuckers.
- Your budget: Guitars with pickup covers are often more expensive than guitars with open-coil pickups.
If you are unsure whether or not to use pickup covers, it is a good idea to talk to a qualified guitar teacher or another guitarist to get their opinion. You can also try out different guitars with covered and open-coil pickups at a music store to see what you like best.
