Covered vs Uncovered Pickups! - Truth or Scam??

Have you ever wondered if the type of cover on your pickups changes their tone?
Wonder no longer! Watch this video to find out!
If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like and subscribe :)

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Enjoy!

[hunterm.moreno]

I've always perfered covered pickups just because they look slick

[soyborne.bornmadeandundone]

Great test but having no pick ups at all is what truly makes a difference!

[esgermantonio]

Plot Twist: he was always playing with the bridge pickup hole.

[gornthelizardkingofplanete]

Hi Darrell, I'm not sure if you'll see this, but from what I can tell you remain pretty active in your comments section. I just wanted you to know how much I truly appreciate the work that goes into your videos. I was never, and I mean never, one to look at gear, but I quickly got sucked in after my very beginner guitar I've been playing for almost 3 years finally broke. After finding your channel, I can say with full certainty, that it is the single most direct, understandable, to the point, while also thorough, guitar channels out there. You have made my transition into a gearhead one of the most enjoyable things about my interest in guitar. Not only is your work excellent and unparalleled, your genuine love and care for guitars shows through greatly, and your amazing personality is also a huge plus. Thank you sincerely, from one of your recent and nonetheless huge fans.

[yoshizukuri]

Using this guitar for this experiment! Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant!!

[Leo_ofRedKeep]

I heard no difference with the mushy distorted sounds but the 3rd test was very clear: there was a lot more high end and clarity from the uncovered pick-up. Not a myth, then.

[RCSmiths]

I have said it before and I'll say it again, you always make any guitar made under any pickup or circumstance the best it could be! Both sounded pretty awesome man! Great work

[josephgrant]

The uncovered pickups resonated more and honestly has more sustain. The covered pickups were more slightly warmer. Enjoy the video again Darrell!

[rnarizona]

Yes, using this guitar for this demonstration was perfect. I really couldn't find much difference in the tones between the two when there was any gain or distortion involved. However, on the clean tone, the one that Darrell thought was more difficult to distinguish, I thought that the uncovered sounded noticeably better.

[Bigbuddyandblue]

THANK YOU playing the comparison clips without any talking or long pauses between them!

[TwoAMBlacktop]

I’m listening on an iPad, and it’s quite a big difference. Uncovered, it’s definitely brighter and clearer.

[kelalliovatti]

Pickup schmickup, can we talk about how DAMN GOOD the new studio looks as a backdrop!?! That's some prime accent lighting there, very cool!

[rockandrollmd]

Raising the polepieces on covered pickups will give a more articulate, punchy sound. Just lower the overall pickup height a bit and raise the screws to your preference. Many people never adjust the screws.

[christianchapman]

I actually did this as a science experiment back in high school once since it involved magnetic fields and stuff and wasn't able to actually test it due to the inability to change my pickups, and my teacher failed me due to that! Said that since it was just based on equations and stuff instead of actual tests it was likely wrong.. well now this proved i was right this whole time

[billducas]

The difference is minimal in that you can change your picking slight, and get close to the same tone. Angle the pick slightly, or move it a 1/2" or so closer or farther from the bridge will change the tone. Change the position of the mic on your amp. Or adjust your amp setting slightly. In the end, we may hear a difference, but the crowd won't.

[robmcloughlin]

Great vid. The sound difference was like night and day. Uncovered were way better. I was toying with the idea of adding covers to my pickups as I like the look. However that plan is scrapped - they are staying as they are. Thanks.

[scottsherman]

The attack of the notes and being able to hear the individual ones in chords was a dead giveaway, even on bad speakers when I unplugged. The finger style was actually easiest for me to spot because the attack of the notes was different regardless of how loud you played them. This helps me a lot when I think about what I want in utility guitars. Awesome stuff!

[medievalsessions]

I could easily identify each example from my phone, no need for high quality audio. Its subtle but really subtlety is a vast chasm when it comes to dialing in your preferred tone I think every guitarist can agree with.

[ChristopherFreedom]

I prefer the uncovered they are definitely a little brighter and more refined sounding. The covers tone/mute them down a bit.

[riangarianga]

Watching this cool test again, almost 4 years later... But now armed with more knowledge.
I got it right every time. The covered pickup sounded kind of more compressed, that was the giveaway.
However, since I experimented a lot with screw height in the past few years, I'm led to believe on the uncovered pickup the adjustable screws had a lower height compared to the covered pickup. We tend to make these screws flush with the pickup top, however that would mean our references are different by around 1 mm (cover thickness + gap between the slugs and the cover).
That's the kind of effect I'm hearing in your test, based on my experience adjusting the screws in the past years: nowadays I always lower down max 2 turns those on wound strings to make them sound more airy and less boomy, and perhaps take the screw on the 1st string a up to 1/2 turn higher to give my .008" a bit more presence.