Can Classic '57 covers be removed?

[Woody Sound]

And if so, are they black coils? Just asking

[BigMikeinNJ]

When I want to know some odd detail about hardware I hit eBay, which I just did. It’s like a giant flea market. I saw zebra, all Whit and all black bobbins for sale. Check it out. So there could be anything under those covers

Big

[sgosnell]

They can be removed with the proper soldering iron. I'm not sure how the color of the bobbin affects the sound, but if you want to know, it's possible to find out.

[Hammertone]

Zebras give you more haunting mids.
Double whites increase your girth.

[sgosnell]

OIC

[LtKojak]

And if so, are they black coils? Just asking

Yes.

Most probably.

[Jimmy Mack]

Colors??? Pickups have color tweaking???? Wow, I wish I had thought of that!

[takauya]

If you have a handy tool called screwdriver it's easy to check.

[Dr_turkey]

Nothing wrong with wanting to change your guitar's look Liking your instrument's aesthetic is important imo. Anyway the pickup is gonna be soldered to the cover, if you've ever taken a pickup out of guitar you can take a cover off a pickup. It'll most likely be double black but I'm not sure, I've seen companies use either one under the covers

[Little Jay]

Aren’t they wax-potted?

Edit: looked it up and yes they are. So you can remove the cover but it will look like this:

[Jimmy Mack]

Might be nice to remove the cover just to get rid of the wax, although it could alter your tone and feedback resistance if you put the cover back on.
Has anyone done this to a Classic 57 ???

[Woody Sound]

Aren’t they wax-potted?

Edit: looked it up and yes they are. So you can remove the cover but it will look like this:

Thank you for info!
T

[bluenote61]

Generally I don't recommend removing the covers. It's too easy to stick a pick (or something else) into the windings with possible permanent damage to the pickup. The wire in the windings is very thin (almost like human hair) and very delicate. The covers are there for a reason.

The windings are always protected by black tape wrapped around the coils. Even under PUs with metal covers. I don't think you might get the windings damaged easily.

And, for removing the covers you will need a strong soldering iron. The heat will be dissipated to the ground plate and to the cover. You should not stay too long on it...

[Cunamara]

Zombie thread alert.

Pickups are plentiful. If you want a pickup without a cover, buy a pickup without a cover and leave the Classic 57s alone.

[Herbie]

Some say that the sound without covers is more open and bright, that’s why many rock and blues guitarists like them that way. I don’t know, I like the look of the covers.

DiMarzio succeeded to patent the white-white bobbins decades ago, so others can’t use double whites. So most likely the bobbins of Classic ’57s are blacks or zebras.

You can break the soldering with a screwdriver. When You solder them back You need a bit more heat than with normal electronic part soldering.

You can get rid of the wax with scraping and a hairdryer. The wax is one reason why people like original PAFs better, without wax the sound is livelier. And of course there is a possibility of annoying feedback in higher volumes without the wax. I have never played SO loud.

And one more: I have understood that the first Classic ’57s in early 1990s did NOT have wax. They were also made more by the specs of their designer Tom Holmes. After a decade or so Gibson started to save with materials and process, so the pickup changed.

(This is not based on experience but read from the forums, so who knows!)