Retrofit chrome covers on Axis Supersport?

[Mikey]

Hi Knuckleheads,
Recently, I have been thinking about putting chrome covers on my rosewood axis supersport HH because I like the looks of the hot rod axis a lot.
Do the Dimarzio covers fit without any furter modification?
Am I right assuming that I have to get one cover f-spaced for the bridge and a standard spaced one for the neck?

Any help appreciated!
Maybe someone could even provide some pictures of a rosey ASS with covers?

Thanks guys!

 

[Mikey]

Just did a quick and dirty mockup myself.
What do you think?
Before:

After:

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Chrome covers? Can't be done.

 

[browndog]

Well, if Jack can do it anyone can.

It looks nice. Go for it.

 

[brokenvail]

Please let us know how this goes. The moment I read your title I kne wI wanted to do the same thing!

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Well, if Jack can do it anyone can.

It looks nice. Go for it.

haha.....Radrock did the actual work when he created the spaceball 3000.....I'm 2 owners later but really like it on this guitar.

 

[bazxkr]

Hi Mikey,

I think it was andyPeters who did this a short while back and it took like 5 minutes to sort. You should be able to nail down the post. I believe he has the guitar in the for sale section now altho that was with different pickups but principal the same

Looks great


Cheers

Baz

 

[andynpeters]

haha.....Radrock did the actual work when he created the spaceball 3000.....I'm 2 owners later but really like it on this guitar.

I did mine the same....but they're MM90s not humbuckers so much easier.....personally I'd probably have bought an ASS by now if they came with covers...I think uncovered pickups look cheap...especially the zebra ones....though I could, of course, be wrong.....as usual!

 

[Mikey]

So, do the covers just slip on?
Am I correct that I will need one F-spaced and the other one with standard spacing?

 

[LawDaddy]

It can be done. The actual process is well documented on those sites dedicated to those "other" guitars that sport humbuckers. Basically a soldering iron, double-stick tape, and a clamp. It's important to clamp the cover real tight to the base with the tape holding the inside of the cover to the top of the pup to avoid inducing microphonics, then solder the two together.

One thought would be to call DiMarzio and see if you can ship the pups to them for a small charge.

When I put 36ths in my Rosy ASS, I intended to get chrome covers, but the wait for the F-spaced was way too long. I think chrome covers look classy on natural finish axes, like the Rosy.

 

[Roubster]

Sorry to break the bad news, but the chrome covers for humbuckers will not work the same way. The chrome covers on the DiMarzio pickups are part of the pickup and designed specifically for that permanent look. I mean, you might try the chrome covers replacements for like Gib**n pups. Let us know if you are able to do it.

Okay, so it can be done...sorry haha. I was implying mostly that it would probably be a bit difficult. What you can also do is send me your PUPs and I'll send you my chrome covered Virtual PAFs from my 20th Silo hehe.

 

[littlephil]

Sorry to break the bad news, but the chrome covers for humbuckers will not work the same way. The chrome covers on the DiMarzio pickups are part of the pickup and designed specifically for that permanent look. I mean, you might try the chrome covers replacements for like Gib**n pups. Let us know if you are able to do it.

Okay, so it can be done...sorry haha. I was implying mostly that it would probably be a bit difficult. What you can also do is send me your PUPs and I'll send you my chrome covered Virtual PAFs from my 20th Silo hehe.

Dimarzio make chrome covers, and its not particularly hard to fit them at all. Dimarzio's have them like any other pickup, they aren't designed to be a part of the pickup, the pickups are exactly the same, except they have a cover on top, and are probably potted so the cover has wax inside it around the coils.

You can do it yourself, you need to take the screw polepieces out of the pickup, put the cover on, solder the cover to the baseplate of the pickup and then replace the polepieces, through the cover.
You might find the pickups are noisier than before though, unless you pot them with wax after fitting the covers.

 

[Mikey]

Thanks everybody for the input. Here's what the DiMarzio tech answered me: "Covers are always installed as securely as possible and soldered, to prevent excess noise. We also pot all covered pickups in wax both before and after cover installation for the same reason. The neck pickup is standard and the bridge pickup is F-spaced, so the part numbers you listed are correct." So it can be done but I doubt I want to do this to my stock pups because the covers are said to colour the sound and it is an irreversible mod due to the soldering and potting. I guess it is smarter to order replacement pups with factory installed covers like the 36th anniversary PAFs once I decide to really need covers. For those who want to do the modification though, here are the part numbers: GG1600N - cover, nickel polished, standard spacing GG1601N - cover, nickel polished, f-spaced Cheers, Mikey

 

[beej]

... the covers are said to colour the sound ...

This is an issue that's often overlooked and worth a bit of discussion.

A piece of metal near a pickup will cause eddy currents, which will affect the induced current in the pickup coils. (The specific effect depends on the type of metal, coil, and is frequency dependent.)

So you often hear about people talking about taking the covers off their old pickups to get more high end- there's truth to that.

 

[panther_king]

You could always get some pickups with chrome bobbins, if you dont want to worry about coloring the sound. Dimarzio has that as an option for most of their pickups.

 

[colinboy]

Just go buy yourself a 25th if you can still get one as it comes with the chrome covers!

 

[threeminutesboy]

Just go buy yourself a 25th if you can still get one as it comes with the chrome covers!

as far as I can see his axis has a piezo which was/is not an option for the 25th/Reflex