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

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

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

I've been wanting to record this vid for awhile! Big thanks to Relish Guitars :) 1. Guitar and Pickups 2. Tones 2:27 3. Final Thoughts 8:00 Guitar: imp.i114863.net/ezraX

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

This is my favorite guitar channel because you obviously know your stuff and you love what you do. You're always smiling and positive, and a it's a pleasure to see your videos.

Darrell, amazing job dude, so thorough, I love watching your videos, keep it up! I noticed a little more clarity from the uncovered pickup and a little more fuzz on the covered. Thanks, now I want more guitars!

Next video: Same pick up but different guitar body-

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!

I love your videos man. I always enjoy just hearing you speak and play. Great channel, great content.

I always enjoy your videos! I am simply in love with that Relish guitar! It’s really awesome!

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

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!

Hearing is believing, I'm sure your new iso booth helped make the difference more apparent! Great sound recording when even my blown out old ears can hear the difference! Thanks bud, can't wait for the next!!!

Definetly depends on which genre you want to play and personal preferences. Both sounds great. The video is very up to the point, thank you Darrell!

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

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

Great job! Hands down one of the best channels on KZfaq. Best regards. Thanks!

Welcome back and that new studio space looks awesome! Great video as always. Would love to toy around with a Relish sometime. God bless and rock on.

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.

Great comparison! I was hoping you'd try the same experiment with the pickups in the bridge position. I think the tonal differences would be more apparent than in the neck position.

I took the covers off of some of my pickups, and experienced the same exact differences that I'm hearing here and that you mention, mostly in the high end seeming "brighter," with a slightly harsher and (IMHO) less pleasing tonal character. Great video, Darrell you're the best!

Really liked the tone of the covered ones. A great video, very helpful!

For me the clean example was a clear as night and day, it was easy to hear the difference - on that result alone it's myth confirmed!!! The first example with gain was also easy to tell, the other two examples not so much. The choice of guitar to run the test on was brilliant.

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.

Fully dig the shirt. I'll have to visit the shop. Great job as usual. Just switching over to covered here, just for the look.

I can’t hear enough to even comment which to be is very close to the same! This has always been an itch I have been wanting to scratch! Thanks Darrell!

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.

Awesome comparisons! Definitely can hear a direct difference.

Always very informative! Thanks a lot!

i love your new studio!😍❤️

Was just watching the show on another video. Hhaha. Nice. Love it

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.

Fascinating video as always. I was considering getting an aged cover for the DiMarzio Chopper on my Elite Strat (totally cosmetic) and probably will now. The sound quality in your new studio is amazing!

Great vid as always! I'd love to see one about the effect of different bridge types on sustain

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

The covers provide noise shielding, which can be a problem with uncovered pickups trying to record in front of a computer or other electrically noisy environment. You may be able to tell a difference but the covers give you an important functional noise reduction.

Great Video, great studio, great guy!

thanks for posting darrell ,,great topic,,,really liking the new studio,you did a fantastic job,,would love a wall of guitars like that lol cheers from the land down under

I think I actually heard a difference that was consistent (I thought the uncovered seemed to be slightly more bright and sparkly on the high end). My question is do you think how you played them was also a factor? Because I think you sounded like you played more confidently in the uncovered takes. Whether it’s the order you played the riffs in vs maybe you heard a difference while you were playing and that affected how you played. Idk just food for thought. Cool channel and videos, definitely informative!

I actually love that guitar. Samuraiguitarist did a video on it and its fricking brilliant.

Yup! Uncovered for me for sure! Definitely a brighter and more articulate sound and I’ve used both. Thanks Darrell for reinforcing what I’ve always believed.

Darrell, that was brilliant thank you so much for the time you take to make these vids all the best from England UK

I was able to guess correctly in all the blind tests. There is a difference. Not much of one though.

Hi Darrell, I'd love it if at some point you could add some vest/sleeveless tee's to the womens range?? (especially in the classics design you're wearing, it's my fave 😊)

I answered correctly in all tests , the sound difference is obvious and clear. Many thanks for this video.

I can always count on you and your channel. Even things I aren’t 100% sure I’ll find I FIND! A+..the 7 second swap to keep calibration constant was beyond. Thank you. I’m going covered. Not enough difference and like previous post puts it..”it just looks sick!”

Cool. I didn"t know I prefered uncovered until now. In each test, I liked the uncovered better. Thanks for the demo. Nice job.

For me, it wasn't so much about the difference in Higher tones, but the separation of sound. The covered pickups sounded a bit muddier in the mids, the uncovered you could clearly hear a distinct difference in the notes played.

I was really surprised at how pronounced the difference was. Great video, and nice setup with the easy switch.

Oh man what a great video! Thank you!

I liked the sound from the uncovered. what a guitar!!

Oh yeah, welcome back.

Great video! I just found this, and it is a great demonstration of the subtle, yet noticeable change in the overall sound. The tone is basically the same, with a slightly edgey, and slightly louder sound on the uncovered. You might say that the covers make the sound slightly mellower, or smoother. I identified all but one correctly.

Thanks Darrell, a really good comparison video. Totally agreed with your summary. I must admit my instincts told me to listen carefully to the higher strings as there I would hear the difference. However I don’t think I would have heard the difference if I had been listening normally.

Just single notes Uncovered: 5:30 Covered: 5:44

Covered pickups kinda sound a bit thicker, but crowds wont usually notice

Yes some nice playing by Darrel. One of the best way to start a day.

Great comparison, one of those things guitar nerds love the most! About the results, as a Linus-type of person I definitely like it… covered! Thank you!

Does it matter what the covers are made of? Are there different metals used like nickel, which is less magnetic/

I'm not really good at music or guitars(and I REALLY mean it) but even I can hear that uncovered ones are a bit more.. clean? Dynamic? Alive? However you'd call it to me they sound a bit better Though the difference probably isn't big enough to be noticeable while listening to music, but I feel like that's a case in most of these small differences in instruments overall

Great experiment. It does make a subtle yet noticeable difference between them, although for me it was hard to tell if it was just the tremble. At times it felt like the covered one was a little bit fuller in the mids, and the uncovered one a little thinner by comparison. And that shift produced different results, specially with gain on. The covered one was clearer to my ears for some reason. I do appreciate your attention to method, which is something most channels on guitar dismiss. If the point of the video is to make a statement or avaluate a hypothesis such as this, it is paramount.

Difference is negligible at best, subtle difference, matter of taste really, both sounded good. Thanks for the demo!

I think it doesn't matters whether they were covered or not..!!

The moment he took off the back of the guitar i went xd

I noticed the difference on the very first test. After that, it became more subtle. Great video and definitely showed proof there is a difference, even if subtle, there is just that much more output on the uncovered. Cheers and thanks

Very useful research!!! Although I prefer covered pickups because of their vintage look, now I can see that uncovered ones have more clear sound.

Cover is a lil muffled but I feel it depends more on the players dynamics.. but what does it matter the audience don't know the difference unless there all Music/Tech Nerds... if you're good enough you can fool them aswell.. Hehe...

There is a huge difference in tone that can be noticed even with the phone speakers. But none is better than other, it's all about preference. Personally I've always loved the covered pickups because of their looks but now realized I like the sound of uncovered pickups better.

Amp ... and speaker! It's amazing how much the speakers can impact the tone. Love your vids, thanks!

Always great video!!

what’s up I love your videos they always bring me joy and motivate me to explore guitar more

I got each of the blind comparisons right. There's a subtle but noticeable difference through decent headphones and with young-ish ears that don't have a built-in high-end roll-off. :-)

Love your channel ! I have always felt that uncovered pickups sound more clear and defined to me , but it is a subtle difference .That being said I do not like coil tapping , I prefer to just play a Fender when I want a real single coil sound . Of course , that is why I have humbucker guitars , some with covered pickups , some without . And Strats and Teles ! The same reason I have steel string acoustics and nylon stringed , plus 12 string ! Does not everybody need 17 guitars ? I know I do, and Basses and several amps . You need to do a video on baritone Ukeleles , so much fun and tuned like a guitar ! Thanks for all the great videos !

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.

This was the only test over the years I got 100% right! The covered pickups just have a tiny bit of fuzz on them that gives a little less clarity. It's super close though. Matters very little. Great test and video! Oh, and I much prefer the look of the covered ones.

Theres just *enough* of a difference to prevent me from uncovering my neck pickup haha.

Great great content. The room is so cool!!

im a fan of your channel.. the idea is very very good and very scientific.. very open thinking... salute you darrel.. yeah.. more power to you man .yeah rakenrowl...

i got right all the tests... guess im going to take out the covers of my pickups now... liked a lot more the sound of uncovered pickups, more brighter and clean. At least in my opinion

The differences are so minor that it's merely a cosmetic choice, IMHO.

you're the man darrell!

Been waiting on this one for a while

Definitely a difference. I can tell that even with just my phone's speaker. Covered sounds cleaner to me.

Relish is killing it with that design. innovation that still looks beautiful

Comparisons like this, help people to understand what they like and what they may choose.... thanks for the video :-D

What a fantastic comparison. Originally I thought that any difference would be nominal but to my ears I definitely heard a difference. The covered pickups sounded a bit fatter to me on the 5 & 6 and the uncovered brighter on the 1 & 2. I don’t know if it was just dumb luck or my ears are getting more discerning but that’s how I felt. Keep up the great work Darrell!

Theoretically, the reluctance (magnetic resistance) would be slightly lower with a steel cover. That's why thin steel plates are stacked together as the magnetic path for things like transformers. If the flux had to flow thru air cores, they wouldn't be nearly as efficient. I have a hard time believing that such a small change would be detectable. It could still be the case that the magnets are slightly different strengths, the windings aren't exactly the same etc. I was about 50/50 at trying to guess which was which by the clarity. Hell, even slight changes in how hard your were picking could account for some of that.

Some people like me likes active pickups of because of its shape instead of sound :)

Beautiful new studio. Same great content.

The new setup is SWEET!!!!!!

I think showing the recorded tracks in a DAW would have helped us see the difference between the tones for sure

But are the pickups exactly the same, but for their cladding? Same windings? So many variables.

Hi Darrell, Brilliant Video 👍👍👍. I only noticed the difference when you played the Single Notes, Beautiful Playing! Take care♥️👍. Melbourne, Australia.

Duuude, the new setup looks amazing