We’ve recently started working with Advanced Plating in the USA, and we’re proud to have a few of their specialist covers on the shelves at Axesrus – and one of their offerings we couldn’t pass up, was their “vintage old stock” finish.

The idea behind this finishes is “it’s a cover that was made decades ago, and has been sat in the stores, untouched and unplayed” – so we’ve got a VERY high quality German Silver cover, perfectly electroplated (without copper!), but its been left to oxidise.

We're proud to finally be able to offer a DIY kit containing all the vital elements required to build a Humbucker sized P90!

This kit is a little more restircted then out normal humbucker kit (where you can pretty much build anything you can dream up!) - and that's completely intentional. This kit is designed to replicate one of the original humbuckers, warts and all.

So please bare in mind, that this kit only comes with the long leg bases, 5-40 UNC bolts, 6 screw poles, 6 slugs, and a base to accept them (the holes in the base are threaded for the pole screws) - its also only available in the 49.2mm spacing, as correct for the period.

At first glance, this kit looks near identical to our "normal" humbucker kits when speced up with 12 hex poles BUT this is actually different.

With the normal kit, the 12 screw pole option comes with M3 (or 5/40) bolts, which thread into the specific screw side bobbins, where this kit is supplied with M5 hex bolts, which are designed to thread into the "slug" side bobbin.

At first glance, this kit looks near identical to our "normal" humbucker kits when speced up with 12 hex poles BUT this is actually different.

With the normal kit, the 12 screw pole option comes with M3 (or 5/40) bolts, which thread into the specific screw side bobbins, where this kit is supplied with M5 hex bolts, which are designed to thread into the "slug" side bobbin.

We're proud to finally be able to offer a DIY kit containing all the vital elements required to build a humbucker!

This is what we’d call a “Triangle leg” humbucker kit – whilst it'll fit pretty much every guitar ever built, it differs from a "normal" humbucker because of the "wings" on the base. Basically, its got a smaller profile, so it'll fit into tighter routes. You'll often see this type of humbucker presented on guitars without pickguards of pickup rings, with the humbucker simply screwed into the guitar.

Magnetic spacers are a novel little idea, and turn up sporadically on production pickups every so often. Essentially, they replace the inert maple or plastic spacers either side of a Humbuckers poles to alter the tone, usually by making a pickup more aggressive.

These are an alternative to the standard H gate covers we offer. Obviously taking heavy inspiration from the Filtertron® pickups that turn up in that "semi mini" Humbucker size, and leaning on the style made popular by TV jones® - they're a nice part for making a pickup look a little more old fashioned than it maybe would with other styles of cover.

These covers are "in the style of" those found on the Guild® HB1 and HB2 humbuckers - and, officially, thats what they're designed for, but, thats a bit of a pigeon hole frankly - they are, really, just normal humbucker covers with those embossed sections around the poles, so theres nothing stopping you fitting them to any humbucker (assuming the poles line up with the holes)

Please note - these are not official Guild Parts

Available in a range of colours, these covers are both open and traditional, and come in 50mm or 52mm spacing

These closed face covers feature a raised double 'Rail' design, offering a sleek, robust look in a range of colours.

Standard style German Silver / Nickel humbucker covers, plated to the highest standard.

German silver (sometimes called Nickel (not to be confused with the plating )) is most often seen on very high spec Humbuckers, where the addition of a cover is intended to alter the final tone as little as possible. The properties of Nickel make it one of the best materials to achieve this.

Please be aware, these are a curved humbucker cover, and will no fit into standard humbucker routes or rings.

They are also brass (where we normally use Nickel for all of our humbucker covers by preference)

Where normal humbuckers are 16mm high, these German silver/Nickel models are actually 19mm tall - ideal for accommodating either taller magnets, or taller bobbins.

Standard style German Silver / Nickel humbucker covers, plated to the highest standard.

German silver (sometimes called Nickel (not to be confused with the plating )) is most often seen on very high spec Humbuckers, where the addition of a cover is intended to alter the final tone as little as possible. The properties of Nickel make it one of the best materials to achieve this.

Standard style German Silver / Nickel humbucker covers, plated to the highest standard.

German silver (sometimes called Nickel (not to be confused with the plating )) is most often seen on very high spec Humbuckers, where the addition of a cover is intended to alter the final tone as little as possible. The properties of Nickel make it one of the best materials to achieve this.

3x3 covers are a bit of an odd-ball part nowadays - they take inspiration from the Fender® Wide range humbucker that originally turned up in the Telecaster® Deluxe, but without some of the weirder idiosyncrasies (like them being much larger and a weird pole spacing!)

These are what we call "close faced" humbucker covers - basically, a humbucker cover with no holes in there - so they'll cover a whatever poles you're fitting into the humbucker.

You'll occasionally see them called "Tony Iomi" covers, named after his signiture Gibson® pickup, or "Firebird® style" covers (the Gibson® Firebird® uses the same style of cover, all be it in Min Humbucker sizing.

11 Gate Humbuckers kind of follow on from H gates - they too turned up on the Gretsch® guitars coming out of Korea (atleast prior to their switch over to Filtertron® sized pickups more recently) - and again, heavily inspired by TV Jones® designs.

These are "12 hole" humbucker covers - weirdly, not as common as you'd imagine, but certainly popuar among certain manufacturers nowadays.

Essentially, its the same principle as a traditional humbucker cover - but designed for pickups with 2 banks of pole screws (whilst not exclusively true anymore, think DiMarzio® and their hex head poles) - 12 holes that will line up with 12 pole, giving a great, modern look to a pickup.

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H gate covers have proven popular in recent years when they've turned up on the full sized Humbuckers fitted to the Gretsch® Electromatic series coming out of Korea. Obviously taking heavy inspiration from the Filtertron® pickups that turn up in that "semi mini" Humbucker size, and leaning on the style made popular by TV jones®- they're a nice part for making a pickup look a little more old fashioned then it maybe would with other styles of cover.

These are what you’d probably call “standard” humbuckers covers – in that they have 6 holes down one side to accommodate the pole screws that are poking up through the top – and I think it’s safe to say it’s the look we think of when we talk about covered humbuckers – that Honey burst Gibson® Les Paul®, immaculately polished, all the chrome** hardware sparkling under the lights, and as a final touch of call, covered humbuckers! Beautiful!

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Oversized bar magnets usually turn up in higher output pickups, and are a fantastic way to get a really unique tone.

These base plates are SPECIFICALLY for the "H Gate Style 2" covers
Much more rounded in the corners to accommodate the larger radius on those covers.

Full Thread, slot head bolts used to mount a humbucker through the pickguard or mounting ring.
Available in Nickel, 33mm thread lengths

Humbucker and P90 sized Bar magnets, available in Alnico 2 and Alnico 5

62mm or 58mm x 12.5mm x 3.2mm

Full Thread, Phillips, Dome head bolts used to mount a humbucker through the pickguard or mounting ring.
Available in Chrome, Black,Nickel, Cosmo or Gold, in both 24mm and 30mm thread lengths

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Humbucker and P90 sized Bar magnets, available in Alnico 2, 3, 4 and 5

58mm x 12.5mm x 3.2mm