Questions RE: Enclosed Pickups

Craig McClure · From: Jasper, N. Georgia, USA

Hello All, With some interest & curiosity, I've observed a number of vintage lap steels having covered pickups & wondered about the purpose & reasons for them.
Older Supro's had a large plastic cover enclosing bridge & pickup, that I suspect may have been intended as a right hand rest.
While wondering about the exact purpose of the HORSESHOE MAGNETS enclosing early Pickups, & those with thick steel plates bolted through risers to each side of the pickup - actually Accomplish. Noting some others with thin narrow sheet metal covers over pickups appear to be decorative hand rests. ???

*(asking for a friend) who has a PACEMAKER, whose doctor warned them of "staying clear of force fields" - IF, a non ferrous bridge & pickup cover - would be a useful safety measure ??

Thanks up front for enlightenment, Craig

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

Many early horseshoe pickups used huge magnets because they were cheaper than smaller ones. Strong magnets made of Alnico existed in the 1930s, but it took until ~1940 before instrument manufacturers started to consider them cheap enough to use in pickups.

Many players used the horseshoes as hand rests, though this was initially not what the manufacturers intended. National and Dobro had used small bits of coverplates on their acoustics in the late '20s, too, but these were mainly there to protect the fairly fragile bridges. But apparently players of the time preferred something to keep their hands off the strings.

As horseshoe pickups faded away in the late '30s, non-magnetic structures took their place. Brands that never used horseshoes still felt that players wanted a hand rest, so they made something out of plastic or brass. Some of these survived on new instruments even into the 1970s. A good number of these were removed and lost over the years, though plenty still survive.

There is some argument that manufacturers thought they were hiding "ugly" bridges, though I'm not sure how much I buy that.

Rick Rienks · From: Oregon, USA

As regards the metal plates on the SUPRO, I believe I saw a comment regarding “wrapping the magnetic field around the string.” Perhaps it has an effect. As to the plastic pick-up/bridge cover (SUPRO): As I was gaining familiarity with the instrument, I used it as a RH palm rest. On conventional guitar I counted upon “choking” the strings at that end with my right hand. Also referred to as ‘palm blocking,’ the Supro does not provide easy access to the bridge top due to that top steel plate over the pick-up. It also has square corners so I decided to live with it as it was created.

The cover went back on but I did notice an odd quality of sound when practicing unamplified. I traced it to a thin space between the cover and the guitar body. That seemed to add a vibration. Though screwed down snugly, I discovered I could slip a thin piece of paper in a nearly invisible gap between the body and the cover on the bass side. Reluctant to force anything, I examined the entire assembly, on and off, a few times. O noticed that with the cover off and the screws put in, there was a slight difference in the gap between the knob (bass side) and the top and the same on the treble side. Carefully running it down, up & back down a few times I convinced myself that it would screw in just a little further. I reinstalled the plastic cover, carefully snugged it down and the odd vibration was gone. Whew! I am curious to see any comments on the cover/no cover &etc topics. What a great group.

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

There are basically three types of "over the strings units ...

Magnetic circuits ... ex: horseshoes, Fender Traps and Boxcars & Supro/Valcio string thoughs ... where the "handrest" are either magnets themselves (horseshoes) or steel conduits that "yolk" together magnet blocks (Fender, Supro)

Steel covers ... ex: Magnetone, faux horseshoes (JB frypans), etc ... the steel above the magnetic pole/blade ... realigns the magnetic lines of force, "pulling" them upward ... helping to magnetize the strings more efficiently ... a subtle effect

Non ferromagnetic or Plastic covers ... decorative hand rests

Hope that helps .... Mr. Green

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