Covered Humbuckers?Uncovered Humbuckers?

I just recently purchased a PRS Custom 22 and it has uncovered Dragon II pickups. Is there any difference between the uncovered pickups and the covered ones?

I think the difference is just whether or not they have the chrome covers (or nickel or whatever they are), thats all. I think. I don't believe there's any difference in the electronics of the pickups, just the appearance. Anybody else know for sure?

Some guitar techs will tell you that uncovered pickups will give you more "edge" or "depth" to your sound. Others say it doesn't do anything. Just decide for yourself which one you prefer. That's what it's all about anyway.

Guys like Gary Moore, Slash, and Joe Perry among others use uncovered pickups, but then again they have customized pickups and those pickups on the PRS' are no slouches either.
I think it's only the original (Gibson) Seth Lover pu's that were tweaked by some of the Brits way back when they wanted a bit more bite out of thier guitars.
Or something.

The idea behind the covers is to keep grit from getting into the coils and causing damage. The old PAF Gibson pickups, (and a lot of new ones), used beeswax to fill any gaps in the windings and keep the wires from vibrating.

Plastic covers would serve this purpose, but while you're at it, why not use metal to improve the shielding? This is why the chrome and 'gold' covers are made of brass. You get good attenuation of EMI from outside sources, but since brass is non-magnetic, there is NO reduction of the magnetic coupling between the strings and the pickup.

If you prefer the look of the uncovered pickups, go with 'em, but don't let some 'guru' try to feed you any crap about 'edge'. The type of magnet material, the size and shape of the magnet(s), the size of the wire in the windings, the number of turns in the coil(s), and the way the coils are positioned relative to each other.... there's a whole LOT of factors that are important to the way a pickup works. Don't get sidetracked by cosmetics.