How to Remove & Install a Telecaster Neck Cover

Are you excited about giving your Telecaster a fresh new look? Whether you’ve recently upgraded your hardware from Chrome to Gold or simply want to replace that old, worn neck pickup cover, you’re in for a fun, challenging project!

Changing the Neck Pickup Cover is a fun and rewarding task that might be a bit tricky, but don’t worry—with a little patience and the right tools (and with the guidance of this article), you’ll be able to do it safely and efficiently.

Tools Needed

To remove and replace your Telecaster Neck Pickup Cover, you’ll need the following tools:

1. Soldering iron & Solder
2. Fine wire cutters
3. Needle-nose pliers
4. Flathead screwdriver (for bending tabs)
5. Heat gun
6. Extra stranded wire
7. Sandpaper or Dremel with a sanding attachment

How to Remove Your Telecaster Neck Pickup Cover

First, you’ll want to disconnect the ground wire connecting the pickup to the cover.

This is done through a jumper wire located at the back of the pickup. With a soldering iron in hand, gently melt the solder ball at the back. Remember to keep the area as tidy as possible—this little detail will make it much easier to remove the cover later.

Now, onto the tabs. Using a flathead screwdriver, gently bend the tabs upward. Just a slight bend will make it easier to grip them with needle-nose pliers. Once you’ve got them slightly raised, grasp all three tabs with the pliers and straighten them 100% with care.

Here comes the delicate part: removing the cover. It’s important to proceed with caution here as there are two things that can go wrong here:

• While the cover might come off easily, it’s possible to accidentally damage the coil wire during this step. If you use a lot of force removing the cover, you can accidentally pierce the coil wire with the tabs of the cover.
• Sometimes the cover can be stuck, and if the glue on the baseplate fiberboard gives way, the bottom fiberboard could detach. This can kill the pickup by breaking both coil wires at the eyelets, so we definitely want to steer clear of that.

Lindy Says…

Did you damage your Neck Pickup? No problem! We perform rewinds and repairs on Telecaster neck pickups every day. Check out our Rewinds and Repairs page.”

To help minimize these risks, grab a heat gun and warm up the cover. This will encourage the wax to flow, making it easier to remove the cover. Once the cover is warm, gently wiggle it to loosen it up. Take your time—this is the moment to pay special attention to both the coil and the base fiberboard. If you notice any separation, stop right away to avoid any damage.

When you feel the cover is becoming loose, you’re almost there! Apply gentle pressure and pull it straight away from the pickup, being mindful of the coil wire and the tabs. And just like that, you’ve successfully removed the cover.

How to install a new Telecaster Neck Pickup Cover

To replace the cover on your Telecaster Neck Pickup, follow the above steps in reverse with a few caveats:

1. If you have a plated cover (Polished Nickel, Chrome, Black Chrome), you’ll need to sand the finish off of the ground tab first.
2. Use the “butt” end of the screwdriver to bend the tabs back over. The tabs don’t need to be completely flat; they need to hold the cover in place.
3. Use the heat gun to reflow the wax.
4. Reinstall the Ground jumper.

Watch How Fralin Pickups Does It

Watch Our Quick Tip: