How Do Covers Affect the Sound of Guitar Pickups?
Most electric guitars are built with pickups, which are collections of magnetic coil and wire that detect and interpret the vibrations of the guitar strings. The interpretation of the vibrating strings is usually sent to an amplifier, where the sound is loudened. For this reason, adding plates to a pickup will not change the pickup's "sound." It can however, change the way the pickup interprets the sound.
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Texture
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The addition of pickup plates changes the texture of the guitar's sound. Typically, a guitar with plated pickups will have more bass texture and will sound more smooth than the same guitar at the same settings without plates.
Clean vs. Dirty
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Pickups with plates on them will typically sound cleaner than those without plates. The plate acts as a barrier between the vibrating strings and the magnets and wiring that interpret the sound, so plated pickups won't detect some of the harsher tones of a guitar.
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Volume
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Because the plate acts as a barrier between string and pickup, plated pickups are quieter than unplated pickups.
Plastic vs. Metal
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There is some debate about whether plastic plates affect a guitar's sound at all. Metal plates will alter the magnetic field being detected by the magnetic coiling and wiring inside the pickup, so these will definitely cause some or all of the previously mentioned changes in sound.
Pole Pieces
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The pole piece of a pickup is the part that detects the vibrating of the string. If the plate covers the pole pieces on the pickup, the changes in sound will be much greater. If there are openings for the pole piece covering, the effects will be lessened.
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References
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