Anyone else LOVE pickup covers on P and J basses?

[Tonegasm]

Most people remove them but I adore them. I find them to be the most comfortable place to anchor my thumb. I don't like hovering and am uncomfortable anchoring on the jagged edges of the pickups. I also feel like plucking over the P Bass pickup to be too woofy. On J basses, plucking over the neck pickup is also too woofy and plucking over the bridge pickup is too thin sounding. The pickup covers allow me to pluck right in the sweet spot where the sound, tension, and spacing are just right.

 

[p0k]

I love the way they look, but always thought the pup cover got in the way...sometimes I like to vary where I play, and it would just annoy me. Bridge covers on a P-bass look especially awesome though and don't get in the way.

 

[Rip Topaz]

I love the look of covers but they always end up being in the way, so I only put them on for pix.

 

[Nickbass90]

Count me in. I love em. The look is gorgeous, and I also enjoy the functionality it provides for finger style playing.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I love the looks and have them on some vintage basses. I don't really mind them much. I pluck just in front of the PU cover.

 

[Shakin-Slim]

I have a bridge cover on my P, but this has made me consider buying and putting on a pickup cover, too.

 

[SolarMan]

Yes. Added the covers to this CV 50's P:

 

[2saddleslab]

Love the Fender skirts. I use the end of the neck and pickup cover both as thumb rests. This gives me everything from doghouse tone to sharper definition.

 

[bjabass]

I like em...mainly because when I started playing all the Fender basses on album covers had them on there. Plus, chrome is cool.

 

[jweber76]

I think they look awesome! I just put a pair on one of my Ps and am still learning my way around them.

 

[Jookbox]

They look cool on a p bass, but not so much on a jazz. I experimented with them. They're just in the way. There's a reason 99% of basses don't have them.

 

[dirtbeard]

When I got my NAV '63p a few weeks ago it didn't feel natural. I got my old J bass back out and didn't realize it but I anchor my thumb on the bridge pickup while I play. Moving back to the P, the pickup cover works really well as a substitute and i'm not playing as far back so the tone is a lot better. I gave up slapping a long time ago so the cover works perfect! And I agree, the more chrome the better!

-db

 

[electracoyote]

Love the look.

Can't use them. They cramp my style.

 

[marijn van gils]

Love the look.

Can't use them. They cramp my style.

+1!

My only Jazz only has its covers on at the moment because it is hanging on the bedroom wall and only gets played (= noodled on) right before sleeping time nowadays, and never with a band.

 

[braud357]

I have them on both my Squier Standard Jazz Bass and my Squier CV 50's bass. Love the "old school" look. I cannot, however, use a pickup cover on a standard Precision bass - it is where my hand falls in my natural playing position.

 

[braud357]

Most people remove them but I adore them. I find them to be the most comfortable place to anchor my thumb. I don't like hovering and am uncomfortable anchoring on the jagged edges of the pickups. I also feel like plucking over the P Bass pickup to be too woofy. On J basses, plucking over the neck pickup is also too woofy and plucking over the bridge pickup is too thin sounding. The pickup covers allow me to pluck right in the sweet spot where the sound, tension, and spacing are just right.

Those are some beautiful basses - LOVE the candy apple red one !!

 

[SactoBass]

Another cover fan here. I have been playing bass for 41 years, and I got used to resting my palm on the Fender pickup cover when I play with a pick. Same with Rickenbackers.

 

[madbassplaya]

None of my basses currently have them but I have had covers on the neck pickup. Didn't bother me and looked pretty cool!

Does the bridge cover require removal for string changes? I've never had one.

 

[SoCalBassman]

When I started using my AVRI as a working bass in the 80's I took the covers off because I thought they looked dorky and have long since lost track of them.
I retired it to the closet a few years ago and just recently bought replacement covers so I could restore the original look. Now I like the way they look. I didn't notice any difference in the sound and the pu cover doesn't bother me because I play just in front of it anyway.

 

[giacomini]

They sure look great!

My P have both on, they don't get in the way most of the time, but sometimes I have to peep down to change the right hand position when the bassline calls for it.

Even with that big metal plate between the bridge and the neck there's still a lot of room to get different sounds out of the bass.