bridge and pickup covers, function?

[Gilmourisgod]

I always thought the Ric pup cover was just an attempt to make it resemble the original horseshoe pup in Neal's images above. Very cool looking and functional shape descended from Ric's original pedal-steel pup, the first production pickup, if I remember correctly. The old 4001 ones were thin chrome coat over white plastic, the new ones are chrome over black plastic.

 

[Deleted member 264575]

Circa 1935.

 

[bigtone23]

Marcus Miller uses the Jazz PU cover as a"manual compressor" or something to that effect, IIRC. It limits how far he can pull up a string while slapping.
I don't use covers, but have as a temporary effect when I attached foam to the bridge cover to mute the strings a bit.

 

[Deleted member 264575]

I always thought the Ric pup cover was just an attempt to make it resemble the original horseshoe pup in Neal's images above. Very cool looking and functional shape descended from Ric's original pedal-steel pup, the first production pickup, if I remember correctly. The old 4001 ones were thin chrome coat over white plastic, the new ones are chrome over black plastic.

I like my steel ones, but I think they hurt more than the plastic ones when you rap your knuckles on 'em . They're unforgiving.

 

[giannispezza]

I must admit I never use them, they leave vey little room for your fingers to move, but every once in a while I put them on just for few moments because I love the look of them on my jazz!

 

[Leo was right]

I personally think they look awesome, and I want them desperately for both of my basses. So anyone who hates em can send em my way! Lol. One 50s one 70s please... ;-)

Still available at the custom shop.

 

[Leo was right]

I put a pickup cover on every fender bass I've ever had. I rest my forearm on it for slapping and it helped me break the bad habit of anchoring my thumb on the front pickup.


Everything has its use, if a person is willing to think about it from a different perspective.

That make me say: Leo was right!

Saying that, I am conscient that Leo Fender was a very clever guy who invent praticaly the electric bass but I am sure he didn't imagine that somebody, one day will play it like John Entwhistle Flea Jaco Geddy Steve Harris ect. If somebody have a proof that someone really use the strap button behind the head of the neck I pay him a beer.

 

[Norwegian Bass]

I take them off. I don't need them, but I can see how other people do...

 

[bholder]

Well, here we go again.

As someone here old enough to have bought a 70s P bass when they came with covers, let me chime in. Back in the day, the first thing one did when you got home with a new Fender was take those awful things off! With a P bass, yes, I found they got in the way. I can't imagine a J bass with that huge rear cover over both the bridge and rear pick-up.

As for their function, I recall reading somewhere that Leo Fender thought that they helped in blocking RF interference but the prevailing wisdom is that they were a matter of aesthetics and meant to pretty up the "guts" of the mechanism.

Its amusing in this age of "what's old is new again" that covers have made a resurgence in popularity.

They have never been grounded, so I question whether they really provide any RF shielding benefit.

 

[jdthebassman]

I have one on my 77 jazz neck pickup it serves a function for me I use it for a cow bell effect. when I hit it with my thumb or first 2 fingers it rings out and has a cool cow bell sound tuned to an A note. It works great when I play latin or slap bass. I hit the cover with my thumb and pluck the strings just like regular slap playing or you can get a 3-2 or 2-3 clave by hitting the cover with the thumb then pluck the strings. cool effect.

 

[Leo was right]

They have never been grounded, so I question whether they really provide any RF shielding benefit.

In the old days the pickguard had a metal shield behind, wich we can see on the edge of the one who had shrinked, so it can act as a partial shield by capacitance or by contact of the screws but on my old basses it doesn't really change something. A fender always buzz anyway. A MXR noise clamp is really helpfull.

 

[LostInSauce]

Here's the deal with bridge covers (can't speak for pup covers):
Back when the bass was new they were strapped and worn very high on the chest. Many players thumped with their right elbow crooked around the bridge side of the body. Check out some old photos and see where your granddad wore it then compared to where they're worn much lower today. Further, players back then simply didn't perform without nice shirts and long sleeve jackets. The bridge cover prevented the "sharp" or pointed edges of the bridge from ripping/rubbing the sleeves.

 

[GretschWretch]

In 1951 - 57, the reasons for the covers likely were as follows:

1) bridge cover for the mute to generate a more upright tone

2) pickup cover to protect the speakers, since at that time picking directly over the pickup was a speaker killer

3) for appearance; it was the era of big autos with lots of chrome

Some non-Fender basses had chrome covers not over the pickup, most likely to serve as handrests for flatpicking.

If my Fenders or Maggies don't come with covers I add them, since the pickup cover nicely divides the plucking area
into three zones each with distinct tonalities. And I like the look.

I don't like drilling holes much either, so if I cannot use factory-drilled holes I attach the covers with poster putty.
That stuff is so robust you have to yank the cover from the bass to remove it.

 

[Leo was right]

In 1951 - 57, the reasons for the covers likely were as follows:

1) bridge cover for the mute to generate a more upright tone

2) pickup cover to protect the speakers, since at that time picking directly over the pickup was a speaker killer

3) for appearance; it was the era of big autos with lots of chrome

Some non-Fender basses had chrome covers not over the pickup, most likely to serve as handrests for flatpicking.

If my Fenders or Maggies don't come with covers I add them, since the pickup cover nicely divides the plucking area
into three zones each with distinct tonalities. And I like the look.

I don't like drilling holes much either, so if I cannot use factory-drilled holes I attach the covers with poster putty.
That stuff is so robust you have to yank the cover from the bass to remove it.

One thing is sure: the chrome was the fashion of the day in the fifties and the pbass was really in phase with the automotive and aeronautic design ( as the stratocaster ). For this Leo had a lot of intuition. The pbass became as iconic as the 57' chevy.

 

[Charles Brown]

bridge and pickup covers, function?

Their function is to make playing the bass harder and to limit access to the strings.

There.

 

[Leo was right]

There.

That's what I though for years before refixe them just for the fun because I like the look (maybe I was influenced by James Jamerson on old picture). And then I started to play and wow! it is really more fun to have a rest for the thumb and the pinkies, even on the P-bass or the J-bass (except for the Jaco sound but I use the Musicman for this). So it is a keeper. I don't use a pick but I am sure it can be use as a wrist rest also.

That what make me say: Leo was right, or for sure he was a clever guy.

Have a try for a couple of days.

 

[Leo was right]

James Jamerson said: the dirt keep the funk. It is really true on my 1964 P-bass.

 

[TheCouchBassist]

Outside of the foam mutes in the bridge cover purely cosmetic (IMHO).

 

[SurferJoe46]

I play Elixer coated strings.
Elixir coating will eventually fuzz up right where you pluck the strings.
I noticed that when i looked at the fuzz, it only occured on my basses right where covers would not be anyway.
When I put covers on my first Fender J-bass, I didn't lose any playing space.
I tend to install covers just for looks but they are a great resting place.
I like to Hook (or thumb) my basses for the sweet thumpy-ness of old recordings.
Covers have look and function with no loss of playing acreage for me.
I only put them on my Fender basses, but I also have a Mosrite with them (rare!) since they increase the collector's value of this bass.
I also install Tug Bars, just for looks - they aren't in the way of my playing areas - they look kewl too.
I guess you can call my Fenders "Full Dressers".

Funny about that Mosrite.... There's a Mosrite collector in Denver with two of the same bass, with serial numbers on both sides of my Mosrite.
He wants to fill a small straight with my bass in the middle, sequentially numbered.
We haven't come to the right price though, so I'm holding mine, waiting for him to rise to the occasion.
He'll come around eventually.
I'll buy a CS Precision with the money, new tires for all my vehicles, a new hay bailer and have some left over to stuff my mattress.
Covers are sweet!

Fenders with covers and tug bars are the Full Dressers of the music world.
They're the Street Cruisers of Bass Guitars.

 

[Leo was right]

Outside of the foam mutes in the bridge cover purely cosmetic (IMHO).

Your statement is completely right, until a day you find it a pratical usage.

As I did, I think, it permit my thumb to rest at a different angles and positions in function of the string I play, the spread between the thumb and the trigger finger is less because I anchor it lower on the cover when I pluck the D and G string.

The best is to try it for a couple of hours if you have a chance.

It is the only thing it miss on my stingray...