chrome covers

I can only think of two.

Aesthetics - Some people love the look, and others don't.
Personally I think they look great on a Jazz Bass yet I don't have them on any of my 8 Jazzes. The reason is that they
get in my way when I'm playing. I move up and down
the strings over the pickups to get different tones. The covers
hamper my access to the strings. But I still love the way they look.

Function - For some players they use them as thumbrests very effectively. Also the big "F" ashtray on Jazz Basses have
a black foam mute positioned just in front of the bridge saddles
and this affects the tone of the bass by muting.
Again, some like it some don't. I do a lot of palm-muting so I don't need a foam mute. That's just my style, though.

I've also seen folks use either one or the other but not both
covers. They also enhance the look of the bass in my opinion. Like everything else, it boils down to personal preference.

But I guess the answer you're looking for is YES, the chrome
covers CAN affect tone by the ways listed above.
Hope this helps,

 

They look hot on my P, imo.

I also use it as a thumb rest 90% of the time.




joe

 

the only disadvantage i can think of is that if you're trying to play with a pick (tic tac bass), you can't really palm mute notes against the bridge of the bass if the cover isthere. i.e. you would be muting too far up the string.

 

I don't begrudge anyone who likes them or finds function with them...to each his/her own.

but I personally dislike both the way they look and the way they feel. they're in my way big time. i have 2 P's & a J and none of them have any covers

 

I've seen this topic a few times.
As far as advantage and disadvantage, I see it like this...

The advantage is mostly aesthetic, bridge cover would hide a foam mute (which is aesthetic), or maybe a place to put your thumb (function)

The disadvantage is that they take up a lot of space so you are more limited where you can access the strings.

Some guys may say they have an effect on tone, but I don't see how...

 

Honestly I think they are just for looks and do offer a level of protection as well. As for altering your basses tone I think they have no effect unless touching the strings, pickups or resting on top of the bridge somehow. And as for playing disadvantages, only one I could think of is it could get in your way sometimes when playing either with fingers or a pick around the pickups.

 

Easiest thing to do is get that 3M double-sided gray foam tape and cut it to fit. I put a set of covers on a Squier P-bass copy, haven't needed to drill holes as yet, and that was well over a year ago. I've removed and reattached them without any problems, but that was on a poly-finished body. Nitro could react with the foam tape on the bridge cover, I don't know.

 

I'm going to advise to be careful with that 3M double sided foam tape. I use that stuff a lot at work, and it is hard to get off once it's on. Leaves lots of little bits and residue... IME,, if we are talking about the same tape.

 

Assuming non-ferrous covers, by changing the electrodynamic field in the working area of the pickups/strings.

How much this audibly affects "tone" I do not pretend to know, but the physics are at least sound. I think I saw a piece on this by Bill Lawrence somewhere, but it may have been by someone else. It's been a while.

A friend who was a music producer at Sony/MGM for twenty-plus years in LA also asserts that foil-shielding pickup cavities does likewise.