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NBD-My First Fender P! Also a question?

Should I add a bridge and/or pickup cover?

  • Total voters
    129
#21
Nice. Gave away my '72 P when I was young and stupid and thought I had to work for a living. So if you have them, put all the covers on; young kids will ask you "what's that for?" and you can just smile knowingly. It'll be worth it.
 
#23
Covers do look cool, but I wouldn't bother. The pup cover gets in the way because it limits where you can pluck the strings. For me, it is right where I play most of the time. The bridge cover is only a hassle when you need to change strings or do any setup adjustments.
I don't know if they still do, but the original purpose of the bridge cover was a mute. On the inside, there was a strip of foam that muted the strings. In the early days, bass players were mostly transitioned upright players and were not used to the sustain of an electric bass.
 
#26
WhoSeyes said:
I have the same bass. Stock pickguard was white, though.

Be careful with the buckle rash... or not! ;)
Click to expand...

The white pickguard was in the gig bag when I got it. I actually like the tort so it will probably stay. Buckle rash won't be an issue since I don't wear belts but there are already several places where the finish is scratched down to the wood. It won't take much to give this bass a nice worn look as much as I plan on playing it.
 
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#28
I always wanted a Highway One. One of my favorite Fender lines. Nice bass OP!

As for covers, if you want to get really vintage about it, you could add the bridge cover and put some foam in there. After you put flats on, of course. ;)
 
#29
I love the look of a bridge cover on a P-bass. I agree with Leo that they were aesthetically meant to be covered up. I found I had to change my palm-muting technique but it was worth it. Pickup covers (and Jbass bridge covers) I find more dysfunctional than functional.
 

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