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Pickup cover on a P bass question.
- Thread starter Jason151
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- pbass pickupcover
I anchor on the pickups, or on the E string, for sure. However when I anchor on the pickups, my index finger is playing on top of that pickup, not to the right of it. Whether it's a precision or jazz or soap bar, I sometimes anchor on the pickup (at least if I have to play on the E or B string (if 5-6 string). Nothing beginner about it, again look at Will Lee, one of the true gods of bass playing, and how he plays. It's like Leo taught him how to play or something... which is of course bizarre since Leo couldn't play a note.
The consensus is some like it and some hate it. The haters are more adamant. The upside of buying a bass with the covers is that you can remove them. The downside of buying a bass without 'em is that you've got a search ahead if you decide you want 'em in the future. Anybody who's badmouthing either configuration is saying more about himself than about the bass.
Back in the old days, that would have been an extreme idea to take off a feature that Leo invented to help you play better.
When I anchor right on the pickup I push it down away from the E & A strings and that interferes with my happiness. But then, I'm working with these unmanageable hamhocks.
Really? You think it's saying something bad about yourself to say that you think one way or the other isn't a good setup? Isn't that why people have choice? Some like Precisions, some can't stand them. Some love flats, some can't stand them.
It's absolutely not saying something about yourself (as in, you're an awful person) for having a strong opinion about this. I find that quite alarming, actually, that you judge people for having strong opinions about the choice of how they setup and play their musical instruments.
It's not like this is controversial decision like politics or religion.
It's just some pretty chrome metal covers fender put on to hide the mutes under the bridge and the pickup, since it seemed unwise at the time to touch either, and looked cooler with the covers.
Been playing Ps and Js with both covers for a long time. IME, I ain't missing nuthin' vs. playing them without. It has become so normal to me, that I don't like playing them without the covers. It only blocks out about a 2 inch plucking range, which is in an area that I don't have much call to use anyhow. Without a cover, I anchor on the neck heel for low plucking, or on the pickup itself for high plucking. I can get to both of those plucking areas with covers on as well.
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The OP wondered if anyone out here plays/gigs regularly with the covers on.
I do.
For me it started with the 51 style precision; I initially had one without covers and managed to kill the rather flimsily built pickup with an e- string that got stuck under the upper part of the pu. So after a repair I put the covers on, got used to them and never had another pickup incident.
Later I got a 57 style p without the covers and installed them to check out jamerson's way of playing. I'm not playing like that but I like the covers, if only for looks.
best
Sidecar
I do.
For me it started with the 51 style precision; I initially had one without covers and managed to kill the rather flimsily built pickup with an e- string that got stuck under the upper part of the pu. So after a repair I put the covers on, got used to them and never had another pickup incident.
Later I got a 57 style p without the covers and installed them to check out jamerson's way of playing. I'm not playing like that but I like the covers, if only for looks.
best
Sidecar
Wait: if there's no money above the 5th fret, are you actually going into debt up there at the 12th?
IMO bottom line is
Can you groove with covers? Absolutely!
Can you groove without covers? Absolutely!
Do they look awesome? Absolutely!
Do they prevent about 2" - 3" of tonal range? Absolutely!
Is the tradeoff of form over function subjective rather than objective? Absolutely!
Took the covers off my 57 AVRI and I miss the look but appreciate the full access
Can you groove with covers? Absolutely!
Can you groove without covers? Absolutely!
Do they look awesome? Absolutely!
Do they prevent about 2" - 3" of tonal range? Absolutely!
Is the tradeoff of form over function subjective rather than objective? Absolutely!
Took the covers off my 57 AVRI and I miss the look but appreciate the full access
I love Elvis, but wearing your strap like this is strictly for goat-ropers. Or maybe Phranc.
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Whatever you're railing at, it isn't responding to what I posted. To belittle or demean another person's opinion or preference is what I refer to as badmouthing. As I said:
Everyone has preferences and no one has a right or a reason to declare another person's preference wrong. e.g. No skin off your nose if somebody loves or hates the covers (or flats or fat frets or tug bars or mint pick guards or maple fingerboard or high action or French vanilla ice cream, or, or...). When someone declares that you are wrong for preferring a bass or a feature that works well for you, that person is out of line. They're badmouthing your POV. Their declaration is off base and it reflects poorly on them.
Different strokes for different folks. I play vintage P-Basses with both covers on and I don't even think about it.
D
Personally I think they look cool so I've always kept the covers installed on my P-basses and J-basses. They have actually helped me finding "my" tone because they forced me to play closer to the neck. That's where the fattest, most organic tone can be found on Fender basses IMO. These days I can't imagine playing anywhere else on Fender basses.
I think Leo Fender's original intention may have been to protect the more fragile pickup on single coil P-basses but the covers have other functions too of course.
The pickup cover will prevent you from touching the pole pieces which can cause severe buzzing if the pole pieces aren't grounded. Not all pickup manufacturers bother with grounding the pole pieces and it can be a bit of a hassle to fix as soldering directly to the pole pieces can ruin the magnets.
The bridge cover will of course allow you to use a foam mute for Jamerson-style thump. You can use a sponge in front of the bridge too of course but I always preferred the result I get with foam under the bridge. It allows me to position the foam further back. I often like it even further back than Fender specs for slightly less dampening and slightly more sustain. This also allows me to angle the foam across the saddles to dampen the strings more evenly. You can't tweak your setup and tone like that using a sponge in front of the bridge.
The ONE thing I don't like about the covers is that they nearly always cause an audible "ping" when playing. It's usually worse on some notes than others and different covers can vary a LOT in this respect. The covers that make a higher pitched tone when tapping them are usually the worst. Some are so bad that I find the bass useless unless the covers are either removed or somehow dampened. Some covers have just a subtle "ping" that I can accept for playing live but definitely not in the studio. My solution has been to dampen the covers using a thin layer of foam between the cover and the body. This will effectively decouple the covers from the body and completely remove the "ping" but it can be a bit fiddly to cut a suitable piece of foam that's thin enough and not visible. I often end up removing the covers when recording, unless I need the foam mute of course.
If we're just talking about visual appearance I guess it may depend on when you started out. Everyone I know who started out in the 70s removed them. They weren't considered "cool" back then. I started out a little later when the whole vintage craze had started. All my favourite 60s bass players used the covers and I've always thought they look cool.
In short: There are pros and cons. Just do whatever works for YOU.
I think Leo Fender's original intention may have been to protect the more fragile pickup on single coil P-basses but the covers have other functions too of course.
The pickup cover will prevent you from touching the pole pieces which can cause severe buzzing if the pole pieces aren't grounded. Not all pickup manufacturers bother with grounding the pole pieces and it can be a bit of a hassle to fix as soldering directly to the pole pieces can ruin the magnets.
The bridge cover will of course allow you to use a foam mute for Jamerson-style thump. You can use a sponge in front of the bridge too of course but I always preferred the result I get with foam under the bridge. It allows me to position the foam further back. I often like it even further back than Fender specs for slightly less dampening and slightly more sustain. This also allows me to angle the foam across the saddles to dampen the strings more evenly. You can't tweak your setup and tone like that using a sponge in front of the bridge.
The ONE thing I don't like about the covers is that they nearly always cause an audible "ping" when playing. It's usually worse on some notes than others and different covers can vary a LOT in this respect. The covers that make a higher pitched tone when tapping them are usually the worst. Some are so bad that I find the bass useless unless the covers are either removed or somehow dampened. Some covers have just a subtle "ping" that I can accept for playing live but definitely not in the studio. My solution has been to dampen the covers using a thin layer of foam between the cover and the body. This will effectively decouple the covers from the body and completely remove the "ping" but it can be a bit fiddly to cut a suitable piece of foam that's thin enough and not visible. I often end up removing the covers when recording, unless I need the foam mute of course.
If we're just talking about visual appearance I guess it may depend on when you started out. Everyone I know who started out in the 70s removed them. They weren't considered "cool" back then. I started out a little later when the whole vintage craze had started. All my favourite 60s bass players used the covers and I've always thought they look cool.
In short: There are pros and cons. Just do whatever works for YOU.
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I play up by the neck anyway, so these don't hinder me. Same with my Rickenbacker. I like the style.
Here is the quote I was "railing" at:
Based on what you said in your latest reply to what I said, I'm sorry if I misunderstood your meaning when you said "badmouthing either configuration". I took that literally.... like yea people badmouth configurations all the time. Not something to take personally. However, in this thread I wasn't seeing people saying anyone was wrong for preferring one way or another, and if that's been happening then yes, I agree, that is pretty bad.
I was going to include Jamerson since he has been photographed playing while wearing a jacket but I as talking about players who have played slap style with the cover and he didn't.
I always used the pickup covers as an anchor if playing fingerstyle- always worked OK. But I mainly play with a pick, so the pickup covers (or, in the case of my EB0, "Hand Rest") works well to rest hand while playing. Good on my Rick, too. Lots of people hate them, though. Whatever- i am cool with it.
