Should I make this mod??

[Mr.Phil]

That looks really strange...

 

[B8ssMan89]

Hey, do whatever you want to do. It's your bass. YOU should decide what you want to do. Not leave it up to us TB'ers....
we can't make every damn decision in the world for y'all

 

[Frank Martin]

It looks kind of weird.

You said it yourself

I'm not a fan of these covers anyway. They just hinder playing (and setup and string change, etc), and do nothing else. It's up to you to decide: better playability or maybe look cool to some, while it looks stupid for the rest of the people

Come to think of it - what if you break a string onstage with all these covers on - I think you'd be royally screwed.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

 

[karrot-x]

What was their original purpose?

 

[Frank Martin]

What was their original purpose?

Shielding, AFAIK

 

[fenderbassabuse]

I said no because it does only partially cover the bridge and pup. If it covered BOTH I would say yes, but like others have said, they are reasonably unpractical. I have one on my P, but only cos it gets a pick on it and the bridge grub screws hurt my hand.

 

[mrpackerguy]

They just hinder playing (and setup and string change, etc)

I don't agree about set up and string change as I always carry tools in my gig bag; it's nothing to remove it with a screwdriver. In 26 years of playing, I've never broken a string or had a major bridge mishap.

However, I agree with you in part about playability. I usually anchor my thumb on a pickup. With the usual bridge cover, you really can't anchor the thumb comfortably. The unusual thing about this 4 string bridge cover is that since it doesn't cover the bridge pickup entirely, you actually can comfortably anchor your thumb there.

It's really the look of it I'm struggling with. Good points were made about reduced value if I commit to drilling screw holes into it. I've sorta been dinking around with the idea of seeking a trade for a fretless 4, so I'm leaning toward not doing the mod. The poll is interestingly one-sided.

 

[RJ]

You could try to just move it back so it only covers the bridge and not the pup at all. Im not sure if there is room for that or not. If you kinda like the way it looks with it half covering the pup just use a good double sided tape and stick it on there, in whatever postition. You wont have to worry about damaging your bass and if you tire of the looks just take it off. Just an idea...

 

[mrpackerguy]

If you kinda like the way it looks with it half covering the pup just use a good double sided tape and stick it on there

Now THERE's the best idea thusfar!

 

[DubDubs]

Looks funky to me, it's supposed to hide the pickup, not just the bridge. I say wear it right or don't wear it at all.

By that I mean pull up your pants and stop showing your underwear.

I agree, it looks strange and it's fitting the bass correctly. I say don't do it.

 

[jaguarcat311]

it should either hide the bridge pickup or not, its pretty half*ss right now

 

[mrpackerguy]

You could try to just move it back so it only covers the bridge and not the pup at all... just use a good double sided tape...You wont have to worry about damaging your bass...

OK. I tried backing the cover off the bridge pup. Perhaps it looks a bit better.

BTW, will double sided tape do any harm to the finish?

 

[whamonkey]

Horrible......now it hangs off the edge of the bass. Even worse than before. I personally like the look of the Jazz bass without the "vintage" pup and bridge covers. Something else to get in the way......

 

[Peter Squire]

If you wish to put an ashtray on it, it has to look 'right' or it will look completely half-assed.

Agreed - it looks exactly like what it is - an arsed up hack job.

 

[Deleted member 5551]

No go for me. I generally don't dig the bridge cover. The cover on the mid pu can look nice, IMO. However, for the bridge-if it fit all the way, then i'd say "sweet". I'm actually glad you checked-i was thinking about putting covers on the basses that the Fedex guy has for me. That's all

 

[jcburn]

I dont like it - just looks a bit silly (sort of try hard).
Please dont be offended!
Jazz basses look great naked!

 

[Phil Mastro]

I think it looks good, although it seems to cover half of the bridge pickups, which I would find annoying, playability wise. If you don't play near the bridge, and it wouldn't affect your right hand, I'd say go for it.

 

[Basshole]

I have a question: Why doesn't it fit on there correctly?

As far as I knew, a J-bass pickup was a J-bass pickup, 4 or 5 string notwithstanding. You mean to tell me that the pickups on your bass are wider than a stock 4-stringer's pickups??

I think if you can get it on there correctly, it looks boobies.

 

[mrpackerguy]

The reason it's not fitting is because of the bridge width. The cover tapers narrower on the closed end of the cover. As you move it up on the bass, it gets "stuck" and won't proceed up toward the neck.

I'm not sure about the width of the 5 string pups vs. the 4 string pups.