What are pick-up covers for?

[NKUSigEp]

Some of the best sounding basses didnt

I didn't say ALL...just some.

 

[Kenton]

The simple answer is Leo knew that adding shiny bits of metal to guitars makes em damn sexy.

 

[terribilino]

The simple answer is Leo knew that adding shiny bits of metal to guitars makes em damn sexy.

+1

This was the bass that made me wonder what they were for. What a beaut.

 

[Kenton]

First time i saw them on a bass was when i saw this pic in a book just after i got my first bass.

Link Removed

 

[pigsonthewing]

First time i saw them on a bass was when i saw this pic in a book just after i got my first bass.

Link Removed

I have that exact poster in my room

 

[spade2you]

Just remember that passive pickup covers sound much better.

 

[Kenton]

I have that exact poster in my room

Where did you get it from im re-doing my room and would love to get one.

 

[iamthebassman]

I have that exact poster in my room

Me too!

 

[TBird1958]

pure and simple chrome = sexy!

 

[Delta_Petra]

Been waiting to use this.

 

[R. Laevinus]

...well... ...you're probably all gonna shoot me, but...

I read somewhere that the P-Bass was designed with guitarists being able to double on bass in mind as ONE reason... ...and that the pickup cover was there for said guitarists to rest their hands on while they played with a pick.

Bear in mind that this ain't even my opinion, I'm just sayin' what I read. It might be true.

 

[vbasscustom]

where did you read it? if its like on the fender site, then yeah, its true, but ive never heard it before

 

[countrybassist]

Some of the best sounding basses didnt

Don't get your nickers in a tussel, The bloke was just joking.

 

[jaywa]

I always kind of wondered what the point of that Dylan-with-a-J-Bass picture was, anyway.

OTOH that red P-bass with the covers is an absolute beaut...

 

[Planet Boulder]

I have that exact poster in my room

I actually have this one as well. In fact, I purchased it already hard-mounted to a wood base from Marshall's, of all places...

It's displayed on an easel in my basement.

 

[bassbenj]

The first pickup for an electric guitar or bass was the Rickenbacker horseshoe pickup. The covers or shoes were actually magnetized steel and an integral part of the pickup. This original pickup was designed in the 1930s I think. It was used on guitars, steel guitars, and basses. Rickenbacker switched to the high gain pickup about november 1968.

The modern day pickup covers can shield the pickup underneath from electric interference. Some manufacturers claim the steel pickup covers change the sound by containing the magnetic field. Most of us find covers to be in the way and remove them.

This is exactly correct. The Rickenbacker "cover" is actually not a cover at all but part of the magnetic structure. It is there to shape the magnetic field. (it does affect the tone). The Fender-style covers are for looks and to a degree to shield the pickups from interference. (if the covers are grounded). They DO NOT work like the Rick structures even when made out of steel because the metal is not thick enough to really modify the magnetic fields.

A pickup cavity can be shielded on the bottom and sides with paint or foil, but the top of the pickup is always open and thus can pick up noise. The covers can reduce that effect providing a shield over the top where the pickup has no shielding. And they also look very cool.

Personally I leave the Bridge "ash tray" on for looks (does next to nothing reducing noise) and I take the strap cover off over the neck pickup because it just plain gets in the way. If you change strings a lot, then the bridge cover gets in the way as you have to remove it to change them.

 

[Munjibunga]

They protect the pickups from hurricanes, lightning, hornets, and dachshunds.

 

[EagleMoon]

This is exactly correct. The Rickenbacker "cover" is actually not a cover at all but part of the magnetic structure. It is there to shape the magnetic field. (it does affect the tone). The Fender-style covers are for looks and to a degree to shield the pickups from interference. (if the covers are grounded). They DO NOT work like the Rick structures even when made out of steel because the metal is not thick enough to really modify the magnetic fields.

A pickup cavity can be shielded on the bottom and sides with paint or foil, but the top of the pickup is always open and thus can pick up noise. The covers can reduce that effect providing a shield over the top where the pickup has no shielding. And they also look very cool.

Personally I leave the Bridge "ash tray" on for looks (does next to nothing reducing noise) and I take the strap cover off over the neck pickup because it just plain gets in the way. If you change strings a lot, then the bridge cover gets in the way as you have to remove it to change them.

The old "horseshoe" Ric pickup had a metal U that went over the pickups. But the current Ric pickup cover (since 1968) is plastic. Just for looks only.

To me, the Fender covers just get in the way. It's always the first thing I take off of a bass if they have them.

 

[ShoeManiac]

The simple answer is Leo knew that adding shiny bits of metal to guitars makes em damn sexy.

It's like chrome on a car. The car doesn't need a chrome bumper in order to run, but it adds to the aesthetic. And truthfully, I think that in the 50's and the 60's a lot of the lines and concepts of instrument design were influenced by the designs of automobiles.

 

[Jazz Ad]

The first pickup for an electric guitar or bass was the Rickenbacker horseshoe pickup.

Don't tell it to Lloyd Loar, he'd get angry.