What's the intended use for a pickup cover?

[Remoman]

So, a Sunday Internet rabbit hole chase lead me to the page for the current production Burns (Marvin) Shadows bass. Very cool old school stuff. However, they list a chrome palm rest after the pickup description and there is a 3 bar skeleton pickup cover over the middle pickups.

Is that the original intended use for a pickup cover? As a palm rest? Would make sense for those using picks. Never even dawned on me, I always thought is was just to protect the pickup or something with a early approach to a sound barrier or enhancement. But then on J-basses, I've only seen covers over the neck pickup. Anyone have any other info on the original intended use?

 

[Skybone]

I always thought that it was something to do with the theory that they improved or enhanced the magnetic field around the strings. Like the covers on Fender Precision & Jazz basses, and the cover on the Telecaster bridge.

Of course, you had the "traditional" horseshoe pickup on Rickenbackers, where the cover was actually the magnet, but the pickup was improved over the years, and the "cover" element became cosmetic.

Certainly, the "cover" on the Burns Shadows bass was purely cosmetic, as it would seem to have absolutely no practical use whatsoever.

 

[Nashrakh]

I've heard theories similar to what Skybone wrote, that the cover was intended to shield the pickups from noise, but this seems to have turned out to be wrong.

These days, they're purely cosmetic. I love 'em, but I'm digging that old school look.

 

[lz4005]

I've heard theories similar to what Skybone wrote, that the cover was intended to shield the pickups from noise, but this seems to have turned out to be wrong.

These days, they're purely cosmetic. I love 'em, but I'm digging that old school look.

It was intended to be a part of shielding, some early basses even had a ground wire running to the cover. They were wrong that it would work that way, but that was the original intent.

I'm the opposite of you. I hate everything about pickup covers.

 

[Nashrakh]

It was intended to be a part of shielding, some early basses even had a ground wire running to the cover. They were wrong that it would work that way, but that was the original intent.

I'm the opposite of you. I hate everything about pickup covers.

I get it, from a purely pragmatic point of view they're useless. They block access to the bridge and the pickups so you have to unscrew everything even if you just want to change strings or adjust pickup height. Plus for a lot of people they get in the way of their playing.

I'm fortunate enough that I don't futz around with my settings once I'm happy, change strings only every decade, and don't like playing over the pickups.

Aesthetics are purely subjective, to me they only look right on Fenders but I would never put one on my Ibanez SR...

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Remoman

Anyone have any other info on the original intended use?

You don' t smoke, do you?

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

[JTE]

Several conjectures have come up, truth is likely a combination of all. First, most non-Fender ones are there because Fender had them.

For the original Fender Precision they did at least four things. They looked modern and cool; lottsa chrome was important in 1951. They covered up the rather crude looking pickup with its fiber bobbin and mass of cloth covered wire dipped in wax. Besides being a cosmetic cover, it also helped protect the PUP from physical damage. They were thought to supply a little electronic shielding. If you pluck the string with the side of your thumb (remember, Leo intended that guitarists as well as bassists would play this instrument), the cover gives you nice place to rest your hand (and the fingers curl up nicely around the finger rest under the strings).

 

[Remoman]

Several conjectures have come up, truth is likely a combination of all. First, most non-Fender ones are there because Fender had them.

For the original Fender Precision they did at least four things. They looked modern and cool; lottsa chrome was important in 1951. They covered up the rather crude looking pickup with its fiber bobbin and mass of cloth covered wire dipped in wax. Besides being a cosmetic cover, it also helped protect the PUP from physical damage. They were thought to supply a little electronic shielding. If you pluck the string with the side of your thumb (remember, Leo intended that guitarists as well as bassists would play this instrument), the cover gives you nice place to rest your hand (and the fingers curl up nicely around the finger rest under the strings).

Yeah, that was my impression of the origin of the covers, looks and protection. Never had seen it refereed to as strictly a palm rest though.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Never had seen it refereed to as strictly a palm rest though.

Marcus...........