I have never had a metal cover on a pickup before.... is there any sound related reason some basses have this, or is it just a look?
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Why cover pickups?
- Thread starter Gabu
- Start date
I have never had a metal cover on a pickup before.... is there any sound related reason some basses have this, or is it just a look?
You could place a foam mute and hide it from being seen by everyone. S'all I got.
I have never had a metal cover on a pickup before.... is there any sound related reason some basses have this, or is it just a look?
Car culture?
Also it looks really cool.
Also it looks really cool.
Well...
Couple of things. First; that ain't a pickup cover; it's a bridge cover - for a Fender Jazz Bass. In the case of Fender basses? Fender put them on their basses to a) Hide the really-kinda-ugly bent plate bridge, and b) have something to glue the foam mute onto. They weren't all that worried about access to the bridge back in the day, because basses pretty much all wore flat wounds, which didn't need to be changed every month or so; and not many people worried about intonating a bass, either. When most of what you played never got down past the 7th or 8th fret? Most players didn't worry about it. I never did - and nobody I knew did, either. As for a pickup cover? They were supposedly there to keep radio/electronic interference to at least a minimum (that's always been Rickenbacker's excuse, anyway). But, just how effective they are at that, is... highly debatable. The one on Rick basses, is really just to mimic the look of their original bridge horseshoe pickup; most of the others? Just to look nice... Personally, I have the covers on both my Ricks; I rest my hand on them when I play between the pickups like you're supposed to - with a pick...
The covers are on my '78 Fender P-Bass, because it's strung with flats; I like the sound of it with the mute in the bridge cover; and I rest my hand on it when I play. The pickup cover? It just completes the look...
Couple of things. First; that ain't a pickup cover; it's a bridge cover - for a Fender Jazz Bass. In the case of Fender basses? Fender put them on their basses to a) Hide the really-kinda-ugly bent plate bridge, and b) have something to glue the foam mute onto. They weren't all that worried about access to the bridge back in the day, because basses pretty much all wore flat wounds, which didn't need to be changed every month or so; and not many people worried about intonating a bass, either. When most of what you played never got down past the 7th or 8th fret? Most players didn't worry about it. I never did - and nobody I knew did, either. As for a pickup cover? They were supposedly there to keep radio/electronic interference to at least a minimum (that's always been Rickenbacker's excuse, anyway). But, just how effective they are at that, is... highly debatable. The one on Rick basses, is really just to mimic the look of their original bridge horseshoe pickup; most of the others? Just to look nice... Personally, I have the covers on both my Ricks; I rest my hand on them when I play between the pickups like you're supposed to - with a pick...
The covers are on my '78 Fender P-Bass, because it's strung with flats; I like the sound of it with the mute in the bridge cover; and I rest my hand on it when I play. The pickup cover? It just completes the look...
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Thanks. haha shows what I know.Well...
Couple of things. First; that ain't a pickup cover; it's a bridge cover - for a Fender Jazz Bass. In the case of Fender basses? Fender put them on their basses to a) Hide the really-kinda-ugly bent plate bridge, and b) have something to glue the foam mute onto. They weren't all that worried about access to the bridge back in the day, because basses pretty much all wore flat wounds, which didn't need to be changed every month or so; and not many people worried about intonating a bass, either. When most of what you played never got down past the 7th or 8th fret? Most players didn't worry about it. I never did - and nobody I knew did, either. As for a pickup cover? They were supposedly there to keep radio/electronic interference to at least a minimum (that's always been Rickenbacker's excuse, anyway). But, just how effective they are at that, is... highly debatable. The one on Rick basses, is really just to mimic the look of their original bridge horseshoe pickup; most of the others? Just to look nice... Personally, I have the covers on both my Ricks; I rest my hand on them when I play between the pickups like you're supposed to - with a pick...
I don't even know how or why I have one of these.
@GabuWell...
Couple of things. First; that ain't a pickup cover; it's a bridge cover - for a Fender Jazz Bass. In the case of Fender basses? Fender put them on their basses to a) Hide the really-kinda-ugly bent plate bridge, and b) have something to glue the foam mute onto. They weren't all that worried about access to the bridge back in the day, because basses pretty much all wore flat wounds, which didn't need to be changed every month or so; and not many people worried about intonating a bass, either. When most of what you played never got down past the 7th or 8th fret? Most players didn't worry about it. I never did - and nobody I knew did, either. As for a pickup cover? They were supposedly there to keep radio/electronic interference to at least a minimum (that's always been Rickenbacker's excuse, anyway). But, just how effective they are at that, is... highly debatable. The one on Rick basses, is really just to mimic the look of their original bridge horseshoe pickup; most of the others? Just to look nice... Personally, I have the covers on both my Ricks; I rest my hand on them when I play between the pickups like you're supposed to - with a pick...
It covers the Jazz bridge pup and the bridge
First thing?
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Looks way better on that Jazz than it does on my mini. lol@Gabu
It covers the Jazz bridge pup and the bridge
First thing?
I think its a little weird on this little bass, but I don't hate it either. I don't think I would ever have the conviction to drill holes in it though to attach the cover.
JeezyMcNuggles
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? That's for a bridge dude. It was made to hold a sponge.
I have never had a metal cover on a pickup before.... is there any sound related reason some basses have this, or is it just a look?
You can use it to catch the spotlight beam and bounce it back into the eyes of the guy who is hitting on your girl by the bar.
Or use it to get the waitress' attention for more Goldschläger.
Or use it to get the waitress' attention for more Goldschläger.
Sounds like alot of the other responses for the bridge to house mutes is the likely answer but i wouldn't be shocked if it was more of a fit and finish thing. Obivously guitars already existed without covers, but i know when i started playing bass and guitar i legit liked the look of soapbars or EMG pickups just because it didn't have ugly ass pole peices sticking out... it just looks like its guts sticking out.
Obviously i don't care now but that may have been why... on a side note it still sometimes actually bothers me somethings when i go OCD how its over half a century in, and we still mount pickguars with like 15 ugly ass screws lol. You think at this point they would either just glue them on since you could alway reglue another one, or have some other more discreet mounting means... one again, its something you forget about and get over but when you relaize how may holes they drill into your nice instrument its objectively odd IMO lol.
Obviously i don't care now but that may have been why... on a side note it still sometimes actually bothers me somethings when i go OCD how its over half a century in, and we still mount pickguars with like 15 ugly ass screws lol. You think at this point they would either just glue them on since you could alway reglue another one, or have some other more discreet mounting means... one again, its something you forget about and get over but when you relaize how may holes they drill into your nice instrument its objectively odd IMO lol.
I have a p bass with EMGs. The battery is underneath the pickguard. While technically it's fine, since the battery lasts a long long time, but I still hate how long it takes to unscrew each and every little screw to get underneath there. I was actually thinking of coming up with some sort of better system to attach the pickguard. I thought about gluing magnets to the bass and pickguard, but that also requires more drilling and stuff.... No matter what you do, problems everywhere...
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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It's to hold foam. They used to all have it packed in the bridge case from the factory.
Technically it covers the bridge and the bridge pickup on a JB, sorry had to say it
The original reason was purely that Leo didn't like how the bare bridges and pickup(s) looked and covered them for cosmetic appearance.
If it was only intended to be a bridge cover wouldn't the Precision cover and the Jazz cover both be the same size?
American Vintage Precision Bass Bridge Cover Chrome | Sweetwater
American Vintage Precision Bass Bridge Cover Chrome | Sweetwater
The much smaller Precision bridge cover would look a lot nicer than that mahoosive Jazz cover on your mini P in my opinion.
Exactly. Don't have a bass with pickguard or other unnecessary stuff and I don't plan getting one.
Technically... yeah, you're exactly right...Technically it covers the bridge and the bridge pickup on a JB, sorry had to say it
The original reason was purely that Leo didn't like how the bare bridges and pickup(s) looked and covered them for cosmetic appearance.
Never having owned a Jazz Bass - and never wanted to own one - I tend to forget that bridge pickup is also under there. I imagine that cover was also intended to "shield" the pickup, too - and worked about as well as the other pickup's cover did...
