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Yet another P bass thread....this time about covers.

A

Andy Daventry

Dec 17, 1999
3,196
997
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No longer Ankara, Turkey. Now London, UK
#1
Right. I want to know how many people actually use the covers over the pickups and bridge on their P bass. Do you keep them in place, or have you retro-fitted some, and if so, why?

The reason for this post is that I'm thinking of fitting covers so that I can top-mute at the bridge and also to force me to pluck nearer the bridge - my right hand keeps slipping back towards the pickup, and over the pickup is my least favourite sound - I mean, it's a P bass, so all sounds are favourite, of course, but it's OK, it's totally valid for some sounds to be slightly less favourite.

However, as the old Turkish proverb has it, every warrior has his own way of eating yoghourt. So tell me...
 
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#2
When I got my Telecaster bass in 1968 I immediately took the covers off to pluck over the pickup and use the top edge as a thumb rest. A lot of players did the same.

I recently learned the pickup cover was designed as a Faraday Cage, which in theory would mitigate feedback loop. Bridge covers may only have been decorative. Hopefully someone will chime in on their intended use, effectiveness and history.
 
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#3
Thanks for the answer. I wonder how good a faraday cage they were. Don't they have to be continuous? The first jazz bass I ever had ( a japanese copy back in the 70s) had the covers, and I don't recall much difference in RF interference when I took them off. Still, I'm really interested in why people keep them, and particularly whether anyone has fitted them...
 
#4
I've got covers on my p bass. I tend to play right around the end of the neck so they don't get in my way. I use the pickup cover to rest my thumb on sometimes to play behind the pickup.

I use the bridge cover to hold a chunk of felt when I want that thud stick sound. I'm pretty sure that was the original intent of the bridge cover, but may be wrong. There's better historians in here than myself and I'm sure I'll be corrected soon if I'm wrong.


joe
 
#8
The Faraday Cage idea is preposterous.
1) it's not completely surrounding the pickup.
2) There's no mesh.
3) There's no continuity between the pickup cover and the ground.

The only "purpose" I can see - other than "looking cool" - is so that if you lay your instrument string side down, the strings don't press against the pole pieces. It provides no shielding.
 
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#10
Yet another P bass thread....this time about covers.
:D "yet another....." :thumbsup:

my Ps are parts assemblies so they didn't come with covers. when i've played Ps in the past = i didn't like the covers at all: i might generally play right around the split-coil, but i use the entire area between the octave/12th and the bridge depending on 'the moment' --- the covers just interfere with that style. i do agree that they look cool on some axes, however, so i understand the attraction.
 
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#11
I don't use bridge or pickup covers on my Fenders at all. The only reason I ever entertained the idea was that I wanted to use a foam mute and liked the idea of putting something over the strings rather than wedged under them. In the end, neither was really worth it. I did put a bridge cover on a cheapo Squier Frankenstein, but it was only really because the stock bridge was kind of cheap and ugly-looking and the cover went better with the paint job I put on it.
 
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#12
Andy Daventry said:
Yes, that's a place I play as well, depending. But I like the "bridge" tone as well. How do you find felt for muting? I use scotch-brite...

Edit: That was to Joe...
Click to expand...


I started using felt because my wife was using some for a project and it was sitting around. I think it sounds fine but never thought they there might be a difference between it and foam. The felt can be folded a few times to give different levels of thump, which is why I like it. You can go from subtle to super thud with a few folds.


joe
 
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#13
Andy Daventry said:
Right. I want to know how many people actually use the covers over the pickups and bridge on their P bass. Do you keep them in place, or have you retro-fitted some, and if so, why? Some of my Basses have covers I love them. It reminds me of when I was young. I think they look Harley Davidson like.
88C34F69-EB7A-4BF9-A2C8-F10E829315D1.jpeg
25F0C76A-A1CC-42FE-A333-091856B2C08F.jpeg


The reason for this post is that I'm thinking of fitting covers so that I can top-mute at the bridge and also to force me to pluck nearer the bridge - my right hand keeps slipping back towards the pickup, and over the pickup is my least favourite sound - I mean, it's a P bass, so all sounds are favourite, of course, but it's OK, it's totally valid for some sounds to be slightly less favourite.

However, as the old Turkish proverb has it, every warrior has his own way of eating yoghourt. So tell me...
Click to expand...
 
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#14
I have never found a good reason for pickup covers.
I play anywhere from the neck to the bridge to get tones I want and those covers would be a retardation of my instrument if I had them.
To the OP, I’d work on intentionally playing in specific areas of the neck instead of adding something that will limit you tonally.
 
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#16
The US in the 1950's was 'chrome crazy', even kitchen appliances, much less automobiles, were dripping in it. And of course, Fender's location in Southern California may have led to the covers on the Fender basses as a design conceit (the middle of hot rod culture, car crazy), though Leo was more of a tinkering engineer than a design maven. Someone better versed in the history can straighten me out about this I'm sure.

Nonetheless, there's no 'right' answer. If you like them, keep them. If they're in your way or you don't like the look, ditch them.
 
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#17
Andy Daventry said:
Right. I want to know how many people actually use the covers over the pickups and bridge on their P bass. Do you keep them in place, or have you retro-fitted some, and if so, why?

The reason for this post is that I'm thinking of fitting covers so that I can top-mute at the bridge and also to force me to pluck nearer the bridge - my right hand keeps slipping back towards the pickup, and over the pickup is my least favourite sound - I mean, it's a P bass, so all sounds are favourite, of course, but it's OK, it's totally valid for some sounds to be slightly less favourite.

However, as the old Turkish proverb has it, every warrior has his own way of eating yoghourt. So tell me...
Click to expand...
I actually have to use them on my Fender '64 Jazz Relic for a DC5, Gerry & Pacemakers, etc., 60's British Invasion Tribute Band because all the Bass Players still used them in the 60's.
 
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#18
JW56789 said:
The US in the 1950's was 'chrome crazy', even kitchen appliances, much less automobiles, were dripping in it. And of course, Fender's location in Southern California may have led to the covers on the Fender basses as a design conceit (the middle of hot rod culture, car crazy), though Leo was more of a tinkering engineer than a design maven. Someone better versed in the history can straighten me out about this I'm sure.

Nonetheless, there's no 'right' answer. If you like them, keep them. If they're in your way or you don't like the look, ditch them.
Click to expand...

Well, since he changed to rosewood for fretboards because he thought maple ended up looking shabby (he was right), it's entirely possible he put them there just to cover up the "unsightly" functional bits of the bass.
 
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