P-Bass Metal Covers

[flyfisher]

I'm never really sure about the various P-bass editions but I'm sure we've all seen the versions with the metal covers; sometimes just an end cover, sometimes just the pup cover, sometimes both.

My P-bass doesn't have them so I've never missed them. I would guess they might be handy for playing with a pick, but I only use fingers so I don't really know. Also, I wonder if the pup cover might help with interference, although I've never had a problem with my cover-less p-bass. It does seem to me though that the end cover would be a bit of a nuisance when changing strings.

So, do they have an actual purpose or are they just decorative?

[Schnozzalee]

Just decorative but I use the pickup one as a thumb rest and the bridge one as a place to stuff foam in

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1012000' date='Nov 4 2010, 01:17 PM']So, do they have an actual purpose or are they just decorative?[/quote]

They're Orgone Accumulators.
Luckily I'm overflowing with orgone so don't need them.

[Doddy]

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1012000' date='Nov 4 2010, 01:17 PM']Also, I wonder if the pup cover might help with interference, although I've never had a problem with my cover-less p-bass.[/quote]

I believe that that's what the pickup cover was for. The bridge cover had a foam mute on the underside.

[Bassassin]

They are palm rests. The electric bass was originally designed with the expectation that the player would pluck the strings with the thumb, hence a hand-rest over the pickup, and a finger-rest (or "tug bar") on the "wrong" side of the strings. Like Doddy says the bridge cover was to accommodate a piece of foam to act as a string mute.

With the evolution of modern playing techniques they became an irrelevance, and for many people (including me) a hindrance. Shame, because they can look nice.

Jon.

[Fat Rich]

I believe the very early P basses had a wire earthing the cover to the pickup but Fender seem to have abandoned that pretty early on.

[flyfisher]

I hadn't thought about the usefulness of the bridge cover for holding foam.

The first P-bass I ever used had a finger-rest below the strings and I did actually start playing just using my thumb, so it was quite useful at the time. But I soon outgrew the thumb thing and now just use my fingers. When I bought my own P-bass, it didn't have the finger-rest and I tend to rest my thumb against the top pickup - is that a generally used technique?

I've tried playing with a pick a few times for a different sound, but could never really get it right. I can see that a bridge cover would help alot as a hand-rest.

Interesting stuff, thanks.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I like to rest my hand on the pickup cover like James & play with one finger

[Cat Burrito]

I'm a massive fan of them (see below) and have been for years. However they are really just there to make the bass look cool as fish. I struggled a bit more when I had them on my long gone Jazz bass and they took some getting used to but I've played with them on since the late 90s and wouldn't take them off

[flyfisher]

Nice collection! :drool:

[BigAlonBass]

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1012220' date='Nov 4 2010, 04:01 PM']When I bought my own P-bass, it didn't have the finger-rest and I tend to rest my thumb against the top pickup - is that a generally used technique?[/quote]
Yes.

[gary mac]

The way my P bass project is going I'm going to need the pup cover to hide the filing that needs to be done to the pick guard.

[thisnameistaken]

They do look cool, to be fair. If I had a vintage Jazz I would leave the covers on, I pick either between the pups or over the end of the neck anyway so I'm sure I would cope.

[risingson]

I couldn't cope with either ones on my P-Bass, the one at the bridge stayed for a while but was inhibiting my palm-muting and that I simply couldn't abide.

Edited November 5, 2010 by risingson