Ashtrays and stuff.

[Dandelion]

I have a black fender MIM Jazz bass RW, with a white scratch plate. I think it looks like a killer whale so I am going to change the scratch plate to a nice new shiny black one.

Now, Do I purchase a nice chrome bridge cover and middle pickup cover to complete the transformation?

Oooh, how do I screw the bridge cover on? Do I screw it straight through the lacquer?

[TheGreek]

keep the chrome off, find a replacement black nut and get black DR strings...does anybody do black machine heads??

[Cat Burrito]

I have ashtrays on all mine. They take a bit of getting used to but I've played with them on since the late 90s. Yes, just drill through the lacquer. I line up the ashtray & make a small mark before drilling. The holes all look clear around the drill marks even several years later. You will have small holes though if you take the covers off. And don't use a thicker drill than the screw!

[bh2]

I put some tape on before drilling... try a tort guard, tort looks great with black.

[waynepunkdude]

Use number plate double sided tape that way if you change your mind you haven't drilled your bass.

[redstriper]

A friend of mine believes the ash trays are part of the pick ups and add something to the sound, rather than just decorative.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1107709' date='Jan 29 2011, 10:56 PM']A friend of mine believes the ash trays are part of the pick ups and add something to the sound, rather than just decorative.[/quote]
Nice idea but it's not true...unless some breeds of dog can detect a difference

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1107709' date='Jan 29 2011, 10:56 PM']A friend of mine believes the ash trays are part of the pick ups and add something to the sound, rather than just decorative.[/quote]



Does he have a Rickenbacker?

Ironically,the first thing I did when I got my first '78 Fender P was take the the useless things off.Still got them somewhere.

[LawrenceH]

My two main playing positions are dead over the bridge pickup and floating just a smidge behind the neck pickup. Covers look bling-tastic but they'd b****r my tone right up! Probably good for resting a hand on for pick players who're feeling a bit lazy though.

[redstriper]

James Jamerson left his covers on his '62. He was quoted as saying, that Leo Fender "put them there for a reason."

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='redstriper' post='1107798' date='Jan 30 2011, 01:04 AM']James Jamerson left his covers on his '62. He was quoted as saying, that Leo Fender [size=4][b]"put them there for a reason."[/b][/size][/quote]

and you're not wrong, cause in the old days, on the underside of the ashtrays they used to have foam mutes hence the reason for them but...

problem is... they look lovely and everything but they do limit your ability to achieve different styles of playing, i.e. the one on the precision bang in the middle where the pickup is gives you very restricted space for slapping and the one on the bridge on jazz basses prevents you from playing staccato right close to the bridge and get that burpy Jaco tone. Each to his own of course but I like to be able to play my right hand in as many different places as I need it to get that particular effect.

[bh2]

I put the tape on to stop the lacquer cracking during drilling.

They look great on my Precision but the pup cover sits right over my sweet spot so I remove that for gigs these days.

[bassmachine2112]

very handy if you are a smoker

[clauster]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1107843' date='Jan 30 2011, 08:12 AM'].....the one on the precision bang in the middle where the pickup is gives you very restricted space for slapping....[/quote]

See, Leo did put them there for a reason

[hillbilly deluxe]

Anti slapping device,Leo was a genius.

[henry norton]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1107843' date='Jan 30 2011, 09:12 AM']and you're not wrong, cause in the old days, on the underside of the ashtrays they used to have foam mutes hence the reason for them but...[/quote]

Foam mutes over the neck pickup of a J or P will do more than just 'bugger up the tone' I'd have thought. Presumably mutes were kept at the bridge end. I think Fender put covers on 'cos they looked good as much as anything else - Telecasters originally had a cover for the bridge/back pickup and I doubt those were for mutes.

[lettsguitars]

adding a great piece of metal over a pickup has the effect of 'opening up' the pickup the sound and balancing the fields of the pole pieces. i think. something like that any road. metal and magnets have a huge effect on each other so i'm told. needless to say, yes, they were there for a reason and not to rest your hand on or whatever.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='henry norton' post='1107904' date='Jan 30 2011, 10:25 AM']Foam mutes over the neck pickup of a J or P will do more than just 'bugger up the tone' I'd have thought. Presumably mutes were kept at the bridge end. I think Fender put covers on 'cos they looked good as much as anything else - Telecasters originally had a cover for the bridge/back pickup and I doubt those were for mutes.[/quote]

you know on the 51's Telecaster type P bass the mute was fitted on the metal cover which was placed on the single coil pickup dulling the sound on purpose to mimic that of a double bass, or so Leo though... *giggle*

Edited January 30, 2011 by Grand Wazoo

[Sercet]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1107964' date='Jan 30 2011, 11:38 AM']you know on the 51's Telecaster type P bass the mute was fitted on the metal cover which was placed on the single coil pickup dulling the sound on purpose to mimic that of a double bass, or so Leo though... *giggle*[/quote]
I read somewhere that 51 pickup cover mutes were because the bass amps at the time couldn't handle unmuted.

[RickIronWitch]

Black on black with chrome covers look mean as anything. But for my 89 Sunn mustang i went with a tort PG, just the bridge cover and those smoke yellow pup covers to give it a real old school look.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='Sercet' post='1107993' date='Jan 30 2011, 12:02 PM']I read somewhere that 51 pickup cover mutes were because the bass amps at the time couldn't handle unmuted.[/quote]

Or something along those lines, however that opened a whole new can 'o worms cause Leo designed (*read bodged*) the Bassman amp to go with the 51 basses and what happened next?? they distorted like nobody's business and in turn the Bassman amp became "guitarist's best choice" of tube amp because of the natural distorsion they were getting out of them. LOL go figure.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Grand Wazoo