Playing with the ashtrays on

[Guest MoJo]

Does anyone here play their P-bass with pickup/bridge covers (ashtrays) on?

[bazzbass]

since they banned smoking indoors years ago, I removed the ashtrays, no need for them

 

None of my 3 Fenders came with them

[gary mac]

Love the look of them but all of mine have lived in the case and not on the bass.

[Muppet]

Previously played with the bridge cover on but the pickup cover just gets in my way!  In the end I took the bridge cover off too - no point in keeping it on really. 

[Cat Burrito]

I did for years as I liked the look. When I say years I mean at least 15yrs. More recently I've taken them off and yes it is a little easier to play but I always adapted before.

[gjones]

Leo Fender put them there to protect the bass from gamma rays, from outer space.

[Geek99]

I keep the bridge cover on

The pickup cover gets in the way and didnt last there , but I do like the look

I don’t mind seeing the holes even because it fits  with my Relic fetish

Edited April 9, 2018 by Geek99

[uk_lefty]

I have both on my j bass, but none on my p bass. Is that relevant?

[bassbiscuits]

I bought some for my old Fender bass and they looked lovely - but the pickup one was right in the way where i put my thumb, and the bridge one hampered palm muting and needed to come off to change strings. 

Nice idea, but not for me.

[fretmeister]

I've had a few basses where they have been in the case, and I have tried them - particularly on the Miller jazz I had, but ultimately they just get in the way for me. 

 

I like to change where I pluck the strings a lot so any cover over the pickup just gets in the way. The bridge cover is always a no as some tunes really need a plectrum and a bit of bridge muting.

I like the look on the Miller jazz but it's not usable for me.

[Cato]

I saw an Anderton's 'all about the bass' video recently where the pick up cover/surround on a Ric was described as the 'talent stopper'.

I think the same term  could be applied to the pup cover on a p bass or jazz.

There's a good reason pretty much everyone used to take them off and Fender eventually stopped putting them on most models.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Cato

[Bobthedog]

Bridge cover only for me; on my P bass.  Looks great as far as I am concerned. 

[Cat Burrito]

41 minutes ago, Cato said:

I saw an Anderton's 'all about the bass' video recently where the pick up cover/surround on a Ric was described as a 'talent stopper'.

Except when you take the pickup cover off of a Ric it is noisy as hell. The Fender ones are more cosmetic but that Ric one definitely has a purpose. Funny comment though

[Urban Bassman]

1 hour ago, Cat Burrito said:

Except when you take the pickup cover off of a Ric it is noisy as hell. The Fender ones are more cosmetic but that Ric one definitely has a purpose. Funny comment though

Really?  The cover that was fitted to a new 4003 I had a few years back was plastic with some kind if chrome plating on it.  Made no difference to the sound when I took it off.  Did mean I could play it though.  

Edited April 9, 2018 by Urban Bassman

[Cat Burrito]

9 minutes ago, Urban Bassman said:

Really?  The cover that was fitted to a new 4003 I had a few years back was plastic with some kind if chrome plating on it.  Made no difference to the sound when I took it off.  Did mean I could play it though.  

That chrome plating was sorely missed on mine - loads of hum when I took it off so it went straight back on. Mine's a 2nd hand 4003 that wasn't the best looked after so that could be a factor.

[pbasspecial]

Bridge cover only on my P bass. Looks cool and keeps the foam out of view too.

[Urban Bassman]

3 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

That chrome plating was sorely missed on mine - loads of hum when I took it off so it went straight back on. Mine's a 2nd hand 4003 that wasn't the best looked after so that could be a factor.

I might have this wrong, but I seem to recal that there was some kind of earth wire that you had to re attach when you took off the cover, which isn't a five minute job on  4003.  Is there any chance that you didn't put it back properly when you took your cover off....?

Edited April 9, 2018 by Urban Bassman

[Jimryan]

Used to have the bridge and pickup cover on my P years ago.  Removed the bridge cover after upgrading to a hipshot bridge though.  At the time I was tempted to try and reshape it a little to make it fit as I really like the look.  

 

The pickup cover didnt stay on much longer after that as it looked a little daft on it’s own.

[spongebob]

For now (honeymoon period!), it's a yes to both. Learning to adapt, and they just look so good!

 

[Cat Burrito]

1 hour ago, Urban Bassman said:

I might have this wrong, but I seem to recal that there was some kind of earth wire that Yiunhad to re attach when you took the cover, which isn't a five minute job on  4003.  Is there any chance that you didn't put it back properly when you took your cover off....?

There's every chance! I'm afraid that I can be a bit of a cowboy when it comes to repairs so I'm sure this would explain this one!  I can manage simple stuff like swapping pickguards, changing strings etc but some bigger jobs definitely need a more professional touch.

[Sibob]

The Precision pickup cover just gets in the way for me, looks good in photos though.

I have the bridge cover on though, I play a lot of palm muted thumb style, so just to protect the saddles getting knocked about. So purely functional.

Si

 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Sibob

[drlargepants]

I’ve left the bridge cover on my Jazz and I actually quite like it being there now.  The pickup cover really got in the way and is now lurking in a box somewhere. 

Ric one went as soon as I got it, it’s in exactly the most annoying place imo. 

 

[MartinB]

Love having the chrome on my Precision. The bridge ashtray is functional as it's got a foam mute underneath. The pickup one just looks nice!
The pickup cover took a little bit of getting used to, as I was in the habit of using the pickup edge as a thumb rest.

[uk_lefty]

Got to be honest I use the neck pickup cover on my jazz to cover the butchering of the scratch plate to fit a new pickup. That looked cool and provided a bit of a rest for my hand and I was mainly anchoring my thumb on the bridge pickup. However, always liked the look so I fitted a bridge pickup cover. It was awkward at first and I still would prefer having at least one pickup uncovered sometimes but it just looks brilliant, don't think my band would let me change.

I won't put them on my p bass though. I don't want to drill in to my lovely MIJ precision, and for that bass I really do need the pickup open and accessible to play directly over. It also has the badass bridge off my jazz on it now so a bridge cover wouldn't fit at all.

[Guest MoJo]

3 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I won't put them on my p bass though. I don't want to drill in to my lovely MIJ precision, and for that bass I really do need the pickup open and accessible to play directly over

I made a mental note of my plucking hand position a couple of days ago and noticed that I play behind the pickup, towards the bridge. I don't tend to shift my position often, play in the most comfortable position and whatever tone comes from that, that's what the band's getting , so the pickup cover probably wouldn't be in my way. That said, the bridge pickup cover on my old Ricky 4003 used to annoy the hell out of me and it soon came off