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Post subject: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 3:16 pm
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Were the bridge covers on the vintage basses to prevent radio interference?


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 7:28 am
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Good question, there are some of us, albeit a minority, who have them on our basses. For the most part, the members here don't like them.

Whatever the reason, Leo Fender put them on.

Let's settle the debate people, why are there covers?


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 5:35 pm
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For the same reason a Rickenbacker 4003 has a cover. It seemed like the best place to put it.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 6:21 pm
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The pickup cover served a purpose of protecting the original fragile single coil p'up plus cutting down RFI/Hum.

The Bridge cover was just kind of a Fender skirt if you will. {Fender skirts being very popular at that time in Detroit Automotive Fashion} It covered up the ugly bridge, plus it matched the p'up cover thus bringing symmetry & harmony to the look. Think of it as Leo's own personal feng shui for the Mother of all Inventions - the Fender Precision Electric Bass guitar. 8)

Actually he just needed something to afix the weatherstripping he used for mute. :roll:

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 7:22 am
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Quote:
The pickup cover served a purpose of protecting the original fragile single coil p'up plus cutting down RFI/Hum.


+1

I have always heard the primary reason was to protect the then fragile pickup from damage, with RFI protection being a secondary benefit. Although linnin's idea about it being a place to stick the weatherstripping works too, lol.

I am in the small group. About four or five years ago, give or take, I started putting the covers back on my basses and bought covers for those without - that were meant to have them. I wanted to present my basses in the most original fashion possible. I figured if Leo put the thumb rest or tug bar up near the neck, there must have been a reason, so I play primarily just behind the top of the neck, but find I can drop back between the covers as needed, which is rarely, to be honest. I seem to be able to dial in the sound I want using the bass controls or amp, so why not let it look sexy. I know I am in a small minority, but that's okay, it makes me happy.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 1:21 pm
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Very cool thanks everyone. I had wondered if it affected playing, so thanks again.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 6:51 am
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affprod wrote:
Quote:
The pickup cover served a purpose of protecting the original fragile single coil p'up plus cutting down RFI/Hum.


+1

I have always heard the primary reason was to protect the then fragile pickup from damage, with RFI protection being a secondary benefit. Although linnin's idea about it being a place to stick the weatherstripping works too, lol.

I am in the small group. About four or five years ago, give or take, I started putting the covers back on my basses and bought covers for those without - that were meant to have them. I wanted to present my basses in the most original fashion possible. I figured if Leo put the thumb rest or tug bar up near the neck, there must have been a reason, so I play primarily just behind the top of the neck, but find I can drop back between the covers as needed, which is rarely, to be honest. I seem to be able to dial in the sound I want using the bass controls or amp, so why not let it look sexy. I know I am in a small minority, but that's okay, it makes me happy.



I'm one of the others in your group. I've always liked the look of covers, they just say, "Fender"! I play at the 19th. fret 99% of the time so the covers don't factor in at all.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Sat May 24, 2014 6:50 pm
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'm one of the others in your group. I've always liked the look of covers, they just say, "Fender"! I play at the 19th. fret 99% of the time so the covers don't factor in at all


I could tell just by looking at you Oxfan.

By the way, we just started playing The Real Me, and I struggled. I asked myself, what was the Ox on to play that? Process of elimination, I have it down....but it cost me a week at the Betty Ford Clinic.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 11:23 am
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affprod wrote:
Quote:
'm one of the others in your group. I've always liked the look of covers, they just say, "Fender"! I play at the 19th. fret 99% of the time so the covers don't factor in at all


I could tell just by looking at you Oxfan.

By the way, we just started playing The Real Me, and I struggled. I asked myself, what was the Ox on to play that? Process of elimination, I have it down....but it cost me a week at the Betty Ford Clinic.



:D :D :D

Did you remember an earlier post of mine where I said, 5:15 was the one song I never could master? Well, I'm still not satisfied. Wifey asked if I could PLEASE STOP PLAYING THAT!

Anyone who tries to play an Entwistle part will be humbled.

For all of you who would say otherwise, don't waste your time. Little things he did add to the whole and are outrageous.

Hang in there! Betty Ford can't help you, the only thing that can is totally abstaining from Entwistle, but now you're contaminated! All hope of redemption is lost!


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 4:38 pm
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:idea: :arrow: Doesn't that make you an oxymoron? :shock: :lol: :roll: :D


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 2:32 am
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Actually on the first real 1951 P-Bass the pickup cover was grounded with a wire from the pickup cavity terminating in a round terminal lug with the cover screw holding it in place. The second year of production the ground wire was deemed too labor intensive for the small benefit and eliminated while the cover itself remained. The pickup cover on a first generation P-Bass even without being grounded does provide some RFI rejection for the RFI sensitive single coil pickup. And protects the pickup physically also.

It quickly became apparent to anyone who played with their covers off that you could get a really neat tone playing directly over the pickup. However more than a few pickups got trashed this way. The physical vulnerability and RFI vulnerability would be overcome in 1957 with the introduction of the plastic encased split coil P-Bass pickup set yet Leo Fender put pickup covers on it also and yes it does provide some RFI shielding but isn't really necessary on them and many players removed them.

One who never removed his second generation pickup covers was James L. Jamerson at Motown who said something like, "there's a reason Mr. Fender put them there." He claimed they were part of why his tone was different from everyone else's, but I think he was just being humble. In Memphis Donald Duck Dunn and others removed the pickup cover so they could play directly over the pickup as some good tones live there. In L.A. Carol Kaye, the consummate pick player, removed her pickup cover and picked right over the pickup. Dunn and Kaye also removed their bridge covers. Kaye would vary muting using packing foam. All three were using Labella 760M strings almost exclusively.

The bridge covers were where the muting weatherstrip was concealed and the muting was partly why so many players started removing the bridge covers. If you ever walked by a bass and had your pants leg catch on the bridge saddle screws and pull the bass over as you walked by then you know the real benefit of having a bridge cover on.

On a Jazz the pickup and bridge covers help shield the single coils a bit and do have a slight benefit in noise reduction but many players find them too restrictive.

I think they look vintage correct and use them on P-Basses that came with them and add them to any Jazz for their RFI shielding benefit or to first generation P-Bass reissue for the shielding and the protection.

I do not suggest anyone remove the pickup cover on a first generation P-Bass. I suggest any owners of a first generation P-Bass reissue install the pickup cover. It really does protect the pickup a lot. The Reissues should come with these covers installed but don't. Fender sells a lot of replacement pickups for them as a result of them being uncovered too. Usually the owner knows these pickups are more fragile than second generation pickups which are encased in plastic. However what generally happens is someone borrows it who doesn't know the top flatwork will break free and who is accustomed to using a second generation pickup as a thumb rest and the first generation bass comes back home with the pickup destroyed. The owner is told something like, "I was playing and it just fell apart."

So many people were removing the covers that initially Fender stopped installing them but still included them with a new instrument before eliminating them completely. I can see using no pickup cover on a second generation P-Bass, but I want one on my first gen models.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Bass Bridge Covers
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:47 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
It quickly became apparent to anyone who played with their covers off that you could get a really neat tone playing directly over the pickup. However more than a few pickups got trashed this way.


That "really neat tone" created by removing the cover and plucking the string directly over the pickup was also responsible for blowing a number of speakers in the early tweed Bassman amps, especially the initial 1 x 15 versions. That was one reason why Leo felt compelled to re-design the amp with a 4 x 10 speaker array. His rationale was based upon the premise that a player who did in fact blow a driver could merely disconnect the hapless speaker and continue playing. With the total re-design of the P-Bass (including the addition of the split/staggered pickup) in 1957, blown speakers became less of an issue.

Arjay

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