Howdy gents,
I am just curious what your thoughts are on the ashtray bridge covers? I don't currently have it on because I use the saddles as training wheels for palm muting. Here are the photo's;

Nekkid is best......

I say without but it does look cool with the cover on there.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I just realized how close this question is to, "Maple or Roswood". I think that I like how it looks, but it feels pretty wierd under my hand. Nothing time wouldn't cure I assume.

I didn't know that bridge covers were still available for Strats and Teles or even if they fit current models.I guess they would feel more comfortable than resting your hand on the bare bridge but other than that and they possible aesthetic value I don't see much use for them.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

IMO, the cover looks better.

Even with the cover on, palm muting really is no problem, per se. The problem lies in the fact that as one palm mutes with the cover on, one will eventually knock the cover back a hair at a time until the cover becomes loose and falls off. (Been there, done that several times.)

Having the cover on also affects the guitar's magnetic field, adding a slightly brighter and oftentimes, tad 'spacier' tonality of the latter to certain Strats; sustain is a hair better too. Also, having the cover on helps slow down the usual buildup of crud, gunk, etc. in the bridge saddles and their related sub-components. Lastly and FWIW, the cover is also a convenient hand shield. Meaning, if you break a string at the bridge, the broken string can't snap up and 'bite' your hand as it oftentimes does without the cover's protection.

Me? As I remove the tremolo arm after each use of my Strat before I put it back in the case, I put the cover back on the bridge before the guitar goes back in its case. YMMV.

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You dig?

Never owned a Strat that had one and never used one. I have to admit that it does make the guitar look more sophisticated. Personal choice there, but I wouldn't leave one on.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

If you're shy, "cover up"......



If OTOH you want to impress some cork-sniffing cupcake with a set of repro Patent Pending saddles, "go nekkid"......



Regardless, the cover goes into the case once I'm "strapped". They look cool though.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I guess I am not surprised by the amount of support for each variant. I may try playing with the cover on for a few weeks. I'f I can adapt to a LP neck after playing the strat and vise versa, I should be able to learn how to use the cover to my advantage.
Oddly enough, I have always liked how they look on other guitars, but it looks odd to me on my own guitar.

I don't recall ever having a Strat with the bridge cover. Looks kind of classy, but I am not used to seeing it nor could I imagine getting used to playing one with it on.

I did have a 70's P-bass that had the cover. I removed it has soon as i got the bass, whch was in the 90's. Years later sold the bass to a student and forgot I even had the cover, which was stashed away in a closet.

I found it actually when I went to sell my Musican Stingray bass..I had replaced the bridge on that with a Wilkinson because I was ripping the strings off the stock bridges saddles. I wanted to put the Musicman back to original to sell it. I found the bridge, and with it the original 70's bridge cover from the P-bass. It took me a while to realize what it was even from. I actually though at first it was from an old Gibson bass I used to have.

As soon as I remembered, I put in up for auction and got a small fortune for it. Only the inside had a little surface rust, but the outside was nearly mint.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

The ash tray bridge cover was a standard accessory included with all vintage Strats and Teles up until about 1975. Also furnished were a black adjustable cowhide strap and a gray ten-foot cable. However it's nearly impossible to do any proper palm muting with the cover in place.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Ah that may explain why I never had a strat with the cover. Of the handful of 70's Strats I have owned, they were all 15-20 years or older by the time I had them...the covers were long gone. I wonder where they all are? There must be a ton of them in peoples junk draws and closets..probably worth at least 200 bucks a pop to anyone who wants it for their vintage.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

TWO HUNDRED BUCKS???

You mean old guitar junk like this is actually worth serious money?



I think I'll put this stuff up on the bay then book myself a cruise to the Bahamas!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

They literally were used for ashtrays and when they got really nasty looking/smelling, along with the cigarette butts, gum, etc, within got tossed in the garbage. I must have tossed at least a dozen myself.

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You dig?

Yes, junk like that, I would give you 200 for that stuff right now! But..it needs to be authentic USA, and from the 70s, 60s or better even, the 50s

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.