Members Zadillo Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 Sorry, this is probably a newbie sort of question, but I haven't been able to find an answer for this. I've noticed a few basses that have a pickup cover on the neck pickup; specifically Rickenbacker 4003 basses, and the Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass. The closest I've been able to find to an explanation is that, at least on the Marcus Miller bass, it is used as "an anchor for slapping", but I wasn't sure what this meant exactly. Anyway, just curious if someone could explain what it was for. I noticed a lot of people saying they removed it as well (both on the Rics and the Marcus Miller signature basses). I'm especially curious since I am learning just using fingerstyle right now, and I normally rest my thumb on the neck pickup itself, so at least with the way I'm learning, it would sort of interfere with how I play. How do people normally play when they keep it on? -Zadillo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HORSE Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 I think the 'norm' is usually to remove the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 The neck cover is cosmetic. Jazz bridge covers used to have a foam rubber strip on the inside that acted as a mute. Most players remove them, tho' some keep 'em for the mojo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunburstbasser Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 Marcus Miller rests his palm on the neck pickup cover when he slaps. Otherwise, I don't think anyone uses them as part of their style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zadillo Posted December 11, 2006 Author Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 Originally posted by Thumper The neck cover is cosmetic. Jazz bridge covers used to have a foam rubber strip on the inside that acted as a mute.Most players remove them, tho' some keep 'em for the mojo. I see, that makes sense.... so it actually did serve a purpose originally. Does anyone actually make one like they used to then (with a foam rubber strip)? For people that do keep them on, where do they normally use their left hand? In front of or behind the neck pickup, or do they pluck near the bridge pickup instead? -Zadillo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members __tony__renaud Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 According to believable sources in place long before the internet, the neck pickup cover was installed as a way to protect the pickup from damage. The bridge pickup cover was for the same purpose, in addition to providing a place for the mute. It was thought that the pickup and its windings were too delicate to be out in the open without a risk of breakage. Turned out that the pickups were more rugged than Fender thought. There's a number of bassists who still use the neck pickup cover. Referencing famous players you can check out on YouTube, Will Lee comes to mind as the most visible living player who still uses the neck pickup cover. He rests his thumb on the cover and on the base of the neck, too. Marcus Miller plays with a similar style to Will's, using the pickup cover. Deon Estus of George Michael's band also plays with the cover on as well in a similar fashion. Paul Ossola, formerly of the Saturday Night Live band also uses the cover on his P Bass. Y'all forgot about James Jamerson, too. He rested his middle, ring, and pinky on the cover of his P Bass, up towards the neck side, and plucked with his index while the thumb hung free. Ultimately, the standard procedure in this day and age is to remove the pickup cover. Every living player I mentioned above has been an active player for over three decades and they basically learned to play with the cover on. This is back from the days when players didn't tinker with their axes too much. They actually were really busy and played a ton of gigs, since people actually wanted to see live bands play music back then:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FreestyleIntruder Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 Covering neck pckups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcrow Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 on the ric the removeable cover is the bridge pup and imho should remain..its a nostalgic nod at the horseshoe design and i never found it in the way as for neck pups being covered i think that is now a redundant issue and doesnt really help in access or playing..i never fitted one although i did put on a bridge ash tray on the P/J...eventually i took it off so the badass II could be used now they do an ashtray for the bridge pup which will cover a badass II for me its just more weight and useless toys... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anesthesia Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 Originally posted by mrcrow on the ric the removeable cover is the bridge pup and imho should remain..its a nostalgic nod at the horseshoe design and i never found it in the way This is what I was about to bring up. The cover over a 4003's bridge pup was actually a part of the pickup assembly. That is, it actually assisted in the sound making process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members james on bass Posted December 11, 2006 Members Share Posted December 11, 2006 I just couldn't play with them on, both on the 1 SX jazz I had and an old Ric. They look cool, but I found they got in my way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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