Covers on a P.

[iiipopes]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1354631129' post='1888385']
How do you damp the strings when you need to?
[/quote]I rarely play with a pick or otherwise that the strings need damping. When I do, it's the usual palm damping that guitar players do. If I need to emulate early P-bass tone, just like the early P-basses, I use flats and shove a piece of foam rubber under the cover to damp the strings. The rest is in the fingers of both hands.

[Geek99]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354997683' post='1892883']
Just out of interest, what is the point of the covers? Everyone seems to take them off, it seems quite rare to see a jazz with both covers on unless its in a display case
[/quote]

In very early P basses, they were a functioning part of the RF shielding

[Leon Transaxle]

I bought my P used with holes where a cover used to be which annoyed me, so I got a cover.
I sometimes use a pick and the cover makes a useful rest when playing near the bridge.
I've experimented with stuff and have load of packing material (not sure what to call it) which works fine for muting if cut into strips and stuffed under the bridge.
I also have a CV P 50s P with both covers on. This one came with the pup one and I added the bridge. You learn to work around them.Get a bit of a click when I touch either though (not from the strings as they are tapewound).

[Grissle]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354997683' post='1892883']
Just out of interest, what is the point of the covers? Everyone seems to take them off, it seems quite rare to see a jazz with both covers on unless its in a display case
[/quote] Remember early instruments had exposed pickup bobbins ie Tele and SCPB so they protected the pickup. Also I don't think Leo thought pickups were necessarily attractive. They were a functional electronic component. So covers covered the ugly with pretty!

[iiipopes]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1354997683' post='1892883']
Just out of interest, what is the point of the covers? Everyone seems to take them off, it seems quite rare to see a jazz with both covers on unless its in a display case
[/quote]
The original point of the covers was that the bridge cover was lined with foam rubber to damp the string sustain to emulate a double bass, and the cover over the pickup helped reject electrostatic noise since the pickup had a plastic cover, or on the original '51 through '56 basses it was a single coil similar to a Telecaster pickup, but with four pole pieces instead of six.

[Nodd]

I have the pickup cover on my P, always have.
It provides a thumb rest point.
It also allows me to have the p/ups at a better height
if I was able to play directly over the p/up I'd have to lower them
as I tend to dig in and strings would click on the pole pieces....(tsk, tsk, poor technique)
OTTH the bridge cover gets in my way so its off>
Each to his own.....