Gav's JB-1

[gavinturner]

Decisions, decisions.

Ok, so I'm not a bass player. I'm not even much of a guitar player. So when I make decisions about hardware etc, I usually go on aesthetics more than anything else. For my Jazz bass I need to decide on hardware - to cover or not to cover? Those bass players out there - do these covers make the bass less playable? I am thinking that they give the bass a retro vibe that I'm really digging, but will I hate playing it in the end? What do you guys think?

cheers,
Gav.

[FrankenWashie]

TBH, I think i prefer the uncovered look.
If you have to screw them down, and at some point in the future you really decide you don't like them or that they get in the way when playing, you've got to do a body repair and a new scratch plate when you remove them.

[wokkaboy]

Hey Gav its looking great you have been a busy boy lately !

I'm with Frankie I prefer no covers. You won't be able to palm mute or mute the strings with your picking hand and the neck pup cover may get in your way. The only plus of the neck pup cover is a thumb rest while picking.
Also as Frankie said if you drill the holes and want to remove them then more repairs dot com

[UpperCaseH]

I love the look of covers on a P or J bass, but...

I like to play fingerstyle over the neck pickup (or the single p-bass pickup), so neck pickup covers are something I'll never have on a bass I actually play, which is disappointing. The bridge cover is always, always, right where I try to palm mute and I can't seem to mentally get past that. I might learn to live with the shorter p-bass style bridge cover, but there's no way I could cope with a bass with both covers on.

I'm sure that if my first bass had covers I wouldn't have learned those habits, and I'm sure that with enough effort I could get out of them, but that's not something I'm prepared to put that much effort into just for aesthetics.

Again, I love the way those big chrome covers look, and I'd put them on is a second if I thought I could live with them.

[dave.king1]

I prefer the covers off, allows more freedom up and down the strings and also palm muting as well as finger muting

[andrewdosborne]

Covers off from me Gav. Opens up more options when plectrum picking/finger picking and in finding that 'sweet spot'

Sent from Android N

[gavinturner]

I think the vote is unanimous! Cheers guys.

Gav.

[Simon Barden]

Covers off. You'll end up taking them off anyway, and then you'll have the empty screw holes spoiling the look of the bass.

[gavinturner]

hi guys,

Finally got an hour or two to start polishing the body and finish off the neck this week. Polishing started with 1500 grit, then on to 2000 grit and Meguiars Ultimate Compound. It's finally started to look like something. Got some more Tru-Oil on the neck as well. It's starting to look and feel very nice. I can feel this build finally nearing the finish line.

cheers,
Gav.

[Zandit75]

That is looking awesome Gav!
Tell me, how did you get your wife to let you take over the kitchen for your builds??!!