No high frequencies here!

[rjb]

Using brass in pickup construction for tonal purposes is analogous to gaining wheel traction by putting sand bags in your trunk.

No, using brass in pickup construction is like adding weight to the chassis.
Leo Fender did something similar with aluminum pickguard shields.

Leo used a .015 aluminum plate under the pick guard of his 54 Strat to reduce some of the hum and the buzz and take a little bit of the edge from the pickup, resulting in a very musical, sweet tone.

Bill Lawrence Website

-rb

[John_H]

I think they used the brass just so they could cast their own covers, and have them match the rest of the hardware. It's purely aesthetic.

[rjb]

I think they used the brass just so they could cast their own covers, and have them match the rest of the hardware. It's purely aesthetic.

And there's that.
Talk about matching hardware, I just noticed that even the pickguard is brass.

-rb

[Mike Sulzer]

I think they used the brass just so they could cast their own covers, and have them match the rest of the hardware. It's purely aesthetic.

The whole thing is purely aesthetic. The parlor guitar thing is a theme, not a reality. The brass hardware is also a theme, as is the head. It is relatively low sustain electric guitar with low Q pickups. It is a bit like a good restaurant where more effort has been put into the ambience than the food. But the experience can be just what you need under some circumstances.