Do you play close to the neck, over the pickup, close to the bridge, or various places?

Over the pick ups normally. But I just play where ever my hand decides to play.

I play anywhere that sounds and feels right for the groove I'm laying down, but I do favor the bridge pickup for my right hand over the neck pickup. It just sounds a bit funkier to me and offers greater resistance so I can dig in and pluck harder. I also palm mute, play over the neck pickup, just beneath the fingerbaord, and in between the pickups as well.

It really depends on the song. I tend to favor up towards the neck, but I'm teaching myself to expand where I play for different tones.

close to the neck. i play a viola and it sounds best right between the fretboard and neck pickup.

Just between the fretboards end and the neck pickup . Gives the most rounded earthy tone , and lack of most treble noise .

depends on the song, for iron maiden i'm right close to the neck, for heavier stuff i tend to pick near the bridge, and for other songs I'll be right over the pup.

In general, over the pickups....'cause I rest my thumb on top of the neck pickup :D

But of course that changes for popping.

All over the place, on purpose. Sometimes even over the neck on up towards the 15-18th fret.

In general, over the pickups....'cause I rest my thumb on top of the neck pickup :D

But of course that changes for popping.


+1

All over the place. Slow ballads I'm up on the neck, fast songs close to the bridge. This works out great for tone and technique.

..mostly over the neck pups, but depending on the song I'll have to move around. For instance, a Stevie Ray blues tune requires a 'playing over the neck' tone, while a song like 'Black Velvet' requires 'playing at the bridge and the treble turned-up' tone.

Someone said tone is in the fingers/hands..there's a lot of truth to that. ..bending notes, slapping, ghost notes, hammers, pull-off's, etc. all contribute to that tone too, in some way.

jimmyjoebob

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Depend on what sound i want. I usually play nearer to the neck if i have to slap and pop too, but really it just depnd on what sound i want.

near the bridge pick up rly

Over the pick ups normally. But I just play where ever my hand decides to play.

+1

I usually don't pay attention to where my right hand is positioned.

I used to play only at the neck pickup, but recently switched to only using the bridge to try out a new sound. So far I like.

I also used to use primarily the neck pickup, but nowadays I rest my thumb on the bridge pickup (I have old Ibanez pickups with a handy indent on the side that is really comfortable for my thumb) and play close the the bridge. I save closer to the fingerboard for thumbing and when I want more of a mellow, rounded two-finger tone.

Usually over the PU, sometimes close to the neck for rounder tone.

In finger style over bridge pickups for jazzy sound and over neck pickup in some funky stuff. When I play with fingers I like to do it hard - so it sounds like pluck.
When I slap I play near neck but I don't touch fingerboard with my thumb.

between the pups and the bridge. finger or pick. i can't rest my thumb on the pick up. advocate for the floating thumb.

depends on the song, and the part in the song. But more often than not I'm playing over the bridge pickup.

Over the p'ups. Very rarely I need a snappier sound, and I'll move closer to the bridge, but that can tend to tear up fingers pretty quickly.

Really depends on the song.
But "generally" between the pickups

Depends on parts _within_ the song also. Staccato lines and fast stuff sound tidier anchored on the bridge pickup, slower sections might see me anchoring on the neck pickup or playing over the end of the fretboard.

Usually over the PU, sometimes close to the neck for rounder tone.
Same here. Plus I'm playing differant basses alot as I end up doing set-ups for people. Like other posters have already stated: "where ever the hand wants to go" is also a pretty accurate summary of my playing style. I love the sound of the tone when playing over the neck PUP..

I started a similar thread with a poll perhaps half a year ago. Check it out.

This time I voted "depends on the song", which I didn't do back then, I've changed. :) I mostly play over the pickups, but not always. If I thumb pluck, which I do sometimes, I play close to the neck (gives a WONDERFUL swelling mwaahhh sound on fretless!!). There is also a huge difference in sound depending on if I pluck over the neck pup, over the bridge pup or in between. In between is the place I feel most comfortable playing, but I don't feel as locked to this position anymore as I did half a year ago. I'm now playing more and more over the bridge pickup.

Depends on the song/part.

Playing close to the bridge gives more treble and "bite."

Playing closer to the neck gives more low-end and sustain. More "church organ" bass sound.

You can do a lot to vary tone just by varying your positions.

I chose 'over the pickups' but I actually play in between the neck and bridge pickups. I see a lot of guys playing down by the bridge but the strings are way too taut there for me to play.

All over the place. Slow ballads I'm up on the neck, fast songs close to the bridge. This works out great for tone and technique.

I'm the same. I generally like to play over the bridge pickup on two pickup basses, or over the pickup in general, but you get a multitude of sounds depending on where you are. It really depends on the song and what tone I want to get. To me, this is one of the big factors in the "tone is in your hands" argument.

I play close to the bridge accept for when I'm playing over the pup or close to the neck.

Over the pickups

all over the place... when I want a big fat dubby tone, I'll even play well up over the fretboard

Uh, all of the above? I play with my thumb resting on the neck, the neck pickup, the bridge pickup, floating at times, and in a few other positions... I was going to choose "depends on the song" but I usually use a few different positions per song.

Well when i'm playing Jaco stuff I'll up my mid and my treble frequencies and play close to the bridge to get as close to the 'Jaco sound' as I can. When I play afro-Cuban music I'll play closer the neck to get the rounder, heavier tone. lol.

Ok I know my examples are insufficient but that's just what came to my mind first. X)

Fingerstyle I play right in the middle, usually over a pickup. With a pick I tend to play a little further back towards the bridge.

all over the place... when I want a big fat dubby tone, I'll even play well up over the fretboard

+1. Makes SO much difference to the tone by simply playing in differing spots. Right up over the fretboard will give U a big round rubbery 'dub' style tone, back by the bridge-real close to the bridge- gives a real 'metallic' clicky tone-especially if U use a pick here!!!- w/ fingers, close to the bridge gives me a hard presence & snappy tone. In the middle-over the pups( if it were a Precision) - a nice in-between round, rocky tone. I s'pose I "usually" play here(over the P-pups), but even mid-song I often change where I'm pluckin'. Depending on what the song calls for!
But doing this-playing from right back near the bridge, to right up over the fretboard, I find, can give me as much tonal adjustment as adjusting the EQ on the amp or guitar-perhaps even more!!! It certainly gives you a lotta options, especially when using the EQ as well!!!!! Great question- this sorta thing can/will help new players NO END!!!:hyper:

Wherever I can get the appropriate tone and feel for the application.

All over the place. But I would say most of the time I play close to the neck for that round fat tone so that's what I voted.

But I play over the pickups a lot and just behind the pickups quite a bit.

I only ever play near the bridge for a change of tone and generally only for a part of the song, not the whole song.

carrots², my picking hand wanders all over all the time

All over the damn thing, depending on the part of the song. I might even change between pick and fingers (usually start with pick, then my thumb gets sore and I throw the pick away and continue with fingers... should get my pick-technique together).
I change between floating and anchoring my thumb on the pups or the thumbrest.

I tend to play at different positions at different parts of the song but I usually play right near the bridge where the tension is greatest. I find that the closer to the neck you get the thicker and fatter the tone, and at the bridge its brightest so depending on the passage is where you'll find my hand or you'll watch it creep up and down the body

Most of the time, I'm close to the neck. The rest of the time I move between the neck and the "P" on my P/J. It just depends on the song and the effect I'm after, or the mood I'm in at the time.

George

i had to vote carrots.


you didnt put playing inbetween the pickups!!!!!!!

inbetween the two pickups for normal playing, then i switch around if I want a diff. tone

I voted carrots.
but I play depending on the song, and the tone I'm trying to get.

I am a big fan of the bridge pickup also. I gives it the groove sound greatness that just works.