Thumb wrestling

JKT · #1 07-12-2007, 09:32 AM

Throwing this out for all Barker players and also for Lee to chip in:

I notice that in the recently posted pic of a Brio, that this one has some thumb rests installed ala the B-1. Was this a factory deal or after market?

My Brio came without any and quite frankly I don't know if I would want any or not. I would be interested to see a concensus, who uses 1 or 2 rests? Pickup anchor? Base of the neck?

Personally I use the base of the neck and the pick-up depending on what sound I"m going for.

Also I recently stumbled into a retrofit rest call "The Ramp" that fits between the base of the neck and the pickup providing a continuous rest allowing a nice anchor point anywhere. Anyone have any experience with this?

Joel

pointbass · #2 07-12-2007, 10:16 AM

I have the two thumb rests on my B1 and I don't use either of them. I much prefer the pick-up or neck as an anchor.

The ramps have always been interesting but I've never had any real playing experience with them .....

Lee Barker · #3 07-12-2007, 11:06 AM

Ah the thumb rests.

Personally, I like them and use them. I put a set on my Brio.
I own a few crude hand tools, so I'm able to do what I want in this department.

That said, I'm much more interested in what's happening out there in the orchestra pits of the world; the small intimate taverns where great music is played and laughter wafts (or, alternate spelling, laffter waughs) gently out the back door, echoing off brick walls; the cramped corner of shoehorned musicians in the chandeliered room housing the glitterati and the genial, superficial conversations that accompany the clink of martini glasses and the muted slurp of caviar.

On custom B1s I have occasionally been asked to leave them off. Notice Leonard's fretless 5 on the Barker and Me page (two handsome new image additions there down below, too).

On the video, Andrew Pfaff is obviously getting his lovely uprightish tone in part by playing right off the end of the fingerboard, which provides a nice thumb rest. When things get gnarly, he reports, he just lowers his attack toward the bridge. It will be interesting to see how he anchors his hand there.

The Brio comes without them, but I keep the black plastic ones available for those who want them. I furnish, you install.
(The B1 rests are hardwood, once walnut, now going to cocobolo and ebony.)

As for the ramp, my only experience has been seeing and hearing Todd Johnson with his 6 string. I do not know if he has a ramp on his new Zon. I emailed him and asked him to bring his opinions to bear here.

How'm I doing, Joel? Too much info? Not enough?

Kindly,

Lee

JKT · #4 07-12-2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Barker

Ah the thumb rests.

The Brio comes without them, but I keep the black plastic ones available for those who want them. I furnish, you install.
(The B1 rests are hardwood, once walnut, now going to cocobolo and ebony.)

As for the ramp, my only experience has been seeing and hearing Todd Johnson with his 6 string. I do not know if he has a ramp on his new Zon. I emailed him and asked him to bring his opinions to bear here.

How'm I doing, Joel? Too much info? Not enough?

Kindly,

Lee

You're doing famously Lee. Are the B1 rests a different size? I really like the look of the wooden rests

I need to ponder more. What's neat about the ramp I thought was the continuous aspect coupled with the fact that it apparently retro-fits with double sided tape rather than drilling holes which naturally frightens me.

JKT

Lee Barker · #5 07-12-2007, 02:35 PM

By asking different size, I presume you mean from the plastic ones. They are approximately the same overall dimensions but the wooden ones have a slight bevel on them to make them more comfortable to the thumb. The exact number of degrees is a tightly held company secret. It also makes them more complex to craft.

Regarding the ramp, the double sticky tape is a wonderful thing, but there are tapes and there are tapes. I use an industrial product in some of my master template-routing operations, like for the EA hatch, and it's good for 8 or 10 on-and-offs before it fails. Taking it off the first time requires a prying object.

The other advantage of the ramp, at least the one Todd had/has, is that you can't ever get your fingers deep between the strings. I think it might encourage a consistent, light touch. But again, he's the one to address that.

Kindly,

Lee

modeshapes · #6 07-13-2007, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Barker

On the video, Andrew Pfaff is obviously getting his lovely uprightish tone in part by playing right off the end of the fingerboard, which provides a nice thumb rest. When things get gnarly, he reports, he just lowers his attack toward the bridge. It will be interesting to see how he anchors his hand there.

Thanks for the compliment on my "uprightish tone"!
Actually, I removed the very handsome thumbrests from my B1 because I typically use my right hand thumb, ring finger, and pinky (i.e. everything but my plucking fingers) as a floating movable mute.
For anyone who's interested, I got this idea from watching the amazing Jeff Berlin at a clinic in '90 or '91. He was promoting the Peavey Pallaedium bass. At the time I was still pretty new to the bass and was having trouble keeping stray strings quiet. I observed that Berlin's solution was to keep his thumb floating one string above where he was playing. The right hand stays flexible and light at all times.
So I woodshedded this for a DANG long time and now only anchor my thumb when I am playing the lowest string, and then not even all the time.
Much later (like 10 years at least) I read of Adam Nitti referring to this as floating mute techinique. But for the record I saw Berlin do it first.
By the way, this technique transfers to the BVB easily.

**yodedude2** · #7 07-22-2007, 02:41 PM

i also removed the thumbrests from my barker basses. later, ron

Lee Barker · #8 07-22-2007, 09:22 PM

So I'm reading that significant players of the Barker Bass are removing their thumbrests. Personal preferences aside, if you were counseling the owner of the company regarding thumbrests, what would be your recommendation? 1. Keep them as you have. 2. Do not install them but offer them as an option at additional cost. 3. Include them, along with a template, so the owner may choose to install them as desired.

Kindly,

Lee

JKT · #9 07-23-2007, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Barker

So I'm reading that significant players of the Barker Bass are removing their thumbrests. Personal preferences aside, if you were counseling the owner of the company regarding thumbrests, what would be your recommendation? 1. Keep them as you have. 2. Do not install them but offer them as an option at additional cost. 3. Include them, along with a template, so the owner may choose to install them as desired.

Kindly,

Lee

I vote number 3! I may go that way.

JKT

pointbass · #10 07-23-2007, 07:48 AM

Number 2 and/or 3 would be my choice. It would be nice to have the thumb rest professionally installed, if desired, or the template for a later add-on.

I don't use the thumb rests at all, but in my case they don't get in the way. I just don't want to remove them and be left with the holes ...