MM thumb anchoring

JebSmells · #1 07-26-2007, 06:20 PM

hey there, wondering wher eother people rest their thumb on MM stingray and the like, I use the little gap in between the screws on the bridge pickup of my sub to anchor my thumb.

other style and thoughts welcomed, would be cool to hear what everyone else is doing!

TheBassBetween · #2 07-26-2007, 06:28 PM

Lots of people here will tell you that they use the floating thumb technique, where their anchor is always the string above the one they're playing.

ba55i5t · #3 07-26-2007, 07:36 PM

Thats not floating thumb that's movable anchor. Floating thumb means you are resting the side of your thumb on the strings...your thumb is pointing straight down. I was originally a pickup anchorer, then an E (B) string anchorer and now I use floating thumb. For me it makes string skipping so easy.

TheBassBetween · #4 07-26-2007, 08:26 PM

That's totally what I meant. I promise

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JebSmells · #5 07-26-2007, 09:11 PM

the floating thumb is a lot less painfull to use tbh

i bet it's hard to keep track of if your moving a bit though, keep 'em coming guys!

JebSmells · #6 07-26-2007, 09:22 PM

question, when using the floatinf thumb technique, where does the thumb go when you play anything on E? i find this technique nice, but feel a bit too "free" when playing on the E

ba55i5t · #7 07-26-2007, 11:23 PM

I usually anchor on the p-up, or yeah, you can let it float. Whatever is the most comfortable to you.

Amenra · #8 07-27-2007, 01:40 AM

pick-up all the way when playing on the E-string. for fast string jumps I use the anchoring thumb technique; resting the thumb on the string above.

But these days I mainly play with pick so no thumbresting there

JebSmells · #9 07-27-2007, 06:09 AM

I'm ok with the floating thumb technique so long as i'm resting on the strings, but as soon as i play anything on E, it feels really un-natural to try an locate a spot for my thumb, any ideas on this? I want to keep trying new things and this sound like a great technique to learn. any one using anything else? nice to see some other peopel anchoring their thumbs on p'ups out there too!

Amenra · #10 07-27-2007, 07:44 AM

The bassplayer of Red Sparowes (great bassplayer, great band) rests his thumb on the beginning of the fretboard and still gets a very warm bass sound. When I do this I get a lot of cling clang stuff

But it might work for you...

PS: really, check out their work, it's an awesome band if you're into Isis or other Post Rock stuff...

dvh · #11 07-27-2007, 07:58 AM

If his thumb is at that point he's plucking at the warmest possible point

dvh · #12 07-27-2007, 07:59 AM

If your getting a cling clang maybe your digging in too hard?

Fli · #13 07-27-2007, 09:59 AM

I use the pickup as a thumbrest just as you described. Floating thumb tech just doesn't give me the same consistent angle of plucking and it gets sloppy... I do use it when I play close to the neck for that boomy sound though.

JebSmells · #14 07-28-2007, 12:01 PM

Thanks for all the input!

Decided to stick with using the pickup as an anchor for the time being but have worked the floating thumb technique into my practice routine as somethig to work on, thanks again!

michaelsin · #15 07-31-2007, 05:15 PM

i had a thumbrest installed. it's made of silver. custom with my initials. it doesn't really come far off the bass so as not to interfere with my thumb when hitting the e string. but it comes off JUST enough to dig the very tip of my thumb in there to have an anchor.

supermonkey · #16 08-02-2007, 10:41 AM

I've played a 'Ray for like 15 years. I switch my thumb anchor spot frequently between the p/u, "movable anchor" or "floating thumb", depending on the tone and articulation I'm after at the moment.

Picking down near the pickup provides me with more articulation and a bright attack-y tone, where I can dig in w/o too much "clack". So, if I am playing 16th note lines or more aggressive 8ths, I generally anchor at the p/u.

Picking nearer the neck provides a warmer sound, as mentioned, but you can't dig in as much. I play there for more melodic or downtempo lines. I'll usually use movable anchor or floating thumb in those situations.

Grinch · #17 08-09-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelsin

i had a thumbrest installed. it's made of silver. custom with my initials. it doesn't really come far off the bass so as not to interfere with my thumb when hitting the e string. but it comes off JUST enough to dig the very tip of my thumb in there to have an anchor.

I did something similar to this with my SUB 5 and Bongo 5H. Mine was much more low tech though. After reading Peter Murray's book on Bass Technique I got creative and went to Home Depot and got some rubberized see thru "peel and stick" door stops (about 1/2" long on each side and square) and stuck one above the B string so that I would have an anchor when playing on the B string. Worked very well, it won't come off until you take the time to peel it off and it did not look that bad either. Sorry I don't have any pics. Low tech but very effective!