Plucking/playing at the base of the neck vs the neck pickup

[Damani311]

Seems to give a warmer sound (like playing near the neck pickup gives a warmer sound than playing near the bridge pickup) with only minimal loss in pickup volume.

What are the pros and cons?

[bongomania]

Pros: It sounds different.

Cons: It causes puppies and kittens to contract horrible disfiguring diseases, and makes the Pope cry.

[lorenk]

curses! and here I was thinkin' I was able to kill pandas by playing up by the neck!

damn kittens and puppies, always more important than pandas....*gumble grumble gumble*

[GerManson]

i always play with my plucking position..
it really gives character to my playing.. drummers always notice it.. at least the good ones.

[L-A]

There's no "right" way. It's a way of changing your sound without turning any knobs. Play at the bridge to wake up the funk, and at the neck for that "fat" sound, whatever is appropriate.

[wildhorse]

I move back and forth between the 3 depending on what sound I want on any given note.

[mambo4]

Originally Posted by wildhorse

I move back and forth between the 3 depending on what sound I want on any given note.

+1...the difference in tone is much more noticeable when using a single pickup, too....My P-bass varies much more than my jazz with both PUs even

[PRUNEFACE]

By the bridge strengthens the attack... Playing near the neck gives a lighter attack with more fundamental shining through

[bass player 48]

I hate playing near the neck. Yes, it sounds fat, round and warm.

I believe that what sounds fat and round when playing alone, sounds weak and mushy in the mix. What sounds thin playing alone, sounds thick in the mix.

But, the biggest problem for me is that up by the neck the strings feel all sloppy and flabby. I like to play back farther where the strinsg are stiffer so that I can dig in and have good right hand control.

The fartherst toward the neck I want to go is thumb on the P bass p/up. I EQ my amp to have my roundest sound here. I normally play much closer to the bridge. On a jazz with 70's spacing, I'm smack dab in between the p/ups.