Thumbin' the neck

[libertyjah]

Does anyone else here anchor their right thumb on the edge of the fretboard when playing, like I do? I see everybody anchoring on the edge of the pickups, but almost never see anyone playing up near the neck. Maybe I'm just odd.

[morfine]

I do it.
And Geezer Butler use to do it also.

[Monkey]

I play mostly reggae and groove-based music, and I go for a deep, fat sound. I only play fretless, and I would estimate that I anchor my right hand on the fretboard about 50% of the time. I get a beautiful, fat, blooming sound that I love.

I make my own basses, and use a 5-string and a short-scale four string (both fretless). If I am going for a particularly fat sound, I will pluck the string way up on the neck (around the 12th fret). I can get a very nice upright sound that way, or a big-time "mwah" when using the bridge pickup.

[PrimusNut]

I do sometimes. I find it more comfortable than anchoring on the pickup. Usually tho, i anchor on the stirngs themselves, or the the edge of the pick guard, but thats for playing near the bridge.

lol, playing some way that you don't see others play is not odd, it gives you originality. Besides, i doubt that there is any way to play tha hasnt already been done.

[thewanderer24]

i play like that occasionally. Did it more on my old bass that was brighter than I wanted a lot of the time.

[Lord Henry]

The closer that you play to the headstock the rounder and more uprighty (not a word, I know) the sound. If it gives you the sound you want then run with it.

Everyone talks about how floating thumb is better for muting but the main advantage that I've found playing that way is that I can play with my right hand anywhere and not be at a loss for an anchor. Still, the right way to play the bass is the way that lets you do what you want to do.

Cheers

[Alec W. Conway]

I see a lot of people do it. I myself use it sometimes to get a fatter sound, even tough I'm mostly a bridge-level player.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Lord Henry

The closer that you play to the headstock the rounder and more uprighty (not a word, I know) the sound. If it gives you the sound you want then run with it.

Closer to the center of the string, you mean.

[Brad Maestas]

I rest on the end of the fingerboard every so often. I rest on the neck pickup a lot of the time but I also use the end of the FB and the lowest string as well. I have gradually incorporated the floating technique into my playing and it's crucial if you want to get away from the standard positions (wherever there's something easy to rest on).

If I'm resting on the low B and I have to play the B, I end up floating for a while until I can return or I just go back to resting on the pickup or FB. I've also figured out a way to rest my thumb on the top of the bass so I can get out of the way when I play the low strings. That's let me open up the possibilities even further. I think being stuck to one spot can be limiting.

One of my favorite end-of-the-fingerboard thumb resters: Anthony Jackson



He sets his action in such a way that lets him play hard down at the end of the FB without the string bottoming out or clicking like it would on most basses. I've experimented with this setup on one of my basses and it has made a big difference.

To give you a basic idea of how it works, you start with a neck that's as straight as can be. Then you to raise the action at the nut (ever-so-slightly). This step is a clincher because it requires you to modify the nut with shims and/or replace it with a whole new nut. That's a turn-off for most people. Finally you lower the action at the bridge a little. Now when you play hard near the FB, the notes don't bottom out as easily because you've got clearance on either side of the string rather than just on the bridge side.

He first explained it in a Bass Player article from last year, I believe. He and Joey also went around and did some clinics about this too, IIRC.

[WillBuckingham]

VintageBT6Lover, That sounds like it would make left-hand playing near the nut a painful ordeal, no?

[Brad Maestas]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

VintageBT6Lover, That sounds like it would make left-hand playing near the nut a painful ordeal, no?

Not really. Apparently, the key is the "ever-so-slightly" part.
The stopped notes near the nut will go painfully sharp before it ever becomes uncomfortable for your hand. It's a matter of a few millimeters, really.

I ended up raising my nut by 1.5 mm and it's just high enough to give me some extra clearance but it doesn't affect the intonation or playability. It does take some getting used to but the payoff is that you have more clearance over the whole instrument.