Best bass for finger style?

[Green Knight]

After thirty years and loads of progress on left-hand technique, my right hand is stuck in two-finger plucking mode, each attempt to pick up a pick or mobilize a thumb giving way to the familiarity of the good old two-finger salute. Do you suppose there is a best bass for finger style, the same way many peeps do posit a best bass for slapping, or picking, etc?

 

[ardgedee]

Nope.

Some basses are better for picking or slapping because they're designed with particular tones in mind, some are also better for slapping because have extra space under the high strings to make room for the fingers for popping, and/or some other properties I can't think of right now.

By contrast you can use fingers on pretty nearly anything, including basses that are supposed to be good for picking or slapping.

 

[Makten]

Try basses with different string spacing to see what's most comfortable. I've found that I prefer very narrow spacing compared to most other people.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Pee

 

[Michedelic]

All of them, depending on how good of a fingerstyle player you are.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Everyone is different. What works for someone else may not work for you.

Start trying basses.

 

[vindibona1]

I'm going to offer a different route than just trying to find a bass for fingerstyle. IMO most basses are suitable. 4 string basses, even at extreme string spacings can be suitable. "Each attempt to pick up a pick or mobilize a thumb giving way to the familiarity of the good old two-finger salute."

I think the easiest and perhaps fastest way into fingerstyle is to pick up an acoustic or classical guitar and start by learning the "Travis Picking" technique. It's just developing muscle memory along with an independent thumb. . IMO, an independent thumb can be important and is different from what the thumb does in a slap. Sometimes it is used alone, and sometimes it opposes the other fingers "pinching" the strings. With a guitar, even if you're not an experienced player, just a few cowboy chords and the Travis and perhaps some other fingerstyle music will accelerate what you can do on bass.

In addition to the above, watching videos and trying to emulate some good finger style players (slowing the vid down as needed) can also help you see and copy what good bass finger style players do. Kinga Glyk comes to mind.
That's my 2¢ worth. Take it or leave it.

Edit: I just came across a video I had done some years ago for one my fellow guitarists illustrating what I think is pretty close to how bassists might approach fingerstyle.
I don't know how to embed the video, but here is the link. Use it- or not, at your discretion.
Short Fingerstyle Demo

 

[2strings2frets]

The best bass for finger style is your “go to”, whatever instrument you enjoy playing the most.

 

[relayer66]

I think you could play any bass finger style, but I would look at ergonomics suitable for the style, like something that has a pickup configuration you could use as a thumb rest, and a bridge that you can use for palm muting (i.e. not a Ric, although I do play a Ric finger style). Fenders always work but so do the majority of basses.

 

[lug]

Pbass with a tort guard of course. This IS Talkbass after all.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

As much as I love my Ibbys, I am slowly coming to terms with Fender J's and P's being more comfortable for me when playing fingerstyle or pop/slap (on J's)

Picking on Ibbys feels way better to me though, I'm more cumbersome picking on a P or J-bass.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I have always played exclusively finger style and this is actually an interesting question, because some basses are more suited for it than others. Basses with very narrow string spacing may require an angled attack to the strings, where you approach at a 45 degree angle. ABGs generally lack a place to brace your thumb other than the lowest string, or the neck.

I'm currently finding that with the SR fretless I am tending to dig in a little too much with my plucking fingers. I'm trying to figure out why? My current theory is I get too excited by all the interesting sounds that come out of the thing, so adrenaline kicks in.

Easiest to play finger style is the P bass. Hard to sound bad on a P bass. It almost plucks itself?

 

[wncBass]

Jazz basses conveniently have two nicely placed pickup/thumb rest locations. lol

 

[pbass2]

I have basses ranging from 17.5mm to 19mm spacing at the bridge (fours and fivers), two pickups, single P-position pickups, and 'Ray-ish single pickup position. I find them all to be equally comfortable and flexible for fingerstyle. My hand floats, sometimes I anchor my thumb on a pickup, I'm always moving it around. They all work.
The only bass I own that I find to be noticeably better for me with a pick/thumb pluck vs fingerstyle is my Longhorn. And I've felt that way about Hofners as well. Maybe it's the scale, the string tension, not sure, but I just don't have the same solid feel for thumping fingerstyle on shorties I guess. Worked for Robbie Shakespeare though.

 

[MCS4]

Jazz basses conveniently have two nicely placed pickup/thumb rest locations. lol

Same for me. I don't think there is a best bass for fingerstyle generally, but J basses or other basses with two pickups in similar locations are the best for me, personally, because I developed my fingerstyle technique playing mostly off of various anchoring positions using those pickups and I felt like I am "missing" something when I don't have them.

This obviously wouldn't apply, though, for someone who prefers to anchor in the P bass position or very close to the neck, or someone who doesn't anchor at all.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I have basses ranging from 17.5mm to 19mm spacing at the bridge (fours and fivers), two pickups, single P-position pickups, and 'Ray-ish single pickup position. I find them all to be equally comfortable and flexible for fingerstyle. My hand floats, sometimes I anchor my thumb on a pickup, I'm always moving it around. They all work.
The only bass I own that I find to be noticeably better for me with a pick/thumb pluck vs fingerstyle is my Longhorn. And I've felt that way about Hofners as well. Maybe it's the scale, the string tension, not sure, but I just don't have the same solid feel for thumping fingerstyle on shorties I guess. Worked for Robbie Shakespeare though.

Yeah, I use moveable thumb but I'm always anchored. I only float (hopefully) when I fall off a boat. But different strokes for diff folks is what makes the world go round.

 

[turf3]

After thirty years and loads of progress on left-hand technique, my right hand is stuck in two-finger plucking mode, each attempt to pick up a pick or mobilize a thumb giving way to the familiarity of the good old two-finger salute. Do you suppose there is a best bass for finger style, the same way many peeps do posit a best bass for slapping, or picking, etc?

I'd vote for a Juzek.

 

[boghurtgurule]

Fender Bass VI

 

[pbass2]

Yeah, I use moveable thumb but I'm always anchored. I only float (hopefully) when I fall off a boat. But different strokes for diff folks is what makes the world go round.

Yeah, I mean I float my hand around to different positions but then either anchoring thumb on a pickup or a string (essential on the five stringers of course). I couldn't play with it just flyin' in the breeze!

 

[groovaholic]

Do you suppose there is a best bass for finger style, the same way many peeps do posit a best bass for slapping, or picking, etc?

I'm not sure there's a BEST bass for fingerstyle - comfort of an instrument depends on the ergonomic preferences and physical attributes of the player.

IMO, however, there are basses that are easier to play with a pick than fingerstyle (the Rickenbacker 4001/4003 come to mind) and some that just don't have ideal places to anchor your thumb (Schecter basses with "bare bobbin" pickups).

However, I just sold a fretless that was as comfortable to play fingerstyle as any bass I've ever held:
I installed DiMarzio "Relentless" pickups with curved tops and comfortable edges, then added a ramp between the pickups that mirrored the fretboard radius and string angle.
That bass had tons of comfortable places to anchor your thumb AND the ramp let your fingers just glide over the tops of the strings.
If my intonation didn't need so much work, I would have gladly kept it...