do many people use a thumb rest

[aardys]

i just stated to learn bass , and putting my thumb on top of the pu'p seems a bit high , thought a thumbrest like i see in old adds on Pbass's would be a good idea ,
what say you guys ?

 

[Freelancer]

Personally I've never really needed one really. I just let it rest on either the E or A depending on how far up(or down physically) of the string I have to play. I only usually do this when I play a little harder to keep sympathetic vibrations down a bit. If I use my regular light tough then I usually just let it hover and let it touch a string to stop it from vibrating. Still haven't gotten the thumb down yet to play staccato with it yet. I usually ending up using the next picking finger to mute then play the next note. Kinda hard for me to explain really. Before I started doing this I just let it rest on the E string unless of course I had to play a note on it.
Experiment around a bit with your technique to find your sweet spot.

Although from what I've personally seen from a lot of pictures a lot of the thumb rests were at around pickup height anyhow. Personally I would rather find a way to do a minor alteration of technique or just regular practice on a constant basis can make something more comfortable and natural as far as thumb resting. YMMV. Good luck!

Rock on!
-Chris

 

[Nakedfish]

I don't use a thumb rest or pup to anchor my thumb. Instead, I use a 'Floating Thumb' technique - placing my thumb on the string below the string my forefinger is plucking and moving them across the strings in tandem. It allows me to play with my thumb as well as the first three fingers. Works for me.

 

[Polfuste]

Yes. Take a nice piece of wood, work on it, then with double side adhesive tape, you've got your thumb rest which you can glue where you want, without scratch on the bass if one day you want to remove it.

Link Removed

 

[GM60466]

A thump rest came on my P bass. I never use it. I'm a thumb floater


G

 

[FL Knifemaker]

I don't use a thumb rest or pup to anchor my thumb. Instead, I use a 'Floating Thumb' technique - placing my thumb on the string below the string my forefinger is plucking and moving them across the strings in tandem. It allows me to play with my thumb as well as the first three fingers. Works for me.

+1, same here. Besides......Nothing looks worse than a bass with non original thumb rest, or worse........a ramp

 

[jojobean39]

My Warwick doesn't have one. Then I got a Steinberger and it had one. At first it annoyed me. Then, I started using it. Now I wish I had one on my Warwick. It's a comfort thing really.

 

[BassBob185]

I've attached one to my computer mouse.

 

[experimental bassist]

i just stated to learn bass , and putting my thumb on top of the pu'p seems a bit high , thought a thumbrest like i see in old adds on Pbass's would be a good idea ,
what say you guys ?

Yes, thumb rests are alive and well!


Although now they are more commonly called a low "B" string.

 

[Engine207]

I don't use a thumb rest or pup to anchor my thumb. Instead, I use a 'Floating Thumb' technique - placing my thumb on the string below the string my forefinger is plucking and moving them across the strings in tandem. It allows me to play with my thumb as well as the first three fingers. Works for me.

+1, but not touse as a playing finger...mainly to dampen.

 

[rfclef]

I have a thumb rest on all of my basses... I used to use it more... though now I seem to use a melding of thumb rest & floating thumb technique. I like to rest my thumb on the rest or the pups (depending on where on the string I am plucking) when on the E string...

 

[bass-flyer]

Got 'em ..... don't use 'em.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Every bass I've owned that had a thumb rest, I removed them. They just get in the way.

But that's me. I would teach my students to use either a p'up as a thumb rest or the E string (while they're playing on the G, D or A strings).

 

[ronster91]

I have one on my Precision bass. It is nice but I always play above the higher frets.

 

[Webtroll]

I like to play in the area that would be roughly between the pickups on a Jazz bass. I have mounted thumbrests in the area before and used them, but I am not locked into them as moving the hand around yeilds different tones. Sometimes I use a pickup, sometimes float, sometimes the B string. I don't use different anchors because I don't want to be locked into using one, I use em because sometimes I want to, sometimes I don't.

 

[MF1018]

I have a J-Bass and (for me) the pickguard works just fine as a thumb rest. I would probably think of using one if I had a P-Bass. My question is: Does anybody use the thumb rest when it is mounted below the G string?

 

[Phalex]

I love a bass with a thumb rest! Uber comfy, but somehow just not "cool". All my basses have a thumb rest of sorts, even if it's called a B string!

 

[rustynuts]

I love a bass with a thumb rest! Uber comfy, but somehow just not "cool". All my basses have a thumb rest of sorts, even if it's called a B string!

Mine too, but no B string. We need an UnCool Thumbrests Club to commiserate our lack of cool.

 

[Ric5]

Don't use it at all.

 

[HogieWan]

I use the floating thumb technique as well, but I like a thumb rest when playing the E string. I now play 5ers, so I have a thumb rest anywhere I want to play. My variax also has a thumb rest for when I play the B string