Double Thumb over fretboard?

[Khaer]

Hi guys,

I've been playing for a while on my Fender Jazz with standard 60s pickup spacing and 21 frets.

Currently I am eyeing modern jazz with 24 frets, 34,25 inch scale, and much less space between the end of fretboard and neck pickup (Mayones Jabba Custom).

The difference in space between those two is huge (dont have exact numbers but I believe its twice as narrow). When i tried out Mayones i had trouble doing double thumb and double pop with so little space for fingers in this area. My questions are:
1. Is it something that is easy to adapt and get used to? Is it totally possible to do double thumbing over the bass body (after the fretboard's end)? Or am I supposed to change my playing technique?
2. If so - is double thumbing viable above the fretboard? I see some videos with people doing it at very high speed but i feel that with normal / slow groove i will lack power on the upstroke / thumb up, and those notes will feel noticably weaker and "off". Especially with the lower string action i desire.

Would love to hear from You, especially from those who own basses with similar characteristics. Cheers!
W.

 

[Khaer]

Hey guys, bump!

Maybe someone have some experience in that matter? I'd be grateful.

Cheers!
W.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Can't help with the "is it easy to adapt?" or "Is it viable?" questions, but fwiw I believe the issues you're encountering are the exact reasons why Mike Pope's signature Fodera has a removable section of fingerboard (!)

 

[JonathanPDX]

You can double thump anywhere with practice. Last night I had a gig out in the cold and my hands cramped up, so I used my double thumb technique between the pickups just to give my fingers a break and move my hand into a fresh position for a minute.

My 4-string with slightly wider string spacing is much more comfortable for this kind of technical playing than my 5-string (30" scale tuned EADGC). I can double thumb on the 5-string but it's a lot easier to find good angles on the 4.

And yes, Mike Pope has a weird removable fretboard section on a magnetic plate, but it's far from necessary.

 

[Khaer]

Thanks!

And double pop / double-stop pop? You cant do it over the fretboard, and it seems very uncomfortable to fit both fingers. Do You have similar experience?

 

[JonathanPDX]

Thanks!

And double pop / double-stop pop? You cant do it over the fretboard, and it seems very uncomfortable to fit both fingers. Do You have similar experience?

Personally, my thumb is "above" my fingers (closer to the headstock than the bridge) so I don't have any issue there. I found an old video a made years ago that demonstrates the way I use these techniques, so you can at least see where my fingers are lined up:

 

[Khaer]

That's very helpful, thanks! Altough Your basa have a lot more sówce between the lasy fret and Beck pickup.

 

[Les Fret]

You can double thump anywhere with practice. Last night I had a gig out in the cold and my hands cramped up, so I used my double thumb technique between the pickups just to give my fingers a break and move my hand into a fresh position for a minute.

I agree with this. You can do it anywhere along the string, even at the bridge side. But the sound and feel differs when doing it over the neck. When using index or middle finger in conjunction it will sound more even with the thumb when played over the neck, because there is less room for pops. I think that’s why Mattison basses have these slap ramps at the edge of the neck. That’s a recent thing designed to facilitate these more modern slap techniques. Never tried such a slap ramp myself though. Anyone here did?

 

[Khaer]

Thanks!

Anyway, my biggest concern are double pops and double pop stops if there is very little space between neck pickup and the fretboard. Anybody has experience with it on modern jazz bass with 24 frets?

Especially if You want to incorporate both double thumb and double pop in the same phrase.

Something like this.

 

[nonohmic]

Thanks!

Anyway, my biggest concern are double pops and double pop stops if there is very little space between neck pickup and the fretboard. Anybody has experience with it on modern jazz bass with 24 frets?

Something like this.
View attachment 7298050

What would Hadrien Feraud do?

 

[Khaer]

Lets talk this one then

 

[Les Fret]

Thanks!

Anyway, my biggest concern are double pops and double pop stops if there is very little space between neck pickup and the fretboard. Anybody has experience with it on modern jazz bass with 24 frets?

Especially if You want to incorporate both double thumb and double pop in the same phrase.

Something like this.
View attachment 7298050

I think there is plenty of room for slapping with three fingers (thumb, index, middle) there! I slap with four fingers and do that also on an Alembic Spoiler with less space than you have. Just move your thumb a bit over the neck and keep the other fingers between the neck and the neck pickup.
There is a good view in this video of mine at 2:50 and on (especially at 3:12 and on).

 

[JonathanPDX]

That's very helpful, thanks! Altough Your basa have a lot more sówce between the lasy fret and Beck pickup.

It would be FAR easier to give advice if we saw a video of you actually playing YOUR bass so we could look at your technique. There are countless different ways to orient your hands and instrument which are going to contribute to the issue you are struggling with. You can buy every bass in the world and it won't help at all if you have poor technique.

 

[Khaer]

First of all - sorry for my native language auto correction, just saw the post You quoted.

Secondly - i dont have this particular problem yet (altough i dont play as good as You . I have standard 60s spacing Fender with 21 frets with plenty of space for thumb and double pops. I am eyeing new bass and it has much less space there, so that's my fear.

Cheers!

 

[JonathanPDX]

First of all - sorry for my native language auto correction, just saw the post You quoted.

Secondly - i dont have this particular problem yet (altough i dont play as good as You . I have standard 60s spacing Fender with 21 frets with plenty of space for thumb and double pops. I am eyeing new bass and it has much less space there, so that's my fear.

Cheers!

That's understandable. Unless the pickup is shoved right up against the neck I don't think you'd have issues, and there are some people who use ramps which reduce the entire playing surface beneath their strings and are still able to do very technical right-hand things. Personally I like having that extra space to work with, but with enough practice you can do anything!

If I were in your shoes I'd be more concerned about string spacing and overall action and feel than whether or not you lose an inch of distance between the pickup and the neck.

 

[Les Fret]

Or you can slap right above the neck pickup, just like Stanley does on his Alembic. These basses have very little room between neck and neck pickup. Even less than the Alembic in my video from my previous post.

But I agree. A bass should not hinder you in the things you want to play. Then better buy another bass. Plenty to choose from!

 

[Whousedtoplay]

2. If so - is double thumbing viable above the fretboard? I see some videos with people doing it at very high speed but i feel that with normal / slow groove i will lack power on the upstroke / thumb up, and those notes will feel noticably weaker and "off".

The Slap technique is, more or less, not "set in stone;" therefore, there are numerous finger positions (including Thumb) promoted, advertised, taught, etc...
YES, you can learn (to various degrees) how to slap on the very uncomfortable bass guitar, but do you want it?
I would not be learning how to Double-Thumb on the fretboard!

N.B. I've tried to remove the pickguard, but without the pickguard, I have felt uncomfortable to use my slap technique.
My fingers were "perfectly" adjusted to the distance between the strings and the pickguard.

(Let's say, in order to Slap Thumb a la Mark King's "Lessons in Love" way, I needed to lift my bass up. - the lifted bass position was more comfortable my right hand.)

When I Slap, my Thumb position is around the bottom of the fretboard.
Thumb just slightly moves up or down depending on the type of Thumbing I use: the regular one and the double thumbing.

Regular Thumbing - Thumb is above/on the bottom of the fretboard.
Double Thumbing - Thumb leaves the fretboard area in order to acquire more space.

 

[Suho]

When I slap it is over the fretboard. I'm not an expert on double thumbing, but I do that over the fretboard as well. I've seen it taught that way and it makes sense to me. Bill "the Buddha" Dickens has ramps between his pickups so that he can thumb there without getting his thumbs caught too deep in the strings, approximating the feel of doing the technique over the fretboard. But as people here have said, there are a lot of ways to do it.