Ever pass on a bass because the pickups aren't "comfortable"?

[KevInDaBassment]

Had the same problem with a EBMM Sterling 4 that I bought a year or so ago. Sounded very good (not great, but very good) and the neck was surprisingly nice. Pickup placement was just too much for me and the zero mod guy didn't have one for Sterlings at that time. I couldn't bring myself to drill into it, so she had to go back. Tone is a huge component of whatever bass you play, but comfort is something that typically can't be "modded" by a set of pickups, electronics, strings, or setup. If a neck is miserable to play, the pickup placement is off for what you're comfortable with, or if the bass is too heavy these are all things that don't outweigh tone IMO. To each their own, I don't want to be miserable playing an instrument :/

 

[Ric5]

Ever pass on a bass because the pickups aren't "comfortable"?



hahaha ... have you ever played a Rickenbacker??? The damn pickup covers and mechanical mute are both a pain ...

 

[socialleper]

Note: I assume this is only an issue if you're a finger style player.

On the BPU group on FaceBook someone asked for thoughts on soapbar pickups vs MusicMan pickups, and while everyone seems to jump right into the TONAL aspects of these options, for me it's something completely different - I rely on using my pickups as thumb rests, and many of these are simply not comfortable feeling to me.

One bass I've always absolutely loved is the Peavey Cirrus. I think they are gorgeous to look at, they balance like a dream, and the tone just oozes from them for days. Truly, one of the most captivating experiences in my life was being glued to Donnie Castleman (he's a TB member and an absolute monster on bass) playing a Cirrus with Terry Fator at The Mirage in Las Vegas a few years ago. I'd always been drawn to Cirrus basses, but after seeing that show I was 100% sold on giving up all the other basses I owned and finally getting a Cirrus like I'd considered for years. I couldn't wait to go check one out at my favorite local music store where I knew there was one hanging on the wall. As soon as I started playing it my beaming enthusiasm turned to a slumping sigh. I understand they call these "VFL Pickups" and was shocked to learn it doesn't stand for "Very F------ Long". It really does feel uncomfortable (to me) to rest my thumb on the end of one of their pickups and play normally because they're so inexplicably lengthy. I had a similar experience trying out an Ibanez BTB, which is another bass I've long admired the look and sound of.

As for the MusicMan pickups, the 4-string versions have those "flanges" or whatever they're called where the pickup screws go, which aren't ideal (for me), and the 5-string versions suffer the same length drawback as the aforementioned long soapbars. I've owned a few basses with MM pickups, and while I've been able to manage, they never did feel very natural as thumb rests.

Anyone else have similar stories where you would otherwise love everything about a bass if it just didn't feel uncomfortable because of the pickups? A lot of time on this site is spent on the tone of this pickup or that one, and a lot is devoted to the feeling of certain necks and strings, but I don't recall the topic of pickup comfort ever being discussed. A quick search didn't turn up anything.

Jacob

I had the opposite problem with a G&L L-2000. The pickup edge was so close to the string that my hand cramped.

 

[socialleper]

Ever pass on a bass because the pickups aren't "comfortable"?



hahaha ... have you ever played a Rickenbacker??? The damn pickup covers and mechanical mute are both a pain ...

View attachment 1044728

There is a lot about physically playing a Rick that is less than optimal.

 

[RyanKW]

Ironically, this.

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The pickups have a built in thumb rest, and placing my thumb there puts my hand in a horrible angle for playing.

 

[Korladis]

There is a lot about physically playing a Rick that is less than optimal.

Weirdly, I find my Rickenbackers to be my most comfortable basses.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I started on a p type, and the first bass I bought with J pickups felt odd. But after a few minutes, you adapt. Over the years, I've mostly stopped anchoring on the pickups anyway

 

[socialleper]

Weirdly, I find my Rickenbackers to be my most comfortable basses.

They've always been an enigma to me. As someone else noted, the pickup cover is sort of blocking the "sweet spot."
In general, I find the necks sticky and the flat bodies uncomfortable. No matter how many times I try them, I just can't understand the appeal.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Weirdly, I find my Rickenbackers to be my most comfortable basses.

Sartori's other basses are made of knives

I didn't play my first Ric until about a decade ago. They look and sound great, but the uncontoured body and the knucklegrinder that is the pickup area isn't ideal.

 

[DanAdams]

Absolutely. ONE major factor of this mod was getting a comfy thumb rest in this location. Coincidentally I don't like the sound of bridge pickups close to the bridge, so it's a win / win for me.

I also love the sound of my Westone basses with the Magnatone pickups, but the angled edges of the pickup casings make for horrible thumb rests, so I don't play my Westones much.

 

[onosson]

It's the main reason I have pickup covers on my Jazz basses... I used to do the same on my P-bass, but unfortunately it blocks the "sweet spot" too much (which I don't find to be an issue with Jazzes)

 

[Obese Chess]

No, but I am acutely aware of the angled pickups on my Dingwall when I try to rest my thumb on them.

 

[ThudThudThud]

Ever pass on a bass because the pickups aren't "comfortable"?



hahaha ... have you ever played a Rickenbacker??? The damn pickup covers and mechanical mute are both a pain ...

View attachment 1044728

This is my issue with Rics. Just not comfortable to me.

Also, Jazz/Precision with the ashtray/pickup cover. The covers fall just in the exact spot to make it uncomfortable for me.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

I didn't think you were being a jerk at all. To further explore my state of mind about playing technique: I'm self taught, and I don't say that phrase with pride, I say it with a bit of regret. I wish I had learned "proper" techniques for playing bass, but instead I just emulated the players I saw on tv or video. The most notable was Cliff Burton, and while I've always loved his playing, I'm able to look back now and acknowledge that his technique is extremely inefficient in terms of economy of motion in his right hand. Watch the most technically proficient players and their right hand fingers barely seem to flinch when they're playing. Burton's, on the other hand (and mine through some sort of osmosis I suppose), fly around all over and tend to "strike" down onto the strings more than gently coax notes from them. The result is a more aggressive playing style, which can be cool in some settings, but it makes for relatively sloppy playing, and limits my ability to play as fluidly as the players who've worked out how to move their fingers as little as possible to play their notes. My aggressive style requires anchoring of some sort. Adapting my playing style to the floating thumb style isn't just a matter of switching where my thumb lays... it's a fundamentally different way to play the instrument I've played for 19 years. I've slowly over time refined my technique a little, but it's not something I feel I can just completely change without getting frustrated. Learning something the right way is much more difficult if you have to unlearn two decades of bad technique first. I'm just too unmotivated and lazy to start over.



That's where I stand as well. With so many options that nail my desired idea comfort, it seems counter-intuitive to pick one that doesn't.

I have taken lessons over the past couple of years, but was also self-taught prior to that and played with an anchored thumb and then a floating anchor (moving the thumb between two strings).

I then taught myself the true floating thumb technique upon reading about it here in the technique forum. It just makes soooo much sense for soooo many reasons. It appealed to my practical and objective personality.

The only thing that makes it difficult at first is that you have to work at it in the beginning. It does feel a bit awkward at first. Mainly because you are not rocking the hand from a fixed pivot point, but moving the hand up and down as you change strings. Also because the pluck is not from a largely straight finger, but from a finger bent to a substantially right angle at the middle knuckle, much like a pop when slapping. However, while it seemed to to take a while, it really didn't. It wasn't long before it felt natural enough and I could practice my lines and scales and riffs using it. Now I couldn't imagine anchoring a thumb.

The best thing about it is your fingers are always at precisely the same position with respect to the string, and your hand is always in the same orientation, regardless of what string you're playing, how many strings there are to play or where on the strings you are playing them. Oh, that and and every string behind the one you are playing is muted automatically.

 

[Korladis]

They've always been an enigma to me. As someone else noted, the pickup cover is sort of blocking the "sweet spot."
In general, I find the necks sticky and the flat bodies uncomfortable. No matter how many times I try them, I just can't understand the appeal.

For me, Fender types are more uncomfortable, because the neck feels weird to me, and the pickguards are usually beveled so I can't rest my thumb on them (Rickenbacker pickguards aren't beveled, and that's what I usually use as a thumbrest... either that or the pickup cover, or in some cases the edge of the body itself).

Even on the one that doesn't have the pickup cover, I don't really play right over the bridge pickup.

The 4003S doesn't have the binding, its edges are smooth and contoured. The 4004 doesn't have the binding or the pickup cover.

Sartori's other basses are made of knives

I didn't play my first Ric until about a decade ago. They look and sound great, but the uncontoured body and the knucklegrinder that is the pickup area isn't ideal.

Nah, my other basses are an Epiphone T-bird and a Peavey that was originally a P-bass copy before I modded it to be more like a 4000.

Knucklegrinder?

One of my basses is a 4003S. Contoured body... though I bought it mainly for the simpler looks. The contour/non-contoured body isn't really an issue to me, as my forearm makes very little contact with the bass's body. Mainly because the way I position my plucking arm, my wrist remains pretty much straight when I play finger style. I don't do the chicken-wing that I see many bassists do.

 

[Jay2U]

Yeah, the shape of a pickup is important to me as well. My thumb is always jumping around on the surface of one of the pickups, so I prefer flat surfaces.

 

[TerriblePeril]

Note: I assume this is only an issue if you're a finger style player.

On the BPU group on FaceBook someone asked for thoughts on soapbar pickups vs MusicMan pickups, and while everyone seems to jump right into the TONAL aspects of these options, for me it's something completely different - I rely on using my pickups as thumb rests, and many of these are simply not comfortable feeling to me.

One bass I've always absolutely loved is the Peavey Cirrus. I think they are gorgeous to look at, they balance like a dream, and the tone just oozes from them for days. Truly, one of the most captivating experiences in my life was being glued to Donnie Castleman (he's a TB member and an absolute monster on bass) playing a Cirrus with Terry Fator at The Mirage in Las Vegas a few years ago. I'd always been drawn to Cirrus basses, but after seeing that show I was 100% sold on giving up all the other basses I owned and finally getting a Cirrus like I'd considered for years. I couldn't wait to go check one out at my favorite local music store where I knew there was one hanging on the wall. As soon as I started playing it my beaming enthusiasm turned to a slumping sigh. I understand they call these "VFL Pickups" and was shocked to learn it doesn't stand for "Very F------ Long". It really does feel uncomfortable (to me) to rest my thumb on the end of one of their pickups and play normally because they're so inexplicably lengthy. I had a similar experience trying out an Ibanez BTB, which is another bass I've long admired the look and sound of.

As for the MusicMan pickups, the 4-string versions have those "flanges" or whatever they're called where the pickup screws go, which aren't ideal (for me), and the 5-string versions suffer the same length drawback as the aforementioned long soapbars. I've owned a few basses with MM pickups, and while I've been able to manage, they never did feel very natural as thumb rests.

Anyone else have similar stories where you would otherwise love everything about a bass if it just didn't feel uncomfortable because of the pickups? A lot of time on this site is spent on the tone of this pickup or that one, and a lot is devoted to the feeling of certain necks and strings, but I don't recall the topic of pickup comfort ever being discussed. A quick search didn't turn up anything.

Jacob

For me the pickups "feel" definitely counts for something. But I'm more picky about the distance between the bottom of the strings and the top of the body. I've added spacers to pickguards to raise the "playing surface" to where I feel it's optimal for me, installed crudely fashioned but very effective ramps a la Gary Willis, and generally when I'm shopping around the first thing I do is squeeze the strings to the frets to feel out the action and then stick my fingers between the strings and body at the base of the neck. If it's too big I don't bother picking the thing up to try it typically.

I sold my Geddy for a Kent P copy (500USD bass for 80USD bass) because it just had a much better feel for me. I don't regret my decision.

 

[bolophonic]

I'm not sure I understand how the Cirrus pickups can be uncomfortable because they are too long. Like... the part that your thumb isn't resting on should be irrelevant to the feel, no?

 

[HamOnTheCob]

Yes, the Westone Rail instantly came to mind.

I watched that video when you posted it but forgot to comment. That's pretty fascinating! Never seen anything like that.

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I'm not saying I'd refuse to try it out, but those pickups don't look like my cup of tea for comfort.

I then taught myself the true floating thumb technique upon reading about it here in the technique forum.

I'll check it out and see if it's something I can dip a toe into. We'll see. Thank you for the encouragement!

 

[HamOnTheCob]

I'm not sure I understand how the Cirrus pickups can be uncomfortable because they are too long. Like... the part that your thumb isn't resting on should be irrelevant to the feel, no?

The part my thumb isn't resting on has nothing to do with anything, that's correct. But if the thumb rests on the end of the pickup and the end of the pickup is an inch farther from the bottom string than it is on a bass I'm comfortable with due to the pickups being extra long, that's an issue.