Fender P bass thumb rests?

[vinylphile]

Hey all. Why do some of the older classic P basses have a thumb rest BELOW the strings??

 

[Shawn Luckman]

Because a few bass players at that time,plucked the strings with their thumb, and would grip the tugbar with their fingers.

 

[vinylphile]

Because a few bass players at that time,plucked the strings with their thumb, and would grip the tugbar with their fingers.

Yeah that's what I figured but I still see it referred to as a thumb rest - which seemed like it necessitated a quick review of anatomy LOL. I guess the more appropriate term would be "finger rest".

 

[rockinrayduke]

When it’s on top it’s a tug bar.

 

[Elusive1]

Hey all. Why do some of the older classic P basses have a thumb rest BELOW the strings??

Because a few bass players at that time,plucked the strings with their thumb, and would grip the tugbar with their fingers.

That was how Leo Fender envisioned bassists would play when he first designed the bass guitar, but ultimately players adopted the same pizzicato style used on upright basses instead. Most people simply ignore the tugbars; some take them off and some even reattach them above the strings as modified thumbrests instead. For some reason Fender didn't catch on until '74, when they eventually started making their basses with the rests installed above the strings directly from the factory to cater to the majority of the bass-playing crowd

That's not to say absolutely no one used it, there were a few who did, like Brian Wilson in this vid (go to 0:51)

When it’s on top it’s a tug bar.

Actually it's the other way around; it's a tugbar when installed below the strings and a thumbrest when installed above the strings

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

If you have a tug bar under the strings, try using your thumb.
Once you do, the placement make perfect sense.
Good for thumpyness.
Not so much for playing fast.

 

[rockinrayduke]

That was how Leo Fender envisioned bassists would play when he first designed the bass guitar, but ultimately players adopted the same pizzicato style used on upright basses instead. Most people simply ignore the tugbars; some take them off and some even reattach them above the strings as modified thumbrests instead. For some reason Fender didn't catch on until '74, when they eventually started making their basses with the rests installed above the strings directly from the factory to cater to the majority of the bass-playing crowd

That's not to say absolutely no one used it, there were a few who did, like Brian Wilson in this vid (go to 0:51)



Actually it's the other way around; it's a tugbar when installed below the strings and a thumbrest when installed above the strings

Duh, right!