How to avoid resting my thumb on pickups?

[Groove Doctor]

I'll try experimenting with the "floating thumb" technique more-- when I tried it in the past it just felt harder to pluck consistently, but I probably just need to get used to it.

It’s not an easy technique, esp if you’re established with anchoring (either fixed or moving). Old habits are hard to replace.

Give a few months of consistent practice. Dabbling didn’t work for me - I only got good at it when I decided to drop anchor approaches completely for a month or two. After that it felt natural and effortless.

 

[lat]

If you're getting noise from placing your thumb on the pickup, there may be a grounding issue of some kind? I would try to fix the root cause of the problem.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Loads of good advice here. I'll add, just for fun, weigh anchor: circumnavigate the fingerboard and get a feel for what's possible. Go for a wander, with both hands. You'll be surprised at some of the possibilities you'll discover. When you find something somewhere that works, colonise — keep it under your hat for a rainy day

 

[Groove Doctor]

Bartolini pickups in my basses are a lower output pickup that’s been boosted, so they present like they’re slightly microphonic pickups. If you tap it hard enough it’ll reproduce that noise, like an acoustic.

 

[Auspuff]

I'm used to resting my thumb on one of the pickups when I'm playing the lowest string, or alternating on lower strings. Otherwise I usually rest it on the string below where I'm playing. The problem is I recently got a bass with Bartolini Jazz pickups in it, and they make noise if I touch them. I'm not sure how loud it is when combined with a band but I hear it when practicing.

If I don't rest my thumb on the pickup, how and where should it sit? I feel like I need something to rest my thumb on to get consistent plucking with my fingers... I've tried putting it flat against the body but it doesn't feel the same. Any thoughts on how to train myself not to rest on the pickup, and what should I do instead?

Adapt. All good musicians do.

Lest, none of us would play Ric's.

 

[rwkeating]

Keep playing as you were and fix the pickup situation.

 

[Cutter8]

+1 for floating thumb. FWIW, while I know the transition from anchored to floating thumb is challenging for many people, it was pretty quick and painless for me, so it may be easier than you might think. To me, the biggest advantage of floating thumb might be that it doesn’t matter how many strings or where/what type of pickups are on a bass, the technique applies to all basses pretty much the same way. It also make muting strings much easier! People do use “floating thumb” to refer to slightly different techniques, but the video clip below will show you what it means to me. ***Disclaimer: I’m NOT a good bass player yet, and I’m not sure the way I do it is correct, but at least you can see what I’m referring to, which can be hard to describe clearly in words.
iCloud

 

[Diamond_Dave]

If you're getting noise from placing your thumb on the pickup, there may be a grounding issue of some kind? I would try to fix the root cause of the problem.

yeah... isn’t this a grounding issue? I wouldn’t change my entire technique for what’s probably a simple electronics fix.

 

[dreamadream99]

What kind of noise are they making? If it is an electrical noise, the pickups are probably not properly grounded.

If you're getting noise from placing your thumb on the pickup, there may be a grounding issue of some kind? I would try to fix the root cause of the problem.

Keep playing as you were and fix the pickup situation.

yeah... isn’t this a grounding issue? I wouldn’t change my entire technique for what’s probably a simple electronics fix.

This was my initial thoughts too. Electrical sounds shouldn’t be circumnavigated—they should be eliminated.

 

[DavC]

technique is fine ... find your Grounding issue ..!!

still a fan of the old star grounding process ..

 

[mcnach]

I like the way these sound and I'm not looking to put more money into the bass, so new pickups are probably out. I could do the thumb rest if this is an ongoing problem that I can't figure out, but hopefully practicing other techniques will make it work for me so I don't have to drill into the bass. It's not crazy valuable but it's a nice bubinga body so I don't want to put extra holes in it.

If I had pickups that make that sort of noises when I touched them... I'd be looking at other kind of pickups.

I don't think I'd want to start changing the way I play or using thumbrests when I prefer using the pickup casing for that, just because a particular pickup is giving me grief: I'd find another pickup that sounds good and works without fuss. If I want fuss, I've got a singer and not one, not two, but three guitarists to deal with

 

[mcnach]

If you're getting noise from placing your thumb on the pickup, there may be a grounding issue of some kind? I would try to fix the root cause of the problem.

definitely...

 

[SactoBass]

Keep playing as you were and fix the pickup situation.

^^^THIS!

 

[keith1r]

Get new pickups

 

[Groove Doctor]

The problem is I recently got a bass with Bartolini Jazz pickups in it, and they make noise if I touch them. I'm not sure how loud it is when combined with a band but I hear it when practicing.

Exposed pole pieces or not?

I don't think it's an electrical noise, although my apartment probably isn't well-grounded so it could be. If anything touches them (metal or not) they make a sort of mid to high pitch tapping sound.

How hard do you hit them?
How loud is the noise?
Tapping a pick on a PU is a standard test to see if it’s working/turned on.

perhaps the pickups aren’t anchored enough and are moving. You could put stiffer foam underneath for your given pickup height preference, or if you have springs instead of foam get rid of the springs and get some weather stripping foam from the home store. ...my Bart’s don’t make noise when I anchor on them,

This.

Is the PU completely stiff/immovable or does it move around?

Just had my Tobias 4 serviced & he replaced the 25yo foam under the pickups.

Bartolini pickups in my basses are a lower output pickup that’s been boosted, so they present like they’re slightly microphonic pickups. If you tap it hard enough it’ll reproduce that noise, like an acoustic.

Where your thumb anchors, try sticking a pick in the gap btw the PU & the body, and rest your thumb on that (aka a reversible thumbrest). Might be a simple workaround for now.

 

[wmhill]

I have never heard a Bartolini get noisy from a finger (thumb) on it, usually, cheap microphonic pickups do that. I guess a thumb rest would be an easy option. I put one on a bass because the stock pickup wasn't comfortable on my thumb. Later I switched to a Bartolini that was the same design (MM humbucker) but was comfy on the thumb. I still go back and forth between the anchor points.

 

[Auspuff]

How I solved the Ric, thumb problem.

No only does it give you a thumb rest, it also covers up the hole vacated by that ridiculous contraption, Ric provides.

 

[skaine]

I generally use floating thumb technique or putting my thumb on the upper string of the current string that i am playing, this way it gives me opportunity to silence the previous string i had played on.

 

[smtp4me]

What kind of noise are they making? If it is an electrical noise, the pickups are probably not properly grounded.

This is the first thing that came to my mind.

 

[bolophonic]

I bought a Precision with a thumb rest and it is so sweet. It is 100000x more comfortable for me than resting on the pickups ever was. Almost all my basses have them.