How to avoid resting my thumb on pickups?

[zubrycky]

I don't try to avoid such thing. Generally I rest my thumb on the pickup but sometimes I do it on the very end of the fingerboard.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

IMO you better solve the buzzing issue cos they may buzz when you touch them even if you are not resting your thumb.
Sounds like a grounding thing but its strange cos as far as i know bartolini have no exposed poll pieces.

 

[Acoop]

On a Fender it's called a pickup cover.

 

[foolforthecity]

floating thumb techniqe
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Period.

 

[Whippet]

adjust your strap and make it longer or shorter.

This will move the bass so your playing hand will move up, down, left and right.

 

[Original Poser]

Floating hand technique. I used to anchor my thumb on the pickup and move it down to the E string for ADG, but I switched to this style. I’m quicker now, and it also helps you mute the strings as you play, so as not to get string feedback from strings your not playing. Game changer for me.

 

[Somnambulance]

floating thumb techniqe
View attachment 3582408

I rested my thumb on the pickup for about 20 years of playing until I got a 5 string and had to learn the floating thumb technique. I’ve since sold my 5er and gone back to a 4 string bass but the floating thumb technique feel more natural to me; it takes the rigidity out of your hand and is overall more energy efficient

 

[swink]

Buy a five-string... at least 50% of TB claims the B-string is an expensive thumb-rest.

 

[GroovinUSA]

Exposed pole pieces or not?


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.


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.



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.

They're not moving around, and I hear it when I just lightly touch them. However I think y'all may be right about it being a grounding issue because I didn't hear it when I played a show yesterday. Either it got drowned out in the mix or it wasn't present using their power instead of my home's old wiring.

 

[GroovinUSA]

OP, are you noticing a pattern here?

Yeah after all these posts and not noticing the sound at my gig yesterday I suspect it could be a grounding issue. Unfortunately I live in an older apartment and probably can't change the wiring. But at least if I know it's not an issue at shows I don't have to worry about it.

 

[GroovinUSA]

IMO you better solve the buzzing issue cos they may buzz when you touch them even if you are not resting your thumb.
Sounds like a grounding thing but its strange cos as far as i know bartolini have no exposed poll pieces.

It's not really a buzzing noise issue. More of an acoustic tapping noise.

 

[GroovinUSA]

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.

This could be the cause of the noise-- it sounds like touching a pickup on an acoustic guitar (sort of a tapping sound). Not sure if its related to grounding or not. I didn't hear it in my gig though so maybe it's quiet enough not to matter when I'm in the mix.

 

[Spin Doctor]

This could be the cause of the noise-- it sounds like touching a pickup on an acoustic guitar (sort of a tapping sound). Not sure if its related to grounding or not. I didn't hear it in my gig though so maybe it's quiet enough not to matter when I'm in the mix.

Not to change the subject, but how do you like the Bartolinis? I have a couple of basses with them installed and to me they lack a bit of aggression that makes things pop. If you play them too easy, they make everything sound kinda loungy (I doubt this is a word, but you get what I'm saying... ) They are great for certain types of jazz though.

 

[GroovinUSA]

Not to change the subject, but how do you like the Bartolinis? I have a couple of basses with them installed and to me they lack a bit of aggression that makes things pop. If you play them too easy, they make everything sound kinda loungy (I doubt this is a word, but you get what I'm saying... ) They are great for certain types of jazz though.

Compared to standard Jazz bass pickups they definitely seem kind of compressed to me, so I get what you're saying about lacking aggression. They could use a bit more dynamic range for some kinds of music, but for what I usually play they work well and I can usually run the bass without any compression. If I dig in harder, they give me a more aggressive tone but without a big increase in volume that I'm used to with standard Jazz pickups, so it's kind of a different feel but I can make it work for me. Tonewise they have a lot of versatility... if I roll to the neck pickup I can get smooth bassy tones and if I blend more to the bridge I can get some nice midrange growl.

I'm not sure I'd go with the Barts if you like to get some real punchy sounds and aggressive feel. I think they're better at producing a variety of sounds from "loungy" or "jazzy" to "growly" without large changes in dynamics associated with the harder plucking.