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I need a thumb rest - I think!

D

dllive

Dec 30, 2011
147
47
#1
Hi all,
Ive noticed that when Im playing, my thumb rests on the neck pickup. Ive tried varying my position (ie: between neck and bridge pickups, behind the bridge pickup, behind the neck pickup), but the naturally comfortable position for me to pluck is directly above the neck pickup.

I thought I needed a thumb rest, but on closer inspection, the thumb rests you can buy are actually meant to anchor your fingers so that you can pluck with your thumb. Is there such a thing as a thumb rest that I can buy so that Im not exerting force on my pickup?

Thanks
ps
Im playing a Fender Jazz.
 
#4
dllive said:
Hi all,
Ive noticed that when Im playing, my thumb rests on the neck pickup. Ive tried varying my position (ie: between neck and bridge pickups, behind the bridge pickup, behind the neck pickup), but the naturally comfortable position for me to pluck is directly above the neck pickup.

I thought I needed a thumb rest, but on closer inspection, the thumb rests you can buy are actually meant to anchor your fingers so that you can pluck with your thumb. Is there such a thing as a thumb rest that I can buy so that Im not exerting force on my pickup?

Thanks
ps
Im playing a Fender Jazz.
Click to expand...

The 70's Fenders had thumbrests next to the E string. Take a look:
Invalid Link Removed
 
#5
Maybe try something along these lines?

14656_1177104549124_1273437077_3042.jpg
 
#6
dllive said:
I thought I needed a thumb rest, but on closer inspection, the thumb rests you can buy are actually meant to anchor your fingers so that you can pluck with your thumb. Is there such a thing as a thumb rest that I can buy so that Im not exerting force on my pickup?

Thanks
ps
Im playing a Fender Jazz.
Click to expand...

:confused: It is the placement of the thumb rest that determines if it is used as an actual thumb rest or a tug bar. Any standard thumb rest should work just fine.
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Also, many people including myself, anchor their thumb on the pickup. I have never had it cause any issues with my pickups.
 
#9
gjbassist said:
:confused: It is the placement of the thumb rest that determines if it is used as an actual thumb rest or a tug bar. Any standard thumb rest should work just fine.
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Also, many people including myself, anchor their thumb on the pickup. I have never had it cause any issues with my pickups.
Click to expand...

Are you John Lithgow? If not, that picture of you REALLY looks like him.
 
#13
In Fender-land, yes, the early thumbrests were tugbars; because Leo presumed folks would play with their thumbs.

Over time, this proved not to be the case as most players preferred fingerstyle, or, a pick.
I think the tugbar moved up top and turned into a thumbrest around 1974, but there are plenty og uys here smarter than I about such things.
 
#14
I wouldn't worry about the pressure on the pickup-I can't see what problems you'd cause, even if you are exerting a lot of downward force. Personally, I think I gravitated toward the jazz pickup configuration so I *would* have a place to rest my thumb, rather than any tonal reason, if I'm being honest. I don't think this is a problem.
 
#15
gjbassist said:
Oh man, my cover has been blown!:D I would take that as a complement because I think he is so talented. However he is 20 years older than me so that kind of hurts!:bawl:
Click to expand...

Definitely a compliment. He's one of my favorites. I think he's also a musician.

20 years older shouldn't be particularly insulting, as what is in my mind was when he was in 3rd Rock from the Sun in 1996, 16 years ago. Not that far off!
 
#17
On the jazz I am fine with my rest being the pup becauce the pups are not hot (like a P or humbucker.) When I play a more hot pup I want my plucking to be generally towards the neck to minimize finger noise. On my MM I just sanded down a piece of 1/4" thick pvc & foam taped it to the body. Tinker a bit & you can make something that puts your thumb where you want.
SUBbody.jpg
 
#18
I use my lowest string as my thumb rest and when I play the lowest string, I just put a little pressure against the side of the bass with my thumb. Depending on the bass I'm playing, sometimes I use the edge of the pickguard.
 
#19
skwee said:
I wouldn't worry about the pressure on the pickup-I can't see what problems you'd cause, even if you are exerting a lot of downward force. Personally, I think I gravitated toward the jazz pickup configuration so I *would* have a place to rest my thumb, rather than any tonal reason, if I'm being honest. I don't think this is a problem.
Click to expand...

To my understanding the only Fenders that resting your thumb on the pickup caused problems was the early 50's P-basses (Precision bass V.1, if you will) as the pickup had no plastic cover on it, repeated downward force sometimes caused the pickup to come apart. I suspect that's one reason why, when Leo changed the P-bass pickup to the split coil configuration, he added a plastic cover to protect the coils. I'm guessing.
 
#20
My Jazz has no pickguard. There's a little dent in the finish above the neck p'up from years of thumbnail...

I find that my right hand wanders (oo-er!) as I play dependent on the tone I'm trying to achieve. Sometimes I'm over the bridge p'up, sometines the neck p'up, sometimes i use the top of the fingerboard as a thumb-rest.

From years of playing an ABG, with no thumb-rest of any kind, I've developed the ability to anchor my thumb to the body at any point along the string (I can't do that floaty thing!).
It all comes down to the attack you want on the string.

Use that neck p'up. You're not hurting it. Plus, drilling holes for experiments might give you some remorse.
 

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