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Show me your thumb rests!
- Thread starter Daedraziel
- Start date
- Mar 22, 2000
- 1,972
- 73
- Disclosures
- Big Cheese Emeritus: Gollihur Music (retired)
I've got thumb rests between the pickups on my four most-used basses. I have used pickup edges as thumbrests for many years, but like to skate along the string for different tones and responses, so I've made some to make me more mobile. A tabletop belt sander and Dremel tool are wonderful tools for shaping things.
The first bass has a mango top (I knew you'd ask), and I made the slim rest from striped maple that I tried to integrate into the design (and needs refinishing, I see). It is shaped to be reinforced by the pickup edges and held in place by double stick tape. It's a Hoyt based Karl made for me in 2000.
The second, a maple topped fretless, he made me in 1997, and I made a similar thumb rest for it, same wood and technique.
The third is a Gibson V, using a similar technique, but I grabbed an ebony upright bass saddle (under the wires at the base of the tailpiece) off the shelf at Gollihur Music (URB shop I own) and trimmed it to fit.
The fourth is another Hoyt bass I got from him in 2011. He may have made the ramp from an upright bass nut block (chunk of ebony) and screwed it into place. It was originally taller; I trimmed it down to be the same height as the pickups.
These are the basses, for context, from my web site (link below), which has more detail about each bass, and from when they were originally acquired.
The first bass has a mango top (I knew you'd ask), and I made the slim rest from striped maple that I tried to integrate into the design (and needs refinishing, I see). It is shaped to be reinforced by the pickup edges and held in place by double stick tape. It's a Hoyt based Karl made for me in 2000.
The second, a maple topped fretless, he made me in 1997, and I made a similar thumb rest for it, same wood and technique.
The third is a Gibson V, using a similar technique, but I grabbed an ebony upright bass saddle (under the wires at the base of the tailpiece) off the shelf at Gollihur Music (URB shop I own) and trimmed it to fit.
The fourth is another Hoyt bass I got from him in 2011. He may have made the ramp from an upright bass nut block (chunk of ebony) and screwed it into place. It was originally taller; I trimmed it down to be the same height as the pickups.
These are the basses, for context, from my web site (link below), which has more detail about each bass, and from when they were originally acquired.
Upon closer inspection of my tbird, i don't have pickup rings so this wouldn't really work for my set up. Which makes me very sad because those look awesome! What did you use?
Thumb rests, smumb rests.
I'm playing the bass...I never think about where to put my thumb! Never.
I'm playing the bass.
I'm playing the bass...I never think about where to put my thumb! Never.
I'm playing the bass.
Well, if you play fingerstyle you should. It does make a significant difference in sound if you play close to the bridge or closer to the neck - and every position in between.
Especially with a one pu bass like a precision it provides you with more 'flavours'.
Yup. Here's the extra long thumb rest I had made for my parts P-bass
Too bad there's nothing like that for Rickenbacker. Here's the wee dinky one from Tubeampology on my 4003
Unmounted:
I should dust.
The p bass rest is nice. It's long enough to let you move around more than my setups. I'm loving the idea of a pickup frame with the rest on it. I'd love to have something similar since I wind up using the pickup as a thumb rest anyway
I'm looking for a long Godin type ebony strip for my Tacoma ThunderChief acoustic 5 string fretless. No pickups!
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
The Ric one is clever...one of the reasons I never really kept any Rics real long was for ergonomic reasons including that. That is a neat little piece!Yup. Here's the extra long thumb rest I had made for my parts P-bass
Too bad there's nothing like that for Rickenbacker. Here's the wee dinky one from Tubeampology on my 4003
Unmounted:
I should dust.
