I've always wondered why thumb rests are mounted below the stings on the body of most basses? Why would it be called a thumb rest if its mounted below the strings unless the bass is to be played upside down and backwards like Hendrix?
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Thumb Rests
- Thread starter keeperthumpin
- Start date
From our friends at Wiki-world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar
"Bassists trying to emulate the sound of a double bass sometimes pluck the strings with their thumb and use palm-muting to create a short, "thumpy" tone. The late Monk Montgomery (who played in Lionel Hampton's band) and Bruce Palmer (who performed with Buffalo Springfield) use thumb downstrokes. The use of the thumb was acknowledged by early Fender models, which came with a "thumbrest" or "Tug Bar" attached to the pickguard below the strings. Contrary to its name, this was not used to rest the thumb, but to provide leverage while using the thumb to pluck the strings. The thumbrest was moved above the strings in 1970s models and eliminated in the 1980s."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar
"Bassists trying to emulate the sound of a double bass sometimes pluck the strings with their thumb and use palm-muting to create a short, "thumpy" tone. The late Monk Montgomery (who played in Lionel Hampton's band) and Bruce Palmer (who performed with Buffalo Springfield) use thumb downstrokes. The use of the thumb was acknowledged by early Fender models, which came with a "thumbrest" or "Tug Bar" attached to the pickguard below the strings. Contrary to its name, this was not used to rest the thumb, but to provide leverage while using the thumb to pluck the strings. The thumbrest was moved above the strings in 1970s models and eliminated in the 1980s."
Damn!!! So I have been playing it upside down and backwards all this time!! Ha!.
Right on guys, thanks.
Right on guys, thanks.
