Thunderbird Club

[Larry V]

So I went looking for info on tug bar technique and came up with nothing.

I've always used the P/U as a thumb rest and let my other fingers do the plucking.

How and when would it be advantageous to use your thumb to pluck or strum over using the more traditional playing technique?

Can anyone point me to a video showing someone using a tug bar?

 

[PillO]

I'm assuming they'll double as a thumb rest as well?

Only if you turn your bass over...

 

[Haji]

So I went looking for info on tug bar technique and came up with nothing.

I've always used the P/U as a thumb rest and let my other fingers do the plucking.

How and when would it be advantageous to use your thumb to pluck or strum over using the more traditional playing technique?

Can anyone point me to a video showing someone using a tug bar?

Remember how old they are. It used to be a lot more common to strum with the thumb. Guitar players were doing that, too. That's why they're in what is a useless position now. A better way was found.

 

[Larry V]

Remember how old they are. It used to be a lot more common to strum with the thumb. Guitar players were doing that, too. That's why they're in what is a useless position now. A better way was found.

Thanks for confirming what I was already thinking. No wonder I couldn't find a single video of anyone talking about or using tug bars.

 

[JIO]

Thumb rest, tug-bar, finger rest - variations on a theme with many iterations over the years. Some basses have two (symmetrically positioned on both sides), others run above the pu's. (more of a bar) I personally never had a need for them but they can be useful if your right hand style aligns w/them. Mostly they are a artifact of a bygone era.

 

[Bassmike62]

Yup passive pickups for both neck & bridge, alnico & steel rather than ceramic which tends to be dark sounding even with more focused output. Alnico is clear & precise. What's your rig?

This mod is going to be a bit pricier than anticipated, the best price I got was 110 $CDN / pick-up, + another Sir Robert Borden or so for installation (not gonna do it myself).

I searched for sound clips, but couldn't find any on the net... do you have sound bites of your Bird with these ?

 

[Count Bassie]

So I went looking for info on tug bar technique and came up with nothing.

I've always used the P/U as a thumb rest and let my other fingers do the plucking.

How and when would it be advantageous to use your thumb to pluck or strum over using the more traditional playing technique?

Can anyone point me to a video showing someone using a tug bar?

Sometimes you see reggae dudes playing with their thumb (on the bass, I mean, lol). I don't see it a lot lately, but it's old school tech.

(Edited) The thumb is a fatter piece of meat on the string, and not as nimble- you've got to work at it even to stay tight behind the beat...

 

[Haji]

Be careful what terms you use to research things. I don't think I wanna type "tug bar" into Google without some additional terms.

 

[Larry V]

Be careful what terms you use to research things. I don't think I wanna type "tug bar" into Google without some additional terms.

You're probably right!

Good thing I was on YouTube!

 

[ThaCoast]

This mod is going to be a bit pricier than anticipated, the best price I got was 110 $CDN / pick-up, + another Sir Robert Borden or so for installation (not gonna do it myself).

I searched for sound clips, but couldn't find any on the net... do you have sound bites of your Bird with these ?

Like i've said, i wanted to use the EMG TBHZ's at first but since i couldn't get a set quick enough, i opted for epiphone deep Sixx pickups which will arrive next week. Youtube search for the schecter ultra bass, that has the TBHZs in it & they do sound great

 

[kat888]

Sometimes you see reggae dudes playing with their thumb (on the bass, I mean, lol). I don't see it a lot lately, but it's old school tech.

(Edited) The thumb is a fatter piece of meat on the string, and not as nimble- you've got to work at it even to stay tight behind the beat...

Gadgie here is the only person I can think of uses their thumb.

 

[Count Bassie]

Like i've said, i wanted to use the EMG TBHZ's at first but since i couldn't get a set quick enough, i opted for epiphone deep Sixx pickups which will arrive next week. Youtube search for the schecter ultra bass, that has the TBHZs in it & they do sound great

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the Deep Sixxes...

 

[Count Bassie]

Gadgie here is the only person I can think of uses their thumb.

I should've been a little more clear about the speed of the thumb... I meant it can be a little sluggish for some passages that require pedaling a note at a pretty good clip. But you do get good at what you practice!

 

[JIO]

Gadgie here is the only person I can think of uses their thumb.

and w/o a 'tug-bar'…

 

[hillerup]

View attachment 953443 The tug bar on my 66 Cardinal Red, and the NOS from greatdealz1967 off ebay. I was perplexed at the beefy-ness and large screws. But the shadow on the pg matches perfectly. Gibson was really just pushing them out the door

That's why I cut mine out of a 1-1/2" block of whatever, drill the 2 holes all the way through and slice them off like bread from a loaf. Still more of a PITA than I care to do except for my use.

My '65 EBO with original bar and screws. Note they're about the same size head as P/g screws

looks like mac ebony on this one but who knows, could be rosewood.

How come old pickguards always shrink? Weren't they made of the same material as the ones the use nowadays - And if no, then what were they made of as opposed to now?

 

[Dadagoboi]

How come old pickguards always shrink? Weren't they made of the same material as the ones the use nowadays - And if no, then what were they made of as opposed to now?

Vintage pickguards are a nitrocellulose based plastic which shrinks. Modern ones are vinyl, which doesn't so much.

 

[PillO]

This mod is going to be a bit pricier than anticipated, the best price I got was 110 $CDN / pick-up, + another Sir Robert Borden or so for installation (not gonna do it myself).

I searched for sound clips, but couldn't find any on the net... do you have sound bites of your Bird with these ?

I am afraid you may lose a large portion of readers here if you don't explain that Sir Robert Borden appears on the Canadian $100 bill. At current exchange, about US$75.85, GBP58.37, EUR68.01, JPY7713

 

[Bassmike62]

Like i've said, i wanted to use the EMG TBHZ's at first but since i couldn't get a set quick enough, i opted for epiphone deep Sixx pickups which will arrive next week. Youtube search for the schecter ultra bass, that has the TBHZs in it & they do sound great

Tue dat, forgot about that post. I saw the English's dude video in a Nevada UK shop.
Sounds good enough to me.

Thx.

 

[Justice]

I put Deep Sixx pickups in my Bastard Jazz, it is the T-Bird cousin nobody talks about.

 

[JIO]

I put Deep Sixx pickups in my Bastard Jazz, it is the T-Bird cousin nobody talks about.

Nice! This is an example of the mostly silliness that exists with 'brand' bashing… put the same pu's that are in T-birds in a Jazz bass and what a surprise - it sounds like a T-bird! My Saunderbird (T-bird body/P-bass style neck) w/Kubicki pre sounds like (wait for it...) a Kubicki!