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What's Your Thoughts On This Thumb Rest Positioning?

#42
bassdude51 said:
If not already mentioned. The Zero Mod thumb rest. IMO, would have been better.

View attachment 7083202 View attachment 7083203
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I've looked at then, the Zero Mod JB rest looks great, and would fit my needs exactly. Unfortunately ZM only supply from the US and the price is prohibitively expensive to the UK. About $58 in your money for a bit of plastic. Actually, thinking about it what happened during the TB website upgrade? It seems you can't show your country of origin on your avatar any longer or read others, not sure that's a good or bad thing but would clear up confusion from people reading posts and saying 'just pop down to your local Stewmac' The nearest one to us is 2500 miles away.
If I were a naughty person I'd find someone with a 3D printer but that'd probably cost even more than the imported ZM. :laugh:
 
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#43
Anyway. Since tightening the bar (without drilling the second hole) I've found neither configuration to be good for my playing as it doesn't feel natural when I'm hitting the E so it looks like I'm going back to basics and using the 'floating thumb' technique as so many here have suggested. I may have to ditch the Roswells or the crappy sponges on the bottom at least, and install springs (rather than surgical tubes) that will push the pickups up a bit more so that I have the land to rest my thumb on the neck pup for playing more toward the bridge, and when I'm playing further toward the neck, use the neck edge. It's been a very useful exercise, no foul no blame. Thanks all for your input and that's what we do on here ask questions and receive answers.
Cheers
Tony
 
#44
Daddy-R said:
That was a "tugbar" Leo thought bassmen played with their thumb, many string bassmen did, therefore anchor the fingers and the thumb moves freely. Whatever works for you works, I assume you own the bass(s). I anchor my thumb on the fingerboard at the neck heel on my P and my Jazz.
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Yeah I see that now. I guess back in the day Leo thought that upright bass players used that technique, I have never seen a bassist using thumbs only. It's funny how technique has changed over the years - although I've seen a lot of vintage reels showing upright bassist slap, pull, and dive around like the bass is their partner - but just strumming a modern electric bass with your thumb only, for your entire career is anathema to me. No doubt as soon as I've said that you'll all come up with 1001 players I'm not aware of, that do only that :thumbsup:
Thanks all
❤️
 
#48
TeeSee said:
AKA "does my bum look big in this?"
I'm a finger only player, just can't use a pick at all as I'm left handed using a right handed guitar. I'm just too long in the tooth to sway to the many LH guitars now available that weren't around in the time I started playing.
This Jazz bass, I really love it and I only play the neck pickup as I Iike a more mellow sound, but on my split pup P I can rest my thumb on the E&A pickup, but the jazz doesn't seem to have really anywhere to rest your thumb, the P has big old chunky pickups but the jazz pickup is Slim Jim and uncomfortable to play after a while.
Honest opinions please, I've bought a cheap thumbrest and placed one screw half in to the pickguard screw hole and oriented it to an angle where it stays on the pickguard. I've not yet made any permanent fixings yet but I think it looks strange. Alternatively there's position 'B' which I think looks stranger. Have any of you seen something like this before on none standard thumb rest positions, I know the Fender way was to put the rest in the tug bar position above G but that's not really practical in my eyes.
Thanks,
Tony
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You do you…
IMG_0969.jpeg
IMG_0970.jpeg


I’m also a lefty playing righty, but it actually came naturally, similar to holding a baseball bat righty. Maybe I’m ambi…
 
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#49
TeeSee said:
AKA "does my bum look big in this?"
I'm a finger only player, just can't use a pick at all as I'm left handed using a right handed guitar. I'm just too long in the tooth to sway to the many LH guitars now available that weren't around in the time I started playing.
This Jazz bass, I really love it and I only play the neck pickup as I Iike a more mellow sound, but on my split pup P I can rest my thumb on the E&A pickup, but the jazz doesn't seem to have really anywhere to rest your thumb, the P has big old chunky pickups but the jazz pickup is Slim Jim and uncomfortable to play after a while.
Honest opinions please, I've bought a cheap thumbrest and placed one screw half in to the pickguard screw hole and oriented it to an angle where it stays on the pickguard. I've not yet made any permanent fixings yet but I think it looks strange. Alternatively there's position 'B' which I think looks stranger. Have any of you seen something like this before on none standard thumb rest positions, I know the Fender way was to put the rest in the tug bar position above G but that's not really practical in my eyes.
Thanks,
Tony
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I bought a used Jazz Bass with a thumbrest in that position that someone installed. As an owner of this Jazz Bass for 10 years or so now, and gigging bassist on a few Jazz Basses, I've basically ignored this "feature". It does absolutely NOTHING for my technique, no matter what song, genre or moment I'm playing it.
 
#52
Michedelic said:
OP asked about positioning, not if it should or shouldn’t be used. It’s like in effects threads, when someone asks about a particular unit or brand, and inevitably somebody chimes in, grousing that bass players don’t need effects.
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I'm sure that if the OP had a problem with my opinion, he would've let me know. Given the fact that he 'liked' my post, it's unlikely that he does.

Anything else?
 
#55
All, there's been some really helpful advice from all parts of the spectrum, I was initially asking because I'd only ever seen tug bars on JB's,PB's etc and nothing to actually anchor your thumb on. I did actually have a pickup guard I'd added to it before so I was able to use that to rest my thumb on, however I decided I didn't want the cluttered look which was why I was wondering about thumb rests on JB's.
I've decided to 're-programme' my playing style on the jazz using either the edge of the neck or the bridge pickup to anchor my thumb on. While initially it seems counter intuitive, I'm slowly getting used to it so I've dispensed with the idea of the rest in that unusual position.
I value everyone's opinions on here and see the merit in each reply. No one's ever all going to have the same thoughts which makes it such a great community here on TB.
Thank each and every one you for your time and effort to reply.:thumbsup:
Tony.
 
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#58
Entirely depends on where you prefer to plug the strings.

Note though that you will get different tones depending on where you plug them, and that floating thumb technique allows for this flexibility, along with damping the strings you don't play more effectively.

So if I were you I'd spend a bit of time practicing floating thumb technique, and drop the thumb rest all together, however I am not you.

I also prefer to plug over the rear J pickup, or just about where such would otherwise be.

You do you.
 
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