is there a general consensus on where a thumb rest would go on a P/J bass? really enjoying my yamaha TRBX174 so far but the screw for the neck pickup is right where my thumb wants to rest which is getting a bit annoying. i had a few minutes today so i whipped up a little burled walnut thumb rest but am not quite sure where to put it — i am leaning toward between the 2 pickups (bottom pic) but not sure if that is an OK move? should it go in front of the neck pickup? (top pic)? was thinking i would double stick tape it into place to try it out but the finish on the bass is tough to stick to — obviously i do not want to screw it down just to find its not a good spot.
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Where you pluck has a dramatic influence on your tone. Between the pups would be plucking more towards the bridge, for a thinner, brighter sound - though if your thumb were up by the P it would be much more neutral and versatile; in front of the P would allow for plucking more or less right over the P, which is my preferred area. Up to you for the tones you like. Try plucking in the areas they would let you cover to see how it sounds to you.
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thats what i was worried about - i definitely prefer the meatier deeper tones of plucking above the P pickup for sure.
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Here’s where I put mine on my 174 @mgoldst. I know exactly what you’re talking about when resting on the P pickup…. I didn’t want to go on the other side of the PuP because sometimes I like to rest my thumb on the neck for a more bassy tone and with the rest there, it put my thumb too high for how I like to play.
Maybe you should try some double sided tape or something and try it in both spots to see what works best for you before screwing it down…
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hmmm not seeing an image (just an 'uploading: message but its been like that for 15 minutes)
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ahhh got it thanks! tried to double stick tape but its not holding when i get all bass-faced; will have to get some better tape.
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Could just use the E string as a thumbrest and play the other strings to guage the tone.
On most basses I have owned the A string has the most balanced tone; YMMV, but it should give you a good idea of the end result of different positions.
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I’m a ramp user not so much rest guy. I find that ramp offers more control and consistent feel. Here’s my pj ramps.
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oh interesting - happened to be perusing the EBMM stingray site last night and saw the tim commerford stingray has a ramp — was not aware that was even a thing.
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LOVE the color and pick guard on the fretless. Turquoise ? 
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I like thumb rests and have Zero Mod rests on most of my basses. These mount using the pick guard screws, thus no new screw holes are required.
I wanted a thumb rest on my new Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass but could not use a Zero Mod rest because the Aerodyne has no pick guard. The idea of drilling screw holes in that glossy body made me nauseous. 
Fortunately I found the ThumbRocker on eBay. This little rest uses the pickup mounting screw.
It installs in a few minutes, is much more comfortable than resting the thumb on the pickup, and positions the hand for plucking right over the pickup. And even better, it’s dirt cheap. 
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I generally play from the p pickup to several inches up the neck and rarely between them other than the rare time i want a sound that cuts through a bit more; it depends on the sound you want. My fretless has only a bridge pickup and a big ramp which gives lots of flexibility to move around.
why not put them in both places?
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I don’t rest my thumb. It’s always floating above the strings to mute and to keep my wrist straight as possible.
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On my acoustic bass I found numerous thumb rests on ebay and amazon that stick on instead of screw on. Been using them for 4 months now without any issues, plus you can peel it off and move it if you need to.
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Can you provide a link to the one you prefer?
Kala sells some adhesive backed thumb rests for their U-bass which could be used on guitars and regular basses. From the comments on that page, there are three in a package, all on one card, so you’d need to cut around the one you want to use and then peel off the backing.
This is a great conversation; I’m finding that I need something additional for my Dimension (it, much like a Stingray, only has a single humbucker closer to the bridge, and I like to play closer to the neck). I definitely do NOT want to permanently mount a thumbrest, as the pickguard doesn’t cover that area so I’d have to drill into the body. Nope, not a chance. 
So these:
Look absolutely ideal. However, the idea of a ramp is super cool. How do they, um, attach? Are they adhesive? Or…?
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Maybe you could see if any of Zero Mod’s thumb rests could work on your bass. They use the screw holes that are already there from the pick guard or pickups, and in any case, they don’t require modifications.
But a ramp might be best. I hope someone replies with more information about those.
Edited to add: is yours a Fender Dimension? If so, Zero Mod makes a custom thumb rest for them, special order $40.
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