Thumb rest 'best practices'?

Sorry…. I have no internet out here so sometimes things a re a bit jacked up….

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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 ? :heart_eyes:

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Transparent



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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. :flushed:

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. :+1:

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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. :slight_smile:

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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Yes it is!

Holy hell, you’ve just made my day. I’m definitely getting one. Thanks for the link!

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Glad it helped you, and I hope it works for you. :slightly_smiling_face:

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@JustTim, I knew I’d seen another source for thumb rests: Thumb Spot.
Might be a bit more economical, depending upon the need. They have some for left handed instruments, too! :+1: (not that you need LH, just for others’ info)

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Just got my Zero Mod thumb rest today. Took all of 30 seconds to install it. Works like a charm.

Thanks for the tip!

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That looks nice. I have it on my stingray I was hoping it sits a bit closer to the E string.