thumb rest on Fender Precision

[PhuketDoc]

Hey all!
Just curious... On my -83 US made precision, the thumb rest is above the strings ... yet I see so many photos of the "thumb rest" being positioned below the strings ... what is this all about?

Cheers

Doc

 

[Bassie82]

Its a rest to place your fingers behind while playing with your thumb

 

[Mark Wilson]

It's to play like this.

Redirect Notice

 

[Mark Wilson]

Ugh it's too early for this... Can't deal with the pictures.

Anyway, you put your fingers under it. It acts as an anchor so you can use your thumb like a pick.

 

[Gorn]

It's called a tug bar. Look how happy this guy is with his:

 

[PhuketDoc]

It's called a tug bar. Look how happy this guy is with his:
View attachment 917116

lol!! Yes he does!! hehe! On my -83 there are no pre drilled holes on the "tug Bar" place only for the thumb rest ... a model or year thing?

 

[phangtonpower]

Fender envisioned bass players mostly using their thumbs, but when he noticed that more people were using other fingers it was moved above, but don't quote me on that.

 

[Mr.Fingers]

The position changed in 1974. Prior to that, they were at the treble side, after that, they were on the bass-side... When Fender reissued their vintage models in the eighties, the finger-rest moved back to the treble-side on the appropriate models.

 

[PhuketDoc]

The position changed in 1974. Prior to that, they were at the treble side, after that, they were on the bass-side... When Fender reissued their vintage models in the eighties, the finger-rest moved back to the treble-side on the appropriate models.

Cool!! Thanks for the info!!!!

 

[Stdjazz4]

Its a rest to place your fingers behind while playing with your thumb

That's how I roll!!

 

[Mark Wilson]

It's called a tug bar. Look how happy this guy is with his:
View attachment 917116

Huh...My Tug Bar is about a foot lower...

 

[Gorn]

Huh...My Tug Bar is about a foot lower...

Oh!

 

[Stewie]

The previous owner of my Jazz Bass moved the bar up over the strings. I put it back where it belongs. I've never touched it while playing, but it just belongs there. I'm thinking I oughtta add one to my MIM P bass, maybe drill holes as if it once had ashtrays too.

 

[GBassNorth]

It's an age thing. Like people, as basses age certain things begin to sag - call it gravity.
All basses with thumb rests start out with the thumb rest on the upper horn side of the strings, but as they get older the thumb rest slowly moves down to the lower horn side of the body. It takes about 50 years or so but eventually that thumb rest is gonna sag right on down, just like many other things in life.
Just get used to it.

 

[Gord_oh]

It changed in 1973. Bassists switching from upright to electric usually used it to rest their fingers on and play with their thumb, it was called a tug bar then. Then in 1973 Fender decided that it wasn't practical anymore on the treble side and they moved it to the bass side to make it a thumb rest. Ta da!

 

[Alivefor5]

If you do any slapping and it's in the original position it's in the way and can even be painful.

 

[bobyoung53]

I always take them off and throw them in the case.

 

[AndyPanda]

I bought a bass that someone had mounted one on the bass side as a thumb rest but they mounted it the mirror image of a tugbar - same distance from the bass strings as though it were on the treble side as a tugbar. It's so far from the strings that it's worthless as a thumb rest and it left ugly screw holes in some very pretty wood .... and it's just to silly to leave on.

I wondered if perhaps they were playing it lefty (then it would be in the right place as a tugbar) but there is no screw hole on the lower horn so if they played it lefty they never had a strap button. (maybe they tied the strap to the headstock?)

 

[ianuaditis]

when I found out what a tug bar is, I started trying to play with my thumbs. I like it! It beats playing with a pick for me.

On the other hand, although i play mainly fingerstyle, I hate the thumb rest. It's in a weird spot, I tend to move anchors between the pickups and the end of the neck depending how I'm playing.

 

[mikeoso]

Ok, so...I play my ABGs with my thumb. It looks to me as if a tug bar would let me get a little more power out of them. Issue is, how would you attach it? Those tops are pretty thin.