Musicman stingray/sterling fatigue

[wally8]

Hi

Ive always found it incredibly tiring to play my usa sterling due to the pickup being close to the bridge as with all musicman's. My fav position to anchor is the neck pickup on a Jazz. Ive tried the floating hand technique or anchoring on the e string on my MM but i struggle with those.

Just wondering if i was being weak or have others noticed it? Toyed with the idea of gluing a finger rest on the stratchplate but it looks odd on a MM.

Cheers

Edited March 6, 2015 by wally8

[drTStingray]

You clearly haven't played a five string as it's almost essential to lean your thumb against the B string to avoid it resonating when you don't want it to and causing a low drone (bagpipe style) to accompany your playing.

If you can't get used to playing the bass then the best idea is to sell it and play something you like.

Fwiw I transferred my playing style back from 5 string to 4 string which has given me a lot more flexibility in plucking finger position which has created a lot more flexibility in sound. All that said, resting your thumb on the pick up of a musicman and plucking over the pick up creates one of the best bass sounds known to man so I dong see the problem, particularly as you're used to plucking at a bridge pick up position.

I certainly don't notice this as an issue at all.

[GreeneKing]

I play a H Ray and Sterling with nae bother. I use floating thumb technique and it became 2nd nature quite quickly. Then playing the E string I still rest on the pup.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1425651118' post='2709399']

If you can't get used to playing the bass then the best idea is to sell it and play something you like.

[/quote]

Like maybe a trumpet.

[fretmeister]

Problem solved.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zero-Mod-Thumb-Rest-Tug-Bar-for-Stingray-Bass-in-Black-No-Mods-No-Holes-/261647606658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ceb69a382

More models are on the way for different basses. I'm waiting for the Ray5 version.

[hairychris]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425660257' post='2709535']
Problem solved.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zero-Mod-Thumb-Rest-Tug-Bar-for-Stingray-Bass-in-Black-No-Mods-No-Holes-/261647606658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ceb69a382"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3ceb69a382[/url]

More models are on the way for different basses. I'm waiting for the Ray5 version.
[/quote]

I have one of these, it's great, very solid, well cut and fits perfectly. I bought the clear one and it's pretty stealth!

Works fine on my USA Sub 5 so should be fine on a regular Stingray as the pickguards are identical. Not sure if the Sterling different... and yeah, the 5s without the normal egg-shaped guard aren't covered yet.

Edited March 6, 2015 by hairychris

[stingrayPete1977]

I use all areas of the bass to anchor, edge of the fingerboard, edges of the pickguard, dangle my hand over in line with the area between the neck and pickup while my wrist is supported by the body, pickup cover or E string. Some people use a blob of blu tac, if you are anchoring so tightly that you need anything more than just an anti slip area you will be hampering yourself both physically and with your playing styles IMO? The stingray gets this one trick pony tag but that only happens if you only play fingers over the pickup, all basses would suffer the same tag, well the Jazz might have two tones but you get the drift

Edited March 6, 2015 by stingrayPete1977

[chaypup]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425660257' post='2709535']
Problem solved.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zero-Mod-Thumb-Rest-Tug-Bar-for-Stingray-Bass-in-Black-No-Mods-No-Holes-/261647606658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ceb69a382

More models are on the way for different basses. I'm waiting for the Ray5 version.
[/quote]

Oh clever!

[inate_hex]

Nope, I've never noticed it. I use the floating thumb techique as I started playing a p bass but preferred the sound by plucking nearer to the bridge. The zero mod thumb rest would be your best solution.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1425651118' post='2709399']
You clearly haven't played a five string as it's almost essential to lean your thumb against the B string to avoid it resonating when you don't want it to and causing a low drone (bagpipe style) to accompany your playing.
[/quote]

Let your floating thumb mute the lower strings.

[media]http://youtu.be/PPVMBPmrblU[/media]

Edited March 6, 2015 by JapanAxe

[stingrayPete1977]

A genuine Sterling or stingray pick guard is about £18 from strings and things, get a spare and fit/make a cheap thumb rest to the spare guard and keep the stock one safe. $40 for that Ebay gadget?!

[spectoremg]

Maybe your thumb is GASing for the wider range of sound and thumb-friendly twin pickup bass?

[ern500evo]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1425678796' post='2709764']
A genuine Sterling or stingray pick guard is about £18 from strings and things, get a spare and fit/make a cheap thumb rest to the spare guard and keep the stock one safe. $40 for that Ebay gadget?!
[/quote]
+1
I read a thread on the EBMM forum where someone was finding the same problem with a Bongo 4H, he bought a cheap spare pickguard and a thumb rest, used blu-tack to experiment with positioning of the thumb and then fixed it on once he'd decided on the best position for it.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1425714333' post='2709920']
Maybe your thumb is GASing for the wider range of sound and thumb-friendly twin pickup bass?
[/quote]

As daft as this sounds you could actually buy a genuine HS guard and modify a single coil pickup housing to fit in the gap as a fake S pickup thumbrest?

[spectoremg]

That's a hell of an idea!

[stingrayPete1977]

And you know some basschatter will be at your gig one day and say "I love that MM, I could really hear the neck pickup!"

[ColinB]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1425743764' post='2710284']
As daft as this sounds you could actually buy a genuine HS guard and modify a single coil pickup housing to fit in the gap as a fake S pickup thumbrest?
[/quote]

That doesn't sound daft at all - it's a great idea.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1425751666' post='2710390']


That doesn't sound daft at all - it's a great idea.
[/quote]
Well that's my one good idea I get per year used up then and its only March! Lol

[miles'tone]

An easy solution would be to try a set of round core strings such as DR Fatbeams or Status Hotwires for example which will give you the pliability over the ray's pickup that you want.
TI flats would also work fantastically well if old school's your bag.
Just a thought.

[wally8]

Some great ideas chaps - thanks for all the feedback. I play with my trumpet plenty as it is thanks Happy jack