Thumbrest for Precision Bass?

[BrunoBass]

I’m currently enjoying a bit of a Precision bass renaissance, having recently built one after several years playing Stingrays and Jazz Basses. Trouble is, I’ve got very accustomed to playing with my thumb anchored on the back, or in the Stingray’s case the only, pickup. I find this playing position very natural and comfortable. Anchoring my thumb on the Precision pickup which is obviously further forward feels wrong, and ideally I’d like to some kind of thumbrest situated further back. 

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don’t really want to put a tug bar there. I’ve seen clear plastic zero mod thumb rests for Rickenbackers that fit onto existing screw holes; obviously the Precision doesn’t have screw holes in that position but I’m thinking something that attaches to and extends from the bridge. Does such a thing exist? Do I need to invent one?

[Geek99]

It was good enough for duck dunn in the blues brother's movies. He had a thumb rest fitted further back. 

 

[Delberthot]

Depending on the finish you could try high bond tape

[Geek99]

can you fix some kind of wood bar to the existing holes over the pickup and have it extend backwards ? You could paint it to suit

Or just strap your hand to the bass in position and use it as an excuse to never put the bass down again ever

[Jono Bolton]

I think @mcnach might be able to help with this one...

[mcnach]

20 hours ago, Jono Bolton said:

I think @mcnach might be able to help with this one...

 

I am the same, I like to have a thumbrest where a Stingray pickup would be. I add them to Precisions and even to Jazz basses.

I once bought an OLP Stingray copy that had a metal piece glued on the pickguard as a thumbrest where a Precision pickup would be. I removed it but kept it... and ended up using it on another bass:

 

It is held in place with strong double sided sticky tape. It's solid, but not so solid that you cannot remove it if you try gently but with persuasion, and the sticky residue that's left behind is easy to remove and leaves no mark (on poly finishes at least! If yours is nitrocellulose I am not sure this would work well).

A while ago, we had a thread about this kind of thing and the idea became popular enough that some BC member with access to the right machinery took orders and produced a bunch of them in black acrylic based on a scan of mine. Another BC member also made me a handful in aluminium.

I do not have any spare ones anymore. I use them on various basses and have given away the rest, but it's a simple idea that definitely works for me (and a few others too). I can send you the scan if you want an exact copy and know where to have it made... but you could probably make one from a small piece of acrylic and files/sanding. At least that's my plan for when I end up needing another! Other shapes work, of course, but I liked this one as it is so that's why we copied it. I have no idea what the original bit was initially. It seems made or some kind of steel. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a thumbrest... but it has a really good comfy shape for one. It's only about 3-4mm tall, which is perfect.

Here's my Classic 50 Precision with a black acrylic one:

 

 

 

[BrunoBass]

2 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I am the same, I like to have a thumbrest where a Stingray pickup would be. I add them to Precisions and even to Jazz basses.

I once bought an OLP Stingray copy that had a metal piece glued on the pickguard as a thumbrest where a Precision pickup would be. I removed it but kept it... and ended up using it on another bass:

 

It is held in place with strong double sided sticky tape. It's solid, but not so solid that you cannot remove it if you try gently but with persuasion, and the sticky residue that's left behind is easy to remove and leaves no mark (on poly finishes at least! If yours is nitrocellulose I am not sure this would work well).

A while ago, we had a thread about this kind of thing and the idea became popular enough that some BC member with access to the right machinery took orders and produced a bunch of them in black acrylic based on a scan of mine. Another BC member also made me a handful in aluminium.

I do not have any spare ones anymore. I use them on various basses and have given away the rest, but it's a simple idea that definitely works for me (and a few others too). I can send you the scan if you want an exact copy and know where to have it made... but you could probably make one from a small piece of acrylic and files/sanding. At least that's my plan for when I end up needing another! Other shapes work, of course, but I liked this one as it is so that's why we copied it. I have no idea what the original bit was initially. It seems made or some kind of steel. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a thumbrest... but it has a really good comfy shape for one. It's only about 3-4mm tall, which is perfect.

Here's my Classic 50 Precision with a black acrylic one:

 

 

 

Thanks, looks great. It looks a lot less conspicuous than I thought it might.

If you could send me a PM with the scan as mentioned I’d be very grateful - thanks. 

[mcnach]

On 5/30/2018 at 12:40, BrunoBass said:

Thanks, looks great. It looks a lot less conspicuous than I thought it might.

If you could send me a PM with the scan as mentioned I’d be very grateful - thanks. 

 

I PM'd you, but here's the link in case anybody else is interested:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bdmqmd23864g6xn/scan2-240 - thumbrest.tif?dl=1

I had good results with them cut from a 4mm thick black acrylic sheet. I smoothened the edges a bit with some fine sandpaper... and that was it.