Alternatives to Zero-Mod Thumb Rest?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I have a Zero-Mod thumb rest on one of my Stingray's already and I really like it, but I could do with another one as I don't want to be constantly swapping it over.

Are there any good alternatives to the Zero-Mod, because as great as it is, I don't want to pay out £40 (plus whatever taxes I get charged) for shipping another one from the USA.

[prowla]

Rest your thumb on the corner of the fingerboard. 
 

Alternatively, use a plectrum. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 minute ago, prowla said:

Rest your thumb on the corner of the fingerboard. 
Alternatively, use a plectrum. 

I find using the corner of the fingerboard is too far forward and I do use a plectrum where required, but most of the time, it isn't.

[PaulThePlug]

Hardwood Finger (thumb) Rest...

waiting on a message from @bigmuff69... think jezzaboy has got one...

Edited April 24, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[Bunion]

Floating thumb, resting on the E for most part. When playing the E the scratch plate (if you have one)

i do use the neck thumb rest on fretless 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Bunion

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

4 minutes ago, Bunion said:

Floating thumb, resting on the E for most part. When playing the E the scratch plate (if you have one)

i do use the neck thumb rest on fretless 

I don't find the Stingray scratch plate sufficient to use as a rest.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

9 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Finger rest...

 

Not a bad shout, but I'm not keen on sticky stuff on my bass.

I'm just wondering whether I could copy the one I have with a 3D printer 🤔

[Bunion]

1 minute ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I don't find the Stingray scratch plate sufficient to use as a rest.

I couldn’t see the merits of it either when I first tried 

[Dad3353]

56 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

...Are there any good alternatives to the Zero-Mod...

How hard can it be to have something like that 3D-printed..? More especially as you have a model..! Here's an alternative anyway...

Thingiverse StingRay Thumbrest ...

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

2 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

How hard can it be to have something like that 3D-printed..? More especially as you have a model..! Here's an alternative anyway...

Thingiverse StingRay Thumbrest ...

Aha. I was just watching some You Tube videos for 3D printers and as you say, half the battle is having the file to print. You appear to have solved that 👍

[Doctor J]

Use superglue to stick a biro shell to the existing scratchplate in your preferred position. Over the next few years, save 10p per week and keep an eye out for a cheap second hand scratchplate in the FS section here, should you ever wish to move it on.

If the thought of someone saying "Why have you got a biro stuck to your bass?" causes you unwelcome stress, simply cut the tapered end off so it's just a clear tube. You can also put different coloured paper inside the tube to jazz up the look as you see fit.

Bic use toneplastic to make their biros, so you won't lose out tonally, either.

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

5 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Use superglue to stick a biro shell to the existing scratchplate in your preferred position. Over the next few years, save 10p per week and keep an eye out for a cheap second hand scratchplate in the FS section here, should you ever wish to move it on.

If the thought of someone saying "Why have you got a biro stuck to your bass?" causes you unwelcome stress, simply cut the tapered end off so it's just a clear tube. You can also put different coloured paper inside the tube to jazz up the look as you see fit.

Bic use toneplastic to make their biros, so you won't lose out tonally, either.

 

You should send that into Viz, they would love it. It’s right up there with “Never lose your contact lenses again. Put a hole in the middle of each and thread with a piece of string to make a necklace when you’re not wearing them”.

[Doctor J]

I wasn't joking, I have done it in the past. It works, it really works 🙂

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

2 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

I wasn't joking, I have done it in the past. It works, it really works 🙂

Oh, I thought you were taking the gypsy's kiss 😂.

As a result of @Dad3353 finding that .stl file, I put a post on FB to see if any of my friends has a 3D printer. I've just got off the phone with someone who is printing one in a kind of pearlescent finish. It was a free reel of filament that he was given with his printer. Should take about an hour he said 🤷‍♂️

[Mykesbass]

This far in and nobody has suggested the obvious - a 5 string Stingray...

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

36 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

This far in and nobody has suggested the obvious - a 5 string Stingray...

Doesn’t really solve the problem though 🤪

Now, a HH or an HS would, but that’s a little extreme.

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Now, a HH or an HS would, but that’s a little extreme.

Extreme? A bona fide reason to buy a new bass and you say, “Extreme,”? Quick, everybody, fetch the flaming torches and pitchforks! 🤣

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

51 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Extreme? A bona fide reason to buy a new bass and you say, “Extreme,”? Quick, everybody, fetch the flaming torches and pitchforks! 🤣

OK, a bit extreme if you already have eight Stingrays and two of them are an HH and an HS 😂

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

OK, a bit extreme if you already have eight Stingrays and two of them are an HH and an HS 😂

It seems you have an in house fix already. However, I think I possibly see your dilemma. Then again, maybe I don’t. Is the answer 42? Do I need to get out more (that’s a hard yes)?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

2 minutes ago, ezbass said:

It seems you have an in house fix already. However, I think I possibly see your dilemma. Then again, maybe I don’t. Is the answer 42? Do I need to get out more (that’s a hard yes)?

The issue is very much of first world proportions 😉. The Stingray in question is an Old Smoothie which is fitted with what is essentially a 5 string pick up on a 4 string bass. This raises my normal thumb rest position on the the pick-up and it’s messing with my head. The add on thumb rest should lower it to my normal position.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

This just in. I have yet to get my hands on one, but my friend seems to have started a production line....

[ahpook]

I fancied a finger rest on my Sterling so I stuck a small oblong of scrap black plastic to the similarly-coloured scratchplate with double-sided tape.

Worked a treat.

Edited April 26, 2021 by ahpook

[Max Normal]

For my Sterling, I got a single block wide strip of lego from my daughter's lego box, put the corresponding smooth lego strip on top and attached it to the scratchplate with two thin command tags and trimmed the edges off the tags. Good thing is it sits firmly, but you  can remove it without any damage. Worked very well. Nowadays I just use the E-string as a thumbrest on my 'Ray 4, and float my thumb when I'm playing the E.

It was all black so not obvious. I did get the P*** taken a bit when I told people, but it worked so I didn't care.

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Max Normal

[Rothko]

 @bigmuff69 's maple thumb rest arrived yesterday:

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Picked my ones up yesterday. It appears my friend is set on using all of his free reel of filament just for thumb rests 😂.

The good thing about this design compared to the Zero-mod is that I can use the existing scratch plate screws. Zero-mod send you extra long screws with their thumb rests due to the depth of the hole. Offered it up to my Old Smoothie and it was spot on.