What Is This? LR for 9-19

Lunch will be a sandwich with roast turkey, cheese and some mayo on oat bread.

Yesterday Jamie showed a picture of his G&L bass and someone spotted something different. It was a thumb or finger rest depending how you use it. String Bass players use there thumb as a support and pluck with fingers. They tend to do that on electric basses therefore a wood thumb rest on the upper side of the low E string was common on early electric basses. Now guys like Jamie and myself who were guitar pickers often play bass using our thumb and I also use first two fingers. We put the thumb rest on the lower side of the strings and use it for finger support. That is how Jamies is mounted. When playing a 2 humbucker bass I pick over the neck humbucker and use the edge of the pickup as a finger rest (4 th finger).

The Pink Lady is a single humbucker ( I Prefer it ) and I missed that finger rest. Yesterday morning I cut out a piece of bloodwood to make a finger rest. It is the same size as the one Jamie is using and I am mounting it in about the same place. This is how us converts deal with our deficiencies in becoming bass players. Here is what mine looks like and I am mounting it with very thin doubleback tape so I can relocate a bit until it is where I want it. It is still mounted on a handle I use while finishing it with Tru Oil.

Question for the day: What little things have you done to a guitar to make it more playable for you? For example, some find the box bridge cumbersome. Show us your stuff, we like photos even if their bad like some that I post!

There was also a bit of discussion about guitar player converts to bass yesterday. Some had seen some real bad ones and I'm sure that many of us have. This is one thing I have discovered when people have requested to sit with the band, some of them are worse than one could imagine, especially people who want to sing with us. Sometime you really hit a winner. I work closely with the drummer and the lead player to add to the grove. Sometimes very simple and sometimes the bass carries the song. It depends on what it is. I find playing bass very interesting and rewarding.

I have been working with the 4 string Asat and realized that I play quite differently playing the 5 string. It really expands things that you can do. The 4 string is more basic and takes some relearning. I did have music theory in college and I think it has helped me over the years. I happen to think that bass playing is a lot more complex than many observers think. They are generally watching the guitar player. Lets hear about you experiences and ideas. Hit me with your best shot! -- Darwin

Here is the finger rest which will be mounted tonight. -- Darwin

I haven't really done any mods ..... I did put strap locks on the Cavalier , it's the only guitar I own that has strap locks on it , it's also the only guitar I have that was loose on the strap pegs , so its got some locks on it now but other than that I haven't done anything to any of them

Darwin, I used double-sided tape to find the best position for the finger-rest too and I'm glad I did. Aside from the finger-rest, changing pickups and, of course, messing about with the action etc., I haven't done a lot of modifying.

I think there's much, much more to playing bass than one might think on their first impression too - lots of little stuff like the length that you hold a note for is very important as it really needs to groove. I've been watching some lessons on youtube - the Tommy Shannon video is fantastic and moves along at a cracking pace, and this video from Scotts Bass Lessons on beginning walking bass is explained so well that he deserves an honorary doctorate. Even though this is walking bass at its most basic it still requires some very quick thinking! Ken's hints yesterday about playing the opposite sort of thing to the guitarist are great too, and I look forward to trying them out

I need to add some thumb rests (or rails) to a couple basses.
It took me a couple years of gigging as a bassist to get me to understand the role the bass plays.
Boogie Bill said one time ( I'm paraphrasing) "It's all about THE SONG " . Sometimes that means some well placed notes,
and some even more well placed rests .
I find that stiff and well ported cabinets ,amps with a high damping factor , and of course good speakers, makes it so much more easy to just play one note and be totally happy .

I like the feel of ramps on bass, I don't have any with them ...but I could see that as a winter project.



I did make a very thick unorthodox pickguard for an F-100 and cleared a channel for the strings, a thick poly finish ...it has a bit of a ramped feel.
I'll post pics once the guitar is together again.

Ken's hints yesterday about playing the opposite sort of thing to the guitarist are great too, and I look forward to trying them out

+1 ... good strategy

I do no modding on G&Ls. If anything, I un-mod them when I can. My old Fender bass is one huge mod. I've run through that saga before. My other modded guitar is the Epiphone Genesis I bought when I got back into playing in the 90s. It came to me already modded, so I didn't have any qualms about enhancing the wiring (adding a second tone control and coil splitting) and moving the jack from the top to the side (they are notorious for splintering the tops on these guitars). As far as G&Ls go, I only have to find the right strings and do a good setup.

At the moment I have an '82 L-1K, an '83 SC-2, an '86 SB-1 and a '94 MIM Duo Sonic waiting in line to be unmodded. I was very tempted to add what might be an '89 ASAT III to the line today, but I've restrained myself (so far).

Ken

Just finished loading the van for 3 days of gigging. Checking in and finding some interesting comments.

Elwood, what kind of bass is that and is it a stained mahogany? Cool rig.

One more thing...

As far as finger or thumb rests go, I either use the pickup or the side of the neck. Depending on where the pickup is located along the strings' length, it will have a significant effect on tone. The only G&L this hasn't worked on IME is the L-1500 - playing directly over that pickup with send enough juice down the cable to overdrive a pre-amp. Using the side of the neck as a thumb rest and just past the end of the fretboard is pretty common in reggae and dub to get a full sound with a lot of fundamental. Listen to just about anything Bob Marley recorded, and you'll hear Family Man Barrett thumping out a bass line from that sweet spot.

Ken

i heavily mod all guitars, but the g&l is the least modded. only straplocks and all the guts changed out. (switch, control plate, pots, caps, pups)

i heavily mod all guitars, but the g&l is the least modded. only straplocks and all the guts changed out. (switch, control plate, pots, caps, pups)

I wish everybody was responsible enough to stick with reversible mods. As long as G&Ls sources and specs don't change, your guitars can go back to stock condition. How about this tragedy I just saw on eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1983-g- ... 2eca6f6f09

I give the seller credit for refusing to part it out. This could be a good guitar again one day.

Ken

Lunch today was salad - dinner was PIE!

In my limited guitar experience I have developed a fetish for smooth fret ends.

I have done other stuff but I think your question was more about idiosyncratic changes, not the common pickups, wiring etc type stuff?

Darwin- Are you going to paint the finger rest salmon also?

i heavily mod all guitars, but the g&l is the least modded. only straplocks and all the guts changed out. (switch, control plate, pots, caps, pups)

I wish everybody was responsible enough to stick with reversible mods. As long as G&Ls sources and specs don't change, your guitars can go back to stock condition. How about this tragedy I just saw on eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1983-g- ... 2eca6f6f09

I give the seller credit for refusing to part it out. This could be a good guitar again one day.

Ken

it can go back anytime, i still have the old parts put away. actually i changed the output jack as well, to a plate instead of the old style one. of course that is available now on g&l, so not a big deal.

Darwin- Are you going to paint the finger rest salmon also?

I could, or paint it black, what do think would be best? -- Darwin.

Darwin- Are you going to paint the finger rest salmon also?

I could, or paint it black, what do think would be best? -- Darwin.

I would try it in salmon first. I think that salmon looks so good I'd not want to break up the color.