# Tug Bar or Thumb Rest?



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I like to plant my thumb on the edge of the pup or along the pick guard.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

The tug bar always had me scratching my head why.
I like the thumb rest, but can do without too.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

@sulphur the tug bar is an artifact from the earliest days of electric bass (Gibsons had them too) where a player was expected to grab it with fore/middle finger(s) from the bottom and thumb at the strings. Litterally ass backwards to what is expected now. I don't think the vote is gonna be nearly as contentious as last nights election.

When I played more fingerstyle, I occasionally enjoyed a thumbrest, and I did put a tug bar on my vintage Gibson because it was period correct (holes were there) and a guy I knew was making accurate rosewood repros. Now I mostly play with a pick and when not shredding, anchor the edge of my hand/palm or sometimes just pinky on the bridge cover.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I’ll bet you’ll seldom see a tug bar without also seeing flatwound strings.

Thumb, plus flatwounds = thud.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Milkman said:


> Thumb, plus flatwounds = thud.


Me, plus any (non bass) guitar with flatwounds = (a bit less) thud.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I've never used either.

Voted for tug bar because of the name.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Granny Gremlin said:


> ass backwards to what is expected now. I don't think the vote is gonna be nearly as contentious as


i grow my right hand nails fairly long for playing guitar so when i play bass with my fingers i get a awful fingernails sound 
so i play bass with my thumb kinda like charlie christian playing guitar i imagine it's what fender had in mind with the early basses and it works great and sounds good
but sometimes i get bugged about it by 'real' bass players
j


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> i grow my right hand nails fairly long for playing guitar so when i play bass with my fingers i get a awful fingernails sound
> so i play bass with my thumb kinda like charlie christian playing guitar i imagine it's what fender had in mind with the early basses and it works great and sounds good
> but sometimes i get bugged about it by 'real' bass players
> j


Nothing wrong with that; thumbing is legit if just not en vogue anymore (F the haters). That was my only point... though I must say when I am short of a pick (i.e around the house just messin - can't be bothered to go get one) I will use my fingernail as a sub - to each his own.


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## Thornton Davis (Jul 25, 2008)

I don't use a tug bar but have one on each of my Fender basses along with a tug bar and a thumb rest on both of my 60's Kent basses.

They're definitely a throw back to the 50's & 60's and very cool looking IMO.

TD


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Neither for me as I play with my thumb and am always muting with my palm. So can't really use either.
Recently I realized how the foam mute trick would really free you up in that regard. That's how Jamerson could play so fast with one finger, he wasn't muting with his hand and it let him use his index finger almost like a drumstick.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I played bass for a couple of years in a band, but like sketchy Jeff, refused to cut my guitar nails. I used, and thoroughly enjoyed, a felt pick. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Guitar-Picks-...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Thanks for clearing this up. I have a really old bass with the tug bar, but I never understood it. I thought maybe a lefty put it there and flip the guitar to be a left handed bass.

Now I know.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

My basses don't have either, but on both of them I use the pickups as a thumb rest.


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## audiorep2 (Mar 28, 2009)

The Mother of All Thumb R







ests ....


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

My old Ventura had a tug bar on it that I removed, I would hit my fingers on it playing chords. Thumb rests are even worse when you get sloppy slapping and hit your thumb.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I've often thought about installing a thumb rest on my Yamaha RBX. Under consideration again, as the band that I played bass in is planning on reconvening in a new format, so I'll be playing bass a bit more regularly again.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I like to play with my thumb . But when I'm playing fingerstyle I tend to use the are from the bridge right to the fretboard . The tone I'm looking for determines position .


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I like a thumb rest if there isn't a convenient alternative. The best one was on a Godin fretless Acoustibass I used to have. My Freeway doesn't have one but there are two pickups and the end of the neck handy, or I let my hand float.


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## Spellcaster (Jan 7, 2008)

I play with a pick so I don't use a bar, but I added one when I built my Tele just to carry the bass theme one step further


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

My first bass was a 72 Pbass . It was used , and fairly new back then . It had the tug bar and I just became accustomed to seeing one there . I was always comfortable with a floating thumb , and played finger style so I never had any use for a thumbrest above the strings . But I was used to seeing them below . When I look at new Fender instruments I think they look kinda naked without a tugbar .


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## _Azrael (Nov 27, 2017)

Not a fan of either. Would love a vintage style Jazz with all the covers/pull bar, but when I played one I kept bumping into everything.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

Covers do get in the way . You can see where my thumbnail wore a groove in the wood .


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

But they're funky ...


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Home made thumb rest, ash.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Modified thumb rest after the bass took a stage dive and the top cracked (it's a Godin Acoustibass).


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Moved thumb rest, '70s Fender Mustang bass. It had been a tug bar.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

'70s Telecaster Bass before the tug bar was moved. (I don't remember the tailpiece cover, I must have just got the bass and not removed it yet..)


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I made the T-rests for the first two.
The G&L came with the chrome.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

With all the ninja ads that we’re getting on this new site and every time this thread pops up again with the words Tug Bar I think it’s an ad for, well you know, one of them places.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Wardo said:


> well you know, one of them places.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

.. lmao


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