Question To all those who anchor on the Bridge P/up

[CFA]

My teacher is convinced that anchoring on the Bridge P/up on a Stingray is a stupid thing to do. He claims that it "kills the tone" or something like that. Has anyone here ever experienced this? Also, I was told tonight by him that the sound coming of the stage sucked until the bass was boosted on the board a bit. I assume he means EQ, is there any reason why I couldn't have just done that using the on board EQ? My bass was up about 1/8th of the way, by his recommendation....

Anyways, long story short, I've been told Anchoring on the Bridge P/up is not a good idea and kills tone. Suggestions/Opinions/Thoughts?

 

[Aussie Mark]

Use whatever technique works best for you. Sure, there are textbooks and traditional ways to teach, but at the end of the day there are a million different ways to play a bass and make it sound good. Sometimes I anchor on the pickup, sometimes on the edge of the pickguard, sometimes on the edge of the neck, sometimes free floating. Horses for courses, YMMV and all that.

 

[bovinehost]

What Mark said.

I don't always anchor on anything, but if I decide to use the bridge pickup as a pivot point and it sounds good to me....then it IS good.

 

[Sting]

Stupid preconceived ideas can kill tone and artistic expression far faster and greater than anchoring on the bridge pickup or not turning up the bass on the board.

 

[fly]

if it feels good.....do it.

 

[five7]

Oh yeah!

 

[CFA]

Heh heh. Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure I wasn't being an idiot. I pretty much decided to completely ignore this after I saw videos of famous players rocking the Stingray, sounding good, and playing in the same place I was

 

[MK Bass Weed]

Anyways, long story short, I've been told Anchoring on the Bridge P/up is not a good idea and kills tone. Suggestions/Opinions/Thoughts?

That is one of the weirdest things I've ever heard about technique. Been playing a looonng time too, killing my tone I guess. This makes not logical sense to me. Good luck with that teacher.

Now my bass is a "boat anchor", yes that I've heard of.

M

 

[syciprider]

Leo knows best.

 

[1kinal]

I teach my students to anchor their thumb somewhere in order to be in better contact with the bass. Anchor could be one of the pickup, the edge of the fingerboard or the top (lowest) string if you're not playing on it. I also tell them to experiment with all of those anchor places and listen to the difference in sound and feel (string tension). Playing the bass is the same as speaking, you don't always pronounce the words exactly the same depending what you mean, so there's no single way of anchoring your thumb. That said, there is a "basic - it's my first lesson" type of hand position.

Regarding boosting the lows at the console, there's no such thing simply because no sound system are the same. So many things comes in order: console type, amplifiers, speakers (tops and subs) mics, room acoustic, etc. For example, I doubt you would need to boost the lows on a system with 20 subs and 2 tops (basically full lows and no treble) while you may need to boost the lows on a Behringer kit with only two tops and no subs.

Unless you're always playing the same room, there's no such thing as "I have my settings and I always do that (ex: boost lows, smily face on graphic EQ)". That's good for amps but also the EQ on your bass. If you think that "you found your sound" and never touch your amp settings, you're missing something...

 

[sitonmybass]

While in your teacher's presence try playing both ways. First play something while you are anchoring on the bridge pickup followed by playing the same identical thing without anchoring on the bridge pickup.

I am such a trouble-maker!

 

[bovinehost]

On many of my basses, all I have is a bridge pickup. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

 

[sitonmybass]

On many of my basses, all I have is a bridge pickup. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

Learn to live with having "killed" your tone.

Please observe instruments listed in my signature.

 

[CFA]

I teach my students to anchor their thumb somewhere in order to be in better contact with the bass. Anchor could be one of the pickup, the edge of the fingerboard or the top (lowest) string if you're not playing on it. I also tell them to experiment with all of those anchor places and listen to the difference in sound and feel (string tension). Playing the bass is the same as speaking, you don't always pronounce the words exactly the same depending what you mean, so there's no single way of anchoring your thumb. That said, there is a "basic - it's my first lesson" type of hand position.

Regarding boosting the lows at the console, there's no such thing simply because no sound system are the same. So many things comes in order: console type, amplifiers, speakers (tops and subs) mics, room acoustic, etc. For example, I doubt you would need to boost the lows on a system with 20 subs and 2 tops (basically full lows and no treble) while you may need to boost the lows on a Behringer kit with only two tops and no subs.

Unless you're always playing the same room, there's no such thing as "I have my settings and I always do that (ex: boost lows, smily face on graphic EQ)". That's good for amps but also the EQ on your bass. If you think that "you found your sound" and never touch your amp settings, you're missing something...

For the most part now all my gigs are in a room with a 3-way QSC PA, so it is pretty consistent (My performance class is in here too, so I had my tone "figured out" for that stage. What I really meant was would boosting the lows on the board have a drastically different change the boosting the bass on the instrument itself from the get go. I understand that the board is probably going to color the bass in it's own way by doing this, so it won't sound the same. But if you boosted the bass on the instrument/amp wouldn't it have the same end result? Making the bass more bassy? lol

While in your teacher's presence try playing both ways. First play something while you are anchoring on the bridge pickup followed by playing the same identical thing without anchoring on the bridge pickup.

I am such a trouble-maker!

We actually did this in Performance class basically. It involved playing a song where I anchor, anchored on the neck, and then playing eighths moving my hand back and forth. Of course my teacher preferred the neck sound, and I preferred the bridge "thin" sound. haha.

My biggest problem with the neck position (Other then tone) is the lack of tension on the string. I used to prefer the Neck area before I got my Stingray... then I strengthened my fingers and started hitting the strings harder at the bridge. Doesn't sound so good way up on the neck. Next in my line of problems with playing there is reaching over no longer feels comfortable for me. Haha.

Anyways, armed with the knowledge that I'm not being an idiot (Even though I was fairly certain I wasn't) I'm probably going to talk to it with him in the near future, haha.

Also, if anyone has any names of famous (Sorry Jack ) players who's names I can throw around who play over the Bridge it'd be greatly appreciated. So far I know Flea and Jon Gallant who do/did off the top of my head.

 

[maddog]

You should be anchoring where the tone fits the music.

Up towards the neck to get more thump.

Down towards the bridge to get more grind.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Also, if anyone has any names of famous (Sorry Jack ) players who's names I can throw around who play over the Bridge it'd be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aussie Mark]

 

[Aussie Mark]

 

[Aussie Mark]

 

[Duarte]