Members prosigna Posted September 30, 2008 Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 I have always been a self taught player. In 15 years I never have progressed to where I should be after 15 years of playing! So I started to take lessons. I contacted the bass professor at the university in the city I lived in and we were off and running. He was an excellent teacher with many years (30+) of experience teaching everything from beginners to professionals. The basic techniques he used were based of transferring upright bass technique to the electric bass. Although I felt like a pig on roller skates for a while the techniques began to prove themselves to be worthy over a 4 to six week period. The problem is the techniques do not work well on my bass! My Spector NS-2B has too small a body in the area your right forearm contacts the wood. It also is centered too far to the left when standing up playing with a strap. Everything works well while seated but standing was a problem. The professor's main bass is a '64 P-Bass with an unusual neck, similar in profile to a Jazz neck, but not a jazz neck (it was a factory prototype that Leo did not like and fired the guy who built it for sqrewing around on company time with company money). His bass was awesome in the way it fit my hands. The closest thing available today is a P-Bass Special. The Squire P-Bass Special and Fender Deluxe P-Bass Special are the only two fenders I see as having a true Jazz neck. I have played a few Jazz and like them but they have less body in the forearm area. The body in this are helps control the bass with the right arm so the left arm is free to fret without having to stabilize he neck in any way. What is the reasoning behind the Jazz shape removing material in this area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cpt. Spliff Posted September 30, 2008 Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 If it works for you while sitting, hitch it to the same position while standing. That's where it should be anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted September 30, 2008 Moderators Share Posted September 30, 2008 What is the reasoning behind the Jazz shape removing material in this area? Aesthetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members prosigna Posted September 30, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 The problem is when sitting the NS-2 is in the perfect place. The strap button on the upper horn is roughly even with my sternum and the P pup is over my right leg. When standing it moves 6-inches to the left at best. The P pup is now even with my belly button and the upper horn is in my left arm-pit. If the upper horn was longer or the forearm are was larger it would work. When I have it strapped on it looks similar to this guy: I can strap it low and move it over like this guy: But then my left hand has to do all the work of stabilizing the neck. For rock music and playing with a pick that is great but for detailed finger work it is no good. The problem is I am just too short for this bass to work well, while a P-bass fits nicely, if it did not have such a HUGE neck profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members prosigna Posted September 30, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 Here are three good pictures of the right forearm being used to stabilize the bass: Only when I strap my bass right up against my throat does my right arm ever make contact with the body of the bass, leaving the neck to be stabilized by the left hand. This leads to choking the neck and hand fatigue. You cannot pull the string into the fretted position with your arm since there is no leverage point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lumpy555 Posted September 30, 2008 Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 look up the bass co. go to their site. their basses are now made here in the usa,mid-west i think,but the basses have a kinda longer horn and might work for you as far as resting your arm on the body!! piece-otu, lummmmmmpy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted September 30, 2008 Members Share Posted September 30, 2008 You shouldn't have to stabilize the neck. I've owned Spector's and they sit anywhere you put them without any work on your part, and with a jazz bass, they sit the same way in my experience. I don't need to do anything with my right arm to stabilize it. Those pictures aren't of them stabilizing their bass, it just happens to be the position they feel comfortable fretting in. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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