On our Facebook page we shared a few images of a 1961 Rickenbacker 4000 (which you can see here if you like), and in the description it was mentioned that the bass features a tug bar.
Some people were confused by this and posted a few comments asking what a tug bar is. Fortunately, a few fellow bass enthusiasts were quick to answer:
It’s a tug bar when the finger rest is below the strings instead of above. When it’s above, you rest your thumb on it and play with the fingers, when its below, you anchor your fingers on it, and pluck the strings with your thumb.
The “tug bar” is below the strings to allow you to get some grip. I have the inverted version “thumb rest” mounted above the strings. Some players use the top/bottom of the pickup to do the same thing.
Both of the above explanations are correct. Generally speaking, if what is now known as a finger rest or thumb rest is mounted on the treble side (“below” the strings), the traditional name for it is a tug bar. When placed on the bass side (“above” the strings), it’s known as a finger rest or thumb rest.
Why are there two names for the same thing?
When the bar is on the treble side, the function of it is to provide something to grab so you can play more easily with your thumb.
When the bar is on the bass side, the function is to rest the thumb so you can play more easily with your four other fingers.
Is it wrong to call a tug bar a rest?
No. On the vast majority of electric basses that have this bar, almost all of them are installed on the bass side. It’s usually true you only see the bar installed on the treble side as a tug bar on vintage reissue models (such as the Fender American Vintage ’58 Precision Bass), or from bass builders that specifically either want a vintage-style instrument, or an instrument that can be played seated or in the upright position.
Even for the bars we carry for P-Basses, Music Man basses, Rickenbacker basses and so on, we don’t call any of them tug bars even for the ones that can be installed on the treble side due to the fact just about everyone refers to them as thumb rests.
One of the few instances where it actually matters calling a treble side mounted rest by its proper name of tug bar is when shopping for vintage electric basses. Knowing that little tidbit of information does show you know your vintage instruments well (even if you’re just faking it).
The tug bar was added by Fender to accommodate Monk Montgomery, one of the first professional users of the Fender Bass. He played with his thumb, just as his brother Wes did. He later switched to using a felt pick, also a favorite tool of Paul McCartney.
My Hagstrom Coronado had a tug bar.
It resembled what you would see in a handicap washroom … L O L !
The “towel rack” as I call it also acted as protection for the sliding volume control beneath it so you didn’t accidentally move it while playing.
Play with a pick and get that piano tone !! And you can add definition to every note using the palm of your hand as a damper !! All my favorite bassist used a pick—
From my experience playing and collecting Fender basses:
Early P-basses had tug bars made of wood, typically maple, as on my early 1957 contour-body single coil version. Some custom color instruments had matching color tug bars.
From the late ’50s on, tug bars/thumb rests were made of plastic.
Fender moved the ‘tug bar’ from the treble side to the bass side around 1974. Many players removed the treble side tug bar to accommodate the new “pop and slap” technique.
It’s a cool artifact of the history of electric basses, kind of like the dew-claw that dogs still sprout.
To heck with the “Tug Bar”, whats up with the plexi struts on either side of the bridge? Did the factory, if it is a factory component, discover that the string tension pulled the bridge away from the body and use this as an “after the fact” fix on this particular run of instruments?
I’ve only seen 1 model (&/or variants of it) Fender – as displayed above – featuring those ‘tug bars’, yet never seen enough players employing the thumb technique to justify its inclusion – with the exception of amateur players (mostly guitarists who just happen to play bass on rare occasions).
Curious that the ‘bars’ have been around longer than the availability of left handed basses – making me wonder if there are more thumb players out there than left handed players….
I don’t think so….
Check out Brian Wilson on early live Beach Boys videos using a “tug bar”.
I only use a “thumb rest” on bass;
the weight of my hand and arm are
plenty for downward thumb play.
Others rest thumb on low-E string except when it needs to be played or
use the edge of a pick-up when itʻs available on certain bass models.
Thank you for this clarification. I had always thought that a tug bar was a tavern where harbor pilots went to relax after a long day of helping large ships navigate the channels.
this bar was the inspiration of Leo Fender and Buddy Montgomery! Wes’ brother in the late 50’s as a support to hold the bass w/his 3 fingers and play w/the thumb, like his brother, as he didn’t have a bass strap at the time, Leo always has many great player hanging in his shop, and they would suggest lots of inputs to improve, or better the instruments he created.
I don’t understand thumb playing using your 2 fingers you can play anything.
My Custom Precision will have a wood and bronze tug bar just for aesthetics.