Instrument height - how's it hangin'?

[pjmuck]

Despite the fact that I've been playing for over 25 years, one of the joys I get out of playing is discovering many new things about the instrument and my playing preferences. Recently I began experimenting with different strap heights to see how it would affect my playing and to counteract instrument weight/balance. Generally speaking, I am now playing with my basses slung higher up (Low E string positioned just under my chest). On a Jazz bass, I'm finding the instrument weight better balanced, my control and evenness of playing improved, and with less fatigue overall, especially in slapping. The only issue I do see, with an instrument higher, however, is the bent wrist syndrome, which is unavoidable given the instrument's height now. For now, at least, the benefits are outweighing that. Note that on other instruments I am not doing this, as in a 34" scale bass, or basses with less of an upper horn or poorly balanced (like a T-Bird), since the higher strap has an adverse effect. (i.e. lowest frets feel a mile away)

So what's your preference? Do you have your strap height set up differently for different instruments.

[reynoldbot]

After I had been playing for a year or so I started wearing my basses way up high on my chest because that's what all the Serious players did (figure 1). But I eventually found that to be pretty uncomfortable, so I lowered my basses down to the hip-stomach area, and played my jazz pretty much at a 90 degree angle to my body (figure 2). My Jazz is still strapped that way, but my new Jag is strapped about six inches higher, which I find to be pretty comfortable, and my Roscoe is still strapped up high because I think it would look stupid to be playing that kind of bass down low by my hips (figure 3).

Figure 1:




Figure 2:



Figure 3:



P.S. most of those photos are pretty old. I haven't had long hair in years!

[Matt R.]

I pretty much wear all mine like in my avatar. Works for me.

[pjmuck]

Lower definitely looks cooler and more "rockin", IMO. I did have second thoughts about slinging high when I was younger because I was afraid it looked dorkier (though I'm not so image-conscious as I used to be), but for some reason higher does sort of imply a more serious, "well-schooled" musician with more mastery of his/her instrument. Case in point, both seem to fit the music they're playing perfectly:

Dee Dee Ramone - lower


Mark King - higher

[pjmuck]

Figure 3:



P.S. most of those photos are pretty old. I haven't had long hair in years!

Lead singer looks like Molly Ringwald!

I think you make it work in all the photos, Reynoldbot, but it is funny how your photos showing it strapped higher up give the impression you're a better player. (Red Long Johns aside, )

[AzWhoFan]

I just GOTTA get me an outfit like that!

[AzWhoFan]

All kidding aside, I've also gravitated to a higher bass position. Partly because I'm sitting down a lot more when I play and when I stand up, it doesn't feel right if the bass drops 2 feet all of a sudden.

But I've got to watch out that it doesn't get too high or my left wrist takes a beating as it ends up being a little too un-natuarally bent.

[fivebass52]

I've been trying to settle in on a new position as well. I tend to play it a little high, but not as high as say John Pattitucci does. I'm trying to find that position where my wrist isn't bent so much, but I've still got comfortable access to the upper frets. I'm trying to get out of the habit of resting and locking my forearm on the bass, as that definitely creates a bent wrist for me.

[reynoldbot]

Figure 3:



P.S. most of those photos are pretty old. I haven't had long hair in years!

Lead singer looks like Molly Ringwald!

I think you make it work in all the photos, Reynoldbot, but it is funny how your photos showing it strapped higher up give the impression you're a better player. (Red Long Johns aside, )

She gets that a lot. She's a very talented and gorgeous young woman. I definitely feel dorkier when I play up high, and I never really thought it made me play any better. And actually, when I do any slap or strumming I notice that playing up high makes it a lot harder. Even though it looks to be the opposite, I really play better with my bass down low.

I just GOTTA get me an outfit like that!

It's a standard union suit. I'm pretty sure you can order it online. This particular one didn't leave much to the imagination. Let's just say it's a good thing my left arm is in that particular position. During that performance a friend of mine leaned over to my then-new girlfriend and told her she could see exactly what she was getting herself into if you catch my drift.

[pjmuck]

I've been trying to settle in on a new position as well. I tend to play it a little high, but not as high as say John Pattitucci does. I'm trying to find that position where my wrist isn't bent so much, but I've still got comfortable access to the upper frets. I'm trying to get out of the habit of resting and locking my forearm on the bass, as that definitely creates a bent wrist for me.

I'm guilty of resting my forearm on the heel of the bass too. There's really no other way to play a bass like a T-bird though, unless you want to hold a neck up all night.

One way I have successfully counteracted a bent wrist is by hanging the bass to the left side of my body rather than across the front of it (so headstock's in front of my face) so my plucking hand doesn't cross the front of my body. I wonder if anyone else plays this way, as I'm finding it gives me the best of both worlds (straight wrist, stability, and I can raise/lower the bass height wherever I want it).

[frankenjazz]

When i first started playing it was all about playing it as low as i could, the body of my bass would touch my knees, and as years have progressed its slowly gotten higher at this point the upper horn goes across the ribcage. ive recently have been getting pain in my wrist by bending it since i anchor my thumb on either the E or on the pickups, so ive been experimenting with a floating thumb hand position so i dont need to anchor it on anything and hence no wrist bending. So far its pretty efficient and there's another plus this hand positioning lets me skip across strings more easily, and lets me use my thumb if needed in faster passages, kind of like the Matthew Garrison technique but not really.

[saf]

It used to bit a bit lower but this hight is now the best for me. The most picture are old ones but it's will give a very good indication of my playing hight

[rcubed]

I'd say there is a correlation between height and talent. The higher the bass, the better the player.

More photos of the red head!

[Addison]

For me, it depends on the bass... but it's usually somewhere in the middle. Not so high that the wrist of my picking hand gets to bent, and not so low so the wrist of my fretting hand gets too bent.

Here's a few "action shots" showing how I wear different basses:

Warwick Thumb 5 NT (Neck Dive Award Winner! )


Lakland 55/94 (Most Comfortable Award Winner)


Lakland JoBo5 (Feels like "Home" Award Winner)


My 55/94 and JoBo5 straps are the same length... However, my SKB3006 strap is about 2-3 inches shorter just because the bass hangs so differently. Don't have any photos of me playing that one right now.

I also wear sweatbands on the wrist of my picking arm... not to keep sweat from running onto my hands so much, but to reduce friction from my wrist rubbing on the bass. Once I start to perspire and the poly or nitro gets tacky and my skin sticks to it, it bugs the living crap out of me.

[Basshappi]

I wear mine at about middle height.

The Jazz is a bit high in this pic, I wear it a bit lower , like the Precision above.

Like this;

[Frenchy-Lefty]

In order to avoid wrist injuries when wearing your bass higher, it is a good idea to keep your left forearm away from the bass upper body instead of resting it on the bass. If you look at pictures you'll notice that Jaco was doing it. I made this change a few years ago and it made a big difference. Now, wearing your bass as high as Mark King is only OK for Mark King, for anyone else I would say "don't be a dork"

I wear my bass "center of the bass on my belly-button"

[AzWhoFan]

It used to bit a bit lower but this hight is now the best for me. The most picture are old ones but it's will give a very good indication of my playing hight

GABBA-GABBA-HEY!
love those Ramones Tshirts. That cigar-box bass is cool too!

[fivebass52]

Any lower than that, and you'd have to add a forearm graft to your limbs!

[screambasses]

I play fairly high. I could never play it down low and used to play very high
like John Patitucci. This is me with the Scream SS bass.

pete

[leftieray]

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I went looking through my old photos, thinking that I had moved up and down where my bass was hanging, but not really most are around high hip. Here's some shots over 30+ years.