Hey all,
I've been struggling to learn how to play my fender jazz with a pick for a while now. I've never been a guitarist so the whole thing is new to me. I keep trying different hand positions and sometimes I think its getting better but often I feel like I'm suddenly digressing.

I was at a guitar shop today and tried out a p-bass that had a bridge cover on it. It was a cover which was directly over the pickups, which would be no good for me because it would interfere with my fingerstyle, but it was amazing how easy it was to cruise up and down the strings with the pick.

I'm debating buying an "ashtray" (thats what the guy said they call it) over the bridge which position-wise woudl make my pick sound a bit more "trebly" than I really want, but if it could finally resolve my hand placement issues and give me the perfect anchor, maybe I could adapt. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance!

GREG

When using a pick on guitar, my right hand is nearly always more or less on the strings right at the bridge, and I slide it forward to mute strings if needed or desired. But on bass, I find I tend to pick closer to the fretboard, to mellow the attack of the pick. Resting my hand on a bridge cover would not help my picking much if at all.

I think a P Bass with the p/up cover and ashtray on looks classy. But for playing one, they gotta come off, regardless of whether I'm using a pick or fingers.

The best bass for pickin' is a P...and I prefer J-basses & fingerstyle. It depends on what material is being played, and in what context. I pick maybe 30-40% of the time these days, but have some gigs coming up this week where that percentage will double, or even hit 100% (the Green Day tribute; Mike Dirnt is a 100% picker). If you have the luxury of being able to keep 2 or 3 basses around, then you can have your "plucker" and your "picker," but, if you are like me, there is some versatility to all of my basses, and they can be played in all fashions with the right hand. Naturally, putting in the practice time to find what works for you as an individual player is the necessary ingredient to success.

If you want to check out a guy that is an amazing picker check out Bobby Vega.
As for me I use a pick similar to how picker uses one on a guitar. I usually rest my hand on the bridge or more so just at the front of it and move my hand up towards the neck for muting the strings. I've used the ashtrays on Fender basses because the bridge saddle screws were digging into my hand but I couldn't get the control I wanted with one. So they came off and I learned to adjust.
I do agree that the covers do look way cool though.

I play with a pick on a fairly regular basis, so I feel pretty good about chiming in here. The ashtray covers look really cool. But I have always found that they get in the way. And if you put a bridge cover on? Then you're going to end up making string changes that much more of a production.

When it comes to picking technique, anchoring your right hand is not always a good thing. Typically, I'll hold the pick between my index finger and thumb. The heel of my palm is resting LIGHTLY against the strings. That works really well as a muting technique. And you'll find that by varying the pressure of your palm against the strings you can vary the intensity of the muting.

I rarely use a pick, but when I do I rest my palm on the strings like playing a guitar. If resting your palm on the bridge cover works for you - go for it.
I WILL defer to Nicklab's picking technique in that he is probably much better with a pick than me. But I'm really into the look of bridge covers these days, and my next project bass will have one. Not a pickup cover though - they get in the way.

I mostly just use a plectrum when a cover song calls for it, as I prefer finger-style and other techniques, but more or less follow Nicklab's advice as the closest to my own technique.

I never formally studied picking, so sort of picked it up on my own later on, watching people and reading articles. I found that adeptness at muting is the most important thing when picking.

I hate the look of cover guards and also feel they would get in the way. But now that I have my first 21-fret (vs. 24-fret) bass in two decades, I am going to have to start experimenting with different anchoring or positioning styles. I am glad to have read some of the advice here, as it may come in handy.

An addendum to this. You might want to try resting your forearm slightly against the body of the instrument. That might give you more of the stability that it appears you're looking for.