The Finger Ramp

The Finger Ramp…

Over the years, a number of bassists have chosen to use a ramp to aid their playing. I think Gary Willis was the first that I remember however, Luca Merlatti, Finger Ramp CEO, told me that the real inventor of the Finger Ramp (not the slap one) is Josquin Des Pres in ’70 on his Fender Precision bass.

View: The Evolution of Bass Ramps

A bass ramp is a block of wood that is mounted under the strings and is either mounted before the pickups (frontside mount), between two pickups (mid-mount), or after the pickups (rear-side mount). The position of the block depends on player preference.

One of the primary reasons for a ramp is to aid with dexterity.

Why? When you play over your fretboard, you will immediately notice that you’re forced to use a light touch because there is much less space between the string and the wood. With a ramp, the same approach applies and you become more accustomed to utilizing a lighter touch which supposedly allows for increased speed when you play.

The problem with a ramp was, until now you had to have someone build it and install it which, if you did not like, would muck up your bass with extra holes.

Not anymore!

I spoke with a gentleman in Italy named Luca Merrlatti, who owns the company Finger Ramp and he has found the solution.

The Finger Ramp is a ramp that you can put on your bass and take it off without damaging your instrument. He sent me one for my Jazz Bass and another for one of my 6-string basses.

Having never used a ramp before I was curious about how it would work for me.

I liked it. You could install it in about 30 seconds with a couple of tiny Velcro like strips and you are ready to play.

It’s a very cool device, fits most Jazz Basses and looks great as well.

Recently he started making them in red! I definitely want one of those for my 6-string fretted bass!

You can order one at reverb.com/shop/u-bass-finger-ramp

David C Gross has been the bassist for a lot of folks. He has written 14 bass books and 3 instructional videos, hosts “The Notes From An Artist Radio Show” on www.cygnusradio.com Monday nights 8 PM EDT, and the “Notes From An Artist” podcast available on iTunes, Spotify and all podcast platforms.

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You can contact David @ www.thebassguitarchannel.com/contact for more information regarding his online lessons and world-renown correspondence course.