Tapping and pathetic sustain

[Danage]

Its a bass problem right? I've tapped the absolute crap out of my strings and get the most annoyingly quiet notes.I'm still on the learning curve with this and i'd love a "grand masters" input
Is it action, pic ups, or do i have the finger strength of an american emo bassist .

[Nick Kay]

You mustn't think of it as tapping. You're just playing legato (ie: hammering and pulling off). It might be with the other hand, but it's no different. You don't need to use insane amounts of pressure. Do it exactly the way you would hammer with your left hand, and you'll be in business.

Of course, a good setup with low action could be beneficial.

[parklife101]

I'm learning tapping too. I suggest you get a gripmaster to help improve finger strengh I did finger excersises lot both before and during when I first started playing bass. GC has them for around 10 bucks.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gripmast...70-i1134911.gc

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Danage

Its a bass problem right? I've tapped the absolute crap out of my strings and get the most annoyingly quiet notes.

If you play more gently and turn up your amp you'll probably get more sustain, as long as you make sure you're holding the string down in the right place.

[Audiophage]

You might need to work on your accuracy, but a medium-low action works well for tapping.

[JustOpenYourMind]

The tricks for tapping are:


First and most important, NEW STRINGS!!!
tapping will sound choked and muted if you use old gunky and thumpy strings.

Second, and this is really up to user preferences, a low action helps a ton when starting.

Third practice practice practice