string slap bad!

[drfrink]

hi everyone,
so, i'm not sure if the problem is the fingerboard or my rh technique, but while playing a new bass i get a bad string slap (string slapping the fingerboard where my rh is pulling) on almost every note i play on the A-string. when i'm digging in, this is a good sound, but this is happening when i'm trying to play clean as well. it doesn't happen so badly on the other strings, and the fingerboard is bevelled. also, it is exacerbated when i pull with my middle finger which comes down into the fingerboard more than my index finger. didn't seem to be a problem with my old bass. why the bad?
frink

[anonymous0726]

My first guesses would be: bridge out of whack, strings too low, pulling hard and up high toward the neck rather than more toward the end of the fingerboard.

After that, you might need a planing, curved of the bridge checked, nut height checked, bad string replaced.

[Matt Ides]

Ray is right with all those suggestions.

Also, check the side of the A string that touches the fingerboard. I had a crapped string that was causing this problem.

[Paul Warburton]

Also, that old Ray Brown advice....Matching Hands...You can pull the hell out of the strings with your right hand, but ya gotta hold the strings down with your left hand with the same intensity that you pluck.
Also, as Ray Parker says, you have to find a good place between the end of the board and the end of the neck. There's a "sweet spot" in there on all basses where you get the most sound and less string noise for your money.
I had a finger board "extension" put on my bass so I can pizz up closer to the bridge for varied dynamic. This is NOT a recommendation!

[Daniel Baskin]

You said only the "A" string, yes? Then I'm 95% sure that it is "A" string related. In other words, you probably need a "wolf-tone eliminator" or rather, a weight to put on the part of the string wrapped in cloth below the bridge. The "A" string is the worst for this kind of thing.