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08-26-2012, 07:46 PM
|  | The Funkfather
Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | | Good J's for slap
Here's my issue....just received a custom bass with my choice of pickups (Bartolini 59J1's mated to an Audere pre). The bass kills when I'm playing fingerstyle by when slapping, it totally disappears in the mix. Just totally thins out. No booty at all! No issues with any of my other basses (Lakland 55-01 w/stock pups and US Fender Jazz w/Bart Classic Series Single Coil Brights). I am a fan of Barts but I don't know about these particular pickups. Any info provided would be greatly appreciated.
Any recommendations?
Last edited by DWBass : 08-26-2012 at 09:46 PM.
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08-26-2012, 07:51 PM
|  | Hip No Ties | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York, NY | | Not sure what you're getting at here... 
If you're asking for recommendations, try a set of DiMarzio Ultra Jazz. Wonderful slap tone. Crisp yet refined, with lots of booty. Really nice for any kind of funk, contemporary electric jazz, R&B, adult contemporary / smooth jazz, etc. etc. 
MM
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08-26-2012, 09:52 PM
| | | | Agree on UltraJazz. I had used those Barts for many years and grew to dislike them because precisely, they disappear in the mix and have no upper mids which is what makes a bass cut through. They are most likely the culprit. |
08-26-2012, 09:57 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lansing, Michigan | | | Ultra Jazz have this built in slap tone that just works well for that. But I'll go against the grain and recommend a similar design and sounding pickup made by the same people: Sadowsky Hum-cancelling J's.
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08-26-2012, 10:04 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oberlin, Oh | | | Kinda funny. I have a pair of the dimarzio Ultra Jazzes in my franken j. And now that I think about it- that bass definitely sounds the best slapped out of my collection...
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08-27-2012, 08:56 AM
| | The Funkfather
Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | | Cool. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll be ditching those pickups quickly! |
08-27-2012, 09:00 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brookfield, CT | | | I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's not the pickups. If they work fine fingerstyle, why would they not work for slap? Something else is wrong. Like the setup, maybe.
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08-27-2012, 12:57 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Cary NC | | | Another bass player helped by this forum. It really, just, ...tugs at the heartstrings.
(I promised myself I wouldn't cry!!)
Edit: I didn't see that last message throwing a wrench in the mix lol :-/
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Last edited by seang15 : 08-27-2012 at 01:00 PM.
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08-27-2012, 01:05 PM
|  | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Brubaker Guitars | | | | | I have a smilar problem. I thought it was my technique or maybe I needed to use a compressor. When I play fingestyle the volume is there. At the same volume when I slap I don't get the same volume. I broke my thumb years ago and wondered if that was the problem. At a recent gig I literally sprained my thumb slapping so hard to make up the volume deficit. Looks like I need to look into different pickups as well.
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08-27-2012, 01:31 PM
| | The Funkfather
Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by phillybass101 I have a smilar problem. I thought it was my technique or maybe I needed to use a compressor. When I play fingestyle the volume is there. At the same volume when I slap I don't get the same volume. I broke my thumb years ago and wondered if that was the problem. At a recent gig I literally sprained my thumb slapping so hard to make up the volume deficit. Looks like I need to look into different pickups as well. | Glad it's not just me. It's weird! The sound just thins out completely and there is no booty whatsoever! I'm a decent slapper and don't have that issue with my other basses. I'm thinking the pickups just can't handle the percussive effect of slapping. |
08-27-2012, 02:06 PM
| | The Funkfather
Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by dmusic148 I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's not the pickups. If they work fine finger-style, why would they not work for slap? Something else is wrong. Like the setup, maybe. | Nothing wrong with the setup. Neck is straight, action is low. The strings are Ernie Ball Slinky's medium gauge. I normally use medium light gauge but my tech said with 34" scale, I should use a heavier gauge to achieve the same tension as my 35" scale Lakland. I don't think it's the strings but it could be. I typically use D'Addario XL's. Maybe I'll try changing strings and see what happens. I'm not really a fan of Slinky's but wanted to try something different. Maybe some DR's. |
08-27-2012, 05:52 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brookfield, CT | | | How's it do unplugged? Do you hear the same volume disparity?
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Originally Posted by Bassist4Eris My reggae skills are rudimentary enough that I just play whatever the original guy played. :) | |
08-27-2012, 06:03 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA; Mitchellville, Maryland | | I'd suggest keeping the pickups and readjusting your volume on the bass so that you can boost it a bit before slapping. The Bartolini Js are fantastic sounding pickups.
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08-27-2012, 08:09 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBass Nothing wrong with the setup. Neck is straight, action is low. The strings are Ernie Ball Slinky's medium gauge. I normally use medium light gauge but my tech said with 34" scale, I should use a heavier gauge to achieve the same tension as my 35" scale Lakland. I don't think it's the strings but it could be. I typically use D'Addario XL's. Maybe I'll try changing strings and see what happens. I'm not really a fan of Slinky's but wanted to try something different. Maybe some DR's. | I use D'Addario XL's on my Yamaha TRB1005 but on my jazz bass they never worked for slapping as they were too mid-heavy. On a Jazz I recommend DR HiBeams or Marcus Miller. |
08-28-2012, 12:55 PM
| | Hip No Ties | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York, NY | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBass Maybe I'll try changing strings and see what happens. | Couldn't hurt... Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBass I'm not really a fan of Slinky's but wanted to try something different. Maybe some DR's. | Yep. Hi-Beams or Fat Beams are the way to go... 
MM
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08-28-2012, 03:56 PM
|  | Thanks to Alembic, I'll have G.A.S. until I die. | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New York City | | | I love the slap tone with EMGs. Then again, I like EMG pups, so take my words with a grain of salt. |
08-28-2012, 04:05 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: US | | Quote:
Originally Posted by joelb79 Ultra Jazz have this built in slap tone that just works well for that. But I'll go against the grain and recommend a similar design and sounding pickup made by the same people: Sadowsky Hum-cancelling J's. | The Sadowsky and the Ultra are basically the same pickup, but the Sadowsky has radiused pole pieces (that match the curvature of the fretboard) which I like.
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08-28-2012, 06:56 PM
| | | I'm fairly certain that Melvin Lee Davis uses Seymour Duncan pickups and pre in his KSD j-bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUu0DNPlv5Y
What about Carvin? Carl's sounds real good to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JInxsRyVgCk
Xotic bass. I don't know if you can get the pickups by themselvses and the Xotic pre may contribute to the tone, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emSzrVrohrI
Hope this helps.
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08-28-2012, 08:05 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA | | | Yeah I had the same setup modded in a Fender Highway One and it just didn't cut slap wise but killed in finger tone. I ended up selling the bass off and got a Marcus Miller Jazz...not a problem since.
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08-28-2012, 11:10 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Honky Kong, ShangriLamma | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Kwesi I'd suggest keeping the pickups and readjusting your volume on the bass so that you can boost it a bit before slapping. The Bartolini Js are fantastic sounding pickups. | Agree with Kwesi, and go further to suggest a boost pedal with some EQ capabilities built into it.
Empress Para EQ or something similar...?
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