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Bass setup for Slap?

P

PapaSmurf

Jun 30, 2006
1
0
#1
Hey guys, I just had a few questions about my slaping technique. I was wondering if anyone could help me?

first question is about bass action. How high or low should my strings be in order to achieve better slaping tone?

second question, how hard should i be hitting the strings? I slap right near the last fret.

third question, my bass only has two knobs, one for the volume and the other is for tone. should my tone knob be open or closed?

and finally, i have a fender rumble and it has a 4-band EQ
(bass, low mid, high mid, treble) and i just can´t seem to get a good slaping tone out of it. What would be the best EQ settings for slaping?

so there it is. If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate.
 
#2
I've heard for slapping you should EQ with the mids higher than the low or high.

As for action, it should be normal. Just high enough to where there's no buzz on any frets.

How hard you slap depends on how you want your tone. Just slap as hard as needed to get the tone you want.
 
#3
1) Action should be on the Low side, if anything; or just normal, but definitely not on the high side

2) Hard enough to get a sound you like, not so hard that you get a sound you don't like

3) Tone = open (although closed/off is a kinda fun sound to play around with)

4) Not familiar with a Fender Rumble; I have a GK with 4-band EQ, but there is also a "Mid Scoop" button which is good for slap....otherwise, try:

Bass at 2-3 o'clock
Low Mid at 12-2 o'clock
High Mid at 10-12 o'clock
Treble at 12-2 o'clock

...hopefully this achieves something of a "Scooped" sound, the mids lower than the low or high end (sorry to contradict you GabeN, maybe it's just that I personally prefer a "Scooped" sound for slap)


...
 
#6
GabeN said:
I've heard for slapping you should EQ with the mids higher than the low or high.

As for action, it should be normal. Just high enough to where there's no buzz on any frets.

How hard you slap depends on how you want your tone. Just slap as hard as needed to get the tone you want.
Click to expand...
Good call on the EQ (and the rest). I've read tons on the subject from pro's and semi-pro's on this board and almost all of them leave their eq flat or give the mids a boost.

If you think about it, with no midrange you wont hear a slap very well (except for in the bedroom). Of course if you don't slap well that's not a bad thing!

:D

Joe.
 
#9
morf said:
I dont get a good slap sound with the mids boosted. I'm not spectacular, but my slap tone is quite good, so I dont think I've got it backwards EQ wise...
Click to expand...
Slapping is not a major part of my style but when I do it, I like to be able to hear myself.

When I am practicing by myself at lower volumes, nudging the bass up a bit helps me to not have to slap so hard to get the tone. (Nudging up the bass is not necessary for me at gigging volumes.) This let's me relax and work on technique, speed and consistancy without being esthetically offended by my tone (or lack thereof). But getting that tone (well, for me anyway) has mostly to do with consistently using the right part of the thumb, a quick snappy strike and hitting the string right below the neck joint. The thing is, if you scoop your sound, it robs it of most of it's hearable tone. Out in the audience, all you hear is clickity clickity click with corresponding mushy booms without any mids.

But then I guess it depends on how you use the technique in a band setting.

Aw heck...different strokes I guess.

:D

Joe.
 
#11
my advice would be to sit down and just play with your knobs...haha. if you have tried everything as far as playing with your knobs goes...haha, then you probably arent going to get a great slap tone out of your bass, unless your action is REALLY screwed up.

i had a mexican jazz bass and i tried playing with the action and the knobs and everything, and i couldnt get anywhere near a desirable slap tone, although it sounds great for everything else, so i invested in another bass for my slap happy self.
 
#12
Beyond issues of taste, slapping strings with my thumb has never really felt natural to me. Sometimes I get a tone I like and with some slap-like character using a relatively thin (.60 mm) nylon pick. Also, sometimes I play using a somewhat slap-like technique by tapping with my fingers, which may be a vestige of time spent playing Stick some years back.

Otto
 
#15
Hey There,
first of all welcome in the Slap world :smug:.
Well starting from the controls you have on your bass, they are more than fine, even for start, because you can excite the bass tone with the preamp on your bass amp. Usually on that kind of bass, I suppose you have a passive bass right? a good half or a bit more of the tone controls will be fine.
The position where you slap is actually good, especially for classical slap. Try to remember that when you play the thumb on the last strings, the last fret will be fine, on the thin strings, just go a little bit ahead from the last fret, it will give you a little bit of volume.
Last but not least your first question, well low action on slap techniques is very important, for two facts, both important, first of all it will be more easy and comfortable play slap grooves and solo with a low or at least medium action, and second because the tone improve drastically on low action adding to your sound more mids and highs, with a general bright and definition tone, even when you're strings are gone.
In my opinion I also think that the medium low action start to let you hear the true sound of your bass. There is not a standard measure for low action, every bass does different and any bass players feel different, usually when you start to hear a buz on the 2nd and 3rd fret, when you play finger style, than it's a good start.
If you never setup a low action I suggest you to ask to a good guitar tech to set it and let you understand how do it.
If you need any other help just let me know.
Cheers.
 
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#16
Unplug the bass and work on your technique, when it sounds acoustically pleasing then plug in the bass and dial in the tone that works for your set up.
I learned to slap on a hondo p bass with a bent neck and no amp. I got better with a better bass and even better with time. Eq and amp and fancy gear were always on the wish list but I had to work with what I had. The most important factor that I didn't realize early on was that a fresh set of strings makes a huge difference in slap tone and let me achieve the sound I wanted to hear in my mind before and after I plugged in. Good luck.
 
#18
For me the setup for slap is no different than for finger picking, or thumb picking. The action is low but not really low. The strings are flats on one bass and rounds on the other. Both slap well and my technique is the thumb up with hand in the same position over the 21st fret. Simple and works for me, YMMV depending on your slap technique and what's comfortable to you.
 
#19
Very low action
Bright steel round wound strings
Scooped mids, boosted lows
Nice high quality transparent compressor

Remember - slap is just as much about all the rhythmic muted accidentals as it is about slaps and pops. The setup above is good for that stuff. Like all advanced techniques, a relaxed approach with room for dynamics will produce the best results and allow you to play fast and funky.
 

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