Bass won't slap?

Without seeing you play it's not possible le to say for sure. It is likely that your technique is the main part of the issue. There are a couple of other things that can also be a factor. New strings are inherently brighter sounding where old strings can get very dull and thumpy sounding. Also how the bass is eq'd can also affect the sound. Typically you want to boost the low and high end a bit and decrease the mid. That is the typical setting for slap style bass. No worries on the bass you have...it will work just fine.

 

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!!! (Monsters Inc. is one of my kids' favorite movies. OK, I admit I like it too. Cool avatar.)

You might just need a good setup. Maybe take it to the nearest guitar shop and let them adjust the action. If you are naturally handy, you might be able to watch a few videos on YouTube and do it yourself. But take it slow. Make small adjustments and let them "settle in".

Lower action may help. ("Action" meaning the distance from the strings to the fretboard.....as well as a few other settings like neck relief.)

 

If pops sound ok, it’s probably your slap technique. Do pops sound ok on all strings?

Pickups are probably fine, just make sure you run both pickups on full and tone wide open - that’s the most typical slap sound (though I personally like it better with just the P pickup).

New strings and good setup should help too, yeah.

Then practice. Try a variety of slap techniques, there isn’t just one...

 

Sounds like you might have been putting too much oomph into the slap, causing the string to hit the pickup. Adjusting pickup height can alleviate some of that but you probably need to adjust your technique too. Slap playing is more about finesse then it is hitting hard. When you slap, your thumb needs to only hit the string momentarily then bounce off so the string can ring out. Keep at it, nobody gets new techniques instantly. It can take years to get really good, and no matter how good you are there will always be more to learn.

Stay the course, all things come in time. Welcome to TB!

 

Are you hitting the string over the pickup?
You can get a better thump by hitting the string close to end of the FB

 

Don't know if this will help or not...but here it is.

 

Slap takes a long time to master. Months/years. If you want to move it along quicker, take some 1-on-1 lessons. All basses can be made to slap effectively, although some are more suited to it than others. It does come down to technique.

 

I was about to say your pickups are too high.

 

Either slap your thumb on the edge of the fingerboard and stay away from the pickups or lower the P pickup if you still can't control it. And make sure you're getting a good solid hit on the string with your thumb where the note rings out. Takes some practice, but you'll get it. The fingerboard helps you get the solid thumb hit and keeps you from digging it in so far that it hits the pickup.

 

sounds like the action too close. For slapping the action should be off the frets

 

Sounds like your bass needs a pro setup.
ACTION JACKSON!

 

Once you got that .... spank the plank all the way to the bank

 

I had the same problem with my Affinity J, I dropped the pickup height a bit and it solved the issue. I've since installed an EMG active system and now it has no problem at all.

 

My technique has been driving me mad to the point that I decided slap wasn't for me. I have a bad right (plucking) shoulder injury just now and have had to experiment with changing the height and angle of the bass a lot. Last night I got a really good slap out of the bass by aiming the thumb more downward (as per Scott's technique above). I'd always tried thumb parallel to the string and hitting through rather than bouncing. That was actually the technique my first teacher showed me. It didn't work for me at all. My new teacher recommended trying Ashes to Ashes 4 bar intro as a simple practice piece and I think I've nailed it after 3 years of struggling! This video vindicates by struggle. Thanks for posting.

 

I naturally ended up doing the same thing Brian Bromberg describes here, never popping with index, rotating the forearm.