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Best bass for slap?

#24
I think it's up to the player. How many of us would have said an acoustic bass? A friend of mine named Za Williams is slapping one on his soon to be released solo CD, and he sounds amazing. Who would've suggested a 12 string Hamer? A guy here in Atlanta named Jungle slapped the piss outta one in GC once, and he sounded great. Now he uses an 8 stringed Dean Rhapsody to slap on. I don't think it's JUST the bass. Bill Dickens chooses some 7 or 9 stringed beast to slap on. I know I'm babbling, but the best bass to slap on is the one that works best for you. To me, a Lakland 4 string is the ULTIMATE slap ax, because I can get my fingers to move as quick as my mind. Speaking of which, I've gotta get me one o' them.
 
#25
Those Zon's were definitely impressive slappers (at least when they didn't have dead strings on them ;) ). I'd say it's a good choice.

Other slappers....

Fodera's are sweet for slap. They'll certainly cost you but they're soooo nice.

Carl Thompson. Only heard them (mainly from Primus since Les plays them). They have a great reputation for slap, though.

Alembic. The choice of slapper Stanley Clarke. They feel really nice to me as well.

Roscoe's. I had the chance to play a few and they sound great. This is what I'm saving my pennies for (unless a cheap, used Fodera or Carl Thompson comes my way ;) :D )

The Czech and USA Spectors are great for slap.

Music Man's. This one's a no-brainer (though I'm not much on pickguards)

Ken Smith. I've tried three so far and all have been impressive.

Ibanez BTB 1000 series. These felt and played really well. This is my $1000 choice over Fender and MM.

Peavey Cirrus. I didn't like them as much as the Ibanez but they still felt pretty good. Slap on the B and E sounded a bit tinny but I may have had the bad luck of lousy strings.

Plus I'm sure there are a ton of local/regional luthiers out there that would just love to make a bass for you that does what you want and looks how you want.
 
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#26
Originally posted by EvoMan
I've tried Warwicks and was not impressed. What about Pedulla basses for slap? I've played the MVP 4 string and it sounds great. I've heard that some of the Warrior basses are nice for slap. Anyone agree?

I used to love the old Steinberger solid composite basses for slap, but now find the sound a bit thin. I've always pictured Alembics as good slap basses, probably since Mark King always played one. I would like to pick up another bass and am just surfing for suggestions. My Zon is a pretty nice slap bass, but the low end is a bit think and the neck is huge.
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Like you, I wasn't impressed at any of the Warwick's I've played (and I do make it a point to try one whenever I see them at a shop). They always sound like mud. To me, they're Spectors gone wrong.

Alembics are very nice basses. Just be careful in chosing one because they can either be decently priced or insanely priced for their more unique shapes.

What kind of price range are we talking? $1000? $2000? $3000? That can help narrow things down.
 
#33
Saying a Music Man is cheap is very relative haha. To a student paying for university and needing a decent bass, a Music Man is very expensive.
A nice slap tone to me is either the Pedulla Rapture J2 or Warwick Streamer Stage I...I am also impressed by the Marcus Miller Jazz 5'er. All of these basses are not too bad on the wallet used, but new to me it's like impossible unless i save for 2-3 years.
 
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