You are right, MM's sound is consistently great, I suspect studio discipline helped a lot with that. MM is so good, it is humbling to look at what he has done.
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Best Slap Tone Ever????
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
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You are right, MM's sound is consistently great, I suspect studio discipline helped a lot with that. MM is so good, it is humbling to look at what he has done.
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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A bass doesn't slap itself cheese. His bass doesn't make his tone. He does.
He won't get that sound on a Ken Smith, Spector, or MTD, at least not the ones without a Jazz electronics.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Johnny Lee Long has one of the nicest slap tones on a Jazz bass that I've ever heard.
OP clip sounds like an active jazz also tone. Very nice, but that's it. The slap tone that's most surprised me is in this video starting at the 1:10 mark.
Not to be crabby, but proving the point is not that big a deal to me. I have been playing long enough that tone will change with a different bass.
Man these are some awesome slap tones throughout this thread. Let's not forget the late great Louis Johnson's tone on "Stomp". That solo popularized the slap sound. In my opinion, that is!
Yet, no matter whatever bass I play, I always sound like me
No, I hear ya.
That's why each bass I have, is set up differently with different types of strings, action, and so forth.
In hopes that the variations in the basses will lead to a variation in my tone
I still prefer the Marcus Jazz tone for slap playing, but you are right, a Stingray through an SVT is to positively die for. I owned both a while back. Gosh, what a sound!
These days, it's my Lull M5V and Mesa WD800 w/ a pair of Subway 115s. Man, I'm in heaven!
(In my not-so-humble opinion, of course)
Sorry for the blatant topic swerve. Surely no one is surprised...
That's a good question, Best slap tone ever?
I'm not sure if I've heard a slap tone that I've been particularly transfixed with, but I will suggest Larry Graham.
I dig Larry Graham, and his thicker sound is more attractive to me, as opposed to the thinner sound favoured by modern exponents.
I like Louis Johnson's playing, but for me that's more about his playing than his tone, but he still has a thicker sound than modern slappers.
I like Marcus Miller's sound, but if I listen to an entire album, I get tired of the sound. I think his tone is best on M2, but I'm also inclined to think that particular album is his best work so that could make me biased.
I like Victor Wooten but it has never been his tone that attracts me, first his gymnastics and facility got my attention, now it's his phrasing that I like, I actually enjoy his playing more when he is not slapping.
While I may not be decided on who I think has the best slap tone, I do know that there are tone attributes that I do not like, and I hear those characteristics in famous and non famous players. I find that when the tone is too bright and too thin, it just gets annoying and I can understand why this technique is often disliked.
Come on folks, slap all you want but don't abandon the base function of the bass, make sure you tone is supporting the music you play, rather than highlighting your special double thumb, double pluck Wooten/Riendeau hybrid lick.
I'm not sure if I've heard a slap tone that I've been particularly transfixed with, but I will suggest Larry Graham.
I dig Larry Graham, and his thicker sound is more attractive to me, as opposed to the thinner sound favoured by modern exponents.
I like Louis Johnson's playing, but for me that's more about his playing than his tone, but he still has a thicker sound than modern slappers.
I like Marcus Miller's sound, but if I listen to an entire album, I get tired of the sound. I think his tone is best on M2, but I'm also inclined to think that particular album is his best work so that could make me biased.
I like Victor Wooten but it has never been his tone that attracts me, first his gymnastics and facility got my attention, now it's his phrasing that I like, I actually enjoy his playing more when he is not slapping.
While I may not be decided on who I think has the best slap tone, I do know that there are tone attributes that I do not like, and I hear those characteristics in famous and non famous players. I find that when the tone is too bright and too thin, it just gets annoying and I can understand why this technique is often disliked.
Come on folks, slap all you want but don't abandon the base function of the bass, make sure you tone is supporting the music you play, rather than highlighting your special double thumb, double pluck Wooten/Riendeau hybrid lick.
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That track should be in the dictionary as the definition of funk.
There is a certain linage of Larry Graham-Doug Rauch-Marcus that will always be special to me.
I am not a fun of slap, but think that the best slap tone ows Marcuss Miller.
My all time favourite will always be Stuart Hamm and the sound he got from his Kubicki. Nothing sounds quite like a Kubicki being slapped, they have this natural mild compression with a little sizzle and bite that is just gorgeous. Vail Johnson also has an amazing slap tone and he is also a Kubicki player. Stuart also got a fantastic tone from his Urge and Urge II basses, but the Kubicki is the one for me.
A notable second is Alain Caron, through UZEB and his solo work. Alain is notable because his tone in everything he does is just sublime. The slap tone he gets from his F Bass (F Basses I suppose) is just awesome. Interestingly he tends to favour F basses with two splitcoil Precision type pickups for slap. His sound is very modern, crisp and with a lot of body and definition.
A notable second is Alain Caron, through UZEB and his solo work. Alain is notable because his tone in everything he does is just sublime. The slap tone he gets from his F Bass (F Basses I suppose) is just awesome. Interestingly he tends to favour F basses with two splitcoil Precision type pickups for slap. His sound is very modern, crisp and with a lot of body and definition.
