i finding it hard to learn slap because i need to slap the string quite hard to get it to bounce against the fret. Also, popping is really difficult as well, because i have to pull the string really hard and i cant even pop my G string (as bad as that sounds!). Has this got something to do with the action? If so, can i adjust it myself without going to a luthier. Thanks
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is it possible to adjust the action by myself?
- Thread starter Deerhunter113
- Start date
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
In the stickies you will find links to Jerzy Drozd's setup guide. Give it a thorough read through before touching anything on your bass. The guide will explain the process and the science behind it all. I provide the guide to all my students as it is very useful even if you have no intention of doing your own setups.
It sounds like your bass could benefit from a setup. Spend the money on tools instead of 1 luthier visit. It is worth it in the long run.
If you read the guide and come back with questions we'll be here to help. Having the proper tools and measurements prior to asking the question will make it much easier.
It sounds like your bass could benefit from a setup. Spend the money on tools instead of 1 luthier visit. It is worth it in the long run.
If you read the guide and come back with questions we'll be here to help. Having the proper tools and measurements prior to asking the question will make it much easier.
alright, i will give it a read tomorrow, as its half ten here in the uk. The worst case scenario is that i will end up taking my bass to a luthier and getting him to adjust it.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Worst case scenario is you wasting money, yes. 
Also, take note that after you pay that luthier to do it he may not tweak it exactly to your likings and only do a generic setup. The day after the setup your bass will adjust slightly and require follow up adjustments.
Also, take note that after you pay that luthier to do it he may not tweak it exactly to your likings and only do a generic setup. The day after the setup your bass will adjust slightly and require follow up adjustments.
Hopkins
Commercial User
I think you have a technique issue. You aren't trying to get the string to bounce off the fret when you slap. You are thumping it with the side of your thumb to start it vibrating, and creating a sharp attack. Same thing with popping.
I will have to look on youtube on some tutorials before i start messing around with the action.
If you're new to setup, check out the Gary Willis Setup Manual. Its short, has illustrations and is very easy to understand and follow PLUS the guy is a killer bass player and tech wiz. He knows how to setup a bass.
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The Jerzy Drozd Setup Guide is definitely top notch, but at 62 pages, being new to setup, you'll freak out and head for the nearest setup tech.
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The Jerzy Drozd Setup Guide is definitely top notch, but at 62 pages, being new to setup, you'll freak out and head for the nearest setup tech.
This. I don't know how much a setup costs in your neck of the woods but in my case I think the basic tools cost just about the cost of one visit. Screwdrivers (get the good ones and not the cheap soft metal ones), allen keys (imperial and metric, though you could start with a set that is compatible with your guitar's hardware), feeler gauges and a ruler with "32" and "64" markings (I got mine from a mechanical tool dealer), a capo, a straight edge, and a good tuner. That shouldn't set you back a lot. Just add things along the way as you feel necessary. But do read up or look up the many resources out there.
While possible, you must first obtain a telefunken U47, a large wheel of Vermont extra sharp white cheddar, and the blessing of an Oglala Shaman.
Just kidding of course...
As has been mentioned, you can get all the tools you need for about what it will cost to pay a tech, and you will get a generic setup which may or may not be what you want if you pay the tech instead of buying the tools and learning to use them.
There is not anything exceptionally difficult about doing a bass setup, just find you some of the many guides to doing it and read/watch them til you are comfortable with the process, then do it step by step. even if your bass is not a fender, the fender setup guide for bass is very good at explaining the procedure and the proper order to do the different adjustments in.
Just take it a step at a time and you will be rewarded with a set up that best fits you and your style, and more important, you can save all that money you would otherwise pay a tech to do it for you as the years go by.
+1 on Jerzy Drozd's guide. Can you measure the string height at your last fret, so we can get a feel whether it is really too high or just a technique/finger strenght issue? Is the neck straight/very slightly bowed?
That depends on what kind of sound he's trying to achieve.
That depends on what kind of sound he's trying to achieve.
Killer bass player? Yes.
Set up whiz? Not on your tintype.
Techs don't work the way Gary Willis does because it is inefficient and does not produce the desired results in a timely or repeatable way. That's the reason his website link is no longer listed in the sticky. Not recommended.
Being new to set up, sixty two pages of reading (it's an easy read, by the way) is a very small price to pay to learn how to do it right. Besides, it's free. Or you could spend thirty dollars on The Guitar Player Guide to Repair by Dan Erlewine. At three hundred twenty two pages, it is comprehensive. It is the book that most of the guys who have been in the business for the last thirty years use. A good tech probably has a copy on a shelf near his bench. The book is still less than the cost of a good set up.
As far as whether or not the OP should be seeking a mechanical solution for what might be a technique problem, it is impossible to ascertain from his postings. Data is key here. Relief and string height will go a long way to solving this.
On the other hand, some pro's slap and pluck with amazingly high action, more than 8/64" (~3.2mm) and have no problem making it sound great.
Others require incredibly low string heights (think in terms of half the above) with super flexible strings and can still play quietly. It is difficult to diagnose from a distance.
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Hopkins
Commercial User
I have never seen a slap player trying to bounce the string off of the frets to achieve his or her attack.
Well, that's what I do. I don't claim to do it "right", but I know I do it at least half decently.
Regards slapping da bass.
Learning to set up one's own instruments is a plus even if it is a technique issue. If the OP's bass has never been set up since they got it, they will positively benefit from a good setup and more so if they learn to do it themselves.
There is also the fact that once learned, if there is a setup component to the slappin and popin style of the OP, they can rectify it in short order rather than take it to someone and hope they get an acceptable resolution.
Learning to set up one's own instruments is a plus even if it is a technique issue. If the OP's bass has never been set up since they got it, they will positively benefit from a good setup and more so if they learn to do it themselves.
There is also the fact that once learned, if there is a setup component to the slappin and popin style of the OP, they can rectify it in short order rather than take it to someone and hope they get an acceptable resolution.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Well, that's what I do. I don't claim to do it "right", but I know I do it at least half decently.
I am not calling your technique wrong just to be a jerk. Most slap players prefer a higher action than a finger style player. To easily get the strings to bounce off of the frets would need a lower action, but with the slap and pop attack on the strings this will cause a ton of string rattle. If you set your action high enough to counteract the string rattle, you would have to slap and pop your strings extremely hard to get the string to hit the fret.
So the way you are trying to play will always reveal some type of set up issue.
Yep, I keep relatively high action because of that (and dodgy fret work). However I have no issue double thumbing and using three fingers to pop, with such setup.
I know several players do it the way you described, but several other do it my way. What genres do you play/like?
I have tried playing softer before this conversation, and it doesn't seem to work for me; to get the sound I want out of slapping, my strings need to bounce on the frets and I can do that without a lot of effort.
And just to make sure we're not misunderstanding, could you link me an example of what you're saying? Don't need closeups on picking hands, just an idea of the sound you mean.
The point was to give the OP a Simple method to get his feet wet doing a setup. Willis' approach gets results without 62 pages and numerous tools. Its not meant to be the Ultimate Setup Guide just a start so the OP can see that setups are doable not rocket science.
If then he decides that he really wants to dive in and do very detailed setups - great!
And I stated Willis is a technical geek which he is. His setup method is obviously geared toward the novice - the whole point of his guide.
Gary Willis is a great player. But that has nothing to do with doing guitar repair. When it comes to set up, he does not know what the average tech knows. If he were working in a diner he would be washing dishes, not working as a short order cook.
The method Willis espouses is not geared to a novice. It is geared toward someone who does not want to take a methodical, scientific, and tech-like approach to a simple mechanical problem. The Willis solution is not how a tech does a set up There is nothing to recommend it. Why would someone want to learn how to do it in a cumbersome fashion that has nothing to do with the techniques outlined in the sticky above, to say nothing of all the other fine repair and setup manuals on the market, and then base their decision on incorrect methods as to whether or not they want to learn how to do it like a pro? With all due respect, it defies logic.
