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Modulus Tone for Slap

fishstix

fishstix

Feb 28, 2006
679
523
Wisconsin
#1
Hey all you Modulus owners, especially Quantum folks. How well do you find your tone punches through the mix for slap playing? I've had some mixed results with my Q5 and Q6, both with different pups and electronics, but generally they both get lost in the mix for slap stuff. I love these basses for 80% of what I'm doing but the other 20% leaves me wanting.
What have your experiences been? If you've had good luck with slap, which pup/electronics and other gear are you running through?
Thanks in advance.

I've got the Barts and an Aguilar pre on my Q6 and have the EMG set-up with sweepable mids on the Q5. I'm also running them through combinations of Ampeg heads/cabs, SWR heads/cabs, Eden heads/cabs, and Mesa cabs.
 
#2
I never really liked my Q6 for slap with the dull sounding neck and tight string spacing.

I ended up putting TI flats on it and just use it for fingering. It plays so smooth, and is a monster with the flats. I just use another bass for slap songs.

It's running Bart pups and EQ. I could never get a nasty springy bright slap sound out of it even with round wounds. I think its the graphite neck like mentioned above. Just not bright enough for me. I like a maple/maple neck brightness.
 
#5
I have a Q6 and a M-92 5 -string.

The Q6 (Barts) I very seldom slap on but that's because of the high C and the (relatively) narrow spacing. I can't just blindly reach down and yank on the G string (so to speak). But when I do slap, I think it sounds okay but not very "bitey". I've got much better basses for slapping though I do like the Q6 for a lot of other things.

The M-92 actually sounds pretty good though the mids are somewhat lacking. It has an Aguilar OBP-1 so the lows are thick and the highs are blasting. Very comfortable to slap on though thanks to the spacing and low action.
 
#7
This is good info. My observations have been much the same but I was hoping that there may be something I could do differently as they're awesome basses for 80% of what I'm doing and I hate to drag multiple basses to shows. My Jazz bass gives me all that I could want for slap and is really good for everything else but isn't quite as big and full as the Quantums. It seems that the very traits I love about the Q5 and Q6 may be their downfall for slap.

Please keep the thoughts comming as I'd like to know if this is a consistent thought for most Quantum owners.
 
#8
This has been an interesting thread.

Everybody's got a different idea of what type of slap tone sounds "good". Check this vid out of a guy doing a solo (involving a fair amount of slapping) on a Quantum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXiBFLowo84
I think that sounds killer. I also found some vids of Oteil Burbridge and Mike Gordon slapping on a Quantum. Loved it!

I've got a Q5 on the way and I'm just hoping I like it! I've played one before and loved it but unfortunately I didn't really check out the slap tone on it. Sometimes you just never know until you get it and try it out with your gear at home. Even if I don't really like the slap tone, I won't be dissapointed. I'll primarily use it for fingerstyle anyway.
 
#9
LifeIsBass said:
Check this vid out of a guy doing a solo (involving a fair amount of slapping) on a Quantum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXiBFLowo84
I think that sounds killer.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think that he's got a good representation of the Quantum tweaked just right. However, he's also playing with pretty much just drums with a little bit of keys every now and then. I still think that his tone, as good as it may be, would get lost in the mix if playing with a full band. I've found that my Q6 with the Barts and Aguilar OBP3 sounds nice when soloed from the mix but the slap stuff gets lost when put in with everything else.
All that being said, my Quantums fill out the bottom during finger style passages with size and authority that none of my other basses can come close to.

Has anyone tried the Nordstrand Big Singles, http://www.nordstrandpickups.com/bass-pickups/signature/signature.html, replacements for the soapbar Barts? I'm wondering if the fatter single coil signal they're supposed to give would aid with the slap tone and still keep the girth the bass currently has.
 
#10
I play a Q5 as my main bass - Barts with Aguilar OBP3 electronics. I'm not a slapper, just fingerstyle and pick. I've had friends play my bass and it sounded fine with slapping. I certainly think it won't be as aggressive sounding as a Flea bass, but it sounded fine. However, I'd assume that most slappers would prefer a wider spacing like the Q5 Wide - if you wanted to stay in the Quantum series.
 
#11
LifeIsBass said:
This has been an interesting thread.

Everybody's got a different idea of what type of slap tone sounds "good". Check this vid out of a guy doing a solo (involving a fair amount of slapping) on a Quantum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXiBFLowo84
I think that sounds killer. I also found some vids of Oteil Burbridge and Mike Gordon slapping on a Quantum. Loved it!

I've got a Q5 on the way and I'm just hoping I like it! I've played one before and loved it but unfortunately I didn't really check out the slap tone on it. Sometimes you just never know until you get it and try it out with your gear at home. Even if I don't really like the slap tone, I won't be dissapointed. I'll primarily use it for fingerstyle anyway.
Click to expand...

Your right, everyone has different slap sound likes.

I personaly think that video sounds like crap. Awsome fingering tone, but the slapping is too "woody" for my taste and not bright and sharp enough for me.
 
#12
Yeah, the fingering tone is nice but I didn't care for the slap tone. I know it's a camera mic and everything but you still don't get any real presence out of it and when the drums and keys kick in it starts to get lost.

I don't change tones on the fly much so for me a bass has to sound good where it is and then my hands do the rest.

But there are certainly guys who can slap the hell out of a Quantum. I personally prefer a more MM or Jazz tone for that sort of stuff. The Quantum is almost too hi-fi for me in that regard. But the low end, particularly fingerstyle, is just righteous.
 
#13
Just wanted to mention that I finally just got a Quantum and I think the slap tone rules. I'm sure there would be certain situations where it might not cut as much as some other basses but there are other contexts where the slap tone of a Quantum would be very, very righteous!
 

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