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Salsa on electric bass

manutabora

manutabora

Aug 14, 2007
492
3
Warner Robins, GA
soundcloud.com
#1
I love salsa (playing and dancing it) and I know good salseros usually play on baby basses (like the ampeg), however, my budget does not allow for buying a baby bass by any stretch of the imagination. So I was wondering if there is something I can do to make my electric bass sound somewhat similar to a baby bass. My bass is a five string fretless jazz btw, and I also have a Fender p bass but I don't think that one has a good tone for salsa. Oh and both basses have flatwound strings on. Any advise will be greatly appreciated :)
 
#3
I have a feeling that the hotter salsas would eat through your finish and possibly deaden your strings....









Sorry...couldn't help myself...:smug:

That being said...John Glascock (bassist for mid to late 70s Jethro Tull) played in a progressive flamenco rock band (I know...not salsa, but still) and he played a pbass through an Ampeg SVT/810 stack. Sounded great (check out Carmen's first album...it's pretty good)....he used roundwound strings...maybe that would do it for you...maybe too bright though...maybe a foam mute might help? The fretless jazz might be great with it too! Actually, I have no idea...carry on.
 
#4
Alot of the contemporary salsa I listen to uses electric bass just as much as the baby bass or upright. If im playing electric bass on a song that was recorded with upright I'll usually utilise the thumb / palm muted technique with a fair bit of pressue to get a good thud with little sustain. Some poeple also recommend playing higher up the neck on the E and A strings as oppose to the same note on the D ang G to get a rounder fuller sound...
 
#5
I've played TONS of salsa and never used anything but electric bass. Make it groove, and don't worry about not having a baby bass.
 
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#6
Thanks for the replies, I'll try the palm muting thing. I had also thought about the rubber foam thing, I don't know, I guess I'll have to try and see how it goes. And Pacman, I've also played salsa with electric, it's not that it doesn't work. It's just that I would really like the thumpy, fast decay sound of a baby bass. I totally agree with you though.
 
#7
manutabora said:
Thanks for the replies, I'll try the palm muting thing. I had also thought about the rubber foam thing, I don't know, I guess I'll have to try and see how it goes.
Click to expand...

I use a piece of thick foam at the bridge of my jazz or p-bass (depending on my mood) to get an upright-like sound when I play the blues. It works awesome...quick decay and thumpy notes. It might be just what you are looking for.
 
#8
Ditto what pacman said. Lot's of salsa on electric. Resist the temptation to get too fancy and you'll be fine.

I saw Irekere with Carlos D´l Puerto playing electric bass in Denmark some years ago. Granted, Irekere often ventured away from pure salsa but when they played straight salsa, oh man...
 
#9
Pacman said:
Make it groove, and don't worry about not having a baby bass.
Click to expand...

Agreed:
My instructor has wrist problems and switched to
electric bass. He uses a fretted F bass 5 with roundstrings, and just bought fretted F bass 6 'er. We were joking and he
wanted to buy my 6 Fretless F bass.

It's in your all technique- as he uses his fingers. I use both
palm & thumb for certain tunes- and fingers for other tunes in Salsa.

If I had more time I 'd study with him more often. David BeLove.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#10
I play in a latin jazz band and perfer the sound of a jazz bass using the palm mute. But belive it or not the best sound of a baby bass sound thru an electric bass without palm muting is actually one of does cheap hofner beatle bass copy with flatwounds. Mine was a jay turser model and i played in the middle portion of the neck and sounds perfect. dan
 
#15
Also go to Link Removed > Channels > Artist Features > Rubén Rodríguez. A fellow TalkBasser, a true master of the genre. :cool:[/QUOTE]

I didn't know there was bassplayer tv station! :hyper:
Reminds me of my lessons with Dave Belove! nice.

Also noticed the tv station has my other teacher on it:
Kai Eckhardht ( ex John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham.)

Thanks.
Dennis
 

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