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Slap bass overdose!

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tek1001

tek1001

Mar 7, 2011
95
8
#1
I have an opinion that might not be popular; but slap bass is getting old, really old; anyone can do it and it is really just the lazy man's way to a quick solo. It has been used so damn much, its getting seriously BORING to hear. Nice to solo or stick out in a band, but do it without the slap bass crap which is SO 90s!

OK, so any thoughts on that girls and boys? :bassist: Anyone feel the same way?

Also, my second thought is that I hate playing direct through some damn P.A. system. That is what a bass amp is for; want my bass to come out of the P.A. because you're a control freak sound guy, then mic the amp! I didn't pay a nice sized nut for my rig to plug into a damn direct box and sound like I am playing through a cheap stereo system WAY to clean to work for a bass direct. :crying:

Anyone feel the same way?
 
#2
Buy a good Di box like i did, Link it to your cab and you'll sound sweet. In terms of slap bass solo's being easy i would disagree, victor wooten slap solo (pretty damm hard).

However i do know what you mean, slap is used a LOT and most young players think its the bees nees, i prefer jazz solo'ing tbh
 
#3
jmclearnon said:
Buy a good Di box like i did, Link it to your cab and you'll sound sweet. In terms of slap bass solo's being easy i would disagree, victor wooten slap solo (pretty damm hard).

However i do know what you mean, slap is used a LOT and most young players think its the bees nees, i prefer jazz solo'ing tbh
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the Di box, good idea. :hyper:

Yes, slap CAN be hard (yup, undeniably so Victor Wooten), but because anyone can break into using slap fairly easily with simple licks and product an overall sound that is "hip" and sticks out, bassists jump on it almost like Pavlov's dog these days. It's just getting worn out, as in everyone and their mother jumps on it as a fast way to be a "bad ass bass player in an afternoon of slap practice."

IMHO
 
#4
There is a huge difference between slap being all you know and just something you can do. Being a well-rounded player includes at least some facility with slap. Still, I'm not excited about hearing it every single time.

But chicks dig it.
 
#5
Hearing someone play a 1000 notes a minute finger style isn't very refreshing either. The difference between running a certain style into the ground and keeping it fresh is called musical maturity and taste.
 
#6
tek1001 said:
I have an opinion that might not be popular; but slap bass is getting old, really old; anyone can do it and it is really just the lazy man's way to a quick solo. It has been used so damn much, its getting seriously BORING to hear. Nice to solo or stick out in a band, but do it without the slap bass crap which is SO 90s!

OK, so any thoughts on that girls and boys? :bassist: Anyone feel the same way?

Also, my second thought is that I hate playing direct through some damn P.A. system. That is what a bass amp is for; want my bass to come out of the P.A. because you're a control freak sound guy, then mic the amp! I didn't pay a nice sized nut for my rig to plug into a damn direct box and sound like I am playing through a cheap stereo system WAY to clean to work for a bass direct. :crying:

Anyone feel the same way?
Click to expand...

First point: No I don't feel the same way.
Second point: I have no problem going through the PA system.
 
#7
"Slap bass over dose..." ? Yes, we have had an over dose of slap bass threads recently, all basically saying the same thing....i.e. people not liking slap bass and letting others know (as indeed they are entitled to), and others defending it.

"Seriously boring"... yes indeed, these type of threads are just that.

As with the threads about picks, if you don't like it, don't listen to it, or use the technique.

Life is too short for these types of trivialities. :)
 
#8
fearceol said:
"Slap bass over dose..." ? Yes, we have had an over dose of slap bass threads recently, all basically saying the same thing....i.e. people not liking slap bass and letting others know (as indeed they are entitled to), and others defending it.

"Seriously boring"... yes indeed, these type of threads are just that.

As with the threads about picks, if you don't like it, don't listen to it, or use the technique.

Life is too short for these types of trivialities. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you! Now can we get a mod to close this please! Enough with the anti-slap threads already!
 
#9
Slap overdose? Yes perhaps if you are playing the same old thing in the key of E, then yes I can see that. However, Alot of folks do not realize just how many variations of slap technique are there to get past the "stereotypical" slap that most people think of initially. Now I realize that slap is not for everyone, so to you I say, Bla Bla Bla Bla........;)

DI? Seriously, try playing a gig in a room that just sucks up bass (even with an 810) and ask yourself again if you really need a DI, especially with a FOH is using 2 or 4 15's for subs and a decent set of full range cabs that makes your cab look like a dinky practice combo amp, especially when you want to be heard. A bass cab for me is a stage monitor at best.
 
#12
I learned a long time ago that the easiest way to be happy with your sound at gigs is to take as many variables out of the equation as possible.

Hate the DI that the sound guy forces you to use? Buy your own and make it a part of your rig.

Hate the FOH sound? Run your own sound. (I normally run my band's sound from the stage, and I appreciate gigs that I don't have to.)

It's a proven fact that the DI most sound guy's give to bass players is the most beat up, cheap POS in the bottom of his bag. So get yourself a quality DI and insist on using your own.

It's easier to complain, but if you care about your sound, you'll invest in it.

As for slap being overdone, yeah I agree. Too many (beginner) bassists throw it in wherever they can, without caring if its the right technique for the song. When done well, I can listen to slap for hours. Not so much when it's all in E.

And don't ask me to play "Higher Ground"!! Yes, I can play it and I can play I well, but why is it that anytime we request something funky, that's the first frickin' thing we are forced into playing. I've made it a rule with my band that I will NOT play that song. I'll play any other Chili Peppers tune but that one.
 
#13
Slap bores me to death. Go to 1 NAMM show...LMAO. it's like jackhammers in your ears. Slap is incredibly overdone these days and for every player that can use the style musically, there are 10 that just make percussive noise.

As for running through through PA. This is done to create an even and balanced listening environment for the patrons. It's not about you and you really need to learn this now. The people in the crowd buying the drinks and food where you are playing, pay the bills. They could care less how much you spent on your rig and how well YOU can be heard. They care about good music being performed and sounding good, not some vain twit who wants to turn up so he can "cut through".......the most over used term on this site.....LOL
 
#14
Musiclogic said:
Slap bores me to death. Go to 1 NAMM show...LMAO. it's like jackhammers in your ears. Slap is incredibly overdone these days and for every player that can use the style musically, there are 10 that just make percussive noise.

As for running through through PA. This is done to create an even and balanced listening environment for the patrons. It's not about you and you really need to learn this now. The people in the crowd buying the drinks and food where you are playing, pay the bills. They could care less how much you spent on your rig and how well YOU can be heard. They care about good music being performed and sounding good, not some vain twit who wants to turn up so he can "cut through".......the most over used term on this site.....LOL
Click to expand...

I dont want to cut through the mix. I want to add to the mix. Fill it out with lowend thunder
 
#15
I think with the PA issue there is a middle ground. I don't mind going ampless and through a DI into the PA if it's something high quality, but I don't want to be told I can't use my bass head (even though it has a line out) only to have to plug into a half broken behringer DI box. I generally find most bands sound better when the people making the music can hear themselves well. And like, surely it is partly about us; I mean, that's why we play, right? :)
 
#17
it's pretty obvious who doesn't like slap. Nuff said. If you don't like it, leave it where it came from and stop trying to bastardize it. Slap Bass has a father. I dislike and don't understand why a bassist would want to use distortion but I don't create threads about it. If you're a hater. start a hater thread on another forum
 
#18
I have an opinion that might not be popular; but threads about slap bass is getting old, really old; anyone can make one and it is really just the lazy man's way to a quick thread. It has been used so damn much, its getting seriously BORING to hear. Nice to start a thread or stick out on Talkbass, but do it without the slap bass crap which is SO 90s!

OK, so any thoughts on that girls and boys? Anyone feel the same way?
 
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