Slapping with tapewounds.

[jd56hawk]

Recently came across a thread on another bass group about slapping with flatwounds and couldn't help but notice the usual "forget about flatwounds and go with roundwounds" replies.
Now, I've found quite a number of youtube videos over the years proving these "experts" are wrong, but I somehow missed this one.
Am I crazy, or is this tone special?

 

[Cerio]

Well...

 

[mrperkolator]

I find the sound of tapes slapped to be quite unique. To my ear it’s pleasant, but I’m not sure about a mix. The nylon hitting nickel frets is a different sound for sure. Make it musical and do it. I’m sure the first guy to rip out his frets and use a CA glue coating was called nuts too…

I’m currently locked into rounds cuz of the eq at the place I play at. Not my preference, but people can hear me

 

[2F/2F]

Sounds like crap to me. Almost all slapping does, really...but this is particularly bad.

That said, it's not the strings here. It's the player.

 

[Iristone]

My take:
(1) The inventor of electric bass slapping was using flatwounds, and people have been slapping on upright basses with flatwounds for even longer;
(2) Nylon tapes tend to sound between rounds and flats anyway, so they should also slap between rounds and flats.

 

[ijump206]

Play what you like to play. Listen to what you like to listen to.

 

[Geogio]

Gosh... it sounds... erm... percussive!

 

[N4860]

Personally I feel like that particular recording would have sounded better with either rounds or flats.

 

[Element Zero]

Most definitely NOT my preferred slap tone however it’s different and it could work in the right context I suppose. I’ve spent some time with tapewounds on fretless’ I’ve had over the years and it is fun being super aggressive without fear of gouging up the fingerboard.

 

[Topkat13]

He obviously is not a TN resident. It's illegal to slap tapes here. It's the same as tearing that label off of a mattress.

 

[ijump206]

He obviously is not a TN resident. It's illegal to slap tapes here. It's the same as tearing that label off of a mattress.

I personally only tear mattresses off of labels. That way I stay on the right side of the law.

 

[onda'bass]

Now I know how slapped tapes sound, hard pass.