Stingray quiet when slapped!

[richardzbaraski]

Hey there, ever since I got my stingray a few months ago i've been having problems with it. As mentioned in the title my stingray is much quieter when slapped. I have tried countless EQ settings, changed the batterys etc. I run it through a Laney RB8 and i use coated ernie ball slinkys (original gauge that the bass was set-up with.) Im usually good at these things but this just throws me! Any help would be really appreciated as I would would love to make this my main gigging bass and not have to constantly stand on a boost pedal!
Cheers
Rich!

 

[heliotropic]

Are the compressor or limiter turned on or off on the amp? Have you tried changing the pickup height?

 

[richardzbaraski]

They're off. And yep, i raised it on the side of the side of the G string. Its a March 2009 stingray if thar helps?

 

[Johnius]

I've never played coated strings but do you think it could be them? Seems doubtful. Also, how far back are you cutting your mids? That could potentially be another source of "not enough sound." Beyond that, maybe change your technique up a little? I'm sure you've already thought of these things.

Still, though, my December 2010 ray would never be called quiet when I slap.

 

[richardzbaraski]

i used the regular ernie ball slinkys before hand. My mids are flat on the bass and boosted a bit on the amplifier. My slap technique has no affect on the sound of any other of my bass', even my fleabass which has a similar layout. :/
I was wondering if a change of pickup could help? Say to a nordstrand? It could be a stupid idea and I have my doubts, but hey ...worth thinking about!

 

[BassLife77]

The action might be too low. If you slap closer to the pickup the volume gets louder. Or it might be you aren't slapping hard enough. Take a peek at some Louis Johnson clips on Youtube. He's slapping the crap out of his Stingrays

 

[SGD Lutherie]

The action might be too low. If you slap closer to the pickup the volume gets louder. Or it might be you aren't slapping hard enough. Take a peek at some Louis Johnson clips on Youtube. He's slapping the crap out of his Stingrays

I agree. Try raising your action a bit. Stanley Clarke puts his actions really high on the basses he slaps on. You don't need it that high though.

If the action is too low the notes choke if you hit the string hard.

Also, use a compressor. That will bring up the quiet parts to match the loud parts. I use two compressors live; an old MXR AC Limiter and the multi-band compressor in my Trace Elliott head. That's another trick Stanley used to do (double compression).

 

[richardzbaraski]

Im a pretty heavy slapper anyway! I will try raising my action a little. I'll get back to you whether it works or not. Cheers.

 

[richardzbaraski]

i've tried raising the action and that didnt help! The set up was bang on anyway. I'll try a string change asap. I'll try some uncoated strings and see if that helps.