Strap height and tone

[FretNoMore]

If it's too high or too low, I feel dorky and uncomfortable. But I tend to err on the side of too low since the dork level when it's too low isn't nearly as bad as when it's too high

I'm sure I have bigger dorkiness issues than the strap length, but every little bit helps, uh, hurts I guess.

 

[tonemachine]

If you are fretting a note and plucking a string I do not see how the strap has anything to do with tone.
I call total BS.
I also find it very funny that a guy that uses so many effects wants to talk about tone.
It is lame of him to call another persons tone bad too.
Some people could say his tone sucks....

Your hands/fingers have everything to do with tone. Bone tone, as it is called. The lower I wear my bass, the less punch I can get as my right fingers cant tug the strings as forcefully and my left fingers cant slam down and pin down or bend the strings as much. Some people certainly can compensate to a large degree

 

[JustForSport]

Re: "The lower I wear my bass, the less punch I can get as my right fingers cant tug the strings as forcefully"

DB player do it fine-
"my left fingers cant slam down and pin down or bend the strings as much"- but the neck is at a steeper angle. Watch some Jack Bruce clips.

 

[hdracer]

Re: "The lower I wear my bass, the less punch I can get as my right fingers cant tug the strings as forcefully"

DB player do it fine-
"my left fingers cant slam down and pin down or bend the strings as much"- but the neck is at a steeper angle. Watch some Jack Bruce clips.

^^ This
Bluegrass guys have no problem.
Don't make sweeping statements. Maybe you can't but that doesn't mean no one can.

 

[okcrum]

I don't think strap height matters so much as picking technique.

 

[gleneg61]

I wear mine pretty high I guess, so sitting n standing the same as Billy Sheehan recommends but I've never had any wrist or elbow pain in 35 yrs of playing, can slap, pick, thumb or finger style with a straight wrist so no CTS n as every bass has it's own strap n the height locked in, it's ez 2 go from a 4 Jazz 2 a fretless Thumb 5 2 a 6 Ibby banger bass as muscle memory is locked in n even my guitars r the same height. Works 4 me n I don't give a crap if some dork thinks I look nerdy; I won't b trying out 4 any punk/shoe gazer/metal bands anyway, way 2 old n growly 4 that!

 

[Kevan Campbell]

I voted comfort. I prefer playing medium-lowish but just started off playing that way and got used to it. I can play up high but it doesn't feel natural to me.

 

[raventepes]

It depends on what I'm playing, really.

For straight fingerstyle or picking, I tend to play with the bridge level with my crotch. If I'm doing chords, and a lot of tapping, I raise it by about a foot or so.

 

[petrus61]

I think I remember reading that Justin Meldal Johnson tries to play with the bass having minimal contact with his body for some tonal reason. I have noticed that I get a different tone with the bass up higher, but I think that's more a result of my technique adapting to the different angle. I think Soundgardens bassist pretty much pioneered the "low slung" bass look that became so prevalent in certain heavier genres over the years. If it works for him, more power to him, but I've seen some players look like they're downright struggling to play the thing, seeming to be more focused on the "look" more than any specific tone or attack. I play my bass at belt buckle height, more or less and never change it, unless it's to sit down. Still, there might be something to the bass's position against the body that might effect tone...just not sure what it is. Perhaps JMJ can chime in.

 

[Mediocrity Man]

It's a simple answer for me. Comfort. If I'm comfortable I play better. My bass sits fairly high and puts my left hand in a good position with minimal bend in the wrist. My right hand lines up with the sound board with a straight wrist most of the time. Yes, my elbows are more bent but that doesn't seem to cause a problem.

 

[indodust]

I get MY TONE. I’m 6’3”, 36” sleeve length. I play low. My guitarist is 6’4”, and the bass is too low for him. I play a very heavy attack and get my perfect tone. When I raise it up, I sound like a pop bassist. Do what YOU want.

 

[MCS4]

Tone is a key consideration, but "tone" doesn't only have one meaning. I seem to get a slightly fatter/fuller fingerstyle sound with my bass "up high" due to minor changes in how my fingers approach the strings, but I generally have better overall facility in both fingerstyle and (particularly) pickstyle with my bass slung at a more medium height. So, there is a fair question as to whether my overall tone sounds better at one height or another.

At this stage of my life, I also sometimes adjust my strap height to accommodate various aches and pains, some of which are aggravated more at a low strap height and others at a high strap height.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Hi all

Few days a go I read old Tim Commerford interview where he talks about technique, strap height and tone. In this short sentence he refers to Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden who uses very long strap:
" That was the problem—you can’t get good tone when you have your bass at your knees. You can’t! Your fingers are not hitting the strings the right way. I used to have my bass kind of down lower and it just didn’t work out, y’know?" Invalid Link Removed

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I must agree with him that strap height makes difference to your tone.
I usually adjust strap height to best feel. When I play jazz, motown or something like that I play with short strap to get that right feel. It`s all so easier to play this type of music with bass high up your chest. But when I start to play some Metallica tunes with pick, I lower the bass to get that right feel and tone. And I believe that you just cant get that Jason Newsted like tone if you play with short strap. It`s "impossible" to do that heavy down picking if you wear your bass like Jaco Pastorius. And other way around it`s "impossible" to get that Jaco tone if you play your bass at same height as Newsted.

I remember Billy Sheehan advising strongly against adjusting your strap height and saying that you should stick with one height so the instrument feels the same every time you play. You know better where the notes are and don`t have to think the bass so much when playing. (or something like that)
This totally makes sense to me but I just can`t get that right feel and tone to every genre I play with just one strap height (or with just one bass but thats another thing).

How many of you have chosen your strap height mostly tone in mind?
Or do you choose to go more with looks, feel, comfort, playability etc. ?
And do you change the height of your bass by genre, feel, looks or some other factor?

It`s been long time since I posted anything at TB so I`m not sure it technique is right place for this or if this subject has been talked a lot lately. (I tried the search.)

I think there’s some truth behind it. Strap length does a few things. It can change the angle the fingers “go through” the strings. Players that have their basses super low and play finger style tend to pluck the strings downward into the neck for example. It also changes things like your plucking hand wrist position. Players that have their bass very high tend to play with a softer touch because they are more so using hand strength and not as much of the forearm strength. They just don’t sound like someone playing with a lot of energy that attacks strings hard. So I do think there’s some truth to it. But at the same time what’s a good tone and what’s a bad tone is all subjective really. So does strap length makes things different? Sure, is it better or worse? I guess that’s all personal taste. Personally for me I play with my basses hanging at a height that I find comfortable and for me that’s really a sorta average height i guess. I don’t play with my basses at my knees, but I also don’t play with my basses way up near my chest either.