Volume spikes on slapping

[logdrum]

The overall tonal volume is actually lower when slapping and with the transients it evens out. I never see this as a problem of damaging . That is why it is not uncommon to scoop the EQ a bit with slight volume boost.

You must be slapping it hard and on top of the pickups. Are you sure you are not hitting the pickups with the strings.

Popping is more of a spirited pluck a la Geddy and others, I call it a plunk and that is why again a mild scoop/contour helps. But a setup helps here. I am not a low action guy. Not a fan of low action - medium/medium high and medium low at the worst. Marcus Miller rather than Wooten gauges.

Refine your technique before investing in compressor and limiters.

 

[sonojono]

Since your Ibanez has that “Phat EQ” I’d suggest turning it off completely and go from there. Nothing good comes out of that “Bass Boost Only” knob from Ibanez…

 

[GreyBeard]

A Boss or Behringer limiter will fix this. The Boss is built like a tank and the Behringer is cheap plastic but is less than 1/2 the cost. They both operate and sound the same.

 

[Carl Hillman]

If your strings are hitting your pickups, you need to lower the pickups, or thumb the string with less force, or (most likely) do a combination of those two things.

I also second the post that said to make contact with the strings just past the fingerboard. IMO, you don't need a compressor at this point. Learn good technique to get a fairly consistent volume first.

 

[djmay]

Stay away from compressors or any pedals to compensate. You need better technique. Too many bass players try to compensate for poor technique with effects. Good technique requires slow, deliberate practice. It takes time and is well worth it.

 

[Shenron]

Summarising the suggestions a bit:

1st adjust the bass setup:

- straighten the neck to as low relief as possible
- lower the action at the bridge
- lower the pickups
- use lighter gauge strings

2nd change the playing technique:

- generally slap lighter
- slap near the end of the neck

3rd (later, optionally) add sound processing aids:

- use a limiter to block the spikes
- use a compressor to even out the extreme volumes

I have a Zoom B1four to try out what some basic compressor/limiter can do, but I will try not to rely on it.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Summarising the suggestions a bit:

- generally slap lighter
- slap near the end of the neck

3rd (later, optionally) add sound processing aids:

- use a limiter to block the spikes
- use a compressor to even out the extreme volumes

Technique-wise, slapping lighter and near the neck is a good starting point. You can find lots of YouTube videos of Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, and others both playing and teaching. Study their hand/thumb angles to see if what you are doing is radically different.

As for compression or other tools, there are a couple issues to consider:

First, live sound in a band is totally different from jamming alone at home. The tones that cut through in your living room may get totally eaten up by a hi hat or a guitar. That deep meaty low end that rumbles the wall could vanish into nothing when you're on stage with a wide range of frequencies blasting over each other. So, when dialing in your tone, remember that perfect bedroom tone is often awful on stage, and a great stage tone that cuts through the mix may sound very different when it's the only instrument in the room.

Second, all the great slap players can pick up any bass, plug into any amp, and sound good. Sure, there are tools that can help clean things up, especially in the studio, but that's not the magic. If you invite Victor Wooten or Marcus Miller over to your house and hand them your bass they aren't going say "Well, I can't slap without my limiter!"

Lastly, remember that your goal is to make the string vibrate. That's it. You aren't trying to beat it into submission or bash it through the fretboard. Yeah, Flea plays super hard and looks really cool doing it, but 99% of bass players sound better and have a far easier time slapping by approaching it with a light touch, some even more like a finesse stroke rather than a physical spanking.

 

[factory presets]

Flea plays super hard and looks really cool doing it, but 99% of bass players sound better and have a far easier time slapping by approaching it with a light touch,

Yeah but Flea has fallen under the Hell-spawned thrall of Louis Johnson.

I'm joking of course. But I'm seriously saying that enough successful slappers use techniques that are usually frowned upon. If you have an issue playing something you should follow advice from people who have solved it for themselves. But if you stumble across an unusual technique that works well for you, maybe stress-test the life out of it before dismissing it out of hand.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Yeah but Flea has fallen under the Hell-spawned thrall of Louis Johnson.

I'm joking of course. But I'm seriously saying that enough successful slappers use techniques that are usually frowned upon. If you have an issue playing something you should follow advice from people who have solved it for themselves. But if you stumble across an unusual technique that works well for you, maybe stress-test the life out of it before dismissing it out of hand.

Sure, there aren't really "wrong" ways to play, but there are ways that lead to health issues or drain your stamina at a level that makes such technique ineffective or inefficient in the real world. I've had to relearn a lot of techniques, including slapping early in my career, because of wrist and tendon issues caused by bad technique.

How many dudes playing 5 sets in a disco wedding band are slapping with balls-to-the-wall Flea technique?

 

[factory presets]

Sure, there aren't really "wrong" ways to play, but there are ways that lead to health issues or drain your stamina at a level that makes such technique ineffective or inefficient in the real world. I've had to relearn a lot of techniques, including slapping early in my career, because of wrist and tendon issues caused by bad technique.

Which is why I suggested stress-testing unconventional styles. If your new thing has problems, including physical ones, you need to find a way to fix them or abandon it. But the real counter argument is that if nobody stepped outside the box for fear of potential consequences, none of us would be slapping today.

I started slapping chasing the sound and talk of thumbing it. Settled on something very close to Mr Wooten minus upstrokes. And got a lot of scepticism. So I learned to knuckle the top fret like everyone else. Now everyone does what I did. And I had to re-relearn it.

How many dudes playing 5 sets in a disco wedding band are slapping with balls-to-the-wall Flea technique?

How many 5 set disco bands are even slapping all night? Is anybody slapping the bridal waltz.

 

[hbarcat]

I don't think that you should worry about loud transients overloading or damaging your equipment. I'd be more concerned that your loud transients will overpower the other instruments with sound.

To combat this, I'd get a compressor. In fact, I have one built into my amp and also a pedal version when needed. A compressor keeps the volume level moderated.

 

[tshapiro]

I’m a very experienced slapper, I can slap on the neck, just before the neck, even down by the bridge. I don’t need a compressor or limiter. Here are some of my keys:
- Scoop the amp EQ. What I find is bass can be a mid-forward tone or a subs/highs tone. I go for the the subs/highs.
- Certain speakers lend themselves better to slap. Again, naturally scooped speaker cabs with heft work better. This eliminates a lot of neo speakers.
- An amp with plenty of head room makes it easier. No fun to slap/pop when you feel the amp is peaking or speakers are going to bust out of the cab. I generally use a 1000w class A/B head with 2 ceramic speaker 4x10’s. For small stages I use half that (500w and a 410). My amp is set louder than most people would set theirs, but, my touch is much softer than most people.
- Low as possible action
- Thicker low E and A strings. Thinner D and G strings. I find the Flea signature boomers work the best for me. Fat low end and smooth highs.
- Active or passive pickups work. But,
like Flea, I actually roll back my treble a bit when slapping. That’s the only adjustment I make. Roll it back up for finger and pick style.
- My pops are very light. Many times they are more of a percussive ghost note. I mostly pop with the tip of my finger vs. full-hooked pop. This allows you to go much faster as well.
- While I consider the proper setup a prerequisite, the heart of it is learning to properly use your hands and that takes time. Maybe a couple dedicated years.
- It’s key to learn to do funk 16-note scratching on guitar - James Brown band style. The typical slap rhythm is based on that.

 

[SpankBazz]

Someone is eventually, if they haven't already, going tell you that your thumb attack is the problem and to hit softer.
The point of my post is to tell you to ignore that.

You should be able to hit the strings as hard as you like (use proper technique and please don't injure yourself).
Your equipment should be able to handle a hard strike.
It's not necessary to hit your strings hard for a good sound, but for some players, it's just part of their personal approach.

The cause of the spike is not your thumb attack.
Louis Johnson, Larry Graham, and Flea all hit their strings pretty hard.



Once you eliminate string and pickup height issues, a compressor is the probable next step.
You might have some hot, high output pickups that need to be tamed by compression.