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who uses a wrap on their thumb for slap?

bassmeknik

bassmeknik

Nov 6, 2009
1,481
244
Fair Haven, MI
#1
I am getting to where I can slap well enough but at 66 my arthritis is creating a problem for my thumb. It really hurts after (and during) performance on occasion. I read where Mark King used a piece of electrical tape to protect his thumb. Does anyone else here use a thumb protector and what do you use?
 
#5
From an article in Guitar World:

"It’s amazing how hard you hit the strings when you slap. Back in the early days I was slapping the bass so hard that I completely split my thumb and that was a real problem.We’d played thirteen back-to-back shows in Holland and by the end of it I was bleeding all over my bass. The Dutch nicknamed me the Butcher! Ever since then I’ve always played with a strip of gaffer tape around my thumb to stop it ever happening again.”

There’s a good shot of his thumb tape in it:

Level 42’s Mark King: the man with the 3 million dollar thumb
 
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#8
I do it often to mute the E string w/ my L thumb

Edit: I completely misunderstood the title. I don't wrap anything onto my thumb. I use/wrap my L thumb around the neck when I need to mute the E string when I slap.
 
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#9
When my thumb went numb for a while from over slapping I used ouchless hair ties because they just perfectly fit without actually squeezing. Worked great but sounded slightly different. I think the tape is best for skin abrasion vs bone pain
 
#12
Sam Evans said:
@Elusive1 , dig your profile pic.

Water over fire: the image of the condition
In After Completion.
Thus the superior man
Takes thoughts of misfortune
And arms himself against it in advance.
Click to expand...
And here I thought only a select few of my fellow Asians would know the true origin of my tattoo besides the G.I. Joe reference, haha. I'm genuinely surprised, impressed and grateful to have received a compliment like this from a random guy off an online forum who is actually aware of the real meaning behind it, you have my thanks and respect :thumbsup:

Also, nice Jazz Bass you have in your profile pic :bassist: I'm guessing it's late 60s/early 70s?
 
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#13
Elusive1 said:
And here I thought only a select few of my fellow Asians would know the true origin of my tattoo besides the G.I. Joe reference, haha. I'm genuinely surprised, impressed and grateful to have received a compliment like this from a random guy off an online forum who is actually aware of the real meaning behind it, you have my thanks and respect :thumbsup:

Also, nice Jazz Bass you have in your profile pic :bassist: I'm guessing it's late 60s/early 70s?
Click to expand...

Goodness, thanks for the kind words! The Yijing is one of my favorite texts.

It almost certainly in a 60s/70s Jazz, but that's not me! It's a very tiny far away picture of one of my heroes, John McVie, back in his early days. Sorry for the confusion!
 
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#14
bassmeknik said:
I am getting to where I can slap well enough but at 66 my arthritis is creating a problem for my thumb. It really hurts after (and during) performance on occasion. I read where Mark King used a piece of electrical tape to protect his thumb. Does anyone else here use a thumb protector and what do you use?
Click to expand...
Climbing tape is great. If you put it on correctly it allows you to move your finger while also protecting. And it's also durable against abrasion. The only thing i've ever done in my life that's even more brutal on my finger skin than bass playing is climbing.

There are different brands and different widths too. Some are really wide and some are super thin for going around all the twists turns of your fingers. Some brands are really good at sticking to your skin directly. Others, like Metolius don't stick much to your skin, but sticks to itself really well. I personally use Metolius for climbing and bass playing. Once you get the hang of getting it to stick to itself, the fact that it doesn't stick to your skin makes it more comfortable (at least to me it does) and helps your fingers move, and you don't have to wrap it on too tight for it to stay. Just wrap it around itself enough. But different people like different things.

But a roll of climbing tape is relatively cheap, usually around $5, so you can buy a few different brands and sizes and see what works best for your slapping thumb. Also works well if any of your other fingers blisters or cuts or cuticle bleeds and allows you to still play and articulate notes.

7 Best Climbing Tape Brands in 2024 - 99Boulders
 
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#16
No. I have definitely slapped hard enough to experience soreness. But I don't generally over do it to the point of resorting to tape. I probably have once or twice in a drunk jam, but not during actual performances.

How much force you use to slap is definitely a factor. I think the level of force I use with my thumb is medium to light.

If you slap regularly with moderate force, a callous should form. However, for the callous to form you need to avoid over doing it. In other words, don't play for so long that you cut through your skin or the developing callous.

If you slap hard enough, the windings on rounds will shred any callous. Is it really necessary or even optimum to thump that hard? You might enjoy beating the crap out of the bass...but IMHO it's not necessary. The harder you hit, the more wear and tear will occur on both you fingers and frets.

You might make the excuse that "I have to hit the bass hard." IMHO this is BS. If you want to get better at playing with a lighter touch, practice playing with a lighter touch and maintain discipline.

I have probably listened to World Machine and Running in the Family more than any other albums. So I am a fan of Mark King. But I look more to Victor Wooten or Bill Dickens for technical inspiration on slap.

I don't believe VW or BD are bashers/butchers. Both use double thumb extensively. AFAIK MK is more of a single thumb players, which IMHO leads itself more to bashing. IMHO MK's slap vocabulary is much more limited than either VW or BD...IMHO this is likely do to his reliance on single thumb. VW and BD integrate a variety of different techniques into their slap playing that allows them to play a wider range of licks.
 
#17
First, I want to state that I am not anti-tape at all. My head has had pre-cut pieces of electricians tape on it forever to cover my left hand whenever blisters popped or things started to bleed spring a set. Slide-heavy riffs and humidity are not a great combo.

That said... I always thought and still think I slap and pluck extremely hard. I honestly have to dial it back. I've never gotten pain. Does this prevent damage? How is it with mobility? Can you go from slap to classical plucking?
 

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