P-Bass: Different setup for betting slap/pop?

[marshall409]

Hey guys,

I've played an old p-bass knockoff for a while now, was my first instrument, pretty decent for the 100 bucks my parents probably paid for it ahaha. anyways, its got a pretty deep round tone, great for fingerpicking soft jazz and stuff like that, and is good for rock with a pick, but where it loses the magic is when i try and slap. ive played lots of basses, much nicer ones, and i know what a slap bass is supposed to feel like, but it seems my bass just cannot do it. i cant imagine why its so different from the fender precision i play for school, its built the same, obviously much lower quality woods and stuff, but my guitars still sound like guitars, you get what i mean?

does this sound like anything an action, neck pitch, string guage might fix? i dont even know what kind of strings are on it, but i know it wasnt any better before my last change. and btw, i am a decent bass player, ive played for years, ive just never brought myself to spend the money on a new bass cuz im more focused on recording and guitar gear generally. or are some basses just inherently not good for slapping. i dont get any twang, and pop, all i hear is the fretboard smack and a weak aftertone

any ideas guys? i know this is kind of vague, if you can think of any questions that might help, ask away.

thanks guys,

Adam

 

[Roguetitan]

P bass are excellent for slap and pop technique however it should not matter much as to what kind of bass you use but...
for slap and pop a High action with medium round wound strings is what I use.
use the Neck pickup with the volume and tone full on.

the high action will also help when popping so you can get your fingers under the strings easier and faster.

 

[eyema_believer]

Hey guys,

I've played an old p-bass knockoff for a while now, was my first instrument, pretty decent for the 100 bucks my parents probably paid for it ahaha. anyways, its got a pretty deep round tone, great for fingerpicking soft jazz and stuff like that, and is good for rock with a pick, but where it loses the magic is when i try and slap. ive played lots of basses, much nicer ones, and i know what a slap bass is supposed to feel like, but it seems my bass just cannot do it. i cant imagine why its so different from the fender precision i play for school, its built the same, obviously much lower quality woods and stuff, but my guitars still sound like guitars, you get what i mean?

does this sound like anything an action, neck pitch, string guage might fix? i dont even know what kind of strings are on it, but i know it wasnt any better before my last change. and btw, i am a decent bass player, ive played for years, ive just never brought myself to spend the money on a new bass cuz im more focused on recording and guitar gear generally. or are some basses just inherently not good for slapping. i dont get any twang, and pop, all i hear is the fretboard smack and a weak aftertone

any ideas guys? i know this is kind of vague, if you can think of any questions that might help, ask away.

thanks guys,

Adam

Do you have a compressor? If you do, patch it in and squash it hard, with a lot of make-up gain. That way, the softer notes (slaps, pops) will come out more. If you get the make-up gain high enough, just tapping the strings a bit should sound loud and percussive.

Peace!

~Shawn

 

[Light]

Slap/pop stuff ABSOLUTELY needs a different set up from someone playing entirely with fingers.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[second skin]

the thing is that if you are trying to get it to do the modern slick sounding slap stuff then it probably won't. it will always be more of an old school sound. that is definitly not a bad thing, but it is generally true. of course all basses will vary slightly.

and i wouldn't bother raising the action too much. instead work on your right hand technique as far as getting it controlled. a lot of people seem like they try to attack the bass too hard and end up being sloppy. there is a fine line really.

 

[Roguetitan]

the thing is that if you are trying to get it to do the modern slick sounding slap stuff then it probably won't. it will always be more of an old school sound. that is definitly not a bad thing, but it is generally true. of course all basses will vary slightly.

and i wouldn't bother raising the action too much. instead work on your right hand technique as far as getting it controlled. a lot of people seem like they try to attack the bass too hard and end up being sloppy. there is a fine line really.

I do not agree With most of this post.
you can put the slap down on a P bass and it will sound as good or better than any other model on the market.
a higher action is better suited for slap and pop technique. slapping with a low action will have a thin sound.

however right hand Control is the key to having a good technique.
go to youtube.com and type in slap and pop bass lessons or Victor Wooten bass lessons or Marcus Miller, ect
the videos will help reinforce what you already know about slap and pop technique and may show you some things you may not know about the technique.

 

[marshall409]

Thanks

thanks everybody for the input.


i think i will try changing the action just a bit to experiment and see if it helps.

what i was trying to explain is that i know for a fact that its not technique. like obviously you have to vary your technique to adapt to different basses, but i get that modern slick slap pop sound on the p bass at school, so i couldnt figure out what it was, a different set up, different type of strings, or just a lack of quality. either way, i love this bass for that classic rock sound, and the deep round finger tone, so maybe i should just be glad i have that and get my hands on a cheap SX jazz bass or something for the slap stuff.

thanks for the input guys.

Adam

 

[second skin]

I do not agree With most of this post.
you can put the slap down on a P bass and it will sound as good or better than any other model on the market.
a higher action is better suited for slap and pop technique. slapping with a low action will have a thin sound.

however right hand Control is the key to having a good technique.
go to youtube.com and type in slap and pop bass lessons or Victor Wooten bass lessons or Marcus Miller, ect
the videos will help reinforce what you already know about slap and pop technique and may show you some things you may not know about the technique.

you know i really never spent much time slapping. at least not to the point where i would change the setup on my bass to suit it. i don't like slap at all really and only have done it much if someone that was hiring me for a gig asked for it on a certain song. i do think though that a jazz bass is much better than a P for the modern slap sound.