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Slap bass. I know it comes up on occasion... But what the flip is it with youtube and instagram bassists and the slappidy bappidy clippedy boing noises?! Argh!! I'm totally after things about tone, amp settings, nice playing tips, just nice playing full stop but everything on there seems to be some noodle with a bass in their armpit and their thumb flapping back and forth like they're having a very localised seizure... Seriously, is there any popular, recent, fun or interesting music that uses it? I've noticed the odd bit of clonking here and there on some Bruno-Mars-esque stuff but mostly no, because we want to hear, y'know, notes, not the sound of stainless steel rattling and thwacking. It makes me want to use a pick just to annoy them....

A £300 Squier and spend the rest on beer and loose women. Seriously! What's the point in spending 3 grand on a bass?

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I bloody love slap bass as much as any other style and I’m all for seeing it included in demos

Yes!!! Its not clever to make a bass sound like a ukulele!! Its not even clever to make a ukulele sound like a ukulele!!

I enjoyed it. Watched it on the night and would still be watching it now if all of the people mentioned so far in the thread had been included in the programme. Not sure what people actually expect from a one hour programme.

In my two originals bands we're constantly suggesting to others what they could play. Sometimes it sounds good, sometimes it doesn't, and while the player has the most important input, anybody can chime in if they have an idea. Why not?

ACG. You can thank me later.

Yeah it does get rather tedious. But what I find even more annoying is when you're watching a review and all they do is play chords at the top end of the neck. It's a bass you pillock! We want to hear what the low notes sound like.

Its like 'shredding' in guitar demos... Nobody does that anymore, its the pulling wheelies of playing an instrument..! The sole purpose of it is to show that you can... I like Scott Devine too - but he's got a real habit of playing jazzy sounding licks with harmonics at the moment.. And on that really ugly brown bass with the centre stripe. That he wears stuck up his nose.. I may be in an intolerant mood though..

Just about every review you see on Youtube of a bass, has some plonker slapping all over it. There is a time and a place for it. The mid-eighties!

Used to do this but got a new singer in who was called Gordon and, you guessed it, his wife was Julie. He wasn't keen.....

I was in U.K. Chili Peppers for more than 3 years. It was such fun playing Flea, really challenging and a right laugh. I’m now in Fu Fighters playing loads and loads of festivals in front of some canny large crowds and it’s the best! Not as difficult as playing Flea but as a band and experience it’s as close as I’ll ever get to the ‘real thing’. A real buzz! I know some people look down on tribute acts but I’m not arsed, it’s epic 🤘

Sorted.

I put together most of the below basses, all high spec by factory built comparison models (Fender etc), for around or under the O/Ps budget. Most are Warmoth or Allparts necks/bodies, which are generally a step up from standard Fender quality (IMO of course). All are outstanding players and solid as a rock. You'll see a theme......

there's probably a thread on a guitarists forum about this bloke who's never happy and gets through his guitarists at a rapid rate, just because they learned a different version of the cover he wanted to do

No, you're right it's silly. It's not showing off the bass, it's the bassist showing off.

Was he so upset that he cried all the way to the chip shop?

I’ve always wondered why so many bassists use slap in demos etc when it appears to be such a little used technique in the real (recording and public performance) world? It’s a bit like a demo for a lawn mower showing how well it can be used to carry the shopping home. I suspect however that it is a convention so hard-wired into our collective consciousness, that even if we are never going to use it, deep down we need to know whether a prospective purchase is good for slap. Just in case.

Well, just watched the first two of these and have to say like a few others, preferred the drum one. I think essentially the difference between the two is the influence of the presenter. In Stuart Copeland, you have someone who has lived and breathed music and drums from a very early age and has worked at the highest levels both in terms of sales/ popularity and all round musical credibility. In Tina Weymouth, you have someone who was handed a bass at the age of 24 and told to learn it. I'm not belittling her talent here- she has sustained a music biz career for many years so she's obviously doing something right- but more pointing out that her musical experiences seem to me to be much more limited than the likes of Copeland and I think the choices of who/ what to feature reflected that. A programme about bass that misses out Squire, Entwhistle, JPJ? No Stanley Clarke, Jaco, Mick Karnes, Pino? No Larry Graham/ Louis Johnson? No Tony Levin/ Lee sklar? But wastes a few minutes on Dizee Rascal...mmm? On the plus side, she was very personable and had a nice easy way in front of the camera - just needed a more widely informed editorial direction. Anyone know who's doing the guitar one? Hopefully someone like Dave Grohl.

I'd be straight to Jon Shuker...I've got my next build spec all ready and waiting 🙂 I'd also agree with Ped, though - you need to be sure of exactly what you want a luthier to build for you, or be equally confident that you'll keep it anyway: I'll keep the Shuker I had made for my 50th forever, because it was paid for (in part) by all my friends and family. Happily, it's also a great bass for me, and gets used nearly every gig 🙂

I'm far too fickle to assume i'll keep what ever i'd order from a custom luthier, and the depreciation on them is shocking (and the marketplace is flooded with boutique customs currently). I'd get a couple of £1500 ones instead, if not 3 x 2nd hand good ones.

Not to mention they really know what they're doing with their knobs.

I’ve been really lucky with JMB, current singer was obtained through there 2 years ago - we had a decent band together but all wanted different things, he and I quit on the same day. Knowing I was busy with family (the biggest reason for me quitting), he’s spent the last year sorting a (quite frankly astonishing) guitarist and a really great drummer - he then said, “ready when you are”. And it’s coming together nicely. Sometimes you have to sift through the shite to get to the good bits.

I'd be on the phone to Mr ACG, Alan Cringean. No contest.

Personally I wouldn’t go for a custom build unless you know exactly what you want - even then, there are so many factors that make a bass sound great I don’t know if I could say for definite what would work with what when I’m paying for it. Not easy to sell either. That’s why I’d go for something that I can try first.

There are many reasons to play your own thing, and they're not all bad: Because the whole band has completely rearranged the song in a different style, and truly made it their own. Great! If no-one ever did this, musical history would be stagnant. Because the original part is full of variations and was probably improvised, and you're not in a warts-and-all tribute band. And none of those variations are prominent hooks that people will miss. No problem! The only people who'll notice are other bass players 😉 Because the band has had to rearrange the song to work with the instrumentation that you have, and so you're pretending to be a synthesizer or a piano player's left hand. Or there was no bass part to begin with, so you've made up something that fits the style. Okay! Because, as an amateur, you don't have the ability to play it "right" yet - but you're working on it. Fine! Because you're tone-deaf and you genuinely can't tell that you've got it wrong. Understandable! But perhaps music isn't the right hobby for you 😅 Because you think the original part is boring to play, and your own entertainment is more important to you than the audience's. It depends! Do you have taste and restraint, and have you come up with something that is sympathetic and doesn't trample over the song? Hint: Slap bass is never the correct answer! Because you know it's wrong, but you're too lazy to learn it and "the punters won't know the difference". Questionable! Kinda feels like you're insulting both the audience and the original artist 🤨 Because you've just learned how to slap / tap / sweep pick / etc. and you are determined to shoehorn it in wherever possible. Nope! I think that's why this is such a contentious topic whenever it comes up - folks assume we're all talking about the same thing, and some of them take it personally. I don't think anyone's got a problem with cutting down a long song, or repeating bits of a very short one, or making up an ending for something that fades out on the record. That's just practical.

I answered an ad by a singer on the Norwich Musicians Network looking to form a band. I was the first to reply and she promised more details. So a day later I get a playlist of about 100 songs from every conceivable genre, plus she wanted to know if I would be available for international touring. I pointed out we hadn't even had our first pub gig. For some reason this generated a tsunami of outrage at my negativity.

There you go mate

Ha, i was going to PM you about mine this weekend. Glad your sorted now though.

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Playing an old (very!) classic. The drummer and I were both deps for these guys. For those that care about such things I was playing a 50-year-old P-bass with flats through a Little Mark and Barefaced Super Compact. Cheers, Graham

Another vote for ACG. I have a lovely J-type 5 string (which was originally built for someone else). ACG J-type 5 Different enough to be different, but not too extreme looking or sounding. If you want something a bit more non-traditional look at the Recurve or Krell basses Alan does.

Just finished up mixing and doing the video for the latest band promo video... We took a bit of a risk on this one... because we love the song - and to be fair, everybody else seems to also... but it's a song that I've never heard any other band do live. Always a tricky one when trying to figure out what will work on the promo front. The jury is out on this one... The whole ethos of this band was to do modern dance and pop songs but giving them that definitely live vibe. This definitely remains one of our faves to play live and always seems to get people on to the dancefloor when we kick off a set with it. What are your forgotten gems that your band plays, to get away from the normal GeFF (Generic Function Fodder)?

Or even crustaceans. ... oh, i get it.

I had one mic pointed at strumming hand and the other at the 12th fret. I used a third mic pointed at the guutar from about 2 metres for ambience. The result was perfect.

This sounds like the makings of an excellent documentary.

it's hard to believe some bands turn up at rehearsal to learn a new song and nobody's asked "What version are we doing and what key are we playing it in". As @dmccombe7 says if in doubt just send everybody the version you're going to do, it's not rocket science, and take it with you to rehearsals for when someone (there's usually one) 'hasn't had time' to listen to it and the singer needs to know if they can sing it in that key As regards finishing songs with a fade out, just listen to how the band do it live

I know I would get one... I’d only use 4 of the 5 strings though.... Personally I’d look at Shuker or Status, dependent upon your needs, active , passive, graphite neck, pups......

I've ranted about it before, but the different interpretations of "really motivated" is a massive bugbear of mine. Half the people who claim to be really motivated when you form a band are just flat out liars. Nothing more frustrating than finding a band member who is the right standard and fits in brilliantly, who then turns out only to be available every third Saturday because of the kids and the wife and the golf and everything else they do, and then only if Arsenal aren't at home or on the TV, and as long as they haven't had a long week and don't really fancy it. the type that will be in the band when it suits them, but it's last on their list of priorities if they can find anything better to do. the type that like the idea of being in band more than they actually like being in a band. And in my experience it's quite often very talented musicians, who think that the band should be grateful for their presence. I've put up with this type for far too long in previous bands and it only ever ends in one way, they get kicked out. I can see that if it's a duo then that may not be the ideal option. I note that you're saying that you're a beginner, and you made a comment about being a crappy bassist. I don't know if this is false modestly, a joke or a brutally honest assessment, but if you're looking for other musicians, it could be a factor - the thread is all about walking into an audition thinking that it's going to be excellent musicians based on what the OP was told, and being massively disappointed by the standard of the playing. While I can't solve your band issues, I would suggest that concentrating on improving your playing, and getting out there and making connections are a couple of areas you could look at. On that last point I've always found that the better bands don't need to advertise for musicians, they spend their time hanging around with musicians, and whenever a vacancy arises they can ask one of their mates, or if they don't have any bass playing mates who are available, they can ask their mates if they know any good bass players who are free. If nobody knows you at the moment then you're never getting that call, and it's down to you to change that. It's not necessarily an easy thing to get into, but going to jam nights, or playing in bands that aren't playing exactly the music that you want to do gets you a bit more experience, and gets you known among local musicians. And it works both ways, you'll get to know the other local musicians and you'll have contacts that you can ask to join your band. And if you really hate the music you're playing, you can always quit, but at least you'll have done something in the meantime. In summary, keep your current band going if you're making music that you like, but maybe think about going and doing something else at the same time, even if it's not exactly what you want to be doing.

now you mention it, I was at the mixing desk at the time, she probably thought I was the sound guy lol, talk about having low standards lol

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So when do the "civilians" in the audience ever comprehend anything the bass player does? I did have a lovely moment last summer after a festival gig when a very elderly lady came up to me, put her hand on my arm, smiled and said "Thank you - the bass drives the band, you know!" 🙂

Your best off getting a band together with your mates , I have met some great people from jmb,but unfortunately I've met all the pink torpedo heads as well 😕

I think you could get your birth year bass within that price range and still have money left over to have a cool break somewhere. I went to New York for my 40th and looking back a few years later, I find that preferable to a bass I would have probably sold on at some point.

Bad luck @ahpook... ...I've just replied to your ad! (can I bring my kazoo to the audition?)

PRO TIP: repeat the "mistake" next time around so it seems you did it on purpose, that's JAZZ