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I hate that it is automatically associated with funk. Slap is not funk. Funk is about space. Slap is, unfortunately, used by many as an opportunity to play more notes than they should and, therefore, is the opposite of real funk. Used sparingly, slap is fine. Abused as it is by seemingly 95% of those with twitchy thumbs, it is an aural abomination.

I think it is nice as an accent, or in a song, but it is harsh and tiring to listen to when used all the time. Pretty much like talking in capitals would be! I would also say it isn't the hardest technique to master, it is just another techniqie.

I don't hate it. What I do find, personally, is that I recognise it is an 'important tool' and should be explored but, when I will have spent a million hours perfecting it, I will be left with the ability to impress other bass players and play music I dislike. Like most bass players, I am impressed with the 'juggling' aspect of the technique but, unlike some of you, I have no real use for it. I respect players who can do it but see no need to spend time with it myself.

I wanted to draw people's attention to this as it took me 'kin ages and I am not altogether sure who looks at my Transcription Archive page. I have completed a FULL transcription of Chris Squire's bass part to Close To The Edge. I have been meaning to do this for years and, now we have these 'Isolated Bass' things on YouTube, it's a no brainer. A labour of love, this one. Close To The Edge Bass Part.pdf

This a bit better, @Si600 ? And now you should be able to see the tiny angle of the bridge towards the stoptail at the bass side. Tiny, but it gives me a couple of mm safety factor for different string gauges, etc Other jobs today, I epoxied a couple of carbon rod stiffeners across the grain on the hatch to make sure it stays completely flat: Then copper-foiled the chamber and hatch and added the bottom magnets: Next job is fitting the hatch magnets and then that's down to just 4 things still to do

Again, nothing. I won't speak for all bass players but it's the way slapping is used to 'test' a bass in a shop or at a guitar show. The whole look at me, I can slap really fast. It's not an accurate demonstration of what the bass can really do.

An absolute 1st class pr!ck. He likes to shoot anything with a face. Hunters are so brave, aren't they

My Status selection. I'd really like a headless 5-string.

Well, here you go Hatch magnets fixed:

Hi Guys, it looks like I have been judged, then hung drawn and quartered! The bass came into us a couple of days ago and I detailed the bass as we found it, it is a commission sale and the price is a guide from the owner. I think the comment about it being worth £1,000 is mildly humorous, I would love to buy 1966 Fenders for that kind of money too! At the end of the day it is a 54 year old instrument with a history, it is non original that has been made clear, we are not trying to con anyone or pass it off as something it isn't. It is a beautiful players instrument with great age and mojo, that cannot be faked, nor is a modern re-issue the same thing. We are a small family independent who are very upset at being judged blind, maybe some communication would have been a nicer way to discuss the instrument? As you know if you are looking for that holy grail, mint condition 1966 Fender to hang on the wall you will pay a premium, this is from the current blue book, the official price guide - 1966 N/A $6,000 $4,800 $3,900 This is broken down as year, price new (NA) Mint condition $6,000 then declining condition. Here is a link to a very nice example - https://www.andybaxterbass.com/products/1966-fender-precision-bass-sunburst So please can we keep things in context and not bad mouth the remaining independent shops as we are loosing music shops by the week, and as I said earlier i feel making contact and discussing sensibly is better than speculation. Kind regards Graham, Suzy and Ed Badlands Guitars, Brighton

Not really a build, but it was suggested I start a thread here so that those with actual knowledge can chip in and explain where I went wrong. Or congratulate me on my previously unsuspected skill. Pics and story to follow.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life- MP

In an attempt to inspire myself to pick up a bass and start playing again after a long (very long) break, I set myself the rather ambitious target of learning Vlufpeck's Conscious Club, during lockdown... First realisation - that after 8 years away, I definitely can't play at the level I used too! Second realisation - OK, that's probably a bit too ambitious for a first track to tackle. Settled on Frank Wilson's Do I Love You instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV_Bql7Pugw Got all the parts together, just need to work on the consistency at full speed. Thankfully it's only 2.25...

I think part of it may be that it's an easy technique to do badly, yet it retains this aura of "wow, amazing" around it for those who don't play. So it can grate a bit, both the mediocre playing and the undeserved "adulation". Another thing I've noticed is that it looks as though the most vociferous anti-slap opinions, in forums, come from people who can't or won't slap, so there may be an element of subliminal envy (not that there's anything to be envious at all, if you wanted to you would be able to slap, no question...) But perhaps, the biggest factor is that it's a technique that's prone to be abused. There's a tendency to shoehorn slap patterns at speed when -to me- it doesn't really fit the song. There are times for fast and furious slap, and times for slow and tasteful slap. If all you do is repeat fast slap patterns from the beginning till the end it's all very yawn-inducing. A bit like 'guitar shredding' in the 80-90s. When guitar gymnastics take precedence over *music* then it's going to get a bit tedious after a while. When Yngwie Malmsteen released his first album I loved it. I still do. Very tasteful even when he goes into a million notes per second mode. Fast forward a few albums later and it just seems a compilation of cliches, with a few great tracks interspersed with derivative filler.

And there’s a good reason not to drink and Dremel! No idea sorry! Other than someone’s done a right number on it!

I would never like Kiss in a zillion years but I have a pathological dislike of them largely because of Gene Simmons who's a sexist, materialistic, greedy, Trump supporting, arrogant tool. If it wasn't for him I'd just have a neutral attitude towards the band.

The 'sound in my head' is the sound of bass as played while I was growing up, which encompasses everything from Elvis to Yes and incorporates LOTS of Beatles and Stones, Motown and glam. So that's double bass, Hofner Violin and Rickenbacker, and loads of Fender. Keyboard bass doesn't work for me, synth bass is an abomination, and slap bass is pretty much a joke, a party trick that got out of hand. To my ears, slap isn't bass playing and never will be. It's part of the rhythm section, yes, but it's a part that I try to avoid. It's in the same category as too much cowbell or obsessive use of claves. Hey ... you asked me, OK? If I'd been borm in 1966 rather than 1956 then who knows, maybe I'd see (and hear) things differently.

I can't do it.

Nothing. It's all part of the tool box. Same as using a plectrum if the song needs it.

That’s amazing. It’s inspired me to do a full bass transcription of Madrigal, Mood For A Day and The Clap. Shouldn’t take too long!

Always annoys me how rock and pop stars can pull off wearing a vest and ripped Jean's and look cool, no matter what age they are. When I do it I look like Rab C Nesbitts fatter, less successful brother.

The Band was Prefab Sprout who I had met in Scarborough in 77. They were a couple of lads from Durham who were brothers Paddy and Martin Mcaloon.

Keep an eye on the for sale threads here, there are often quality Trace Elliot heads going for an absolute bargain. *cough*

Yeah, but you wouldn’t have to turn down the treble on the amp because the compressor is pretty subtle, these are the settings I use for reggae and dub , the dark does boost the bass and it’s a clear sound, if I turn the light up full it’s only just noticeable

When I am Laid in Earth (Purcell's Dido and Aeneas) Gloomy Sunday - Diamanda Galas Follow those with one of mine, so any attendees can reflect that it's actually no great loss after all.

OK so, I bought a bass many moons ago because I thought it was a pretty shape. Took it to an old acquaintance who services, builds and tarts up guitars. He returned it with a rueful shake of the head. Trussrod is at maximum adjustment and the neck doesn't come off so I can't shim it. I smiled politely and hoped my utter incomprehension wasn't too clearly written on my face. Fast forward a few years. Having enjoyed many build threads here, I fancy myself as a pretty well read chap. Consider - haven't I changed pickups? Straightened necks? Raised and lowered nuts and set my own action? Ah yes, I even own a tool for levelling frets. So I had at it! and promptly took the end of the trussrod clean off. It now lives buried in the nut. Here is the bass And here is where there ought to be a bit of trussrod showing. Or at least a bit more. And why am I doing this outside? Well, when the most recent Mrs Black handed me the pink slip, I took leave of my palatial lifestyle and with it went my lovely workshop. So I have a workmate (Lidl) and whatever tools I can dig out of the shed. Nowhere to repair a bass, not indoors. I am going to warm and then slice the finish with surgical precision, the aim to separate it where fretboard meets neck. Then having exposed the body end of the fretboard begin with heat and gentle leverage to raise the board. First job, remove the strings This went better than I dared to hope. So filled with confidence I removed the scratchplate too. Exposing the round bits and the wiggly bits too. For those who care about such things here is where the socket appears to have grown another, like some dreadful furuncle. The next part has no photograph. Because the next part involved ordering a scalpel and some blades. How I stopped myself from having at it with a cold chisel and an eight pound lump I do not know. Never the most patient kind of man, I am wont to improvise and have a crack with whatever is to hand. But not this time. I promised I'd be good. So tune in next time when we play Can Stew Ruin A Perfectly Acceptable Wall Hanging Or Will He Actually End Up With A Playable Instrument. Preferably one that doesn't look like he found it on a skip.

I make no excuses, I do it way too much, I’ve used it in bands and it’s unfortunately like a default setting at times. I absolutely can play other styles, and I do lots of that too. I completely agree it’s done to death. But to me it’s just the same as a pick, finger style or using an ebow...a sound/style/technique. There are quite a few YouTube/Instagram players who do it to an extent I find moderately offensive - only because it’s thrown at every song and is their “thing”. It’s like chocolate. Nice to have every now and then, but will make you sick eventually if you binge on it. I certainly don’t get the “slap is crap” mentality - just like I would never Deride a pick style player (Bobby Vega/Cody Wright?). And so on.

I’m a carpenter and joiner/cabinet maker by trade, if I can assist I will stew 👍

Because like any popularity contest, the "greatest" basslines are, in the eyes of the public, the ones they most easily recognise, or the ones that feature at the forefront of their respective songs.

'Fess up: which of us weren't impressed by our fellow BC'er playing AND singing on this video a couple of months back? In fact that YT clip is one of the most liked posts on BC we've had in ages and was only marginally beaten by the picture of a bass lying in its case...

Finished rough shaping. Can’t glue the wings on as I’m waiting for a delivery of wire. I need to extend the headphone amp wires and need to thread through holes though the neck laminates.

I'll happily listen to most music.... except computer programmed modern pop, rap, grime, or KISS FM type stuff which I can't stand and find no redeeming quality, musical or otherwise, in. If there is a well written melody, a good singer and/or real musicians playing it I'm generally fine with it - no matter if it's jazz, blues, rock, metal, soul, funk, disco, reggae, classical etc

What have we told you about spending too much time on Talkbass!

Saw them a couple of times in the 80s, it was a party over here and a party over there.

Nice! What a band!

I'm sure Ted Nugent should be on this list. I never liked his music much anyway, but when I found out what he's like as a person ...

When you're going through their back catalogue, don't forget the first class The War Room EP. Yep, live they always deliver. Very good at festivals.

Slap is often the quickest way to display your lack of musicality. The difference between those who can play slap musically and those who can't is a lot bigger than finger style or pick playing

And what a great song it is too.

Love the slap and always did. Still tend to use it a bit for effect - it's just another sound. This forum gets itself tied in knots over it in exactly the same way as "who needs more than 12 frets", "the fender precision is the only bass I will ever need" and Jaco was just tuneless noodling. Also, if your bass doesn't supply enough bottom end when you slap it, you're not doing it right, you're using the wrong bass or you've not set up your sound properly. Forgive me basschat - I'm just in that sort of a mood today!

There are places where slap is just right, but in the music I enjoy most they're quite infrequent. The funk styles that I feel most strongly are largely fingerstyle. So I guess I just think of it as a strong flavour that some people badly overuse; sometimes nothing else will do, but more often I hear people cramming it in where it didn't need to be.

Wasn't that Level 42's dirty little secret - Mark King's slap basslines often had to be doubled up using a synth or suchlike in order to bring back the missing bottom end? Personally, quite like slap in the right place, but can't play slap to save my life - slow synapses or something. And get fed up with it being over-used in every single bass demo video ever...

Started roughing the neck shape. I’ll do most of the shaping before glueing the wings to the neck. No quick way to do a single cut!

Its all about individual songs, not genre. Music I like and music I dont like. Simple. Anything from the 20s to yesterday, if I like it I like it.