davethebass Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Hi All am newby to this site and also to upright bass. I am suddenly in a country band and need to do slap. Have just got a Kand K rockabilly pickup which means am getting the slap from the fingerboard. I need to know what strings to use and also how to set up the action...I am reasonable at slap but can't get my fingers under the strings quick enough to do a triple slap. My bass is a reasonable 3/4 size Czech.plywood model. Also need to know where I can find a reasonable amp that is suitable for d bass. Am based near Manchester would love to know of a good luthier who could help. Don't want much do I ? LOL Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonzoooroo Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Welcome to the minefield! Fom my experience: Strings and technique dictate action height. Players using a soft string (weedwhackers/guts) use a very high action to get" underneath" as you describe... but if you go for a higher tension string, you won't be able to slap on a very high action. I currently have 2 electric uprights, one with spirocores (for the mag pickup) and a very low action (gives a psychobilly sound, for want of a better description! - perfect with a loud band though.), the other with some sort of innovation nylon cores on (peizo pickup - much more "natural" sound) ... Both have 4/4 strings on a 3/4 scale length and a correspondingly higher action for the one with nyons (even then, it's only regular "classical" action though!) and I play slap on both. I'd assume you're after more of a "thwack" slap sound rather than a "click" ? if so, that's going to be gut strings/whackers or nylon core (possibly bumped or solo set de-tuned) and a high action. There's lots of chat/reviews/rants on here about amps... have a read of those, and you'll quickly get a shortlist together! ...It all comes down to power (how loud your drummer is) in the end though! A customer of mine just bought a 700W GK beast for his DB and is very happy. ... I run a ridiculous mixer/POD XT/Behringer shark (just to pre-amp the clicky) /PA power amp/big peavey 2x12" PA cab... but that's far from normal! I'd offer lutherie, but I'm a bit of a hack down the country for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davethebass Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 [quote name='fonzoooroo' post='1167951' date='Mar 19 2011, 08:35 AM']Welcome to the minefield! Fom my experience: Strings and technique dictate action height. Players using a soft string (weedwhackers/guts) use a very high action to get" underneath" as you describe... but if you go for a higher tension string, you won't be able to slap on a very high action. I currently have 2 electric uprights, one with spirocores (for the mag pickup) and a very low action (gives a psychobilly sound, for want of a better description! - perfect with a loud band though.), the other with some sort of innovation nylon cores on (peizo pickup - much more "natural" sound) ... Both have 4/4 strings on a 3/4 scale length and a correspondingly higher action for the one with nyons (even then, it's only regular "classical" action though!) and I play slap on both. I'd assume you're after more of a "thwack" slap sound rather than a "click" ? if so, that's going to be gut strings/whackers or nylon core (possibly bumped or solo set de-tuned) and a high action. There's lots of chat/reviews/rants on here about amps... have a read of those, and you'll quickly get a shortlist together! ...It all comes down to power (how loud your drummer is) in the end though! A customer of mine just bought a 700W GK beast for his DB and is very happy. ... I run a ridiculous mixer/POD XT/Behringer shark (just to pre-amp the clicky) /PA power amp/big peavey 2x12" PA cab... but that's far from normal! I'd offer lutherie, but I'm a bit of a hack down the country for you![/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davethebass Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 Cheers for that.......I am going to try first of all my current strings with a bot of a higher action. Then if no good get some nylon style strings. Trouble is I play also in a blues band wher slap is not required and only have the one bas. So I think some compromise is needed. Also, has anyone had success with playong their DB through a keyboard amp. Just been recommended. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) [quote name='davethebass' post='1168347' date='Mar 19 2011, 03:32 PM']Cheers for that.......I am going to try first of all my current strings with a bot of a higher action. Then if no good get some nylon style strings. Trouble is I play also in a blues band wher slap is not required and only have the one bas. So I think some compromise is needed. Also, has anyone had success with playong their DB through a keyboard amp. Just been recommended. Cheers [/quote] Keyboard amps usually have full range speakers in them, so providing it can give you enough volume, it wont be an issue I don't think. Not ideal, but certainly not the end of the world If you're stuck in position of having one bass but need to get two very distinct uses out of it, your best best is probably a combination of two pickups with a dual preamp. A double bassist I know who plays slap upright has a pickup under the bridge as normal, but also has a piezo pickup under the neck to pickup the slap and click sounds you get from such playing. He then runs both into a preamp and blends the signal accordingly. This would give you great flexibility. PS... I love rockabilly bass players, but can't do it myself for toffee. I discovered this guy the other week... incredible stuff Edited March 20, 2011 by derrenleepoole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1169177' date='Mar 20 2011, 08:45 AM']If you're stuck in position of having one bass but need to get two very distinct uses out of it, your best best is probably a combination of two pickups with a dual preamp. A double bassist I know who plays slap upright has a pickup under the bridge as normal, but also has a piezo pickup under the neck to pickup the slap and click sounds you get from such playing. He then runs both into a preamp and blends the signal accordingly. This would give you great flexibility.[/quote] I think the K&K setup he's got does exactly that. Strings-wise I think silver slaps work well with piezo pups so should be good with your K&K setup and give you a fairly trad sound. For a more modern bright sound one guy I know uses thomastik solo gauge sets but tunes them to regular concert pitch so they're lower tension, he gets a very good sound and it looks pretty easy to play but I've never had a go on his bass when I was sober. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've only been on the upright for about a year, and don't even own a full size bass - I play a hybrid BSX Allegro 5 - so I guess my comments are very much those of a newbie too. My bass came with Spiro Weichs on it, but I wanted something lower tension and went for Innovation Silver Slaps. They have, for me, the perfect tension, they also feel great under the fingers, and I just love the sound. The action on my bass is about 7mm at the end of the fingerboard, which is fine my playing style in both pizz and slapping. The bass is piezo only, built into the bridge. I don't change my eq at all between slapping and pizz. Cheers Gareth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Try Paul Ayres Violins or George Stoppani for set ups in Manchester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTB Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I also use Innovation Silver Slaps. Eurosonic strings are good too for this style IMO. I use a MarkBass CMD121P combo which sounds great and is easy to schlep around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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