Riot_Basscabs Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Bassday for me was spoiled by that idiot on the Shuker stand! I really wanted to try a Shuker bass but that fool he had as an assistant was rude and a total slapper.In fact at one point he was so loud i walked out.Such a shame as i think Shuker basses are amazing.Also there was another guy who played non musical machine gun slap on every stand at full volume for long periods of time! I get it!!! your fast but please NO MORE!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 It's all down to rancid, sweat-soaked fear. Fear of people, be they musos or civilians, pointing and shouting "He's not slapping. [i]He's[/i] not a bass-player - [i]he's[/i] an impostor!" You'd never go out of the house again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Wasn't it actually the guy on the Rotosound stand(right next to Shuker)that was Slapping loudly all day?(Mentioning no names,but you all probably know who I mean). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 [quote name='Doddy' post='663759' date='Nov 24 2009, 02:11 PM']Wasn't it actually the guy on the Rotosound stand(right next to Shuker)that was Slapping loudly all day?(Mentioning no names,but you all probably know who I mean).[/quote]Mmmmmm. blonde hair by any chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 [quote name='steve-soar' post='663772' date='Nov 24 2009, 02:22 PM']Mmmmmm. blonde hair by any chance?[/quote] Indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) Hehe. I've just you tubed him to see how fast he can play, wow. That E bass he demos was pretty. Edited November 24, 2009 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 In Nigel (Clutterbuck's) defence we were worried that his percussive playing would send us slightly insane as we were next to him. Truth is that wasn't the case, he did a few fairly quiet short demos and one more lengthy one later on on the Enfield stand but he was by no means the culprit at Bass Day. He seemed a bloody nice guy too to be honest. I recognised some guys from last year one of whom was towing his lady around while he slapped everything he could get his hands on. She looked even less impressed than she did last year It wasn't so much the slapping that I and others I've spoken to found oppressive but the combined drone that seems to emanate from everywhere and nowhere. In fact the Bernie slapfest in particular was more subdued that last year, or maybe the drone drowned it out? After about 5 hours I not only had a headache, to be expected, but I also felt physically sick. Maybe it was the classic case of everyone thinking 'ooh it's loud' and turning up their gear to compete, at 30 second intervals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I'm [i]really [/i]glad I didn't go. The whole day - the idea of Bass Day itself - and being surrounded by immature bass players making clanking noises at high volume sounds like the ultimate, dispiriting nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99ster Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 [quote name='wizbat' post='662931' date='Nov 23 2009, 05:21 PM']Ditto[/quote] Double-ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 MB1. Might be an idea to treat Slapping like Smoking next year!... and send them outside to do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Headphones on trade stands next year. Get AKG or Sennheiser to sponsor it! I was a guilty party, I'm ashamed to admit, i slapped a bit, but i think i do it as a nervous thing. I'm off to listen to James Jamerson and Duck Dunn until next years show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I don't go to these events simply because at every one I've attended in the past all I've heard is a bunch of smug show-offs slapping. As our singer once famously said after I pulled off a bit of a (probbaly very poor) Flea impression "but why would you want to use a bass to do that". I chose bass 'cos I felt some instinctive affinity with the bass parts in the music I grew up with. OK, I've had to use slap parts in the odd track we've played over the years (notable when we've played Chilis covers), but increasingly I realise the wisdom of our singer's POV. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Maybe there should be a separate thwakkita-thwakkita day for all the bedroom players who want to play lead twatar & make a horrible clanking racket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 [quote name='Beedster' post='663841' date='Nov 24 2009, 03:18 PM']I don't go to these events simply because at every one I've attended in the past all I've heard is a bunch of smug show-offs slapping. As our singer once famously said after I pulled off a bit of a (probbaly very poor) Flea impression "but why would you want to use a bass to do that". I chose bass 'cos I felt some instinctive affinity with the bass parts in the music I grew up with. OK, I've had to use slap parts in the odd track we've played over the years (notable when we've played Chilis covers), but increasingly I realise the wisdom of our singer's POV.[/quote] Same here. I had to slap some tunes in a previous band because I was replacing a guy who slapped everything, but I felt like a proper berk doing it. And that was in the '90s when it was still sort-of acceptable in some circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I met Nigel Clutterbuck last year at a show, and he was a very nice friendly guy who was more than happy to go through some of his techniques with me. I totally couldn't get to grips with it (!) but I thought that he was a really decent bloke. [i]Thought for the day:[/i] Contrary to 'popular' opinion here, based on the evidence maybe 'most' bass players actually like slap playing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 'Clutterbuck' just seems such an appropriate name for a Bass Slapper - so descriptive of the sound it makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Wow.......having read all this, I'm actually glad I didn't go and that to me is a real shame. Jon Shuker did actually say in an email he wasn't looking forward to having to listen to lots of awful slapping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 During the height of slap mayhem in the 80s, a Peavey rep told me about a masterclass conducted by Joe Hubbard (he of 'Basslines' book fame). The class was full of bassists who were sitting there unplugged. Joe is a great slap player, but also spoke at length on other styles. As soon as the masterclass ended, every single player in the room slapped. The rep described the noise of theses unplugged basses as 'like a million typewriters going at the same time'. A very apt description indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I was on the stand next to Nigel and like others had looked at his stuff on You Tube and thought that it was going to be a problem but to be honest it was not. He did a few short demos at reasonable volume and one longer one on the enfield stand that Martin was videoing. He was a really nice guy and I had several chats with him over the course of the day and he could not have been better company. Rob on the Shuker stand was a lot louder than Nigel all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) I did find myself thinking "what gigs do you play???" many times as the next person unleashed their best slap party piece. I must admit some were very good, and certainly possessed slap chops far in excess of my own, but there did seem to be an element of showing off, not trying gear to see what it could do. In defence of Mr Clutterbuck, at least he was there to officially play for Rotosound and did what he does very well. It may not be to everyone's taste but he was getting a lot of attention. The short bloke in the flat cap was also a great player but he did seem to work his way round every single stand doing the same warp speed routine (even jamming with Yolanda and losing the beat more times than I care to mention!) I definitely think headphone amps, and maybe a seperate amp room, are the way forward at events like these but logistically this can be tricky. But then, would as many people be playing if they couldn't be heard by passers by? Hmm.... Cheers Alun EDIT: Due to appalling spelling! Edited November 24, 2009 by Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Definitely not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 The guy in the flat cap is there every year and pays at light speed but does tend to play the same thing as he works his way round the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 All you poor attendees are still painting picture of abject misery and victimhood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) LOL I can just imagine, at the next one everyone noodling away when suddenly some poor guy that hasn't read this thread does a wee slap and a pop.... the room falls silent and everyone stares. Edited November 24, 2009 by Ou7shined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 [quote name='Spoombung' post='664072' date='Nov 24 2009, 05:43 PM']All you poor attendees are still painting picture of abject misery and victimhood... [/quote] No...It was a cool day. It's just that by the end of it I felt 'slapped out' from hearing people of varying abilities play slap 'grooves' all day. It's the same at drum shows-all you hear is 'Boom,Bap...Boom,Boom,Bap, followed by a semi quaver fill around the toms. These kinds of events are great,but it gets tiring hearing the same thing in the trade area every five seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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