Blazenblue Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could buy to enhance my slap sound? I played through my freinds 10" ashdown Today and was blown away by how much more percussive my slaps sounded. All I have to my self is a typical little £20 practice amp. While i've done alot on electronic signals at uni i'm very new to music and find it hard to work out which effects will aquire what I want. I've heard people talk about limiters and compressors in relation to slap, but arn't they mostly to reduce the volume difference between slaps and pops? If anyone can give me a few tips about what they found useful then i can borrow my mates B2.1U dial some things in and work out what I'm going to buy/build. Thanks to anyone that helps out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Save up & buy an Ashdown combo? They ain't all that dear & it's better than wasting money on something that isn't actually gonna do what you want. Have a look in the second hand section, there's plenty of bargains to be had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassnut62 Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 in terms of useful/interesting effects to use while slapping........ A compressor is definitely useful and can help even out the dynamics and help your sound sit better in the mix. I use an envelope filter while slapping sometimes too; but i find i have to be careful not to make the pedal clip while slapping. I use a Groove Regulator, whihc has a switch to rein the filter in a lit to prevent clipping and volume spikes when putting peaky signals through it. However none of these effects are going to really change the amp's natural characteristics; in fact I don't think it's really possible to do that. I eould suggest researching amps a bit more though. As there are plenty of alternatives to Ashdown and in my humble opinion plenty of much better alternatives, possibly for even less money too. Selection of amp requires a lot of consideration and trying out in my opinion. My conclusion after nearly thirty years of playing and owning numerous different amps is that you cannot beat a simple honest valve head and one or more tight high quality 15" speaker cabs with maybe a horn or two. I use a Fender Bassman 135 and love it to bits. In terms of how you will sound through an amp, even the choice of cab/speaker combinations will make a huge difference to your sound, especially when slapping. If you're on a really tight budget a second hand Hartke 3500 (about 10 years old)would be a good amp to choose, it has a nice tube pre-amp as well as a solid state pre-amp, it has a built in compressor and a good EQ; personally I think it's a much better and more flexible amp than the Ashdown equivalent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 I wouldn't waste money on effects while you still have the crappy practice amp. If you're still in the practising stage and not gigging, I'd definitely recommend a Roland Microcube Bass RX. It has amp modelling, compression and effects. And even a drum machine. I use one at home and at the shop. Slap will sound fantastic through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 In the Amps for sale section there's a few decent combos for @ £200 (Ashdown, Trace Elliot, ect) & there's even a Carlsbro Bass Bomber for £75 (my first amp was a Carlsbro, they're as good as what you pay for, cheap but do the job). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='809143' date='Apr 17 2010, 07:54 AM']I wouldn't waste money on effects while you still have the crappy practice amp. If you're still in the practising stage and not gigging, I'd definitely recommend a Roland Microcube Bass RX. It has amp modelling, compression and effects. And even a drum machine. I use one at home and at the shop. Slap will sound fantastic through it.[/quote] +1 The cube 30 is ace too! [quote name='xgsjx' post='809150' date='Apr 17 2010, 08:17 AM']In the Amps for sale section there's a few decent combos for @ £200 (Ashdown, Trace Elliot, ect) & there's even a Carlsbro Bass Bomber for £75 (my first amp was a Carlsbro, they're as good as what you pay for, cheap but do the job).[/quote] +1 Secondhand is definitely your friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 if you can't afford a better amp, the cheapest option would be the aphex bass x-citer. it makes small amps sound bigger, by acting as a bass & treble boost / mid cut, if you tailor the frequencies correctly. new strings/boiled strings will also help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 Get a shiny new second hand amp. A cruddy practice amp is never going to do the job I'm afraid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Cue 30 Or - I used to have a soul-less Marshall Bass 12. Horrible thing... until I stuck a Boss EQ20 infront of it and got it sounding like Flea's GK rig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumelow Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='809143' date='Apr 17 2010, 07:54 AM']I wouldn't waste money on effects while you still have the crappy practice amp. If you're still in the practising stage and not gigging, I'd definitely recommend a Roland Microcube Bass RX. It has amp modelling, compression and effects. And even a drum machine. I use one at home and at the shop. Slap will sound fantastic through it.[/quote] +2 Microcube RX is a fantastic practice amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Or if on a strict (or non-existent) budget, borrow an old full-range cab - PA or monitor cab and wire your existing amp to that instead of the internal speaker. The speaker is usually the especially weak link in the really basic combos. Otherwise I quite agree with all above - get a better combo as it will give instant results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazenblue Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Thanks guys, its kinda how I expected, i'll have to wait a couple months but i'll keep an eye on what sort of amp sells second hand for what money until then. Lots of people like the micro cube, does a 10cm speaker deliver all the way down to a low B? Wanting a 5 string before long. Thanks for the words on your chain Bassnut, makes a little more sense now, lots of people talk about compressors like they're a game changing effect, subtle is good i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumelow Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 im not even joking the 4x10cm aluminium speakers or whatever they are sizewise deliver more bass than you imagine they ever could. its got more bass coming out of it than any 1x10" practice amp ive ever heard, its stereo you see (i think thats what makes the difference) and that its digital. its always made me want to play through one of those phil jones's briefcases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 [quote name='dumelow' post='811958' date='Apr 19 2010, 09:50 PM']im not even joking the 4x10cm aluminium speakers or whatever they are sizewise deliver more bass than you imagine they ever could. its got more bass coming out of it than any 1x10" practice amp ive ever heard, its stereo you see (i think thats what makes the difference) and that its digital. its always made me want to play through one of those phil jones's briefcases[/quote] Yep...great little amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 The Roland Cube is a sweet little bugger. Also,without being a knob( "You? Being a Knob,Doddy?"I hear you all cry, "Never" ) your sound starts in your hands, so maybe examining your technique would be a good start to improve your slap sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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