Bartolini Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Yesterday I jammed with a drummer at a studio with my MusicMan Sting Ray 4 string bass and got depressed on the bass. When I play with the fingers, the sound is punchy and heavy and it stands out and blends nicely with the drums. When I slapped, the sound was not as punchy as when I used fingers. Whe I slapped, I also noticed that the E note(7th Fret) on the A string is heavy and punchier than the D note (5th Fret). The D note does not ring and come out as equal as the E. So the slapping fades in to the sound of the drums.I also hear this metalic fret sound which is irritating. So there is a big difference of levels between Fingering and Slapping. Reason being the action is too low? It has nothing to do with my technique since my other bass has no problem under this situation.If your answer is the action, how should I raise it. By the truss rod wheel(which way should I turn?) or the saddles? When you slap, which setting do you prefer.....with more high mids and middle ranged trebles, or low mids and more trebles? And the bass know in the middle range,or high? Halp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartolini Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 Ben Loy, would u kindly help me with my question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
music-man Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Originally posted by Bartolini: When I slapped, the sound was not as punchy as when I used fingers. Whe I slapped, I also noticed that the E note(7th Fret) on the A string is heavy and punchier than the D note (5th Fret). The D note does not ring and come out as equal as the E. So the slapping fades in to the sound of the drums.I also hear this metalic fret sound which is irritating. So there is a big difference of levels between Fingering and Slapping. Reason being the action is too low? It has nothing to do with my technique since my other bass has no problem under this situation.If your answer is the action, how should I raise it. By the truss rod wheel(which way should I turn?) or the saddles? Couple of thoughts ... As to the difference between slap/finger sounds: I find that I need to adjust different EQ/volume setting when I slap. This has been true on every bass I've played - I have been pretty well able to figure out a "two-knob" routine that allows me to switch EQ settings quickly. I boost mids and bass for slap because I find that the treb cuts just fine, while I lose all kinds of bottom end (YMMV of course). I also use add a bit of gentle compression on slap songs - but I find that you can't "generically" assume that all compressors will make slap sound better ... some add nasty EQ/distortion to the sound that hurts more than it helps. R.e. Differences in punch between slapped notes - you MAY have found a dead spot on the fingerboard. On Stingrays I've played I haven't found the "deadspot" syndrome to affect lower notes as much, but it's entirely possible that your bass is unique in that way ... You might try a Fatfinger or other deadspot compensation doohicky; or you might also be able to get a tech person to adjust it. If you do a search in the last three months on this board, I think there was a thread r.e. deadspots and MusicMan basses. Third, I don't doubt that you have a technique that works on the other bass you have - but you may find that a different slap technique works better on this particular bass ... I'd want to know what kind of "metallic fret sound" you're getting - whether it's constant clattering, or just on the actual note strikes. If you're getting a lot of clatter, I'd definitely look at adjusting your setup. There's a decent description of setup here: Click for Mr.Gearhead SETUP LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewstermaniac Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Howdy - I'm not Ben Loy but this may help. clean everything. adjust your intonation. adjust your truss rod if necessary. ( a good rule of thumb for testing if you need to is: Depress all strings just before the neck starts, and slide a credit/bank card between the neck and strings - if falls very freely, its too loose, if you can't just let it slide in, and need to move the strings forward, its too tight. ) Strap on new strings regularily - like once every 4 - 5 weeks Keep that battery fresh - replace it the same time you do your strings. Play it lots and lots - you'll notice the changes these few minor adjustments make. And you'll hear the differences when things start needing adjustment again. The perk is that truss rod adjustments are very easy on the MM basses. Never turn it more than half a complete turn every 24hrs. If the adjustment is wrong, wait, and do it again after. Now, a properly trained "techie" may laugh long and loud at my suggestions, but they work wonders for me. My MM plays like a well trained beast! Check out my work in progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartolini Posted January 29, 2003 Author Share Posted January 29, 2003 Thank you guys. Appreciate your advice. Suppose I should take the bass to a techie. Is it possible to fix these dead notes? I'm so worried! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 For thumbstyle, you'll need to turn up the volume and boost the bass control a little more than you're used to. Thumbstyle tends to de-emphasize lows, so you have to add them back in. Like MusicMan said, slight compression from a high-quality compressor helps keep things punchy as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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