Anyone ever successfully (or semi-successfully) simulate the sound of a rockabilly slap bass on an electric bass? Any tips to impart? I'm hip to flatwounds and tapewounds, just thinking about that particular slap sound... the "click." Some combination of effects? delay plus...?
Simulating a rockabilly slap sound on electric bass
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Feb 26, 2008 9:58 a.m. 56Streamliner:
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 10:32 a.m. mark t:
I can't speak to live playing, but i know a band who did a semi convincing job by overlaying a "click" track whilst recording, with the drummer hitting the rim of the snare.
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Feb 26, 2008 10:41 a.m. Danman:
I have no idea if this would work and I never tried it out like that. But I used to play with a upright base player.
He had added a little stick on microphone to the part of the fretboard that sticks out over the body. He sent that sound to an extra guitar amp and mixed that clicking sound in with his normal bass sound (he had two jack plugs and taped two cables together). Maybe you could stick one somewhere (maybe right at the end of the neck at the neck joint?) and try that out.
I know that we first just opened a very cheap childrens microphone and took the microphone part and stuck that to his bass but I know he later got a better microphone for that only I'm not sure what it was. Maybe one of those stick on acoustic guitar mics.
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Feb 26, 2008 11:58 a.m. bobbyrivera:
I had an old Guitar player magazine from the 80's and there was a guy who played for Brian Setzer who played electric bass, but he slapped it like an upright. I don't remember his name however. IT was perhaps in the "Knife feels like Justice" days.
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 12:47 p.m. Shuie:
I gotta tell you, I've never found a way to get a convincing slap-bass sound from a bass guitar. It always comes out sounding like Mark King or Stanley Clarke!
The only method that gets a satisfactory result is having a tame drummer who's prepared to play the off beat 'slaps' on a hanging tom or snare rim, as MarkT mentioned. The live section of the 'Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll' film with Keith Richards and Chuck Berry uses this method to great effect, it's where I got the idea from and it's well worth a look. Roll all the tone off the bass and play very clipped so the note doesn't sustain. Put dampers/mutes in. Consider adding a little reverb (incredible, I know, but we're in strange waters here).
Don't take any crap from a drummer who say's he can't do his polyrhythmic hi-hat/ride cymbal cross-rhythms if he's having to provide the 'slap'. If he's playing in a slap-bass band he shouldn't even be THINKING about any of that fancy business. He should be thinking about making the chicks boogie. That's his reward...
Danman's suggestion is the GOLD STANDARD method for amplifying an upright slap bass but gets very odd results with a Fender bass.
Hope this helps.
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Feb 26, 2008 12:54 p.m. Gretschington:
It would be great if somebody worked out how to simulate the sound of a rockabilly slap bass on an electric bass and then made it very popular so all the music mags would go nuts about it and promote it and a lot of bassists all flocked to learn the technique. Trying to find an upright bassist around here to play rockabilly is only slightly less difficult than finding a living unicorn. The bassists I find who might be into playing rockabilly all say the same thing: "Yeah, that's cool. If I had an upright I'd totally be into it but I can't afford to get one." It's looking like if I'm ever going to get the band I want up and running that I'm going to have to get an additional part time job to buy an upright bass so that it's available for use in the band. So yeah...somebody...PLEASE...find a way for electric bassists to do it with the gear they already have. The visual won't be nearly as dramatic as having an upright bass on stage but at least the sound would be workable and I won't have to come up with $4,000 of my own money to provide a piece of gear I won't be playing myself in order to just get my band up and running. Excuse me...I now need to go mutter bitterly for about 15 minutes.
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Feb 26, 2008 1:00 p.m. mark t:
Nice one, Gretschington.
Actually, the only reason that i agreed to play upright in the last band that i was in was because the guitarist had all of the equipment, including the upright.
The other thing that i was going to mention in addition to the drumming "click slaps" was that the guy also tied a rag or towel around the strings, down near the tailpiece to effectively mute them. It deadened the strings...roll a bit of treble off, and away you go.
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Feb 26, 2008 1:37 p.m. jameslynch:
Here's what I do,
not quite exact but it works kinda...
in a bind...
First it's all in the picking action. and using a PICK helps..
Turn up the treble a bit too.
Then, (let's say your using a simple two note pattern like on "That's allright Mama") You strike the first note 'A' then immediately slam your palm down muting the note, then right after that you strum the pick in an upward motion across the deadend strings...then with your picking hand in the up postion, play (downward) the next note 'E'..
the combined sound after you hit each note should sound phoenetically like "chick-a".
if the notes were represented as "bum' and the palm was called "chick" and the upward pick on dead strings was "-A" the whole pattern would be..
bum chick-a bum chick-a bum chick-a bum chick-a
Experiment with adding an echo pedal or even a delay pedal and you'll get something pretty convincing.
Also when you palm mute the notes try to hit the pick up itself to really give it that slapped sound.
works best on Fender basses.
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 3:15 p.m. Shuie:
Good plan that JamesLynch man.
You're talking tic-tac bass (as heard on Elvis 'Little Sister' and 'Marie's The Name' and Patsy Cline records) with a bit of syncopated echo and unfretted grace 'clicks'. Making sure to palm mute or foam/damp the bridge end of things, this is going to sound niiice, just like the end bass figure on 'Restless' by Johnny Kidd.
Turn the treble right up, too. A heavy duty mid dip really makes this bass tone.
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 3:20 p.m. Danman:
and how about a fretless bass? Wouldn't that come closer to an upright bass? And then stick a contact mic on it for the clicking sound.
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- Rated: 50 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 4:45 p.m. jukebox:
What about the Danolectro slap bass pedal? Would thst do it? I'm not a bass player, so I would know if it would or wouldn't.I have a electric upright,so I don't use anything.
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 4:46 p.m. Shuie:
Danman,
I've never MET a fretless bass player that could actually play in tune. I've met lots that thought they could.
There's something about an upright that camouflages intonation issues. A fretless Fenderbass just magnifies them.
Your idea is superb- in theory. Except that a crystal sounds freaky on a Fender. I've never been able to make one work, and I've reeaallly tried. If someone knows HOW to cajole a crystal on the neck of a Fender to operate credibly, I'd love to know how.
Because that would answer a lot of problems.
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- Rated: 27 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 4:49 p.m. Deke Martin:
Yep, I do it all the time.
I play a Gibson Grabber so first thing I do is slide the pickup right up towards the neck as far as it will go (not easy for you fixed-pickup luddites
).
Then roll off as much treble as you require, then SLAP THAT MUTHA!
Seriously, with the right tonal set-up and playing technique you can get a reasonably convincing sound.
If I get time tomorrow I'll play around in the studio and see if I can record something to post here.
Of course, recorded it sounds VERY different from live...
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 5:31 p.m. mark t:
Shuie said: I've never MET a fretless bass player that could actually play in tune. I've met lots that thought they could.
I resemble that comment! Seriously, i'm about as musically accomplished as an iguana with a theremin, but my pitch perfect former guitarist would always comment with awe at how "in tune" i was on the upright. I KNEW there was something wrong with that guy!
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Feb 26, 2008 5:57 p.m. will:
mark t said: i'm about as musically accomplished as an iguana with a theremin
can i use that line?
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Feb 26, 2008 5:59 p.m. Shuie:
MarkT,
Never trust a 'pitch perfect' guitar player! Did your erstwhile guitar player recognise that a regular landline phone rings with F as the fundamental and A as the harmonic? Didn't think so! That's cos no-one ever calls him for a gig.
Pompous guitar players are a pain in the ass but a fretless Fender moron is in a different league. I bet you play great upright bass, though. I stick to fretted bass. That way my bad notes have names...
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- Rated: 25 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 6:09 p.m. Shuie:
Deke!
Long time no see. Keen to hear your shifty slidy pickup slappy happy badass bass.
C'mon.
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 26, 2008 6:14 p.m. mark t:
I kinda sucked.....and the guy i used to play with is a fantastic musician/guitar teacher.
There was no winning an argument on anything musical with him....he was perfect.
But then, he had to go and call Eddie Cochran "boring". Bastard.
The last thing i heard him say was, "But I don't understand WHY you're quitting!"
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 27, 2008 3:31 a.m. Danman:
Shuie: said: I've never MET a fretless bass player that could actually play in tune. I've met lots that thought they could.
Yes you are right there. ha ha and they do think they can.
But I wonder why it sounds better on an upright bass. Does the upright bass have a longer string length, thus making the mistakes less noticeable? Or is it in the frequencies? That if there are fewer high frequencies in there, you don't notice it is out of tune as much?
I know the upright bassplayer I used to play with even sounded ok, just when he started out playing upright. And he actually was a guitarplayer.
And Deke Martin, I can't wait to hear it.
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 27, 2008 3:41 a.m. Danman:
Shuie: said: Never trust a 'pitch perfect' guitar player! Did your erstwhile guitar player recognise that a regular landline phone rings with F as the fundamental and A as the harmonic? Didn't think so! That's cos no-one ever calls him for a gig.
Ha ha, one up for that! I'm a guitarplayer but I know I don't have perfect pitch. I'm sooooo happy guitars have frets.....
Actually I've heard that people with really perfect pitch have trouble listening to a guitar because it never really is completely in tune. There are always parts that are out of tune a bit.
Wasn't it John Entwistle of the Who, who had perfect pitch in the beginning and then he lost it over the years because he felt they always were out of tune? (Aside from the fact that he probably lost most of his hearing playing in that band
)
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- Rated: 43 ↑
Feb 27, 2008 6:00 a.m. Jeff O(h, The Places You'll Go):
First, on behalf of upright bass players world wide - ALL YOU GUYS CAN GO TO HELL!
NO - you CANNOT get the sound of an upright on any other instrument than an upright. The CLOSEST you can get is would be a simulations, i.e. like SS modeling amps get you a "tube" sound.
Just start working your bass player, and eventually he'll find the money to buy one. That's what the guys in my band did to me.
Point out how Lee Rocker, Spaz, Jimbo, etc. are all like 5'4" and not the best looking, nor the "stars" of the band - yet they are the sexiest dudes on the stage! All the babes are drawn to the upright! It's a tail fest for the 4-stringers!
We just got the gig as the half time house band for the Detroit Derby Girls Roller Derby team. I CAN'T WAIT. That is gonne be so much fun.
But it would only be a fraction the fun with an electric. Electric bass players slink into the background.
If you want something bad enough, it pays to do it right!
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 27, 2008 7:08 a.m. mark t:
Jeff O(ne Track Mind) said: NO - you CANNOT get the sound of an upright on any other instrument than an upright. The CLOSEST you can get is would be a simulations, i.e. like SS modeling amps get you a "tube" sound.
Jeff, you're such a dink. But 100% correct. You can't get that exact sound. You can approximate it, IMO, but nothing touches that upright cool.
You're also right about the attractive aspect of the bass.....i played "lead" guitar in a punk band for years and got compliments on my playing...but only as an upright bass player did i get propositioned....repeatedly. That big instrument draws 'em in for some reason, an opposing statement to driving an SUV.
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- Rated: 28 ↑
Feb 27, 2008 7:11 a.m. mark t:
Sorry, there should've been a couple o' smileys in my last post. I don't really think you're a dink, Jeff.
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- Rated: 43 ↑
Mar 1, 2008 11:24 a.m. Jeff O(h, The Places You'll Go):
Mark, you're lucky you retracted that. My blood got to boiling when I read your first post.
Of course, it could be the fact that I've got the flu and a 102 F fever
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- Rated: 43 ↑
Mar 1, 2008 11:25 a.m. Jeff O(h, The Places You'll Go):
And of course, you hit the N key instead of the C key, too
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