Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

How many of you guys are thumb slappers?

I used to be real anti-thumb slapping ... to me it always sounded like cheesy disco **** ... but I now look at it as just another way to play my bass ... I have got very good at slap bass ... I don't really play a funky slap and pop like Flea ... I slap back by the bridge and not up by the neck ... sometimes I do it in heavy music like "Man in a Box" by Alice in Chains ... sort of hitting and holding 8th or quater notes ...

Last night I was gigging again and we got a request for one of those songs many of us try to avoid ... "Brown Eyed Girl" ... well when we play it they give a bass solo in the middle where they lead singer also introduces the band ... I used to play it with a pick and palm mute to simulate a flatwound string sound for the solo ... but these days I thumb slap it ... yes Rics are good for thumb slapping ... and yes I thumb slap a ric 5 string with 2 1/4" spacing at the bridge with no problems ...

that's a knee slapper...

Jared ... does your dog play slap bass?

The dog probably has a unique slap technique with her tail.

I bet your dog prefers a real barky tone.

...with lotsa growl....

Cii and Slap = Match made in Heaven.

I do it all the time.

...does she find round wound strings to be too ruff?

All youse guys go to da Pound!

Dis g'tar gotta lotta bite!

If you want to hear awesome Slap bass listen to MARK KING of Level 42. Alot of their early music is progressive rock--listen to LEVEL 42 (1980 to 1985 stuff) before they went pop. Their fist album from 1981 "level 42" and their live album from 1985 "A Physical Presence" Are a must for any serious bass player IMO.

I slap some on a Rick too, It does fine, I sometimes prefer to have both pickups wide open, with the neck pickup vol. a little lower than the bridge.

I only slap mine when they have been naughty.

I Think my 90 Rick has a better thumbing tone than my 69 jazz bass.

Another excellent slapper is Alain Caron.

I try to slap, but I'm no good at it. IMHO a 4001 doesn't seem to work with slapping and popping, but I do it anyway.

On my 4003 the slapping (I do it on the neck first fret) is quite easy and the sound is nice with the toggle in the middle position, on the pre-amp the bass eq a bit higher(1 o clock) the treble eq a bit lower (11 o clock). The 4004L early version the slapping initial was a little bit different, but now being used to the position is is also very easy, specially as the fingerboard is more wider at the end than that of the 4003. The sound does not need eq on my stack as the bass frequencies are already much stronger than on the 4003 and the treble are sweet and brilliant. The arm position for slapping is much more comfortable on the 4004 with round shape. The 4004 is a slapper!!!