Looking for recommendations, best pedal/s for a good slap back

Bobby M

Bobby M

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May 2, 2017
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#1
I have flats on my '81 BC Rich Eagle I use in my punk band, but I'd like to get a good Rockabilly sound for other projects I have on the go.

Getting a closer sound to a stand up on my bass via effects would be killer

I may buy or build depending, but could use some advice.

Cheers!
 
#3
Does your bass have a mute? If not, try placing a hairband around the nut, to dampen the strings a bit.

It also helps striking the strings not with the fingertips but with the flesh of the thumb; for orientation I place my index finger on the A-string, my middle finger on the G-string, then playing the E-string with the thumb very gently. Similarly for playing the A-string. This helps me damping the attack and getting a smooth bass sound, quite close to an upright.

If that doesn't help, also try different knob settings on your bass (tone) and EQ. IMHO, it might help to reduce the treble and high-mid content.

Much success and much fun! \m/
 
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#4
Flippy said:
Not sure about any fx that would help you achieve this sound, but plucking closer to the neck or even plucking over the fretboard will help you achieve upright tone.
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Thanks, I tried this for an hour or so tonight, it gets me some of the thump and clank which is great, I guess I was trying to see if I could get an effect pedal that gave me a delay that sounds like a duplicate note right after the initial pluck which I know there are good guitar pedals for for guitars
 
#5
Michael Schreiber said:
Does your bass have a mute? If not, try placing a hairband around the nut, to dampen the strings a bit.

It also helps striking the strings not with the fingertips but with the flesh of the thumb; for orientation I place my index finger on the A-string, my middle finger on the G-string, then playing the E-string with the thumb very gently. Similarly for playing the A-string. This helps me damping the attack and getting a smooth bass sound, quite close to an upright.

If that doesn't help, also try different knob settings on your bass (tone) and EQ. IMHO, it might help to reduce the treble and high-mid content.

Much success and much fun! \m/
Click to expand...
Appreciate the advice! I play mostly with a pick, so maybe it's time to broaden the skill set and practice striking more with my hands
 
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#7
Flippy said:
I know Boss had an Acoustic Simulator pedal. perhpas this would help too?
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I'll check it out, I looked at a few other threads here and I also want to check out the MXR Carbon Copy.

With the flats on this rig I feel like I can get the tones through my rig and adjusting playing style, but I'm trying to generate a second note just behind the pluck

If I manage it I should up a sound clip, since I feel like I'm doing a poor job explaining it

Really appreciate the tips everyone, it's fun to try on new techniques :bookworm:

Cheers!
 
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#8
Bobby M said:
Thanks, I tried this for an hour or so tonight, it gets me some of the thump and clank which is great, I guess I was trying to see if I could get an effect pedal that gave me a delay that sounds like a duplicate note right after the initial pluck which I know there are good guitar pedals for for guitars
Click to expand...
They're called delay pedals and they work on bass.
 
#9
If you listen closely, there usually isn't any slapback delay on slap bass. Mostly.

If it can be made to sound good without muddying up the mix, I'm all for it.


Try the Way Huge AquaPus, pretty famous for its slap back ability.


As for making a slab sound similar to an upright, there are numerous threads loaded with great advice using nothing more than technique. Doesn't hurt to use EQ and acoustic simulators — use whatever tools will get the job done!

The biggest tool to use is your brain — think like an upright player. No Rocco Tower Of Power riffin...
 
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#10
If you just want like a 1 time feedback slapback delay, I guess the question is do you want it to sound super clean or kind of old and vintage. Also how much $$ do you want to spend.

A lot of people have something against Boss, but I think the DD-7 is a great delay and you can definitely get a super clean digital slapback delay with that no problem, it has various different timing settings for super quick delays or super long delays, and a feedback knob that you could easily set to limit the feedback to one. Any digital delay pedal that is more expensive will also easily do that - for example the Eventide Timefactor which is pretty much one of the best delays out there.

If you want it to be older or vintage sounding, I use a Mooer Ana Echo for that, its supposed to be a clone of the Boss DM-2, a super classic and pretty prized delay according to some. You could easily get a slapback with that too probably, but that's not what I use it for. I'm sure any other vintage delay will do that too, but real vintage delays could get a lot more pricey.

I'd go with the Boss DD-7. And the ridicule ensues...
 
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#12
BooshBass said:
If you just want like a 1 time feedback slapback delay, I guess the question is do you want it to sound super clean or kind of old and vintage. Also how much $$ do you want to spend.

A lot of people have something against Boss, but I think the DD-7 is a great delay and you can definitely get a super clean digital slapback delay with that no problem, it has various different timing settings for super quick delays or super long delays, and a feedback knob that you could easily set to limit the feedback to one. Any digital delay pedal that is more expensive will also easily do that - for example the Eventide Timefactor which is pretty much one of the best delays out there.

If you want it to be older or vintage sounding, I use a Mooer Ana Echo for that, its supposed to be a clone of the Boss DM-2, a super classic and pretty prized delay according to some. You could easily get a slapback with that too probably, but that's not what I use it for. I'm sure any other vintage delay will do that too, but real vintage delays could get a lot more pricey.

I'd go with the Boss DD-7. And the ridicule ensues...
Click to expand...
Thanks, Vintage FTW for me, appreciate the feedback, I'll check the Mooer out
 
#13
Feral Feline said:
If you listen closely, there usually isn't any slapback delay on slap bass. Mostly.

If it can be made to sound good without muddying up the mix, I'm all for it.


Try the Way Huge AquaPus, pretty famous for its slap back ability.


As for making a slab sound similar to an upright, there are numerous threads loaded with great advice using nothing more than technique. Doesn't hurt to use EQ and acoustic simulators — use whatever tools will get the job done!

The biggest tool to use is your brain — think like an upright player. No Rocco Tower Of Power riffin...
Click to expand...
Awesome thank you for the advice!
 
#14
Bobby M said:
Thanks, Vintage FTW for me, appreciate the feedback, I'll check the Mooer out
Click to expand...

I got to play with a DM-2 once, my buddy's dad has one. To me the Mooer just sounds like you went in a time machine to 1984, bought a DM-2 brand new, and brought it back to 2017. The DM-2 I played sounded vintage, because its 30 years old. The Mooer sounds like a brand new pedal that was designed in 1984. It's a good pedal if you can get past the negative perception of Chinese pedals, which I don't personally have.
 
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