mmray321
Apprentice Shielder
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Post by mmray321 on Oct 28, 2006 21:41:33 GMT -5
hi,i have a musicman stingray,and i slap and pop most of the time,i never had anyone teach me how,i just saw how flea did it and went from there.
but anyway,i break my d or g string about once a month,or less,from poping is.........is this normal?
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Post by ux4484 on Oct 29, 2006 1:07:00 GMT -5
Where do they break?
1) At the nut?
2) At the bridge?
3) At the point where you pluck?
If it's 1 or 2, it could be you just need to lubricate and/or adjust the nut or bridge.
If it's 3, you need to modify your method. If your action is set low, it shouldn't take much effort to slap or pop.
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mmray321
Apprentice Shielder
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Post by mmray321 on Oct 29, 2006 22:27:54 GMT -5
at the bridge is where it breaks,string lube huh?il have to find some and try it out,and with my strings,i have them set up high,so its not buzzing when i play pretty,does that have anything to do with it?  |
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Post by UnklMickey on Oct 30, 2006 6:45:31 GMT -5
hi Mmray321,
i doubt the saddle height would be a big problem, since the strings don't make a sharp bend at the saddles on that kind of bridge.
lube is probably a good idea, and check very carefully for burrs or sharp edges on the D and G saddles. if necessary, smooth the edges with some fine emery cloth.
unk
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Post by ux4484 on Oct 30, 2006 13:03:03 GMT -5
I don't know about that unk, if he has them set unnaturally high and has to thump hard to overcome that height, it could be what caused wear on the bridge in the first place. Checking/smoothing the saddles is an excellent idea.
There are a number of products out there for lubing bridges and the nut, but many folks get away with graphite at the nut (pencil lead) and chapstick on the bridge saddles.
I've found that chapstick will melt and wick away down the saddle screws if it's too warm (or to your clothes).
I usually use clear High Temp silicone vacuum grease which never melts or wicks away , and doesn't stain if it gets on your hand or clothes (you need very little), it's also a great thing to use on saddle screws so they don't vibrate loose.
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Post by UnklMickey on Oct 30, 2006 15:57:05 GMT -5
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mmray321
Apprentice Shielder
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Post by mmray321 on Oct 30, 2006 19:02:14 GMT -5
ok hers a pic of my bridge  and here is a video of how i slap,haha  p |
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Post by ux4484 on Oct 30, 2006 19:19:09 GMT -5
Looks not only high, it looks maxed out....a side shot of the strings at the top fret would be more helpful.
I watched the video, you method is pretty aggressive yet effective. I'm thinkin' you could do the same with much less effort with the strings lower. The Last MusicMan bass I played had verrrrry low action, and required very little effort to pop.
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mmray321
Apprentice Shielder
Posts: 27
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Post by mmray321 on Oct 30, 2006 20:16:20 GMT -5
yea,when im playing with the band,i get real excited,and tear it up,i guess il try the lube,and ezz up on my slapin,if i can.
thanx everyone. dave
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mmray321
Apprentice Shielder
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Post by mmray321 on Oct 30, 2006 20:22:32 GMT -5
the string is about 1/4 of inch of the board
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Post by dunkelfalke on Oct 31, 2006 2:55:09 GMT -5
these might also help  |
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lethargytartare
Apprentice Shielder
I promise, I'm not new here...
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Post by lethargytartare on Mar 1, 2007 14:27:55 GMT -5
Wish I hadn't missed this thread...ah well, I'm bored and have 2 cents to add...
If your action is quite high, and you didn't raise your pickup, you might be beating the snot out of your bass to get a good tone out of it -- bring the pickup up, and you might be able to dig in with a little less ferocity -- when your tone is outrageous, you'll feel like you're going crazy without actually pounding the strings.
The other one -- and this was my experience -- cheap strings break much more easily than nice ones. I got into a very regular gig, but was still using cheap strings to save money -- I'd even get bulk sets of Gs and Ds, knowing them to break more frequently. But I still got frequent breakage -- I even had 3 break in one show...that was a trainwreck. Then I sprung for a nice set of Elixirs (which I love now!) and didn't have any more breaks. Since then I make sure I get a quality set on any bass I intend to use regularly...and regardless of the bass -- projects, high-ends, badass bridge, roller bridge, through-body -- I don't break strings any more...and I didn't have to adjust my playing style either.
That said, pulling at the strings a lot while popping will certainly reduce their lifespan! If your bass's setup is good, you won't need to pull a lot to get a good snappy tone, so make sure the setup is good!
Cheers!
ltt
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Post by spitfire23bc on Mar 6, 2007 17:16:11 GMT -5
My best friend got his first bass a year ago, was stringing it for the first time, and the E string snapped as he was tuning it up... Turned out he was trying to tune it an octave too high! ;D  Ouch! |
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