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What are ramps for?


spencer.b

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Means you don't need to 'dig in' as much, so yes you can play lighter and also many who have them to play faster too. Often found on 5 string 'Jazzy' type basses.

 

Also very useful for loading an Ampeg fridge into the back of a Vauxhall Corsa hatch....

Edited by yorks5stringer
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8 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

 

He certainly demonstrates how close you can get the strings to the ramp. Gary Willis really takes advantage of this when he plays in his cramped Ibanez. His action is so low as to produce the effect of producing a note by stroking the string rather than plucking it. I noticed that the guy in the video is having some intonation issues and also suffers from the strings cracking against the ramp or the board when he plays hard. So before fitting one of these, care needs to be taken to ensure that it's the right thing for you. 

Some players also use 'ramps' for slap too, in the form of a plate of material fitted between the neck pickup and the neck. This is the ensure that your fingers don't dig in too deeply when popping. Stuart Hamm had a scratch plate on one of his Kubicki basses in the early 90's, ostensibly for this purpose, though it wasn't something that I ever saw him re-use or mention again in future. Stuart Clayton had a clear bit of perspex on his Bogart Blackstone for the same thing. I own that bass now, the perspex was long gone before it came to me. 

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Had an Ibanez GWB-1 once upon a time with the ramp fitted. Lovely bass but I could never get on with it, having spent so long digging in a bit more.
The concept is to play with a lighter touch and turn the amp up to get a fatter tone - however, for me that approach doesn’t work as well on a fretted bass as it may do on a fretless. It sounds too polite. 

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I still don't quite get it, as in the vid the player bumps in to the ramp every now and then. I can see its use as a practice tool to encourage consistent and lighter playing but I don't think I'd want one on my basses. Then again I dig in like I'm rebuilding the channel tunnel so I don't think I'm the target market!! 

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If you want  to dig in, you can't use a ramp.

If you don't want to dig in, improve your right hand technique so that you don't! It's like having stabilizers on your bike. You learn how to ride the bike then you don't need them Same with a ramp.

I don't understand Gary Willis. Someone with his amazing technique doesn't need a ramp so why does he use one?

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2 hours ago, chris_b said:

If you want  to dig in, you can't use a ramp.

If you don't want to dig in, improve your right hand technique so that you don't! It's like having stabilizers on your bike. You learn how to ride the bike then you don't need them Same with a ramp.

I don't understand Gary Willis. Someone with his amazing technique doesn't need a ramp so why does he use one?

This hits the nail on the head perfectly. I've played basses with ramps, and without (never owned one with a ramp)... I've never had such an issue playing lightly without one. Personally, I think they're just an excuse for laziness / poor technique.

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1 minute ago, goblin said:

This hits the nail on the head perfectly. I've played basses with ramps, and without (never owned one with a ramp)... I've never had such an issue playing lightly without one. Personally, I think they're just an excuse for laziness / poor technique.

I came to bass from classical guitar, pretty much transferring the technique wholesale as it were, so not lazy and not poor. 

For me, I don't have any problems digging in - although my preference is not to - and I don't think when playing the Foo Fighters, or AC/DC, or Thin Lizzy, my sound is too polite.

You are of course welcome to judge for yourselves, and I would be delighted to see you tonight 😎

 

74166642_416834345611073_891428121929475

 

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10 hours ago, chris_b said:

If you want  to dig in, you can't use a ramp.

Nonsense! Having a ramp allows me to dig in. I like to have a surface under the strings, or my fingers can have a tendency to overshoot and get caught. Essentially my fingers come into contact with the "ramp", slide across it and catch the string. Also, because my thumb cannot move closer to the body, since the ramp is in the way, my fingers 'know' where they are in relation to the thumb. 

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20 hours ago, arthurhenry said:

Nonsense! Having a ramp allows me to dig in.

Not my experience. When awesome Mr Shuker set-up my ramped-GB, I went back to my Warwick sans ramp and it was like walking on a net where you keep slipping through. For me it's a different experience: without a ramp it's a bull-fiddle for getting physical where as a ramp turns it into more of a classical guitar. You might justifiably ask how does that fit with the traditional role of a bass but there we are... that's my take.  

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