What are your irrational prejudices? I have some bonkers ones...

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, basexperience said:

Scott from SBL says he prefers 21/22 fret basses for slap and it got me thinking why.

 

I bet he didn't - I bet he said something more like "You won't believe how many frets you need for slap - the 21st fret will shock you!!!"

[kwmlondon]

1 hour ago, basexperience said:

I've got a theory that because you can play just off the end of the board, through the string, a little further up the string (towards the head), then it's the equivalent of plucking over the bridge pickup vs the neck pickup, as it were - with a 24 fret neck, on the same scale bass, the 21 fret bass would have a little more room to play through further up the string towards the head of the bass. Scott from SBL says he prefers 21/22 fret basses for slap and it got me thinking why.

Ace session bassist and all-round nice person Yolanda Charles also said she doesn't use a 24-fret bass for slap work out of choice. However, my slap game is so rubbish it won't make any difference to me. I practise every day but I've got a pretty poor strike rate when it comes to hitting the string!

[cdog]

23 hours ago, dclaassen said:

Just curious…what bugs you about 24 fret basses?

I just don't think they are necessary, and they play into this idea that it's important to be shredding up high as a bass player. IMO, not real bass playing: be a guitarist if you want to play up there . Also, its worse for slapping as you either have to slap on the fretboard which is painful after a while and has a less deep tone, or play off the end of the fretboard, but then the lower frets are miles away for the left hand. And it makes the bass more buzzy where the strings rattle against the 24th fret. So, not a fan. 

In their defence, I think the 24th fret is used in one of my all time favourite basslines, just another story by Jamiroquai, but that's still not enough! 

[Terry M.]

2 hours ago, basexperience said:

I've got a theory that because you can play just off the end of the board, through the string, a little further up the string (towards the head), then it's the equivalent of plucking over the bridge pickup vs the neck pickup, as it were - with a 24 fret neck, on the same scale bass, the 21 fret bass would have a little more room to play through further up the string towards the head of the bass. Scott from SBL says he prefers 21/22 fret basses for slap and it got me thinking why.

I don't know if this is scientifically correct but I definitely understand where you're coming from. I've never considered this to be honest. 

[Mokl]

Re. the 21/22 fret thing for slap preference, I feel the same way. It's too do with where your hand ends up relative to the end of the fingerboard. Feels more comfy and easier to stay loose than on a 24, in general. To me at least. It does depend on the bass