How high/low do you sling your bass?

O

orcfiend

New member
Just a gathering of public opinion..heh heh

HOW HIGH/LOW DO YOU SLING YOUR BASS?

7 years ago when I first started out playing bass (playing punk rock, of course), I put my strap to the longest. My bass was practically at my knees. Haha! Then as the years passed, it came up higher...and higher..and higher..now chest level. lol!

I know people think that sling so high look like kuku, but I like it that way :) Any genre, be it punk rock to rock to classic rock to pop to pop rock to 70s-80s disco, prog rock, or jazz fusion/jazz..chest level for me. After some time I thought that comfort (and the ability to reach the higher frets easily) was the no1 priority instead of looking cool, haha! Maybe that's why I'm not so popular with the photographers at my band's resident/corporate gigs :S And I must say I haven't had much wrist problem since the change!

What do you think?
 
guess it depends on what you need to play....though i find slinging low more relax cause your arm is straight and lazy...where as if higher, I have to bend my elbow, I find more tense...anyway depends on individual I guess...
 
for some people slinging high high is not kuku. it is KOOL. if i see someone slinging his bass damn high i would expect him to do some super skill jazz licks.

my strap is long mainly because i'm tall. the optimal position is such that the bass will be the same part of your body whether you are standing up or sitting down. but i wear my bass lower than that so that i have an easier time reaching the lower frets, which is where i play the most.

and because of my height i can't sling my bass low low at knee level; they dont make straps THAT long.

but i find that the angle also plays a part, different people tilt their basses at different angles
 
having your strap so long that your bass is at your knees is just...no. why the heck would someone do that? it's totally impractical, unless you're Rob Trujillo. the only reason why someone would play so low...well you know where i'm going.

i have mine high, but not so high that i have to raise my fretting arm up to reach the first fret, and not so that my plucking hand's wrist is bent at such an awkward angle that it's like asking for carpal. although some might say that Thunderbirds should be slung low to exude awesome coolness, that couldn't be more wrong due to the length of the bass and if you're talking Epiphone, the neck dive.


that said, mine's somewhere above the belt. i would go higher, but it would be awkward because i'm short and i don't think my arms are long enough.



and if you're wondering about when people sling their basses all the way up to their chests, it's called nipple-riding.:mrgreen:
 
Haha, well playing fingerstyle with the bass down too low really doesn't cut it. And with the bass now sitting at the chest, I can rest my right hand as well..and plus fingerstyle is way more comfy.

That being said, too high is bad too, suffocating esp with 5-6 stringers..

Plus point also now that I'm packing a few extra pounds (oops) the bass can rest on my ....belly. haha. Maciam lapsteel guitar!!! haha

shinobi said:
for some people slinging high high is not kuku. it is KOOL. if i see someone slinging his bass damn high i would expect him to do some super skill jazz licks.
Click to expand...

Jazz licks..cannot lah. Rock licks, can anot? haha
 
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I'm pretty small sized so i guess mine's considered high. It use to be slightly below my belly button. But now it above it for comfort and i realised that it also prevents buckle rash. :)
 
kerplunk182 said:
I'm pretty small sized so i guess mine's considered high. It use to be slightly below my belly button. But now it above it for comfort and i realised that it also prevents buckle rash. :)
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ever since i totally got damn bad buckle rash on my old old gibby, i never wore a belt standing up to play anymore haha
 
LadyInTears said:
ever since i totally got damn bad buckle rash on my old old gibby, i never wore a belt standing up to play anymore haha
Click to expand...

thats why i use the scratchpad!

scratch_pad.jpg
 
LadyInTears said:
ever since i totally got damn bad buckle rash on my old old gibby, i never wore a belt standing up to play anymore haha
Click to expand...

haha yeah.. i don't even wear clothes with buttons/zips etc. u get the idea ;)

anyway i think ideal position is where ur left wrist isn't a weird angle when u play, this may or may not be the same as when you are sitting down, depending on body height/guitar model etc. that said, i'm hanging mind pretty lowish, since yeah like shinobi i don't play high notes very much and if i need to i'll probably pull a trujillo haha
 
I used to wear it very high to almost chest level, it was really comfortable to play then but I looked really silly and ridiculous. So I hang it lower nowadays to my tummy level just to look slightly better. Any lower will be disasterous to my hands :???:
 
practicality should be the focus here. in order the prevent injury to your wrists in the long-run it's better to sling it higher (not too high). it might look stupid, but isn't it the rocker way to stand out from everyone?
 
haha... i sling it at around chan_derrick's level, looks nice and doesn't hinder the playing much...
anyways, who are those ppl all around the place??? their weird haha
 
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