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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 9:59 am
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Just raised it a couple of inches lately, blame age.

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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:22 pm
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Krist Novelselic (spelling?), bassist of Nirvana, who is about 6'6", wore it literally as low as humanly possible. His right arm was completely straight, and he was bent over, just to reach the strings, and there literally was not a strap long enough. As you can see in this vid, he has jerry-rigged the strap by tying a cloth or t-shirt to it to add about an extra 2 feet of length. He would bounce the body of the bass guitar off of his knee.

Even though I'm a huge Nirvana fan, I find this look to be annoying and stupid. It's trying too hard to be cool/grunge. When it comes to a 6-string guitar, of course, it is literally impossible to play anything but power chords (or chords in drop D, I guess) if it's anywhere near this low. To play anything else, one simply must sling it at a reasonable height. There is a good vid on youtube with Keith Urban talking about this, saying if you want to play accurately, you sling it high, if you want to look cool, you sling it low. (He brought some kid on stage to give an impromptu lesson.)

I happen to think some of these "hipster indie" guys who are slinging it higher nowadays are doing so in part because they are actually playing reasonably technical stuff, not just power chords. An example is Infantree, where the dude is basically a classical player by background, and he slings it up where it would be if he were sitting down. (This is for another thread, and there have been hundreds, but the idea that guitar-based music is dead is IMO wrong. There are a ton of interesting bands right now with Gen Y kids who can play their instruments. MTV and FM radio are dead, not rock music.) A lot of these kids can play guitar. And I can say this, of course, because everyone knows I'm a Nirvana fan.

pause vid at 8:54


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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:28 pm
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Her Wanna wrote:
Krist Novelselic (spelling?), bassist of Nirvana, who is about 6'6", wore it literally as low as humanly possible. His right arm was completely straight, and he was bent over, just to reach the strings, and there literally was not a strap long enough. As you can see in this vid, he has jerry-rigged the strap by tying a cloth or t-shirt to it to add about an extra 2 feet of length. He would bounce the body of the bass guitar off of his knee.

Even though I'm a huge Nirvana fan, I find this look to be annoying and stupid. It's trying too hard to be cool/grunge. When it comes to a 6-string guitar, of course, it is literally impossible to play anything but power chords (or chords in drop D, I guess) if it's anywhere near this low. To play anything else, one simply must sling it at a reasonable height. There is a good vid on youtube with Keith Urban talking about this, saying if you want to play accurately, you sling it high, if you want to look cool, you sling it low. (He brought some kid on stage to give an impromptu lesson.)

I happen to think some of these "hipster indie" guys who are slinging it higher nowadays are doing so in part because they are actually playing reasonably technical stuff, not just power chords. An example is Infantree, where the dude is basically a classical player by background, and he slings it up where it would be if he were sitting down. (This is for another thread, and there have been hundreds, but the idea that guitar-based music is dead is IMO wrong. There are a ton of interesting bands right now with Gen Y kids who can play their instruments. MTV and FM radio are dead, not rock music.) A lot of these kids can play guitar. And I can say this, of course, because everyone knows I'm a Nirvana fan.

pause vid at 8:54


Krist is so gangly though...


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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:35 pm
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I ear my guitars slightly lower than where they would be when I am sitting.
And my bass I wear little lower than that.
If they're too low it bothers me.

As my guitars are different sizes & shapes and the strap knobs are in different places, each guitar has its own strap so I don't have to keep adjusting the length.

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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 9:18 am
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I found one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
it´s the -Rambo Machine Gun style-

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Anthrax, -Chainsaw style-

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Davey, he knows a thing or two! 8)

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As I continue to investigate, I guess my strap is just a tad bit longer than Buddy´s here,

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I could ask this cat, he looks experienced,

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Well now, I might be getting the "hang" of this, :D

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Ted goes a little lower,

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Sonny Landreth straps it high, kinda like Roy. I could grow me a hump this way,

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This here circus magician who lost his shirt, he goes low. Sorry not a fan. :cry:

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Pat Metheny, lets see now,

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Bonamassa,
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Joe Walsh looks pretty comfortable at this length,

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Johnny Lang goes fairly low,

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Pete Townshend, this actually looks -conservative low- for him,
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I can only sound cowboy chords this low, Hi Bruce!
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Steve goes mid-low, I guess,
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Good Ol´Frank,
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And Danny Gatton, mid-high let´s say,
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Petrucci, strapped mid-high on this pic,
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Moving along here,
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How about Willie, mid-low, no I guess it´s low, where low starts,
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And Jimmy Vaughan, this length my current fit.
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Metallica, classic low
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Paramore, mid-low strap length,
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Satriani let´s call it mid-low, Bryan Beller low, they look pretty comfortable,
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Rory, another important reference, I guess mid to mid-low,
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Kevin Eubanks, mid-height, and what a huge fretboard man
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And Steve Morse, I guess he plays all those scales at this height,
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Ok another lick master that goes lower than I´m comfortable with, perhaps these chaps went lower bit by bit accomodating their technique? Hi Brian!
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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:53 pm
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Dalembic wrote:
Her Wanna wrote:
Krist Novelselic (spelling?), bassist of Nirvana, who is about 6'6", wore it literally as low as humanly possible. His right arm was completely straight, and he was bent over, just to reach the strings, and there literally was not a strap long enough. As you can see in this vid, he has jerry-rigged the strap by tying a cloth or t-shirt to it to add about an extra 2 feet of length. He would bounce the body of the bass guitar off of his knee.

Even though I'm a huge Nirvana fan, I find this look to be annoying and stupid. It's trying too hard to be cool/grunge. When it comes to a 6-string guitar, of course, it is literally impossible to play anything but power chords (or chords in drop D, I guess) if it's anywhere near this low. To play anything else, one simply must sling it at a reasonable height. There is a good vid on youtube with Keith Urban talking about this, saying if you want to play accurately, you sling it high, if you want to look cool, you sling it low. (He brought some kid on stage to give an impromptu lesson.)

I happen to think some of these "hipster indie" guys who are slinging it higher nowadays are doing so in part because they are actually playing reasonably technical stuff, not just power chords. An example is Infantree, where the dude is basically a classical player by background, and he slings it up where it would be if he were sitting down. (This is for another thread, and there have been hundreds, but the idea that guitar-based music is dead is IMO wrong. There are a ton of interesting bands right now with Gen Y kids who can play their instruments. MTV and FM radio are dead, not rock music.) A lot of these kids can play guitar. And I can say this, of course, because everyone knows I'm a Nirvana fan.

pause vid at 8:54


Krist is so gangly though...


I've seen Slash play that low also, but Krist is very tall and each to their own.. Because he only plays bass it's probably easier. He would look wired with it higher because he would dwarf his bass.

Quote:
It's trying too hard to be cool/grunge


Probably worth noting that nirvana was the main movement in grunge and the last thing they ever wanted to be was mainstream and 'cool'.

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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:40 am
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I'm sorry but I think high straps look horrible on stage. I couldn't give a stuff about accuracy when I go and see a band. I want something that will excite me, not someone who's worried about getting their nonsense guitar solo just right. When I want that, I'll listen to the record.


Hendrix he was out of tune, out of time and out of his head live. No matter how high he had his guitar strapped, it was never as high as him.

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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:50 am
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Probably varies based on instrument, style, physique, Fingerstyle bass players usually will need the instrument higher than a picker.

I am another Indy Hipster Douchebag. However I didn't know I was until I read this thread.

When I play up high it works great, but when I see a photo it looks really stupid. I disagree with Ricardo Montalban about it being better to look good than to feel good. So I'm a very stupid looking Indy Hipster Douchebag and that's just the way it is, so deal with it.

I could put a photo here, but trust me I play so high it looks like I should be riding the short bus to special ed band camp...and I don't need you laughing and pointing.


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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:37 am
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Hi Nick! I think you have a point man. And for my part I can admit
to a little vanity. I guess there´s the two extremes,
of all-out glamour and the awkward high-strung introverted stance. When I
first strapped high as I left my cassical guitar behind, I realized my left arm
now was restrained and also my torso went stiff.

Like I said, my issue is lumbar stress from an old injury,
so I have had to experiment with where the weight hangs relative to my spine.
Also I can´t figure how these guys trained their left wrist to do the hard work
at this lowered position. Going down half an inch at a time seems feasable.

Here´s the late Gary Moore, another consumate soloist who played
lower than medium strap length.
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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:37 am
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Hey Dave here´s Mike Porcaro, one of my favorite players.
I couldn´t find another pic but I´ve seen him strapped way high
and he is as cool as it gets. Post that picture BrotherDave! :D
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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:00 am
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Well Mike I think I'm lucky. I do a very physical day job and haven't suffered the sort of injury you have. I do however have carpal tunnel/havcs in my wrists from using drills constantly. If I play from the wrist, I can only get through 3 songs before my hand spazz's and I drop everything. So low, I can play from the shoulder or elbow.
The other thing is that my band hit songs in groups, 4 straight through, 3, 4,2,1,5. No gaps and no rest time.

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Post subject: Re: Your way of strapping it just right...
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:23 am
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nikininja wrote:
Just raised it a couple of inches lately, blame age.

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This picture is awesome!
I suppose it´s you wearing the Great Britain strap Nick?
I doubt you could rock that crowd just standing there
with a guitar upon your chest.
I´m finding freedom of the torso
is important on electric guitar, thinking of rock music.
At my current strap length I can lean in momentarily,
it´s a great feeling, sort of curling around my guitar.
Lower down this joy disappears and the kness get more involved.

About bass playing, to me bass is a different world.
Just the string length and added weight, I prefer the load higher up,
as I do play bass on ocassion. Can´t stand for long though.
Here´s Jeff Berlin, another bass icon. I guess this is how BrotherDave straps,
pretty standard for bass cats wouldn´t you say Dave?
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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:15 pm
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A bassist I used to work with explained to me why I can't play bass. He said it's an entirely different instrument to a regular guitar. Guitar being all about the left hand (fretting) and bass being about the right hand (strumming/slapping/picking).
It made a hell of a lot of sense at the time and still does, to my thinking.

Mike, I'm to the right playing that Mosrite copy. Usually it's my les paul but I dug my strat out today and think I'll be finishing the year off playing that.

Usually, the photos come out like this, courtesy of Steve O'Donnell.

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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:24 pm
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This is the perfect height for me!
ABS :D
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Post subject: Re: MORE PICS on Your way of strapping it just right.
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:13 pm
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I'm probably average on the height I wear my bass, I'm just vertically challenged overall.

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