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Metal Bass Tones- What are the basics?


phaeton

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Posted

For metal guitar sounds, it's all about hot bridge humbuckers, double-locking whoopie bars and scooping the mids out of cascading high gain stages.

 

 

For metal bass guitar sounds, what are the basic requirements? Certain pickups, active pickups? Certain strings, amps, models of bass?

 

 

I'm looking at a Fender Precision Deluxe (Passive P and J pickups on a P-body with active boost/eq). Looks like it will be versatile as hell, but will it be too 'round' to do metal?

 

Is there a bass that will do everything?

 

Thanks.

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Posted

My idea of metal is weaker alnico humbuckers on a LP with boosted mids out of a british tube head. :D

 

Anyways, the P will do metal well. Many basses do metal well. You just have to pick the right amp and head to make the right "metal" sound you're after.

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My idea of metal is weaker alnico humbuckers on a LP with boosted mids out of a british tube head.
:D

Anyways, the P will do metal well. Many basses do metal well. You just have to pick the right amp and head to make the right "metal" sound you're after.

 

 

This will make it easier than most for the P, as the right 'metal' sound I'm after is Geezer + Harris. But for those Dave Ellefson moments, I'm at a loss. I have a feeling that Ellefson's setup is extreme metal (good) but also a one-trick pony (very bad).

 

 

Any idea what amp Harris played?

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Posted

I personally wouldn't use anything with a Jazz pup for intense metal, usually gets lost in the mix alot easier than a P pup or a humbucker for example.

 

what sort of music are you hoping to play?

 

in terms of a bass that will do everything, a Stingray does that quite well as does a good quality P bass.

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Posted

For metal guitar sounds, it's all about hot bridge humbuckers, double-locking whoopie bars and scooping the mids out of cascading high gain stages.



For metal
bass
guitar sounds, what are the basic requirements?


 

One word... Valnott

:D
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Posted

I played metal for years with a P bass. Don't scoop your mids; drop the lowest bass out a little bit, and add some high mids and highs. That helps eliminate some of the "boom" associated with a Precision.

New strings help alot, also.

 

My favorite basses for that grinding metal tone are Spectors and Stingrays.

C7

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Posted

I've heard most styles of bass work well for most styles of metal.

IMO Geezer and Steve's classic tones are largely a result of their techniques, the setups on their basses and little to do with their amps. Both do/have used heavy guage strings which seem to impart slightly more defined low notes than on a typical muddy P. Steve has used a QP SD pickup for a while which I believe has an extended frequency range compared to a stock pup (this is just what I've read so may not be 100% accurate).

I actually don't like many muddy P tones, but Steve's is one I've liked for 25 years or so!

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Posted

I would suggest using a P, with an agressive pickup like the QP SD or the DiMarzio Willpower. Fresh strings is also good.

 

Steve Harris actually uses flatwounds. He changes them all the time to keep 'em fresh though.

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Posted

I see a lot of metal'eads playing Spectors. And they come in 'metally' colours. Also Warwicks.

 

Warwick have some seriously f'ed up designs - very metal.

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Posted

I've heard most styles of bass work well for most styles of metal.

IMO Geezer and Steve's classic tones are largely a result of their techniques, the setups on their basses and little to do with their amps. Both do/have used heavy guage strings which seem to impart slightly more defined low notes than on a typical muddy P. Steve has used a QP SD pickup for a while which I believe has an extended frequency range compared to a stock pup (this is just what I've read so may not be 100% accurate).

I actually don't like many muddy P tones, but Steve's is one I've liked for 25 years or so!

 

Since when are P-basses "muddy?" :rolleyes:

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Posted

Since when are P-basses "muddy?"
:rolleyes:

 

Gibby basses are typically described as muddy sounding (specially the EB0, EB3 etc.) ... but not P-basses. What's he on about? :confused:

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Posted

 

My favorite basses for that grinding metal tone are Spectors and Stingrays.

C7

 

 

Agreed. I'll throw in a little more broad recommendation...something with a humbucker. I prefer my Stingray's over anything for metal...

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Posted

Gibby basses are typically described as muddy sounding (specially the EB0, EB3 etc.) ... but not P-basses. What's he on about?
:confused:

 

There are tons of Gibby's with vastly different tones, most of which definitly NOT muddy, so what are you on about?;)

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Posted

I'll throw in this, it doesn't matter what kind of bass you play with 'metal' anymore. If' you're talking about a couple guitarists, massive tube heads cranked through a 412 or two each, mega scooped super high gain boomy low end LOUD tones then the bass makes no difference at all. Play what ever you want, because it won't matter. But, if you have actual musicians playing heavy music, who know how to set their tones for the band mix and not the guitard bedroom hero dream tone, then you can find a bass that fits into the space best. But we all know how rare that would be...;)

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Posted

Honestly, I've seen all kinds of basses played for metal. I've seen a guy who sounds killer in an Ozzy and Metallica tribute band, and he uses a GK amplifier and some vintage reissue Jazz bass that looks stock. In terms of pro bands, that tends to be all over the place too. Ellefson's signature bass is a P-J configuration. Tim Commerford uses a Jazz Bass and I think he has a great metal tone. High output pickups can help!

 

I play melodic metal in Drop C. I have an Ampeg SVT3-Pro running through either a 2x15 or a 1x15/2x10, I have compression on all the time which helps alot- and EMG's are good for cutting through too. But yea, I just use Fenders really for the most part. A P with EMG's and a Jazz that I want to put EMG's in as well. Make sure you have heavy strings on if you're tuning down, dial in your EQ like others have suggested in the thread emphasizing mids, and a bit of overdrive now and then doesn't hurt either!

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