Geezer's Tone

[tonyciv]

What bass, strings and amp did G. Butler use on Sabbath's first album? Paranoid? Master of Reality? Volume IV?

[tehbassist]

USE SEAAAAARRRRCHHHHH....

[BassAssault]

Originally Posted by tehbassist

USE SEAAAAARRRRCHHHHH....

Was that a bass or a amp brand?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by StingrayDerek

Didn't he use a Fender Precision and Sunn Amps?

precision, yes. amp was some old laney tube amp with a 412 that had a broken speaker. strings are some sort of flats.

[pedroims]

From Geezer's own words: When we recorded black sabbath , I had a 70-watt Laney guitar amp and a park 4x12 cabinet with only three speakers in it and two of them were wrecked. That's how I got that really distorted sound. Actually I hated the tone of that record at the time...

[Sartori]

Did he continue using that ratty cab for the next albums? Or did he change setups? I'm pretty sure he continued using P-basses, at least in studio. My favorite bass sounds from him are on Master of Reality and Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath.

[JimmyM]

i think sbs was when he went to the john birch eb-3 replica, right? but no matter what he uses, geezer's going to sound like geezer no matter. he's geezer.

[Sartori]

Yeah, he pretty much always sounds pretty much the same with a couple minor variations.

I didn't know he'd used an EB-3 type bass. The studio shots I'd seen of him he was always using a Fender... as far as in concert goes, he's used tons of different basses but still seems to mostly sound the same, whether on Fenders, myriad 70's basses, that one taped concert with the rick, BC Rich, Vigier and now Lakland.

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Did he continue using that ratty cab for the next albums? Or did he change setups? I'm pretty sure he continued using P-basses, at least in studio. My favorite bass sounds from him are on Master of Reality and Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath.

Judging from the sound, I dont think he used that busted cab on other recordings, the bass sounds alot better from Paranoid on. I'm also guessing it was a P-bass up thru Master, after that his sound is different (though they were also using different producers and studios)

[tonyciv]

Thanks, benjammin420. I just put a set of DR Legends (flats) on my '75 P-Bass and it now closely replicates the extra-heavy and dark tone of early Geezer-tone knob all the way down on the bass, of course.

[seanm]

I read where Geezer also used to fingerpick up over the neck. Really works for Paranoid. And you should be able to turn the bass tone back up.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by benjammin420

Judging from the sound, I dont think he used that busted cab on other recordings, the bass sounds alot better from Paranoid on. I'm also guessing it was a P-bass up thru Master, after that his sound is different (though they were also using different producers and studios)

I actually prefer the overall sound of the first album to Paranoid. The second album just sounds thin in general, to me. Especially when compared with the next albums.

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Sartori

I actually prefer the overall sound of the first album to Paranoid. The second album just sounds thin in general, to me. Especially when compared with the next albums.

I just meant it sounds "cleaner", not ratty, I personally prefer his tone on MOR, I think that was when they started detuning which might explain why Paranoid sounds thin in comparison

As Seanm pointed out, playing over the neck is a big part of his sound/style

[Sartori]

Yeah, which is how it sounds both bassy and clanky. He's got a lot of mids in his sound, too.

[Kink Rimson]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Yeah, he pretty much always sounds pretty much the same with a couple minor variations.

.

Got to disagree there. The first 3 Sabs albums all have a similar tone (although with obvious differences in recording and production), but from Vol 4 onward his tone is completely different, far less treble and bite. Also, for the next few albums his presence in the mix seemed to drop considerably.

On Never Say Die his bass sound changes again, he used a Rickenbacker 4001 strung with flats. You can clearly hear it on the intro to 'Junior's Eyes', it sounds very similar to Roger Glover's tone on Machine Head.

Amusingly Geezer always insists that he never recorded with that Rick, but it's all over Never Say Die.

[EdHunter]

Recently, I've ben able to get close to his recent tone (very evident on the Heaven and Hell live album) with a Precision Deluxe, on full P, with lots of mid and treble, through a Marshall MB30 on the classic channel with lots of treble.

[Ric5]

I always thought it was the guitar tone that made those records. And of course Ozzy's voice.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by Kink Rimson

Got to disagree there. The first 3 Sabs albums all have a similar tone (although with obvious differences in recording and production), but from Vol 4 onward his tone is completely different, far less treble and bite. Also, for the next few albums his presence in the mix seemed to drop considerably.

On Never Say Die his bass sound changes again, he used a Rickenbacker 4001 strung with flats. You can clearly hear it on the intro to 'Junior's Eyes', it sounds very similar to Roger Glover's tone on Machine Head.

Amusingly Geezer always insists that he never recorded with that Rick, but it's all over Never Say Die.

Ah, well, haven't listened to that one (Never Say Die) in ages. Will have to give it another spin.

I dunno about Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage having no treble and bite, though. The tone on the title track of the former and on "Hole in the Sky" is pretty snarly.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by Ric5

I always thought it was the guitar tone that made those records. And of course Ozzy's voice.

It's a sum of all parts, for me.

[tonyciv]

Check out 'A National Acrobat' from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. That's the tone I love! Deep and dark, but not muddy.