godsmack sound?

[4StringedFreak]

hey, im just looking for some help on getting Robbie Merrill's kinda sound. i just love the sound he gets from his bass, anyone know what kinda settings he uses?

[wmcjhi]

Merrill, huh? Here we go...Pick up your bass. Plug it in. Turn on the amp. Now, remove your left hand from the bass, you won't be needing it. Go ahead and hit the E string a few times. There you go.

JK, of course, just had to have some fun with the generalizations. I actually rather like Robbie's sound (Godsmack is one of my favorite bands right now) and a lot of his basslines do just what they need to...and Voodoo is just a sweet little groove.

AFAIK, his sound comes primarily from his Ibanez basses (and a couple spectors, I almost always see him playing ibby's though) in drop D through a wall of amps/cabs.

Here's something to help you along your way some, sorry I don't know too much more off the top of my head, I haven't researched him too much:
http://guitargeek.com/rigview/378/

[4StringedFreak]

lol, actually i think he's left handed..or maybe im wrong, but i think he is..
but im really just looking for that thick meaty thump, with a crunch to it

[wmcjhi]

Originally Posted by 4StringedFreak

lol, actually i think he's left handed..or maybe im wrong, but i think he is..
but im really just looking for that thick meaty thump, with a crunch to it

You are correct, but I assumed you weren't left handed, hence the, er...playing advice

[4StringedFreak]

awh that makes sence! lol

[Ibanez55]

Finally someone else here likes Robbie Merill. Godsmack is one of my favorite bands ill tell you his whole rig right now i practically studied him. His rig consists of 8 SWR Goliath 410 Cabs With 4 SWR 750x's and 4 SWR Power 750's. He also runs through a Sansamp rackmountable Preamp and an SWR Interstellar Overdrive. On the albums Godsmack, Awake, Faceless and the Otherside he almost exclusivley used Ibanez Basses. On "Godmack 4" he used Spector And Ibanez [Mostly Spectors] He now uses mostly spectors on his tours now though occasionally wipping out his custom black Ibanez String Through [I Think bases on the SR500] Oh yeah and He uses A Shure UT4 as a Wireless setup. Thats Robbie Merill"s hole rig. As for how he dials it in. I'd say alot of mids. In fact he was the one who made me go with Ibanez because i liked his tone.

-Ibanez55

[elpelotero]

for that nu-metal heavy chunking bass sound, I would do the following:

-cut upper mids
-boost around 4k to 6k to get "crunch"
-boost anything from 80 to 400 hz A LOT
-hit the strings hard
-play with good gear