Heavy Rock Bass General Thread (HRBGT)

[Hamlet7768]

I thought of it yesterday, and someone suggested forming it. So I'm doing it. This is a general thread for those who like music loud (or loud-ish), and HEAVY. Hard rock to metal is the general tune I'm looking for here.

I move we kick the thread off with some dead horse questions that are fun to answer in nonseriousness:

1. Best bass for your particular subgenre?

2. Favorite bassist?

3. Effects we should know about

I'll start. From my listening experience, the best bass for heavy music is a Rickenbacker 400-. I put a dash because 4001 vs. 4003 is immaterial; they both have the Ricky sound. And that's the sound that works: it cuts through, allowing the groove to be heard, and thus felt more acutely, even through powerful distorted guitars. My favorite bassist is Geddy Lee, and honestly I probably shouldn't be talking effects too much. However, the Empress Multidrive does seem pretty frickin cool.

Anyway, fire away!

[Floyd Eye]

I agree. My favorite and main bass is a 1974 4001. Some of my favorites bassists are Geddy, Macca and Chris Squire. Also Tim C., Claypool, Duff, Mike Starr, Mike Inez, Robert Trujillo, Larry Graham, Bootsy and that freaky dude from POTUSA.

Really digging the TAFM for dirt. TLC is a great compressor and recently I am placing a lot of value on a nice clean boost pedal ( I am using the Boosta Grande).

[mpdd]

buying the cheapest mij high output black bass i can find on ebay for the horror punk howl party performance on Halloween night, using the mesa d180 and orange 215s

[SquierJazz72]

I favor my Jazz bass mostly, as it's what I have, but love the Rick sound as well. Either bass can do heavy, just with different sounds.

My favorite players are Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, and Geezer Butler.

I don't use a whole lot of effect on bass. Some chorus and mild touch of overdrive. Too much of either one I find to be......................too much.

[Edgar664]

I think the Jazz Bass is a terrific instrument for hard rock. For metal I've always wanted to play a Spector but until I can afford one I'll still use my LTD F-404 which is very bright with great attack, I love the "clank" in heavy music.

My favorite bassist are Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Cliff Burton, David Ellefson, Jason Newsted and Rex Brown among many others.

As for effects I usually add a light overdrive, I'm using a Tech 21 Leeds. Sometimes I like a fuzz and a wah as well.

[glorth2]

1) Best bass...good question. I'm into prog/power metal. I think Eddie Jackson's bass tone on Mindcrime/Empire was fantastic, Spectors with p/j EMGs. Unfortunately I don't care for the playability of Spectors. Since then my sort has moved more to 5/6 stringers. I know John Myung has played Yamahas and Ernie Balls and some other guys are playing Mayoneses but I've never cared for JM's tone, or what I can hear of it anyway and am unsure of the others. I tried an Ibanez 6er out the other day through some Hartkes and Mark Basses that sounded great. I might try and get one on the sooner side.

2) Fave bassists? For influence esp, mostly Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Rudy Sarzo and Paul McCartney even though he's not on the genre. Also, John Myung and Billy Sheehan not that I can do the tapping yet.

3) I've never run effects.

[meals]

Nice. I have very similar tastes on all fronts. Steve Harris is #1 influence, but tone of eddie jackson and rachel Bolan (skid row) is where it's at imo. So after 23 years playing my one & only bass a 1987 sr, i finally got a beautiful spector ze-bop and am running it all through.....? Yep, GK 700RBII & 4x10MBX. Alles gut now!!
also all the others mentioned so far - Ellefson has inspired me to try a pick in earnest after 24 years & now i've recorded 3 songs with one! Duff is in that category too. Geddy? Ya, no brainer! Dont forget dUg Pinnick or Lemmy...another tone monster in Justin Chancellor (JC) of Tool!!!!
Gods, all...

[meals]

Oh yeah & im suddenly into effects too.. So far just a chorus (DOD stereo chorus) some dirt via a source audio multiwave bass distortion. But i have a mxr bass compressor coming next week to help polish my live sound.... Maybe wanna try a bass muff pi sometime too, but prob an envelope filter first. A whole new world of fun...!

[Mykk]

I'm in. I love listening to and playing Hard Rock, Proggy Metal, Doomy/Stonerish type stuff.

Loud, Chunk & Groove.

I know you guys probably don't want to hear it, but for the hard rock genre I play a Fender Jazz straight into Mesa/Boogie gear.

I personally haven't found a distortion I love, but have heard some pretty good bass distortions for hard rock.

I don't have a long list of bass players I follow, as I hear them come and go I investigate and move on. Right now I'm digging Bryan Beller as a metal/hard rock bassist

[glorth2]

I could never play with a pick unless some part needed it and I would immediately discard.

@Mykk, Jazzes aare great and EVERYTHING sounds good through Mesa Boogies.

[SquierJazz72]

I know you guys probably don't want to hear it, but for the hard rock genre I play a Fender Jazz straight into Mesa/Boogie gear.

Love to hear it, actually. I'm a Jazz bass guy myself, but currently stuck using a guitar amp on low volume.

[mpdd]

gonna use the jazz on halloween, now that it's been totally rewired and available (and you guys are putting the peer pressure on)

[xUptheIronsx]

Originally Posted by Hamlet7768

I thought of it yesterday, and someone suggested forming it. So I'm doing it. This is a general thread for those who like music loud (or loud-ish), and HEAVY. Hard rock to metal is the general tune I'm looking for here.

I move we kick the thread off with some dead horse questions that are fun to answer in nonseriousness:

1. Best bass for your particular subgenre?

- my subgenre would be 80's influenced crossover thrash I guess. I use 3 different basses depending on my whims: a 67 P-bass/80 Jazz bass and 86 Charvel 3b

Originally Posted by Hamlet7768

2. Favorite bassist?

1. Geddy Lee
2. Steve Harris
3. Geezer Butler
4. Joey Vera
5. Edie Jackson
6. Joe DiBiase

Originally Posted by Hamlet7768

3. Effects we should know about

I really can't stand any effects. When I was younger I would use the blue Boss Chorus pedal, but haven't liked any effects for many years. I run into a Sans Amp RBI to a QSC Power amp with an Avatar B4x10 and a homemade 2x15 with Eminence speakers

[Means2nEnd]

Nice thread. My band is all original and range from groove heavier side of Incubus and then more heavily influenced by Tool, Deftones, Rage, APC and a little in between. I listen to jazz and then even heavier stuff Meshuggah Liking the new melodic Lamb too.

Warwick, Spector and Zon and in that order

I like so many bassists it’s hard to say but Justin Chancellor is in the top and I think Rex Browns tone on that new Kill Devil Hill single is killer.

I’m using an MXR guitar chorus pedal with bass and treble control to fatten up the tone but no whoosh stuff just to double signal. I use an MXR M80 for a little EQing and the color button is my secret weapon. Trying to find a good fuzz/distortion I like. B3K is my favorite one so far but it drops too much. At the volume we play no matter how I tweaked it when I kick it in I’m lost in the mix. Sounds great but it’s like I’m gone in the mix. Still looking for a good one.

[funkyebk]

I'm getting a heavy project off the ground.... Played in blues and soul and jamband stuff for years, but the first session with these guys just felt like coming home... Flavors of Tool, Clutch, Tomahawk, Deftones, heavier Incubus,... Stuff I played when I was younger, but since college never got a chance to play...

I've got several basses that all fit, Lakland 55-02, a 60's MIJ reissue fender Jazz, and just picked up a Fernandes Gravity 8 string. For me the sound is really driven by strings and set up- Stainless Steel strings and a low action that "buzzes evenly up and down the neck" (as John Entwhistle would say). I haven't found stainless sets for the 8 yet, but I may try and make one by combining my favorite DR LoRiders with a piccolo set... But I'm gonna save that for a later date... Having too much fun playing to worry about that now!

Favorite bassists?
Geddy Lee (my dog is named Geddy)
Dug Pinnick
Justin Chancellor
Ben Kenny
Tim Commeford
Jeff Amet
Mike Inez
John Paul Jones
Tom Peterson
And...
Bryan Beller... Go buy his DVD or check out a clinic if he comes near you, he's a helluva nice guy and really nails the heavy technique and tone.

Effects- I was anti-effects for a long time, but recently started adding some stuff: An Aguilar Octave pedal, MXR bass Envelope filter, and an Aguilar Agro...it's really the best distortion I've tried, not really a bad tone in it. I'm running an Aguliar AG-500 head into either an Ashdown 4x10 or 2 Aguilar 1x12's and use the 2 channels of the head and the aggro to get clean, dirty and pornstar.

[mpdd]

forgive me if you've already seen this jazz pickup comparison, but the cs 60s at the end sound pretty good, i've had good luck with them in my mij62jb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0SbaT0UbPM

[Tupac]

Gotta go with a Ray, maybe a Spector or Warwick.

Flea. (aren't I special)

EHX Bass Blogger distortion. It's got so much more cut and grind than the Big Muff, very under appreciated I think.

[mtm1]

I agree "Eddie Jackson's bass tone on Mindcrime/Empire was fantastic" for sure. I also like so much Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick. His tone would go well on any hard rock record. Of course he's usually playing a 12-string Hamer, which is not too common...

Others I'm into:
Cliff Burton
Steve Harris
John Paul Jones
Geddy Lee

[Andii Syckz]

Subgenre: Nine inch nails. I love how everything from the basic rock band composites mash well with the electronica parts. So in my arsenal of basses i'd favour my precision bass. It's my go to for pretty much any music i play. And it works perfectly for NIN.

Favorite bassist: So many, but main three would be Paul Simonon, Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Paul McCartney.

The only effect i use is an MXR M80 bass D.I. plus. I get great tone with both the clean and dirty channels. It blends nicely and cuts through the mix well with an svt and 4x10 cab.

[BradWorld]

I play in a hard rock band with prog and metal tendencies. I was influenced by all the usual suspects ... Geezer, JpJ, Lee, Squier, etc. I really like the bassists from Clutch, kyuss, and tool these days. As well I am currently digging it that little Dave is back in Megadeth.

I have been thru all the various bass phases, and have settled into a nice passive P and J phase of my career at the moment. I have a stable full of modern active basses and Ricks, and they see little use these days. I also have a few gigantic Dean V Basses and love them long time. Nothing says hard rock like a Flying V.

I do use a lot of effects. I am a DIY pedal builder, so it's in my nature. I often use a DD-3 delay, a Small Clone chorus and a few of my own pedals. I make my own fuzz, overdrive and booster pedals for bass. I have one specific booster that I will often leave on continuously at just a hair over unity gain, because it makes my bass sound like instant Chris Squier and Geddy Lee. I will also sometimes add a phaser or envelope filter to my board when I need it. And I always have a wah on there. I like to used the pedal in fixed locations to get different tones.