I heard that cliff burton...

cliffbass · #1 10-23-2009, 07:47 AM

Played with a pick on kill em all album is this true?
I think yes cuz when i hear the guitar hero's bass tracks i can understand this is a pick.
Anyway i got this info from a true skilled bass player but i don't believe cuz i can see in old footages before he went to metallica. Before metallica he was playing at trauma btw when i said this to the skilled bass player he told me that he wasn't feeling comfortable at kill em all and he put his ass down to learn with fingers

I am starting believing this cuz his style changed a lot after kill em all

El Raro · #2 10-23-2009, 08:03 AM

Well "Kill em' All" was heavily influenced by punk rock so I can probably understand Cliff using a pick to get that punk sound. If you hear the bass track I'm sure you'll notice there's a lot of attack and power behind his playing so its very much possible he was picking at the time.

Cliff wasn't a one-dimensional player, that's for certain. He was always evolving his style and trying something new on each album. I think that's what made him such a great bassist...the fact that he went beyond a single style and wasn't scared to experiment a little bit especially being in a heavy metal band during the 80's.

bigchiefbc · #3 10-23-2009, 08:07 AM

I'd be surprised if Cliff played with a pick. I've never seen a single video of him using a pick, so that's what I'm going on. On the Cliff 'Em All video, there are several clips of them playing right around when Kill 'Em All came out in '83, and Cliff was definitely playing with fingers at that point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2rDxDQyF3k

Qvist · #4 10-23-2009, 08:12 AM

Listen to the master tracks on youtube, that is pure fingers. Cliff never recorded with a pick, nor do I think he ever played live with a pick. Amazing stamina he had!

MikeBass · #5 10-23-2009, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cliffbass

I think yes cuz when i hear the guitar hero's bass tracks i can understand this is a pick.

Well it HAS to be true then if Guitar Hero sounds like that!

JoshuaTSP · #6 10-23-2009, 08:16 AM

guitar hero tracks are all re-recorded.

Rickett Customs · #7 10-23-2009, 08:25 AM

You might want to ask TB'er "Funkytoe", IIRC he knew Cliff personally in his pre-metallica early-metallica eras.

**jmattbassplaya** · #8 10-23-2009, 08:37 AM

Cliff was completely a fingers player. After reading numerous biographical books on Metallica and watching countless early bootlegs of their early years I would say within 99% certainty he never used a pick. It would of been mentioned somewhere or he would of used a pick live in some of those early vids.

Besides, if he did in fact use a pick in those early bass recordings(here comes the flaming) then he had some very sloppy technique. I`m basing this off of the isolated bass tracks I`ve listened to on youtube.

sevenyearsdown · #9 10-23-2009, 08:39 AM

I base all my opinions on musicianship only after I study ones work through the media format that is guitar hero.

cliffbass · #10 10-23-2009, 08:50 AM

yeah i believed he played with pick on kill em all cuz i can hear the damn pick why he wasn't sloppy in kill em all and became in rlt and mop .... search in youtube seek and destroy bass track and other bass tracks on kill em all you will understand especialy on hit the lights bass track

Bassmingo · #11 10-23-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshuaTSP

guitar hero tracks are all re-recorded.

wronnnnnnnnnng!

as far as i know cliff never recorded with a pick.

cliffbass · #12 10-23-2009, 09:07 AM

so we w8 for someone who is pro at hearing the bass tracks at kill em all

JoshuaTSP · #13 10-23-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassmingo

wronnnnnnnnnng!

Be careful on taking a strong stance on something you aren't positive about.

Read an interview about the guy that re-records the guitar for the game.

They strive to make it sound as close as they can to the original.

theunknowndude · #14 10-23-2009, 09:22 AM

I thought this was debated before???
from previous things I thought it was all the ric/flats/not very much distortion... much preferred that tone...

you can tell that alot of his later tracks are distorted and growly and mmm I don't like them by themselves

but they did work in the mix when you can hear him... kill em all youtube stuff below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXZh-v5ZlKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO3Ql...eature=related

this to me sounds like fingers,... just a very different tone than anything on RTL, MOP etc

RTL content below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1-zL...eature=related

even in fade to black,... you can tell he has drive of some kind on, and a very feirce attack...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWKQT...eature=related

oh and this clip of whiplash has inconsistent attack, volume and differing sustain on all notes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HCMcMl_Gj0

sounds like fingers to me

Tedstor · #15 10-23-2009, 09:30 AM

I don't think he used a pick. At least not for all the tracks.

I watched an audition documentary on youtube when Robert Trujillio successfully tried out for the band.
Kirk Hammitt was thrilled with the audition and said something like "did you see how fast his fingers moved (referring to his right hand)? NO ONE has played hit the lights like that since Cliff".

Anesthesia sounds finger picked to me. Although the distortion might have muffled the pick sound.

Check out the video. Start at 5:45ish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmY8-6qOIu8

Addison · #16 10-23-2009, 09:36 AM

I'm not going to drop any names or tell you why I know this information or whatever, but I can tell you that he never recorded anything with a pick.

Ever.

eddievanbassman · #17 10-23-2009, 09:46 AM

That's a lie listen to the bass tracks on youtube and you can tell its with his fingers

NortyFiner · #18 10-23-2009, 09:53 AM

Everything that I have ever seen or heard about Cliff Burton, he uses his fingers. Which makes his speed that much more amazing, when you think about it...

cliffbass · #19 10-23-2009, 11:38 AM

so anyway i wanna hear more opinions

roccobladr · #20 10-23-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshuaTSP

Be careful on taking a strong stance on something you aren't positive about.

Read an interview about the guy that re-records the guitar for the game.

They strive to make it sound as close as they can to the original.

pretty sure that ever since the third guitar hero, they have been using all original tracks. the second one had some re-recorded.