Converted from guitar to bass, in need of simple tips on tone!

Sonnycrocket89 · #1 11-08-2009, 04:55 AM

So, I just joined a new band on bass that plays pretty generic drop c tuned metal. I've been playing guitar for several years and in terms of guitar tone I know my way about gear pretty well.
When it comes to bass I'm a total noob.

At the moment I own a cheap SX bass but I am looking to upgrade! I'm thinking in terms of maybe an Ibanez SRX 360 or an LTD F-104 could somebody tell me if im going in the right direction or if you might have any another suggestion that might better suit our style?

A quick question regarding tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMzCUi75jIY

I kinda like the tone in this Mayhem song and was wondering how I should go around to achieve it? I'm guessing an overdrive/distortion/fuzz of some sort and perhaps an EQ pedal?

Sorry for being such a noob, asking such basic/stupid questions!

René_Julien · #2 11-08-2009, 05:16 AM

I don't know what the bassist from Mayhem uses,

but my shot at it:

Sansamp Bass Driver DI + maybe an Electro Harmonix Steel Leather.

That will get you into the ballpark.
Take an overdose of the presence control on the Sansamp BDDI.

As far as EQin.... I hear a tad of growl, probably a bit boosted between the 300 to 500 Hz area.
Otherwise I don't feel EQing will get you there.... but you should learn more about EQing regardless of achieving this particular tone. I very much depends on what bass and amp you have.

As for the bass.... go ask in the basses forum what the best bass for metal is, they like that over there.

(joking, don't do that)

I'm guessing anything from and active Jazz bass to a modern active bass would be a logical choice.

But, you as formerly guitarist should probably also know, your instrument choice is very personal, and your choice can't be explained by logic.

You need to find a bass that feels good to you, regardless of what genre you are going to use it for.

For example, I play a fretless precision bass and I play metal. Strange, but it works for me. My favourite bass, the favourite music style I play.

edit: cheap alternative for the Sansamp, the Behringer copy, BDI21
according to some users here it is on par with the Sansamp when it comes to tone quality.
build quality is something else.

Also MXR Blowtorch is something you might want to try out.

It's definately "grit" you're after.
Hard to define that.
Mild metallic overdrive.... I would describe it.

G0rilla · #3 11-08-2009, 05:26 AM

For that tone you need a tube amp, Sansamp bassdrive or Boss ODB-3, and scooped mids. Also, treble and presence maxed. But us as you can hear yourself, bass gets lost everytime guitars go in - that`s because mids are scooped out, but if you don`t have mids, wont get heard through guitars. You have to consier, either you want "kewl" tone and stay lost in mix, either fit in mix better and have different character to your tone.

bassman1185 · #4 11-08-2009, 06:00 AM

I wouldn't worry too much about upgrading your bass right away. Drop some good pickups in and you should be set for a while. I play a Squier VM Jazz in my hardcore band. I put in a set of Seymore Duncan Quarter Pounders, and it sounds killer now. As for pedals that you should think about, I would recommend:

A Tuner - the Korg PitchBlack gets really good reviews.

A Tubescreamer style OD - the Digitech Bad Monkey is AWESOME considering it's only $50.

A Fuzz - Big Muff-style fuzz is great for creating a huge wall of doom.

A noise suppressor - I have an NS-2 and it was easily the best $50 I have ever spent on bass stuff.

Sonnycrocket89 · #5 11-08-2009, 08:53 AM

Thanks for all your feedback, it helps a lot!

About basses, that is quite interesting that you play a fretless jazz bass. As a guitarist I've been staring blindly at basses with humbuckers and active electronics etc. cause that is metal to me!

Think I'll have little sit down at the local shop and try out a bunch, not only typical "metal" basses. I'll also check out the Sansap, blowtorch and other pedals mentioned!

Regarding tube amps, I've got an old Peavey classic 120w mono power amp with 6l6 tubes (a monster for guitar use) would it work as a bass amp with one of the pedals you mentioned before it?

Thanks again!

René_Julien · #6 11-08-2009, 09:31 AM

Yup, you can use your guitar head. But pair it up with a bass cab. (Don't use guitar cabs in a loud band setting.)
Preferably a 4x10 as default for a beginner (maybe later on when you learn more about bassamps you might find another cab configuration that you like better.)

I'm a big fan of Hartke, so I recommend their cabs... especially if you are on a budget.

Several succesful rock/metal bassists use guitar heads. Lemmy and the bassist for Megadeth come to mind first. And they might deliver this kind of gritty and a bit thin tone your after.
Even Steve Harris' Hiwatts are basicly guitar amps... modified for use with bass though.

It's a precision bass I use, I don't like jazz basses.

I play for 10 years now, mostly metal bands.
Very strange if I could go back in time and tell my 17-18yo self that my favourite bass will be a traditional precision bass.
While as a noob I, as you phrased it, was staring blindly at everything that was modern, cutting edge and with lots of bells and whistles.

But we're talking about musical instruments were we need to find some kind of soul and vibe in (even if we're playing metal

. It's not like shopping in a hardware store for some powertools.

But, nothing against modern basses with active electronics. It's really personal preference.

Try out anything you can... anything can be used.

For example, I tried a Danelectro Longhorn shortscale bass... and it's potent enough to be in a metalband setting. But I understand that the look does not work on stage.

wetzelman1 · #7 11-08-2009, 09:46 AM

for that kind of tone, and keeping it cheap, I'd recomend the behringer bdi21 and pair that with an ibanez phat hed. I think not only will you get that tone your looking for, but both of those pedals will be very versatile in other possibilities.

I changed from guitar to bass about a year ago and fell in love. Something that's hard to grasp is that, especially in a metal, when your bass sounds good to you alone, it's probably not going to sound good in the mix. It's all about the mix and how you cut through and give that low end punch.

I'm in a proggy metal hardrockcore (should be metalcore, but that name has been bastardised) band and my rig is a spector custom legend 4->tuner->bass big muff->bass xciter->Hartke VXL->Ampeg B2R->Ampeg 1540. Everything together is under $1000, craigslist can be your best friend.

MAMMOTHvolume · #8 11-08-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by René_Julien

I don't know what the bassist from Mayhem uses,

but my shot at it:

Sansamp Bass Driver DI + maybe an Electro Harmonix Steel Leather.

That will get you into the ballpark.
Take an overdose of the presence control on the Sansamp BDDI.

As far as EQin.... I hear a tad of growl, probably a bit boosted between the 300 to 500 Hz area.
Otherwise I don't feel EQing will get you there.... but you should learn more about EQing regardless of achieving this particular tone. I very much depends on what bass and amp you have.

As for the bass.... go ask in the basses forum what the best bass for metal is, they like that over there.

(joking, don't do that)

I'm guessing anything from and active Jazz bass to a modern active bass would be a logical choice.

But, you as formerly guitarist should probably also know, your instrument choice is very personal, and your choice can't be explained by logic.

You need to find a bass that feels good to you, regardless of what genre you are going to use it for.

For example, I play a fretless precision bass and I play metal. Strange, but it works for me. My favourite bass, the favourite music style I play.

edit: cheap alternative for the Sansamp, the Behringer copy, BDI21
according to some users here it is on par with the Sansamp when it comes to tone quality.
build quality is something else.

Also MXR Blowtorch is something you might want to try out.

It's definately "grit" you're after.
Hard to define that.
Mild metallic overdrive.... I would describe it.

err if anything to get that sound you should cut everything below 1k and boost above and play with a pick. Not sure why you'd want that tone though in a metal band if you want to be able to hear yourself

Sonnycrocket89 · #9 11-08-2009, 11:52 AM

Haha, sorry about that, precession bass it is!

Thanks, again, for the feedback. As you pointed out, that tone I had as an example does get lost in the mix pretty easily. I guess it is in that dirrection I'm trying to go but perhaps not as heavily distorted. "Dirt" is probably what I'm looking for. I will take all of this into consideration when it is time to open to old wallet

Thanks!