Bass gear for Stoner, Doom, 70s Funk

[Glassofwater]

Dear fellow bassists,
This is my first post at the talkbass forum. So at the very first I want to say, that this place is really helpful and inspiring for me as a bassist.

It would be great, if you could give me advice on what I can do to build a bass rig. Money is not an issue. However, I would more like to spend my money later on things like bass effects, vintage basses, home recording, and groupies ;-)

First some information on me and my band…

My band:
I recently joined a Stoner-Doom band. Our style is based on heavy, very slow repetitive guitar riffs. The guitarist plays an Epiphone Firebird guitar, Big Muff (always on), and a 100W Marshall hybrid amp through a 4x12 cabinet. His mids and migh mids are damned loud (we all use ear protection). The drummer plays quite soft for a rock drummer, I would say. We are going to play maybe 2-4 gigs in a year not more. I also enjoy having jam sessions with my drummer, where we play more funk and fusion.

My playing style:
I play since many years and my bass playing has always been a mixture of Flea’s bass on the BSSM album and of John Paul Jones early rock bass with a little bit of Geezer Butler’s finger style. So, overall I play quite powerful with my right hand's three fingers close to the neck. Sometimes I slap and play chords, but more in a heavy and brutal way.

My gear at the moment:
- Fender Precision American Standard bass with flats (Standard D tuning)
- Roland Basscube 120XL
- I also play an upright bass

The last two weeks I screened some shops and online-stores. So far, the following stuff is what I put on my GAS list:
- Phil Jones M500 and P6/P9. But I don’t see this in a Stoner band… However, the gear is brand new and the price is so low, that I need to put this on this list. I could add a Malekko Bassmaster for fuzz. But this set on stage at a Stoner festival? I cannot imagine this.
- Marshall VBM400, Marshall DBS712, Marshall DBS410 Standard. All used, but in good shape. The VBM400 is a monster. The cabinets are heavy. Do I really need this?
- A Marshall Lemmy Signature bass amp for a fair price. My GAS is growing on this one.

However, a good old bassist friend of mine said that I should go for this:
- either Orange Terror 500 and two 1x15 Orange cabinets or…
- Gallien-Krueger 1001RB amp, 4x10 cabinet.

This would be a solid rig …and the GK gear maybe even a wise solution, in case that I change the band some day and join a funk project, for example.

What do you think? How should I proceed?

Keep my Roland Basscube and add a 1x15 cabinet?
Buy huge and awesome Marshall stuff?
Go for a solid solution with GK or Orange?
Grab the upright bass and play it through an Ampeg SVT?

Morten

 

[CL400Peavey]

- I also play an upright bass

Orange TB 500/1000 and a fEARless F115. Will take care of all but the loudest gigs.

 

[j.kernodle]

money no object?

Aguilar db751 and GS412, or a greenboy design dually 2X15.

or Mesa M9 through a Mesa 412.

 

[j.kernodle]

or you could get an SVT fridge. thousands of long haired bassists can't be wrong.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Open chequebook rigs are fun.

Have you seen Kringle's "hurtful" 2x12 thread with vid? He did one ported and another sealed, now he's doing another sealed.

The sealed one sounds like it would be fantastic for upright.

The unsealed one for funk.

For DOOM, one of each stacked side by side to gut your tone as best as possible.

 

[runmikeyrun]

First off, you absolutely must have a big muff or one of its many clones.

You need lots if headroom and low end. You'll need a very high powered amp. Tube- svt or bassman 300 (current production) or vintage svt (early 70s). Solid state- peavey tour 700. Yes, I said it. I play in a band that does doom and stoner stuff in our set, and my tour 700 destroys. Sure you could pay big bucks for a Mesa or an Orange... Try a peavey first, please.

Cabinets- if you pick up am svt then get the 8x10. Otherwise I recommend a 4x12. I really like the response 12s give me with distorted bass.

 

[Mr. Foxen]

Matamp GT200, Barefeaced Super 15 ideally. Not anything with the FMV tone stack that only mid cuts (so Orange and marshall are out, unless its the 2001 with the Baxandall +mid stack). If your guitarist has a muff on all the time, they'll have the mid cut from that, and be overcompensating with too much bass and distortion, so you need to fill out the middle where they are supposed to be. bunches of Peaveys are a good way to go, but heavy. Barefaced is well ahead of the competition on stuff that doesn't involve making it yourself, or ordering Fearfuls (which might be ahead of Barefaced by location).

All the cabs you suggested are pretty much duffers, need either loads of them so cheaps, or decent ones, the ones you suggested are all cheap models at varying prices.

Rounds on your bass.

Edit: and avoid big muffs, because everyone mid scooping is a formula for don't even bother writing riffs because the sound won't have a note.

 

[CL400Peavey]

I suggest you shoot Mark Robertson and Geoff Firebaugh a PM. They set a pretty good example of amplifying an upright bass loudly in a rock setting.

 

[JimmyM]

Grab the upright bass and play it through an Ampeg SVT?

Way to answer your own question!

 

[eyeballkid]

we'll first off, go find the current Stoner/doom thread (#70) for ongoing gear discussion of this sort and LOTS of cool fellas with great knowledge.

now, from experience....
you want either 300 Watts of tubes (svt, fender 300 pro, superbassman, etc...) or LOTS of clean Watts of solid state to carry the heavy lows.
Sunn 1200s/fender 1200 are great examples.
as for cabs, something big and hefty like an 810, or a Berg NV series, or a dually...

 

[cchorney]

The orange rig with two 15s sounds powerful, tasty and flexible. Obviously check to see if you like the tone first.

 

[zachoff]

I went through the following... Bassman 135 & 215. Not loud enough. Bassman 135 & 810. Almost loud enough. SVT & 810 (still my rig). Awesome. SVT & Schroeder 215. Hated it. SVT & Emperor 215. Hated it. SVT, 810, and Emperor 215. Too loud, but pretty brutal.

Basses were old Yamaha BBs, which I still own and love, a T-40 that did the job but I ended up selling, and a Gibson RD Artist which I didn't love and sold. I ended up with a pair of G&L Tribute L-2000s and still have one of them and I love it.

The music in my sig was recorded with the SVT/810 rig and G&L L-2000. Disto was a SansAmp BDDI at the time, but I like my setup more now... EXH Mole into a modded Vox V8-30.

You basically need good fuzz/disto tone and heavy cleanish tone. Heavy usually comes from volume and a lot of speakers. My $.02.

 

[eyeballkid]

with an emphasis on thick chewy low mids!

...there that's $.03!

 

[Glassofwater]

Thanks a lot. I will take your advice into account.
So I may conclude so far: big headroom, powerful cabs, Ampeg is never wrong, try out some Orange

Tomorrow I will check out an Ampeg SVT 2-PRO with Ampeg PN-115 HLF and PN-210. The amp has a fair price. The cabs are pricey. I never heard about this PN series, but it seems to be transportable, which is always nice.

I will also have to test Orange amps and cabs. This takes so much time.

 

[Downunderwonder]

A vertical stack of 12's is what you want to sidestep the usual loss of tone the typical doom rig suffers when you step out of the beam and into the mush.

 

[Mr. Foxen]

Thanks a lot. I will take your advice into account.
So I may conclude so far: big headroom, powerful cabs, Ampeg is never wrong, try out some Orange

Tomorrow I will check out an Ampeg SVT 2-PRO with Ampeg PN-115 HLF and PN-210. The amp has a fair price. The cabs are pricey. I never heard about this PN series, but it seems to be transportable, which is always nice.

I will also have to test Orange amps and cabs. This takes so much time.

Mixed cabs isn't great plan when really pushing limits, and will tend to mush up the sound. Cab is really key, everything else serves the cab. Good cab and you can do fine with a PA power amp and a Sansamp VT as a pre.

 

[K2000]

or you could get an SVT fridge. thousands of long haired bassists can't be wrong.

Best answer, and not an expensive cabinet if you buy a used one locally (check Craigs List).

Some of the answers here, I disagree with (avoid Big Muffs, in my opinion, keep the flats). Your PBass is perfect.

None of the amps in the original post are worth pursuing (maybe the Orange Terror? I don't know about that one). Not the Lemmy, not the Phil Jones, not the Orange cabs IMO. Edit - the used Marshall VBM400 and cab perhaps... buy used gear - that's my #1 suggestion.

Have you ever played through a vintage Ampeg SVT and fridge? It's like the Voice of God. It will get your attention. It's an all-time classic for a reason.

 

[CL400Peavey]

To the OP:

Just to clarify, you are sometimes playing an upright in this S/D band yes?

 

[gricko]

out of the things you mentioned marshall vbm400+412+410 looks the most promising for what you want to achieve. i do not know how low can lemmy's signature amp go [he is not famous for lows].

other than than, if you say money is not the problem, svt cl [has gain/master volume controls and that way you can control amount of drive on your amp] and two fridges. that is a mainstream rig that is serviceable anywhere around the world and will give you a wall of sound that ear-bleeding-loud.

plus any dirt solution you wish.

 

[K2000]

A lot of people do seem to like those G-K amps for rock...

I know you said money isn't an issue, but you sometimes need to pick from whatever is readily available. What else is readily available? What is your location?