Hey, I've been looking at an Ibanez BTB400QM. Does anyone know if these are good metal basses?
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Basses for Heavy Metal??
- Thread starter metal_head46
- Start date
IMHO its not what you play, but how you play that makes you metal.
I have an iceman 3000 from '94 that sounds great. I used to have it strung with steel strings which gave it a great growl.
Now I have it strung B/E/A/D. still growly, though.
I have an iceman 3000 from '94 that sounds great. I used to have it strung with steel strings which gave it a great growl.
Now I have it strung B/E/A/D. still growly, though.
Visti said:
hehe
i can recommend a Fender Jazz, versatile and growly. i play one myself, im very happy with it
metal, eh?
color your hair black. buy a bc rich bass. spend any leftover money on black eyeshadow.
oh- and scream a lot- even when it seem inapropriate.
color your hair black. buy a bc rich bass. spend any leftover money on black eyeshadow.
oh- and scream a lot- even when it seem inapropriate.
So you probably already bought your bass, but I would've suggested ESP. I owned a B-204 and it sounded great when I jammed with a metal band. I ended up selling it to afford the Warwick Rockbass, which sounds really good itself, but I missed the ESP (or LTD whatever floats your boat). So I bought a B-304 
Hey at least it's neck through. Being made in Korea isn't a selling point, but that does keep the price down.
Oog
Hey at least it's neck through. Being made in Korea isn't a selling point, but that does keep the price down. Oog
I've been playing metal for 20 years, and I've found that my Lakland Skyline (5 string) is the best metal bass I've ever used (I've owned Fender, ESP, BC Rich etc). Lakland???? you say? Well, Lakland's are known for their chameleon qualities, able to emulate many other sounds (Warwick growl, Fender P bass), and dialing up a few unique ones. I'm in a band that does Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Ozzy tributes, and between the passive and active electronics, and the 35" scale to get the ballz, I've had nothing but compliments on my tone.
New, they are expensive, but I've seen good deals on used ones here in the classifieds (not sure what your budget is).
The GK head and cabs help of course.
New, they are expensive, but I've seen good deals on used ones here in the classifieds (not sure what your budget is).
The GK head and cabs help of course.
when it comes to metal, a serious bass player has some awesome options that they probably dont even know about. i agree with the lakland skyline post but, they are usually pretty rare (at least in my neck of the woods.) so, you can broaden your horizon to something like a schecter. i really like the elite stilleto's. neck thru, emg's, active, and let's face it: a really nice finish for just about 500. they sell them at like any guitar center plus if they dont have it in the store they'll order it for you. if schecter isnt quite your style, look into somethime like a rockbass by warwick. i played one today for two hours, playing all of my favorite metal basslines. but, as another person posted, a metal bass is what you make it. i believe that guys that can play a sissy looking bass and still look badass are the most metal lol. why do you need sharp points and skull paintjobs to be a badass? thats just my two cents...
CaM90 said:
I think almost any bass is good,
i mean cliff burton used a rickenbacker,
steve harris-P-bass
Shavo- Thunderbird
jason Newsted-jazz bass
I play in the uk metal band Balance of Silence, and guess what?, like so many others on here ....its a warwick!, i use an FNA Jazzman with Duncan pups and a detuner and works great, also a Status six string which has real nuts!, then again i also use a fender jazz with emgs an east preamp and a status graphite neck, and a stingray, oh bug*er, now ive confused myself, hang on, erm, hmmm, nope the Warwick, if it was only gonna be one thats the one itd be!
Masher88
Believe in absurdities and you commit atrocities
Just ordered an ESP LTD F254 - I think they could do better naming them but...
As mentioned above, I think a 35" scale would be good for metal, keeps strings tight, good for a drop tune BEAD setup.
Looks very Metal if looks matter, I'm not buying mine specifically for metal.
Neck thru, EMG HZ's. If you look at their site espguitars.com
it seems that mostly metal heads play their stuff, but the more jazzy styled basses are played by a range of artists.
Of all the reviews I've read they were all good.
$350 to $400 for last years model (Gloss black or Titanium paint)(zzounds.com), this years is more but the only difference is a see-thru gloss black or red. That new black is sweet but not for a few hundred more.
As mentioned above, I think a 35" scale would be good for metal, keeps strings tight, good for a drop tune BEAD setup.
Looks very Metal if looks matter
, I'm not buying mine specifically for metal.Neck thru, EMG HZ's. If you look at their site espguitars.com
it seems that mostly metal heads play their stuff, but the more jazzy styled basses are played by a range of artists.
Of all the reviews I've read they were all good.
$350 to $400 for last years model (Gloss black or Titanium paint)(zzounds.com), this years is more but the only difference is a see-thru gloss black or red. That new black is sweet but not for a few hundred more.
i know, everyone's heard it before, but...
TRY OUT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
The other day i was reall surprised by the sweet tones i was cranking out of a Fender 1951 P-bass re-issue! i never would have guessed, but was quite pleasantly surprised!
there are alot of good basses out there, the trick is to find the one best for YOU! you may love BC Rich, which i absolutely despise. find what ever suits your tastes best, what fits best with your sound.
that being said, here's some basses/companies i'd recommend:
ESP - i play the anniversary model (now the B-500) really solid bass, no complaints what-so-ever. fast neck! i'd go with anything that has a mohogany body from these guys
Spector - Really really good. check e'm out for sure. if you like gibson Tbirds, check out the rex brown models
Warwick - nice and growley. the only thing i don't like is how pricey the more extreme shapes (buzzard, vampyre) are. check out the rockbass line.
Cort - i absolutely love the necks they have on some of these! a big hunk of wenge if you don't like the wood tops check out their EVL series (under the electrics tab at the top). these basses are such a bargain!
Moser Custom Shop - i can't stop stressing how much i want one of these. seriously check them out!Invalid Link Removed
Good Luck!
TRY OUT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
The other day i was reall surprised by the sweet tones i was cranking out of a Fender 1951 P-bass re-issue! i never would have guessed, but was quite pleasantly surprised!
there are alot of good basses out there, the trick is to find the one best for YOU! you may love BC Rich, which i absolutely despise. find what ever suits your tastes best, what fits best with your sound.
that being said, here's some basses/companies i'd recommend:
ESP - i play the anniversary model (now the B-500) really solid bass, no complaints what-so-ever. fast neck! i'd go with anything that has a mohogany body from these guys
Spector - Really really good. check e'm out for sure. if you like gibson Tbirds, check out the rex brown models
Warwick - nice and growley. the only thing i don't like is how pricey the more extreme shapes (buzzard, vampyre) are. check out the rockbass line.
Cort - i absolutely love the necks they have on some of these! a big hunk of wenge
if you don't like the wood tops check out their EVL series (under the electrics tab at the top). these basses are such a bargain!Moser Custom Shop - i can't stop stressing how much i want one of these. seriously check them out!Invalid Link Removed
Good Luck!
CaracasBass said:
I know it looks like it in the photos, but he's using his new signature Fender, which looks similar, but has a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder P and a Samarium Cobalt Noiseless J, with no tone control. It also has a P-bass neck, unlike the Aerodyne, and a Badass III bridge that allows through body stringing.
If you're interested in the passive Fender vibe, the Frank Bello would be as good as it gets for metal. That Quarter Pounder really gets the job done (think QOTSA with Nick Oliveri), and with a little bridge J growl it should be a winner. I personally love P-basses for metal, especially old-school stuff, and especially with a high output pickup like the Quarter Pounder.
For modern metal, I think the Spector recommendation is great. I subbed in a metal/hard rock band whose regular bassist plays one, and it works well for the heavy tracks. He had a twin humbucker Schecter before that, which also worked, with a nice growl in recordings. I'd go for the Spector for its EMG P/J configuration.
And let's not forget G&L. If you want nasty growl, it's tough to beat the L-1500/1505.
well, Childrens of bodoms bassist has a ESP, F series i think, atleast it has those looks;D Also, imo im bit tired ofthose normal models, id prefer something more special looking that stands out a bit;D But imyself am considering an ESP
