Best Bass for Metal?

[Skillet]

There are tons of used Ibanez SRX basses on the used market for cheap cheap. They are Excellent values if you can find one in decent condition. With 2 humbuckers and a great feeling neck (slightly beefier than SRs) they rock.
I think I paid $200 for my SRX2EX2 and it is just killer.
If you want new, I'd take a long look at Schecter.

 

[Herald Becker]

Well. I guess playing metal can be done with any kind of bass. If it looks cool too, that can be seen as a bonus. I've got a Tokai Thunderbird and a Sterling by MusicMan StingRay5. Both I would use in a heartbeat. A specific bass sound can be helped by your amp, a preamp and stomp boxes. At least, that's the way that I see it.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

...Big, punchy sound that can scoop the mids to cut through heavy distortion, etc...

Re-think your premise. In order to cut through, you need robust mids. Scooped mids is great for bedroom tone, possibly solos, but not much else. In fact, the biggest problem most players face when tying to be head on stage is not enough mids.

 

[dr doofie]

Hey again. One last question as I've narrowed down my choices for my next bass. Can't decide between the Ibanez SR670 with Bartolini dual humbuckers or the MTD Kingston Super 4 with dual Bartolini humbuckers with magnet exposed pickups spaced closer.

I was wondering if anyone has the SR670 and if that is able to be blended like the MTD? Since that is almost half the cost of the expensive MTD.

Thanks.

You probably could use just about any bass (except acoustic) and add a smidgen or more of a stomp box to make it dirty/growly/midrangy/metallic..
Save yourself hundreds of bucks
Just a narrow opinion

 

[dr doofie]

Hey again. One last question as I've narrowed down my choices for my next bass. Can't decide between the Ibanez SR670 with Bartolini dual humbuckers or the MTD Kingston Super 4 with dual Bartolini humbuckers with magnet exposed pickups spaced closer.

I was wondering if anyone has the SR670 and if that is able to be blended like the MTD? Since that is almost half the cost of the expensive MTD.

Thanks.

Check out the bass in the “Look at it, just look at this friggin thing” thread. Problem solved.

 

[bass40hz]

Just get a Helix instead of a new bass and you can make any bass sound anyway you want...literally.
Rock on.

 

[Rib 13]

There is nothing scooped about Cliff William's tone. Nothing. The OP said he doesn't want a sludge tone or a Nu Metal tone. Nu Metal is alllllll about scooping the mids. It's all subs and hi end and can't be heard except as a dog whistle on the upper end a fart on the low end. See Korn, and countless others.

It seems to me that the OP is just having some trouble describing the tone. They want something harmonically rich. Really, so don't we all, but scooping is not the way to be heard over a Marshall, Mesa, or other full stack.

dude, read my post again....i believe i said that its 'less bout midscooping and more about fundamental', ' not too much color in EQ', and 'not exactly flat but relying more on overall volume for girth than the EQ' ....If I was a gambling man, my money is on 'flat' with slight shelving on the ends

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Cliff William's tone is less about mid-scooping and more about emphasizing the fundamental with only a little bit of harmonic structure.....this you can get out of almost any bass with flatwounds and not too much color in EQ (not exactly flat but relying more on overall volume for girth than the EQ)

There is hardly any fundamental heard in bass tone. The 2nd harmonic (1st overtone) is where most tone begins. Flats will have fewer overtones that rounds obviously.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Buy a Bass Sans Amp and whatever bass you want

 

[Rib 13]

There is hardly any fundamental heard in bass tone. The 2nd harmonic (1st overtone) is where most tone begins. Flats will have fewer overtones that rounds obviously.

I'm not going all Bill Nye in this conversation -- the point being is his tone relies on less string harmonic structure and more on the 'fundamental' string tone without the extra overtones......where it falls on the spectrum is splitting-hairs for this conversation

 

[Zbass82]

Used an early 2000's Ibanez SR506 with the Bart MK1's and DR High Beams in a bunch of metal bands and had no problem cutting through. Actually sounded really good for what is was. Think I payed $600 for it new back then.

 

[eJake]

I would say large mouth if you want it to do that screamo type stuff.

 

[Medicine Man]

I would worry more about getting more speaker displacement from cabs, and just play what feels comfortable. Any cheap bass can cut it if you have enough amp and cab, but you will get annihilated in the mix with any bass if you are playing through a small combo up against two probably drop tuned guitarists with half stacks.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Please point me to the MLP basses, I would instantly buy one.

To the point in question, play whatever you want. You can make it work. In the early days of Cannibal Corpse, Webster played a Fender P bass, for example. If you want that old school tone, you may want to consider the economic and social realities of the bands in question. I bet most had a very limited choice in instruments or very little money - that leaves you with the tried and true classics at best, and garbage instruments at worst (which do have their own charm!). Varg Vikernes intentionally used the most crappy stuff he could find...

But still, for modern tones... play whatever. But you can't go wrong with Ibanez. I disagree with KBD about the Powerspan pickups, I think they're amazing value. I play a 306EB and thought that thing was a steal even at retail price.

 

[Jehos]

Dingwall into Darkglass, then Djent.

Done.

 

[EMoneySC2]

scoop the mids to cut through heavy distortion

That's the opposite of how you cut through distortion in a crowded mix. You need to PUSH mids to be heard. Scooped mids is how you disappear in a mix when playing with distorted guitars.

 

[bearhart74]

 

[GBBSbassist]

Well anything from Motorhead style distortion to bands like Slayer, Behemoth, Black metal type stuff.

I already own a passive bass with P/J pickups. I wanted to get an active next. Most I've seen like the ESP LTD have stock dual humbucker pickups anyway.

I know it doesn't sound metal mentally when you think about it, but in all honesty, a P bass with a bit of overdrive will fit the bill.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

Up the irons!

P bass and roto flats

 

[Eric Swaim]

No such thing, anytime a bass goes against metal, it always loses.

However I suggest a Fender Precision with an Active pickup. Or the Hammer basses out the 1980's