Brand to recommend for new Bass - Metal style body

Looks like a BC Rich

 

That is a BC Rich, Warlock Bass, based on the headstock, I think they called them Warlock Revenge or Widow or something like that. On the website the still list the Chris Kael Signature Warlock with that headstock also

 

Best bass for metal, eh?
Note: This is a frequently asked question on Talkbass, and is now a meme. No disrespect to you.

That said, I would suggest looking for someone on Youtube playing bass along whichever metal song you like the most. Which bass are they using? Does it sound good? Does it look good to you? Then that bass will work.

 

For Sale - BC Rich USA Warlock (Restored) Still Available

 

The best amp for metal, and any other genre, is bergantino in my opinion. A little pricy but worth every penny. Both heads and cabinets. Watch some YouTube stuff on their Forte HP and NXT line of cabinets. If I were a metal player I’d have the Forté HP and an NXT212. As I am not, I use 2 NXT112s with that head.

 

A lot of modern "metal" bass players have been rocking Dingwall or Ibanez (of the 5-6 string variety) and some of the older players too. Of course, a lot of folks also play fenders, and pretty much whatever else, just like every other genre.

Shane from ND usually plays Warwick, Steve from Testament plays Ibanez BTBs, Troy from Mastodon mainly plays fenders, Olivier from Cattle Decapitation plays mainly Spectors, etc. And yea some dudes still out here using BC Riches, Schecters, etc. Some go the more custom route and go with Dunable or other boutique/small builders (that's where I'm at, though I'm only metal fringe at best).

Find what feels good, sounds good, and looks cool to you, and you'll be good to go. Just go lay some hands on.

 

Mothman is one of the best basses for metal.

But really you can play whatever fits your hands the best.

 

I think this is probably one of the best basses for metal: Combustion

( or maybe this: D-ROC Hellboy ltd Edition )

 

Those are beautiful. They balance lurid and tasteful just the way I like it. I go with raw function in a bass and a look like a wooden ship, but those Combustion basses could be nice to live with.

About the Mothman, it occurs to me that a well-known Gothic rival to it ought to exist, called the Batwing, but I'm not aware of any such animal.

 

This guy’s basses look pretty freakin’ metal. Not that I know anything about metal, nor do I know anything about his instruments, but…

Monson Guitars

 

Yeah I mean no one is more popular in modern metal than dingwall of course, they nearly have a monopoly on it between them and Darkglass lol. Sandberg makes a good looking pointy bass called the forty eight.

 

I say a Dingwall.

 

I own a Warlock -

And an F-series -

So I'll take a moment to talk about both and compare some things, since I actually have them and I actually like them both. What I've learned here on TB is that the vast majority do not like Warlocks, thus they tend to speak poorly of them. I'm an owner, so I'll give you my take.

IMO, the Warlock is a typical P/J bass and it sounds like any typical P/J bass would sound. The only real difference is the shape of the body, which is not greatly ergonomic. It doesn't sit well on your leg when playing sitting down. But I'm guessing if you're playing metal you probably don't have a lot of chairs on the stage with you so that shouldn't really matter. Does it have "neck dive"? Yes. Any bass that doesn't have the upper horn extending close to the 12th fret will. Is it horrible and the end all be all? No, it really doesn't bother me much and to be honest, I played Warlocks back in my gigging days when I was younger too, so I've literally owned them off and on since the early 90s and it has never bothered me. But again, it sounds like a P/J bass, you're just buying a body shape for a look.
The ESP/LTD F-Series; mine is the F-104 and it is bone stock, I've done no upgrades to it. Why? Because it sounds bad azz like it is. It has humbucker pickups instead of the P/J setup so it has a completely different sound. To me, it sounds much more "metal" than a P/J bass. If I was in a metal band and we were going in the studio, this would be the one I'd grab. That being said, I can't afford a Dingwall, or I'd have one of those, because they are the bee's knees for metal. I've played them and they are insanely awesome basses with an insane "metal tone". But I'm poor, so my F-104 does the trick for me.

I also own a second F-104 that I custom painted -

It was a salvage body that had to be completely rebuilt. I went with EMG humbuckers in this build. It does not sound as "metal" to me as the stock F-104 pickups do. But I do dig the body shape. So much so that I built a custom build based loosely on that shape -


I hope that helps you out, and also, welcome to TalkBass!

 

Well for that 80's metal look in an entry level bass, these Jackson's are hard to beat. The price is right and you also get a graphite reinforced neck. I recently picked one up just because I don't have a pointy headstock bass in my collection. I swapped the pup's out because I can't leave stuff alone, but the stock ones were decent enough.

I've since shaved down the neck a bit and refinished the neck in vintage Amber and shot clear on the satin body.



Jackson Limited-Edition JS Series Concert Bass JS1M

 

That is indeed a BC Rich, Mr Hestnæs even had a signature model (in both 4 and 5) with them a while back, guessing around the time he was in Dimmu Borgir.
Do keep in mind, seeing how you're interested in the bass predominantly because of him, that he has almost exclusively been playing what appears to be a modified-to-5-strings Rickenbacker 4003 for quite some time now. You're welcome to check live Borknagar recordings from recent years for ample evidence.

As for "metal style body", and seeing how you specified being open to high end options, get yourself a Dingwall, or one of the Mayones VF models, and you'd be set.

 

If you want to blend in, I'd get an Ibanez SR, basically any Warwick, a Spector, or something boutique and you'll do just fine as a metal bassist

 

Actually my comment earlier, about a bass with a style looking like an old wooden ship.. This might work for you, it's a 1983 Westone Thunder 1-A. It can totally nail the JJ Burnel sound, and many others, because it has active as well as passive electronics. It's the same bass that Amebix originally used in the early 1980's, so its heritage as a bass for metal should never be in doubt. Even if you find a good clean one, it won't shock you with cost, not unless for whatever reason demand beats supply, and there were enough of them made, I think, to give you good chances. Best thing is put it on an Ebay watchlist. It's a great bass, closely based on a Fender P-bass. Fender sued Matsumoku, the Japanese maker, over this detail, even though it looks different. Heavy ash body, looks like oak though, rosewood fingerboard, rock maple neck. Lots of solid brass fittings. It growls. It can be made to bite.