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Metal Bass?

C

Cryptekz

Jun 1, 2011
14
0
#1
Now that I've got your attention,

I am new, but I'm not THAT new.

I play metal, mostly 80's era thrash. My Peavy International Milestone 2 works fine for most of that, but, I'm looking for something new, as I'm trying to expand into Djent, and Sludge Metal.

I'm planning on building a bass on Warmoth, (or somewhere cheaper, if you guys have any suggestions) and I'm looking for a particular tone. I want something that's Nice, bright, and clean in the upper tones. Like, While my Guitar Gently Weeps clean. (Also, I'd like to get something similar to Cliff Burton's solo from Orion out of it when it's distorted) I'm also looking for Sludgy, Crunchy Lows with lots of Kick. Think Steve Harris clarity, Meshugga crunch, and... well, I don't listen to much pure sludge metal, but something nice and thick/oozing. It doesn't necessarily have to do all of this at once, but I'd like something that'll have this much variety.

I'm planning on building a Custom Ibanez Iceman with three Soapbars. I want to know what you guys think would get me these combinations. I'm talking what wood I should build the Bass out of, what strings I should use, what Pick-ups from which manufacturers would be best, what pedals I should have on my pedal rack, the works.

Feedback would be much appreciated,

and I realize this will cost a lot. It's going to be a long term investment, for sure.
 
#3
Nothing? I know it's kind of rediculous to ask this off the bat, so maybe I should clarify. I'm not saying I want you to define my entire sound for me, just that I'd appreciate suggestions. Ultimately it's going to come down to me, and you can bet your ass I'm going to test whatever I can before I buy it. I just want to hear what you guys think will help me achieve that sound.
 
#4
Spector basses are pretty good.. Check out Angelus Apatrida.. sick thrash from spain and the bassist plays spector.. highly recommended

Heres a clip of one of their shows live, the cameraman was by the bass amp i imagine since you can hear the bass loud and clearly



use earphones!
 
#7
That's a whole other can of worms. IMO, the body wood doesn't matter much at all... the neck wood also not much of a role. The fretboard will have an effect. Mostly though I believe it comes down to electronics and the player. I'd honestly start looking at super-J options (Delano, Sadowsky's are rebranded Seymour Duncans, Nordies, etc.) paired with maybe a Glock pre. That's me though.
 
#9
Ugh. No, I don't know what I want.

I know what Body I'm using to house the **** in. I'm not buying a pre-built, factory bass. I'm building it myself from scratch on a Custom order site. I hate to sound like a dick, but it sounds like you two didn't even read my initial thread. I'm looking for input on stuff that will give me the sound I'm after. I'm not trying to sound like a bitch. I'm just asking for people to make comments that are relevant to the topic, not trying to push me to buy a certain type of bass.

I thought that was clear in the first post. Apparently it wasn't. Hopefully that can be put to rest now.
 
#11
Warmoth will have descriptions on what each wood has a tendency to sound like.
I like Mahogany bodies but if you want something a little "brighter" sounding go for ash or maple. Use laminates to tweak your liking according to their "scale", but what one person says another doesn't always hear.

For your neck I think a maple neck is good to keep the mids and highs from being drowned out from the body when using a "darker" sounding wood. But I also like Wenge or Bubinga if you have the cash.

Electronics I would recommend Aguilar OBP-3. There are several different knob set ups if you do not want a bunch of them on your body. ESP seems a little to harsh for my liking. A lot of rock and metal bassists use ESP but I think Aguilar has a better control of the lower frequencies. Glock is good too but again they can get pricey.

Pickups go for Delano or Seymour Duncans. ESPs have a good attack so if that is your thing, then go for them. I don't understand the purpose of 3 soapbar pickups. Good luck getting Warmoth to router three pickups slots.

I think you can tweak your guitar and amp settings to get the sound you are wanting.

Just my two cents. Good luck!
 
#12
EMG and Seymour Duncan make good pickups, and Nordstrand and Bartolini seem highly regarded on here as well (though I have no personal experience with either brand). They all make soapbar sized pickups that you'd probably be happy with.

You'll probably have to play with overdrive/distortion effects and different amps yourself, and just see what you like. If you have a good guitar store nearby, trying a bunch of gear out will be more beneficial than using subjective tone words over the internet.
 
#13
As body wood goes I've only had experience with Ash and alder. Both good selections, but ash has a bit more bottom end IMO.
Ebony and maple FB's produce a nice bright punch to cut though the mix (especially important for metal), I've seen Madagascar Ebony bound in white look pretty sharp.
Don't skimp on electronics, active is a must for a modern metal sound. I'd stick with your soapbar idea for pickups, IME with stacked J's they don't have the same sound as a side by side coil humbucker.
I'd also recommend a 5er or atleast a 4 string modded for heavier gauge strings if you're going to be using any sort of drop tuning, floppy loose strings sound and feel horrible.
 
#16
Typically actives are described as having a clean, modern sound. Blackouts have a preamp built into the pickups themselves (unless I'm mistaken), so they probably have the bass and treble boosted somewhat.
 
#19
mahogany (dark) with maple top (crunch help) would be one good choice imo. I like your choice of soapbar pups. Though dunno that any real advanatge tone tweaking wise would result from a 3rd pup since you'll be wanting a 3 band active eq preamp in it anyway. I would suggest placing the bridge pup a little bit further from the bridge then usual for the sound your after. maybe a half inch further from bridge for little bit of decrease in treble emphasis. EMG soapbars and preamp would be one possible good choice for electronics imo.
 

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