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not another "Best Bass for Metal" thread...

#42
GUYS STOP! This guy was in the same situation as me 15 years ago and he wants a good bass for metal, I had no internet 15 years ago and had no car so I done what all young men done at that time in life. I bought a black bass. Now I'm A heavy metal machine.

My Advice Kid Is to buy a BLACK Bass you can't go wrong. oh and it's gotta be from the 80's Oh and pointy.


Hope that helps

Oh and it has too be BLACK :bassist:
 
#43
Aria-Pro II good enough for Cliff.
Fender P good enough for Steve Harris.
Honestly, most metal bands I have seen or done sound for, that had "pointy black basses" had the worst sound, and the worst band balance between instruments. It's to the "point" that if I see a BC rich Warlock bass I am pretty sure they are going to blow. The good ones are the bands where the bassist plays something totally vanilla like a plain white fender P. That guy is not trying to make a statement with his bass, but with his bass playing. Of more concern is what is the best metal bass amp for $400? The answer of course is a stolen SVT.
 
#44
Calaverasgrande said:
Aria-Pro II good enough for Cliff.
Fender P good enough for Steve Harris.
Honestly, most metal bands I have seen or done sound for, that had "pointy black basses" had the worst sound, and the worst band balance between instruments. It's to the "point" that if I see a BC rich Warlock bass I am pretty sure they are going to blow. The good ones are the bands where the bassist plays something totally vanilla like a plain white fender P. That guy is not trying to make a statement with his bass, but with his bass playing. Of more concern is what is the best metal bass amp for $400? The answer of course is a stolen SVT.
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I might, perhaps, make an exception for Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, who has played pointy-headstock Jackson basses for most of his career.

But, yeah, any bass will do as long as you get the amp settings right. Heck, let's not forget that Cliff recorded Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning with a Rickenbacker!
 
#50
cant go wrong with a dean metalman z, $200.
 

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#52
I know this thread is kind of an ongoing joke but... I do have an opinion. I think it's a shame that metal guitarists seem to think their role in the band is to drown out the bass player with a wall of down-tuned, overdriven distortion. They're undercutting one of the most important guys in the band. When it comes to metal, I like bass tone that cuts through, which means aggressive and bright... not MY tone, mind you but I don't play metal. I really think this approach behooves anyone attempting to slice through a slab of heavy Mesa Dual Rectos.

Thusly, the best bass for metal is probably a StingRay strung with stainless steels and played with a pick. Just my .02.
 
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#54
nocontrols said:
I know this thread is kind of an ongoing joke but... I do have an opinion. I think it's a shame that metal guitarists seem to think their role in the band is to drown out the bass player with a wall of down-tuned, overdriven distortion. They're undercutting one of the most important guys in the band. When it comes to metal, I like bass tone that cuts through, which means aggressive and bright... not MY tone, mind you but I don't play metal. I really think this approach behooves anyone attempting to slice through a slab of heavy Mesa Dual Rectos.

Thusly, the best bass for metal is probably a StingRay strung with stainless steels and played with a pick. Just my .02.
Click to expand...

I really like your post, nocontrols, as it kind of sums up my current predicament. I love metal, but mostly "old school metal"-- basically everything from Black Sabbath's title album through Slayer's "South of Heaven."

It seems so trite nowadays to scoop out as much of the mids as possible and drown your bassists with overly-bass-heavy, drop-tuned 7-string guitars.

I definitely miss the mid-range growl and snarl of the early metal bands, especially Tony Iommi's wall of Laney stacks, which, despite an absolutely massive sound, still left plenty of room for Geezer Butler's Ampeg SVT's.

This is all kind of bringing me to an inescapable question-- has metal lost its way?
 
#55
calypsocoral302 said:
I really like your post, nocontrols, as it kind of sums up my current predicament. I love metal, but mostly "old school metal"-- basically everything from Black Sabbath's title album through Slayer's "South of Heaven."

It seems so trite nowadays to scoop out as much of the mids as possible and drown your bassists with overly-bass-heavy, drop-tuned 7-string guitars.

I definitely miss the mid-range growl and snarl of the early metal bands, especially Tony Iommi's wall of Laney stacks, which, despite an absolutely massive sound, still left plenty of room for Geezer Butler's Ampeg SVT's.

This is all kind of bringing me to an inescapable question-- has metal lost its way?
Click to expand...

It hasn't lost its way entirely, it's just branched off into new directions, some of which don't sound much like old-school metal. You've got the ultra heavy stuff like Lamb of God, you've got the trippy, experimental stuff like Mastodon and you've got the dramatic, epic stuff that pays homage to 80's era arena-metal... I would put Dragonforce in this category. None of these are wrong, of course... metal has just become more multi-facted and it's grown a lot.

I stand by my recommendation for StingRays. Really, you can play metal with absolutely anything and there's no one specific metal tone. I just happen to like it when the bass stands out more and that's harder to do when there's a lot of guitar noise muddying up the mix. Yes, you make a good point... guitar players are tuning lower and lower and lower and it's kind of invading bass player turf so bass players have to work to stand out. Anything that gives you sharper, harder attack and more definition is your friend.
 
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#57
SNOTROCKET56 said:
Hah - bass in metal is like finding a needle in a haystack
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Lol, it's quite the opposite ;) Most metal bands go nowadays for that "wall of sound", in which the bass plays an important role, with huge dominant lows. The goal is to obtain a very compact and tight sound, but if you remove the bass from the mix, you will notice how hollow and lifeless the mix suddenly becomes.

A bass is the link between the drums and the guitars. It blends and tightens the sound, it's the engine pushing that monolithic sound. The "needle" is the thing that makes the whole haystack rumble, baby ;)
 
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#60
TreetarDed said:
$400, don't want another ibanez, would prefer a body wood other than basswood, 4 or 5 strings is fine. Going for that old school thrash metal sound. GO!!!
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First, ignore the idiotic chorus of haterz in this thread. I see enough "best bass for blues" "best bass for classic rock" "best bass for 70's Norwegian pop" threads without hate that seriously I'm sick of the clueless condescending dipshites with nothing constructive to offer who drop in to say "hello kitty bass". :rollno: (Yes, you.) :eyebrow:

Back on topic: first, don't worry about body wood, it will have next to no impact on your sound. Bass brands and models will also mean next to nothing; concentrate on decent amplification and smart EQing. Anything with a P/J pup config will be awesome for old school thrash. :bassist:
 
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