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Playing metal?

#21
jeffkuzmanich said:
So i've been playing metal alot recently. i have always played it off and on, but mostly i play jazz and other kinds of rock. i own a fender MIA 5 with a leo quan badass bridge and nordstrands and a musicman SR5. when i play with people in drop C or even drop B flat my basses sound and play like ****. i have power slinky's on both basses and i have raised the action. that made it better but its still doesnt cut it. Are these just not good basses for metal? is there actually a reason why people in metal play esp's and ibanezes, like they work better for tunning down and playing fast. i've always though esp's and ibanez's were basically not very good. any input on this would be much appriciated. thanks
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I'm with the other guys, I'm not sure I understand, if you have 5 string basses, why are you tuning down to B? How is your bass tuned then? F#, B, F#, B, E?

Why downtune? You have a 5 string. You should already have a low B, that sounds good, especially on the Stingray, unless you got strings for EADGC, and downtuned them all.
 
#22
jeffkuzmanich said:
i use ernnie ball power slinky's. they are 55-110. so string size isnt the problem. i think i may just need to adjust the trust rod a bit and lower my pick ups too. i wish more people would just play in standard. basses just sound amazing in standard, but guitar players love to tune down for some reason.
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As Saetia said, 55-110 is a 4 string set. Do you only have 4 strings on each bass? What's the deal here? Help us help you.
 
#26
Try DRs and get it set up.

I played some drop tuning metal on my (now gone) MM SR5, tuned drop Ab :eek: (Ab Eb Ab Db Gb, which is whole bass dropped a half step, lowest string dropped an additional full step)! Sounded real good.

I used DR Low Riders, 45 65 85 105 130, it seemed to tighten up the low range notes considerably over the Slinkies that were on the bass from the factory. I had it set up and I was set.

Good luck!
 
#28
the reason i use a 4 string set of string on my basses is because they dont offer a 5 string set that big at any of the shops around here. then i just get a single low b string to go with it. and yes i can tune my B up to C for drop C tunning but i dont really like how the tight b string feels or sounds. anyways i adjusted my trus rod a 1/4 turn last night after redding up on gary willis's setup page. this morning i tried it and it seems to play better. so that must of been the major issue. thanks for all the input guys
 
#36
I play metal on my 4 string fretless in standard tuning. If I needed to go below E on a cover, I would play that note an octave higher. It's harder, but I like it that way.

The only cover tune we play that is drop tuned is Schism by Tool. Our other covers are Megadeth and Iron Maiden. All our original stuff is standard tuning. Our lead guitarist has a 7-string he breaks out at times and when he ventures down there I either play an octave or create a chord based on his root.
 
#37
Toasted said:
+1. It's much easier. I mean, you have to know a bit more theory than just being able to follow guitar roots - but then that will not hurt you.
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i was thinking about just using standard tuning for the new band i was joining... but they're a lot of momments where i need to hit that open low C. i even think its easier playing dropped.. octaves are on the same fret... arpeggios are easier.. i've learn to like playing it.
 
#38
Cryptic Anthony said:
you arent skilled at hearing metal
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+1 if you ever get a chance to hear a band play with a bass and without a bass for the same track.. there's a huge chunk missing.. bassist in metal bands sound HUGE.. its different from thinking "i need to cut through the mix" its more of "how can i fill it to make the over all sound bigger and huge"

the subject of "metal band" is vast nowadays... some people think.. maiden, megadeth, anthrax when you say metal.. some think lamb of god, soilwork, entity awakened.. some think immortal, behemoth, and meyhem.. and then there's others that even think... random bands like tool, korn and primus even...

the bassist role in all those are very different...
 
#39
jeffkuzmanich said:
the reason i use a 4 string set of string on my basses is because they dont offer a 5 string set that big at any of the shops around here. then i just get a single low b string to go with it. and yes i can tune my B up to C for drop C tunning but i dont really like how the tight b string feels or sounds. anyways i adjusted my trus rod a 1/4 turn last night after redding up on gary willis's setup page. this morning i tried it and it seems to play better. so that must of been the major issue. thanks for all the input guys
Click to expand...


Alright, so what gauge string are you using for your low B string?

The more info you give us, the more info you will recieve.

Do some searching, if you absolutely don't want to learn how to play your bass in standard... which you can totally do in conjunction with the Drop C tuning, then you may want to see what custom gauge string sets people are using with those tunings.

If you order online, then you'll have a ton more options to choose from and they are usually cheaper than most music shops.

A .130 should be enough for the drop Bb tuning, I've used .120 on 34" scale for a low B and it worked just fine. If you really need the tension, then go to a .135 or .140.

Peace
-Benny
 
#40
jeffkuzmanich said:
So i've been playing metal alot recently. i have always played it off and on, but mostly i play jazz and other kinds of rock. i own a fender MIA 5 with a leo quan badass bridge and nordstrands and a musicman SR5. when i play with people in drop C or even drop B flat my basses sound and play like ****. i have power slinky's on both basses and i have raised the action. that made it better but its still doesnt cut it. Are these just not good basses for metal? is there actually a reason why people in metal play esp's and ibanezes, like they work better for tunning down and playing fast. i've always though esp's and ibanez's were basically not very good. any input on this would be much appriciated. thanks
Click to expand...

Are you saying you tune to C or you tune to "Drop C" ? Dropped C would be tuning to C and then down again, just like drop D.


Cavity is the only band I've that tunes this way.

I tune to C and I've had to try different strings. Stay away from the DR High Beams and Low Riders.

You could try getting a lower b string, 5 string set.

I use SIT and Fender's. Medium light.

I was goign to try and get a 5 string set (I use a 4 string) and see if that gives me a little but less buzz.

Just a tad buzz gives a nice danky, Steve Harris almost, geezerish tone though. =D
 

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