Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[Jolagh]

Thanks! My wallet and I thank you. That's actually been the most frustrating part - I know that with the plethora of dirt I have, I should make this work. I just can't seem to get it down, though. Guess I'll keep twiddling those knobs. Clearly I need to reduce the EQ for pretty much all bands. Thanks for the start!

Its no problem. BAT did some awesome stuff with the eq on the QM, rolling back the eq gets you some vintage style overdrive distortion then bringing it up past noon gives you some heavy distortion to fuzz. Its extremely versatile. You just have to compensate for the volume lost in the eq by increasing the volume knob.

 

[Boone_Mc]

Being in a small town definitely helps with travel time to practice. It takes me less then 10 mins to get to my bands space. A half gutted single wide with a couple of rooms built on. It was a total dump when we started renting it but it's coming along.

It sounds good. Not exactly like a 4003, but in the ballpark. Not quite as much high mid bite. Also it looks black in the picture, but it's actually purple. This is important. Because purp.

I tune BEAD and use D'addario XLs, gauges 130, 100, 80, 60 for my doom bands.

Cool man, I really want to try that now. YES purp does matter. I've been tuning C standard but was thinking BEAD made more sense.

 

[Korladis]

You like what you like. I think it's more than the sum of their parts thing. If they didn't have their phenomenal singer, I don't think I'd enjoy them anywhere near as much. And his singing alone wouldn't entice me to listen to a band/genre I was uninterested in. But together, they just kick some butt. One of my faves for non-fuzzed out doom.

I mean, I like them and their riffage is awesome, but it's not their guitar tone or bass tone that makes them stand out, to my ears, it's their style.

Being in a small town definitely helps with travel time to practice. It takes me less then 10 mins to get to my bands space. A half gutted single wide with a couple of rooms built on. It was a total dump when we started renting it but it's coming along.


Cool man, I really want to try that now. YES purp does matter. I've been tuning C standard but was thinking BEAD made more sense.

BEAD lets you use pretty standard string gauges. That's why I like it. Because it's just 5-string tuning without the high G.

 

[Boone_Mc]

I agree, Candlemass is an awesome band but nothing special tone wise.

@Sartori That was my thinking, C standard is a little awkward as far as string tension goes.

 

[Maureen M]

Yep. I love Candlemass and to me, their strengths are songwriting and performance.

I'll take songs over tone any day. Though tone does sure add to a great song lol.

 

[deathness]

I'll take songs over tone any day. Though tone does sure add to a great song lol.

This 100%. I love obsessing over my tone because I love obsessing over gear, but in practicing and performing my work and when I listen on record and in performance to other artists/bands, tone is down the list. Songs. Tightness. Creativity. Vision. Empathy between the musicians. Kismet. Big swinging balls and/or labia. I'll take any and all of those over tone any day.

 

[deathness]

Oh... and the new doom machinery finally Robotron-d:

Plus, for a bonus track, as close as I'm gonna get to a holiday card: From the doom den of Deathness and Masma Dream World, Merry Chanukha/Kwanzaa/Xmas/The Void of the Universe's Randomness and Cruelty:

 

[dcarwin]

I mean, I like them and their riffage is awesome, but it's not their guitar tone or bass tone that makes them stand out, to my ears, it's their style.

Great tone and mix on "From the 13th Sun".

 

[mpdd]

bass cutting in and out with the od pedal, hoping it's the patch chord and not the pedal or the adaptor

 

[socialleper]

Are flat wound strings so popular with stoner and doom players because a lot of articulation isn't desirable in the genre, or because they are stiffer and a little more stable at lower tunings?

 

[Korladis]

Are flat wound strings so popular with stoner and doom players because a lot of articulation isn't desirable in the genre, or because they are stiffer and a little more stable at lower tunings?

Are they popular?

Personally I can't stand them. Maybe I can't hear the subtle nuances, but to me they just sound like dead rounds.

 

[Boone_Mc]

I know Al Cisneros has flats on all his Ric's. I have flats on my Ric for one of my project and I agree with @Sartori they more or less sound like dead rounds. I tend to like dead rounds though.

 

[deathness]

I can't stand flats. Some players can make em sound good. I just can't get over the feel, too slick. I like dead rounds. I never change my strings: LaBella Deep Talkin Bass stainless steel round wounds. The only time I wipe 'em down is after I pull out the cello bow just to get rosin off. Otherwise, I like 'em gunked up. A little blood on the strings is best. I agree that maybe they are similarly in tone to flats, but even dead rounds have a bit more sustain and articulation to my ears. Just a difference of degrees, not dramatically.

 

[gfen]

I told myself I liked the sound of dead rounds.
I bought a set of Chromes, and brand new they sounded better than dead rounds.
Now it's been a year, and I don't think they sound the same, but I still like the sound.
So now I tell myself I like dead Chromes.

 

[Korladis]

I can't stand flats. Some players can make em sound good. I just can't get over the feel, too slick. I like dead rounds. I never change my strings: LaBella Deep Talkin Bass stainless steel round wounds. The only time I wipe 'em down is after I pull out the cello bow just to get rosin off. Otherwise, I like 'em gunked up. A little blood on the strings is best. I agree that maybe they are similarly in tone to flats, but even dead rounds have a bit more sustain and articulation to my ears. Just a difference of degrees, not dramatically.

I don't like the feel of flats, either. Gross.

I like new rounds. Nickel, though, not stainless steel.

I told myself I liked the sound of dead rounds.
I bought a set of Chromes, and brand new they sounded better than dead rounds.
Now it's been a year, and I don't think they sound the same, but I still like the sound.
So now I tell myself I like dead Chromes.

I put chromes on my bass once. They sounded indistinguishable from the dead XLs I'd just taken off.

 

[kleinenenten]

Chromes all the way. Just sound and feel right for me. The second I put them on it just felt right. My tone was there. Love them, never going back. Though occasionally I toy with the idea of putting rounds in bass just to hear the difference.

 

[bassboysam]

flats and distortion generally don't sound great especially with touch sensitive pedals.

don't kill me but i've never thought Al had good tone other than the last Om album.

 

[kleinenenten]

flats and distortion generally don't sound great especially with touch sensitive pedals.

don't kill me but i've never thought Al had good tone other than the last Om album.

I disagree. Just a bit pickier, and takes a little more tweaking.

 

[Korladis]

flats and distortion generally don't sound great especially with touch sensitive pedals.

don't kill me but i've never thought Al had good tone other than the last Om album.

I love his tone on Vol. 1 and on Holy Mountain.

Also when I saw Sleep supporting Neurosis, his tone was bonecrushing.

 

[socialleper]

Are they popular?

Personally I can't stand them. Maybe I can't hear the subtle nuances, but to me they just sound like dead rounds.

It seems like every time I see a bass fuzz demo its a down tuned P with glats and a using a pick. Or a Rick.