Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[arbitrary]

Here's a slightly older picture, I believe I maxed the lows since (60hz). I don't push the sub anymore, I've started to hear even the Mesa 12's not digging the meat it pushes.

Passive Ric bridge & firebird neck pup bass, P, and J basses.

I gotta double check but should be whataphaser > rubberneck > meatbox > gonkulator > spires fuzz > Atreides > architech OD > amp.

I do have an hpf, but haven't used too much. Been on the fence with how I like it with it on.

View attachment 4390286

Juan always said the magic setting was to max everything basically. I always started with that and then backed down the output volume accordingly. Once I did that I backed the sub down just a bit but kept the other two maxed. You’re still always gonna get lost to a degree w these types of pedals tbh, but it’s more about moving air and making people go *** is that?!?!?

edit: what the fahhhhhhk*

 

[thombo]

i think it was either Tim Lefavbre, Juan, or Stu Brooks talked about running the Meatbox as a sidechain into a DI to FOH bc they needed the subs in order for it to be audible. Their bass rig literally couldn’t recreate the frequencies.

i don’t know if that’s an option, nor if it’s possible, but i was always intrigued. i’ve never played w/ one.

 

[El_Charro]

I have no experience with Steve's set (I've only ever used Chromes and have found no reason to stop), however, I DO love flats and need to learn more Maiden...

Anyway, for me, the biggest difference was the increased fundamental. I switched to flats instantly once I played my buddy's bass that had them. I'm just now starting to appreciate rounds again, though I still find "my tone" with flats. My experience was that the rounds got lost in a distorted mix easier. The extra highs were nice for solo type stuff, but in practice I found that the extra distortion just got mixed up with the treble frequencies of the guitar and the bass simply wasn't heard. When I put on flats, I instantly heard myself better in the mix, and was still able to poke through and cut when needed. Mind you, I'm not the type of player who is always out in front of the mix, and some pedals/dirt definitely do better with flats than others, but I find that the flats sound better in a mix for me. Better, in this case, meaning that I can distinguish my parts in the mix more but they are not overpowering the parts. It seems to me that flats allow each instrument their own sonic space better than rounds. I'm sure rounds can also do this, but distortion seems to make that harder for me to accomplish.

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Thank you for the details…This was the kind of feedback I was hoping for…

I ended up w rounds on my ESP/LTD bc 1) They were black and I thought they looked cool (plus they are Geezer’s signature and you don’t really get more Metal than that) and

2) I read somewhere that for most Metal rounds sound better/brighter in the mix…Granted at the time I was thinking more of Thrash Metal than Stoner/Doom, but a lot of what I read insinuated that flats sounded too “dull”/muted (and from what I’ve read Harris always plays with new strings to avoid that)…

As I’ve progressed with practice I’ve kind of changed what I want to do both musically and from an amp perspective so I’m a little more open minded…

Plus-I think I want a Pbass bc I like the simplicity of it…

I like the two basses I play now, but inevitably I find myself just scooping out the mids and the more knobs I have, the more likely I am to fiddle around with things in light of just playing…Realized this recently on my Schecter that I seldom play (5 knobs and 2 soap bar pickups)…Bass still sounds good mind you, but as I was playing I found myself wanting to pick my #1 back up bc it had fewer things to mess with…

I also want to get some pedals at some point, so it’s my understanding that the more pedals and effect you have in your chain the less it seems to matter what you are playing on your instrument…

Your comment about distortion leads me to believe that I could get away with using flats if I’m using a fuzz pedal…I am one of those weirdos that think the more distortion the better, but I also understand how you things could get “muddy” in a mix especially if you’re competing against a detuned g*tar…

Thanks for responding with you experience (it will help me make a decision)…

Thanks! \m/

 

[El_Charro]

I used the Harris strings on a Squier P once. They sounded great but were very (!) stiff in E-Standard. Too much for me, though I love flats.
Keep in mind that SH changes his strings before every concert. You can't keep them on your bass and expect instant Iron Maiden sound (besides many other factors).
I will put the same set on my bass later this week and tune to C-Standard. I'll let you know about my experience then.

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Lol-Well I’m not gonna sound like him anyway bc I SUCK…HAHA!!! (Sad But True)…

Also-Apologies for not clarifying-I’m not necessarily wanting to sound “exactly” like him, it’s just that listening to them a bunch lately and trying to play their music has made me realize what a great player he is and he really stands out in their music…I have thought about using flats before but for some reason I didn’t think to look to see if he endorsed a particular brand of flats…

There are some Metal bands where I struggle to hear the bass bc the g*tars are down-tuned a bunch so when I’m trying to play along I sometimes struggle to find the bass line bc I feel like it can all run together…

I almost never have that issue with Maiden bc I feel like it’s easier to hear him in their music…

Plus, I feel like I’m getting much better at galloping/gallop style riffs since a lot of their songs are the C, D, and E notes on the A string…Plenty of things I can’t do yet that he does, but bouncing around the 3rd, 5th and 7th fret on the A string seems to be where a lot of his riffs settle…They have DEFINITELY forced me to become a better player…

I never really got into them until the last few years (especially the last year or two)…They always sounded so “80s” ….I was not really the generation that grew up on them and it was hard for me to listen to them as a teenager bc I felt like they were “too slow” compared to Metallica (who basically ganked their overall band/mercy template and put it on steroids) and I always thought Priest was the best NWOBHM bands…

Never doubted their influence mind you-Well aware how important they are…A shame I never got to see them live…

They make really great work music I might add…

Something about their overall tempo and song structure seems to lend itself to being able to enjoy their music, but it’s not distracting enough for me to lose my concentration…

Also aware they aren’t the same genre as the thread, but the question was more about how flats sound for heavily distorted and slower music and less about them as a band (pardon the tangent)…

Anyway, thanks for the input…

Thanks! \m/

 

[lucas303]

————————————————————-
Thank you for the details…This was the kind of feedback I was hoping for…

I ended up w rounds on my ESP/LTD bc 1) They were black and I thought they looked cool (plus they are Geezer’s signature and you don’t really get more Metal than that) and

2) I read somewhere that for most Metal rounds sound better/brighter in the mix…Granted at the time I was thinking more of Thrash Metal than Stoner/Doom, but a lot of what I read insinuated that flats sounded too “dull”/muted (and from what I’ve read Harris always plays with new strings to avoid that)…

As I’ve progressed with practice I’ve kind of changed what I want to do both musically and from an amp perspective so I’m a little more open minded…

Plus-I think I want a Pbass bc I like the simplicity of it…

I like the two basses I play now, but inevitably I find myself just scooping out the mids and the more knobs I have, the more likely I am to fiddle around with things in light of just playing…Realized this recently on my Schecter that I seldom play (5 knobs and 2 soap bar pickups)…Bass still sounds good mind you, but as I was playing I found myself wanting to pick my #1 back up bc it had fewer things to mess with…

I also want to get some pedals at some point, so it’s my understanding that the more pedals and effect you have in your chain the less it seems to matter what you are playing on your instrument…

Your comment about distortion leads me to believe that I could get away with using flats if I’m using a fuzz pedal…I am one of those weirdos that think the more distortion the better, but I also understand how you things could get “muddy” in a mix especially if you’re competing against a detuned g*tar…

Thanks for responding with you experience (it will help me make a decision)…

Thanks! \m/

You can always start disconnecting stuff if you want simplicity. For example, my Mikro has one pickup in it (Lace Aluma Bass Bar) and it's wired straight to the output jack. No pots, nothing. Colin Marston does the same thing with his bass...the neck pickup is wired straight to the jack. The bridge pickup is totally out of the equation.

 

[br1qbat]

Going to see Bongzilla tonight and stoked. That is all. Local openers [Bubak, Ommnus] both rad too.

 

[lucas303]

Speaking of shows, In the Company of Serpents has some shows coming up. If anyone hasn't seen them live and gets the opportunity, definitely go see them. Crushingly great, and with the addition of the dude from To Be Eaten they're even better IMO. Also I don't know him but I see the main dude (Grant, I think) at pretty much every local show I go to so he seems to really support the other bands in town. That's got to count for something. (And to be clear, I have no affiliation with the band or these shows...I'm far too lame and uncool.)

Thursday, September 2nd: Lincoln, NE @ the 1867 Bar w/ Crack Mountain, Dope Corpse, & Beast Eagle
Friday, September 3rd: Minneapolis, MN @ The Terminal Bar w/ Hive, & Blue Ox
Saturday, September 4th: Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle w/ Hive, & Roman Ring

 

[Novarocker]

@arbitrary love that oomph octave gives.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I've heard the same from Juan. I tried that early on but the speakers did not seem to like it, I realize now that it's likely that I was pushing the blend heavily to the sub/oct end. I pushed the sub to 3 o'clock, output back to 3 o'clock and blend back to 10/11 o'clock. Definitely more output.

I've never wanted to be that much of a pain in the ass for a sound guy (or buy em that much beer), heard the same about that sidechain to FOH. I do plan on running a parallel mostly clean signal for my board, curious how much that'd help.

Been tempted to pick up a hulk since I heard it tracks a little better, but I am a fan if how dirty the meatbox is. Hulk is surprisingly much cheaper too.

Meatbox into Gonk? Color me jealous. One day, I want a Meatbox.

It's glorious! Even just the distortion is awesome, but yes so worth it. The Gonk is such a fun pedal on its own too. You have an original right?

 

[kleinenenten]

@arbitrary
Been tempted to pick up a hulk since I heard it tracks a little better, but I am a fan if how dirty the meatbox is. Hulk is surprisingly much cheaper too.



It's glorious! Even just the distortion is awesome, but yes so worth it. The Gonk is such a fun pedal on its own too. You have an original right?

I WISH I had an original Gonk or Meatbox. Sadly, RI Gonk and no Meatbox... I've actually thinned my herd of DOD considerably. Most of the excess pedals are gone except my absolute favorites, the ones on my boards, and some one-offs for effects I like but can't justify getting rid of only to buy that type of effect back again for a higher price. But my days of having two identical DOD boards of 15+ pedals AND various DODs on other boards are gone.

And you're seriously tempting me with that Hulk info as well. Been a while since I've looked, but I was kinda hoping it was off-puttingly expensive. I just don't NEED one - I have no use for that sort of low end!

 

[kleinenenten]

Also aware they aren’t the same genre as the thread, but the question was more about how flats sound for heavily distorted and slower music and less about them as a band (pardon the tangent)…
Thanks! \m/

Flats sound great for that style!

 

[br1qbat]

I love the two drummer thing! Miles Davis fusion bands, Spirit of the Stairs (a cool Wichita two-drummer band), Denver's Native Daughters (great band, similar vibe to Spirit of the Stairs), Tortoise does the two drummer thing, some Butthole Surfers stuff, the Melvins era w/ Big Business, Cult of Luna, Genesis, King Crimson, James Brown, Motown, Modest Mouse... so much girth!

King Crimson had 3 when I saw them in 2017!

 

[br1qbat]

——————————————————-
Lol-Well I’m not gonna sound like him anyway bc I SUCK…HAHA!!! (Sad But True)…

Also-Apologies for not clarifying-I’m not necessarily wanting to sound “exactly” like him, it’s just that listening to them a bunch lately and trying to play their music has made me realize what a great player he is and he really stands out in their music…I have thought about using flats before but for some reason I didn’t think to look to see if he endorsed a particular brand of flats…

There are some Metal bands where I struggle to hear the bass bc the g*tars are down-tuned a bunch so when I’m trying to play along I sometimes struggle to find the bass line bc I feel like it can all run together…

I almost never have that issue with Maiden bc I feel like it’s easier to hear him in their music…

Plus, I feel like I’m getting much better at galloping/gallop style riffs since a lot of their songs are the C, D, and E notes on the A string…Plenty of things I can’t do yet that he does, but bouncing around the 3rd, 5th and 7th fret on the A string seems to be where a lot of his riffs settle…They have DEFINITELY forced me to become a better player…

I never really got into them until the last few years (especially the last year or two)…They always sounded so “80s” ….I was not really the generation that grew up on them and it was hard for me to listen to them as a teenager bc I felt like they were “too slow” compared to Metallica (who basically ganked their overall band/mercy template and put it on steroids) and I always thought Priest was the best NWOBHM bands…

Never doubted their influence mind you-Well aware how important they are…A shame I never got to see them live…

They make really great work music I might add…

Something about their overall tempo and song structure seems to lend itself to being able to enjoy their music, but it’s not distracting enough for me to lose my concentration…

Also aware they aren’t the same genre as the thread, but the question was more about how flats sound for heavily distorted and slower music and less about them as a band (pardon the tangent)…

Anyway, thanks for the input…

Thanks! \m/

I properly learned bass [coming from guitar] thanks to Maiden. Up the Irons!

 

[br1qbat]

Bongzilla openers. Spreading love for locals:

Ommnus

Bubak

 

[br1qbat]

And the big boys, Bongzilla.

 

[El_Charro]

Flats sound great for that style!

————————————
Thanks for confirming (lol-and for making me wanna get that bass with flats even more)…

One other quick question for you (or anyone else that wants to chime in here)…

How comfortable are flat for your fretting hand???…

I feel like I don’t always slide as well as I could and I think that’s probably bc of the coating on the strings I’m using…(Action seems fine otherwise)…

I think (???) I read that flats are pretty easy to move around with your fretting hand (specifically for sliding)…

And lol-Lord knows I need to get better at sliding faster if I’m gonna keep trying to play songs off of Far Beyond Driven like I was trying tonight…Judas Priest those songs are hard…

Aware that Dime got most of the attention in that band (and for good reason), but about the time I think I’m making progress I go try to play a few songs off of that album and WOW is it humbling…

Thanks! \m/

 

[El_Charro]

I properly learned bass [coming from guitar] thanks to Maiden. Up the Irons!

———————————————-
He seems to have really good fundamentals…I feel like I have learned A LOT from playing their music…

Really appreciate how structured their music sounds…

I also feel like I’m at a stage where I’m just good enough to play some of their basic riffs but some of their stuff is still over my head so I feel like playing their music is going to help me progress as a player…

Thanks! \m/

 

[El_Charro]

Was listening to this album again a few nights back…

I know Powertrip is what made them famous, but the more I listen to this album the more I feel like it is seriously underrated…



Thanks! \m/

 

[El_Charro]

And the big boys, Bongzilla.

View attachment 4391612

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I’m glad you got to enjoy some live music…

Wife and I saw P.O.D. 2 weeks ago for our first concert in almost two years at a $hitty dive bar…

Can’t begin to tell you how nice it was to get blazed and stand there having a beer while I watched one of my favorite bands…

After the last 18 months it felt positively surreal (but VERY welcome)…

Hope you enjoyed it…

Thanks! \m/

 

[Deleted member 132197]

How comfortable are flat for your fretting hand???…

Very

I’m glad you got to enjoy some live music…

Same. I've already got some tickets, but these are for shows in December and later.

 

[Andsvara]

How comfortable are flat for your fretting hand???…

Like lubricant gel for sex.