Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[kleinenenten]

I picked up another affordable Ibanez 5 string locally this week. Loving it, as I figured I would. Now, I've got 5 basses and 5 guitars, so I've finally gotten down to tuning/tweaking them all for various settings. While it took a while to get them all intonated just right, I was surprised how easy it was for some of them. I had assumed I'd need some new strings, and while I'm definitely going to go up a gauge with some, I managed to intonate all of them - even the bass and guitar tuned to C standard (on light gauge strings!).

So now I've got a bass and guitar in each of the following tunings:
Standard 5/7 String
1/2 Step Drop 5/7 String
1 Step Drop 5/7 String
Drop D 4/6 String (Gotta find some good tunes for these tunings - if memory serves old Rammstein?)
C Standard 4/6 String (Caveman death metal time! These will also do double duty and be tuned in C# when needed for things like Sabbath...)

Ok - now it's question time. For those of you that tune to C standard on a 4 string - which strings do you use? I got mine to work, but I'm feeling that a thicker set would likely work better as I prefer a little more tension. I'd also prefer to avoid getting a new nut, so incredibly thick strings are out. For reference, D'Addario is my go-to brand these days, either standard light gauge (standard and drop D tuning) or medium gauge (1 step drop tuning). I'm also going to get a medium gauge 7 string set from Stringjoy for my whole step drop guitar, though that's mostly to help beef up the tight bass response on the pickups. Apparently nobody else makes a standard "medium gauge" 7 string set these days - just various versions of "skinny top heavy bottom" sets.

The C standard bass is my first bass from what I started playing, and it's sounding massive. It's an old Ibanez P/J, and it's always been the most bass-heavy and most "P-bass like" of my stable. This thing rumbles now! It's not likely to cut the mix, but will level buildings. Digging it so far! All of the others are humbuckers, but they're all pretty great sounding.

 

[scabpicker]

For those of you that tune to C standard on a 4 string - which strings do you use? I got mine to work, but I'm feeling that a thicker set would likely work better as I prefer a little more tension. I'd also prefer to avoid getting a new nut, so incredibly thick strings are out.

Well, I don't have a bass in C standard, but I do have one tuned to BEAD. In that case, filing out the nut some and using the lower four from a 5 string set seemed the only real way to go.

Drop D 4/6 String (Gotta find some good tunes for these tunings - if memory serves old Rammstein?)

Buzzo hangs out on drop D most of the time. Get some Melvins.

It thrashes:


It sludges:


It dooms:


It does the simply heaviest sound. People tune lower, but I still haven't heard anything I think is heavier:

 

[kleinenenten]

Well, I don't have a bass in C standard, but I do have one tuned to BEAD. In that case, filing out the nut some and using the lower four from a 5 string set seemed the only real way to go.

Buzzo hangs out on drop D most of the time. Get some Melvins.

It thrashes:


It sludges:


It dooms:


It does the simply heaviest sound. People tune lower, but I still haven't heard anything I think is heavier:

I need to listen to Melvins in general. They pop up on playlists every so often, and I always end up thinking "Hey, that sounds good - wonder who they are?" as I look up. For whatever reason, I've never actively listened to them, though I'm pretty sure I'll dig them. Thanks for the heads up! Gives me a reason to play and listen to new music - a 2 for 1 win situation!

 

[Formula73]

I’m with scabpicker: no way will you comfortably and reliably tune that low without much bigger strings and definitely (carefully) opening up the nut slots to closely fit the gauges. I also use the bottom 4 of a 5 string set, Elixir Nanoweb nickel or stainless (depending on the bass) .065-.135.

I tune to C Standard so I guess I’m 1/2 step not as doomy as scabpicker but at least I’m probably shorter AND fatter. So there.

 

[pklima]

CGDA here, 132-90-60-40. Have also done FCGDA with a 175 on the bottom and shortened double bass strings for the other four (which I can't reasonably recommend, but if your bass has 4" of string behind the bridge and old DB strings laying around and the right sort of tailpiece it can work), though at that point might as well tune down a half step and have a EBF#C#G# to go an octave below standard.

 

[Novarocker]

Oddly enough, I've used slinky hybrids, 105-45 right? It was about 10 years ago that I was regularly tuned to drop C though. Wicked fun IMO. Yeah they were a bit floppy and I had to reset action a little, but once I got used to the difference in feel I actually liked it for bends and such. I liked the 110's too.

Beyond the drop D and D std though, I think it's wise to go up. I just picked up a set of slinkies that I think are 125-65 4 string sets. Have yet to try them, but i plan on it asap. If you like or don't hate EB slinkies, I recommend trying that out. For whatever reason, even though I like D'addario, I've used EB forever. I don't think I've really noticed a difference in sound, feel, or life for stinkiest and whichever D'addario equivalent and until the last few years, they were always $3-5 cheaper a set.

I've heard some stories of people breaking an EB string on install, I've had it happen once. If 1 time in 20 years of almost exclusive slinky usage, never once on a gig or the 8 year period when I was gigging regularly, then I'm pretty open to the breaking being an anomaly (snuck through QC) or user error. I'll also throw in that I beat the piss outta my strings. With almost legit vengeance, like they were attacking my family or something.

Not that I play angry, just that I pluck/pick em way too hard.

 

[emal]

I play A Standard in one project and Drop B in another
I use EB Cobalts 5 string and mod the nut ( i play 4 string)

 

[kleinenenten]

Thanks for all the replies! So far, I'm digging the C Standard tuning with my Slinky strings. And the day after, they're still perfectly in tune where I left them. That set is likely a decade or more old... Though I just strung them on the bass new out of the package about a month ago, so they're still very fresh. Pretty sure they were the "regular" set of 45-105, and I'm still shocked how well I like them. I don't think I'd be able to play incredibly fast on them due to the floppiness, but I'm digging them overall. Makes me want to try the "Power" set with 55-110, or the matching D'Addario "Heavy" set. Hopefully a heavier gauge will intonate easier on a standard bass. At least, I think that's how it works...

In reference to string preferences, I used to only use Slinkys, but then found them a bit too bright. That was like 20 years ago when I first started playing bass and I had no cash, and those few extra bucks were a big deal. These days, I find them a bit too bright and scooped overall, but I think that may work to my advantage to keep some attack if I'm downtuning so low. For a long time, I was a flats only guy, but the last few years I've slowly migrated back to rounds. This bass was the last one that had flats, and I had a single set of old Slinkys from way back when waiting for me... Anyway, once I stopped the Chromes, I figured I'd give D'Addario rounds a shot. I think they're a bit more balanced overall with more mids than the Slinkys.

 

[kleinenenten]

My guitar strings came in today, so I got to re-stringing my 7 string Nazgul/Sentient equipped ARZ307 and my 6 string RG3EX1. I used the Stringjoy Medium Balanced Set (11-64) and tuned a whole step down. Thus far, completely happy. Flexible enough to still bend, but not floppy either. And the bass is certainly much better than the standard D'Addario set that it was wearing. Now, it sounds much closer tonally to the RG7321 with Black Winters - but gainier and a little tighter. Great complementary tone! And the D'Addario Heavy Gauge (12-54) are rocking on the RG3EX1, tuned two steps down. Similar story - much better bass response than the standard strings it wore before. Both guitars are crushingly heavy now.

All of this actually makes me reconsider re-stringing my C Standard tuned 4 string bass - it's wearing "Regular Light Gauge" D'Addarios at the moment. But, because it's the most low-end heavy bass I have, it's still not shy in the bass department with light gauge. And the strings aren't super floppy. If I got even thicker strings with more pronounced bass, I think I'd lose articulation!

 

[droningearth]

anyone doing instrumentals, could add something to droning earth vol82, been doing these compilations since 2007, half of them ambient/drone and other half stoner/sludge/etc. droningearthrecords.bandcamp.com

 

[Michedelic]

I need to listen to Melvins in general. They pop up on playlists every so often, and I always end up thinking "Hey, that sounds good - wonder who they are?" as I look up. For whatever reason, I've never actively listened to them, though I'm pretty sure I'll dig them. Thanks for the heads up! Gives me a reason to play and listen to new music - a 2 for 1 win situation!

They are truly the roots of grunge, like Green River(who morphed into Mudhoney), they laid the groundwork in the 80’s near Seattle, and were a big influence on Cobain, Nirvana essentially forming because of them. Here’s a bit of trivia, their second bass player, Lori Black(“Lorax”), was the daughter of famous 30’s child movie star Shirley Temple.

 

[kleinenenten]

They are truly the roots of grunge, like Green River(who morphed into Mudhoney), they laid the groundwork in the 80’s near Seattle, and were a big influence on Cobain, Nirvana essentially forming because of them. Here’s a bit of trivia, their second bass player, Lori Black(“Lorax”), was the daughter of famous 30’s child movie star Shirley Temple.

They sound far heavier than the grunge I'm familiar with! Though, I can't say I'm much of a grunge fan in general.

 

[Michedelic]

They sound far heavier than the grunge I'm familiar with! Though, I can't say I'm much of a grunge fan in general.

I saw them open for Tool a long time ago, then they did a tour with Boris a couple of years ago. I think the Japanese trio took their name from a Melvins song.
As I remember, Cobain used to roadie for them, and then Nirvana came together from the social circle attached to the band.
On a side note, concerning Lori, being a nepo baby has its privileges, I guess; I wonder if she got any pointers…

 

[scabpicker]

They sound far heavier than the grunge I'm familiar with! Though, I can't say I'm much of a grunge fan in general.

Well, they're not really necessarily grunge, but a lot of the grunge bands were listening to them. Really, Melvins are their own thing. Whatever Buzz and Dale decide to do, they do. Sometimes it'd be a stretch to even call it rock (I'm looking at you, Snivlem - Prick). The first time I went to see them, they were opening for Primus. I showed up about 15 minutes after the show started, and Primus was already playing. According to my friend, they pissed the crowd off by doing feedback for about 10 minutes and then left the stage after they had enough stuff thrown at them.

Seriously, there's something confrontational about them. Visiting their website was an exercise in frustration for years. For a long time, I only went there to find out what new annoying web trick they had decided to adopt to annoy you. Their site was where I learned you could just open endless browser windows using java script and crash the browser when it ran out of RAM. That's been fixed in more recent browsers, and they seemed to have stopped being so fscking confrontational on their website.

But, their attitude leads them to some wonderfully weird music. This is probably my favorite pop-ish song by them, it's..umm..very Mevlins-ish? Bombastic and triumphic, then it takes a left turn. Seeing them do it live was a moment that still sticks in my mind.



Never know what you're gonna get with those guys. If there was any justice in this world, they'd have several #1 hits. Dale Crover is a god who walks the earth among mortal drummers.

I saw them open for Tool a long time ago, then they did a tour with Boris a couple of years ago. I think the Japanese trio took their name from a Melvins song.

Yep, and they both closed their sets with "Boris" when I saw them. Delicious.

While we're on the subject, Melvins 1983 (a Melvins offshoot) released a new single today. It rocks, it new waves, it dooms, it does loony experimental synth stuff. I want to take it behind the junior high and get it pregnant.




The looniest thing about the Melvins to me is, they seem to keep employing a rotating group of my teenage heroes. Jeff Pinkus was and Steven McDonald is their bass player. Gary Chester played on guitar for at least one record.

My favorite Jeff Pinkus bass part, on what is for my money one of the best rock records ever concieved:




My favorite Steven McDonald bass part. Sweet zombie Jesus, I destroyed so many sets of car speakers with this song.



It's hard to pick a favorite Gary Chester guitar part. So, I'll just post the one I kinda know how to play and, can kinda sorta pull off.



I have a shirt that simply says "MELVINS RULE, YOU DO NOT". That sums up my feelings about them in a nutshell.

 

[Michedelic]

My favorite Jeff Pinkus bass part, on what is for my money one of the best rock records ever concieved:

You got that right. I love to point out to clueless Zep fans that JPJ worked with them. If you see your mom this weekend…

 

[Ritter667]

While we're on the subject, Melvins 1983 (a Melvins offshoot) released a new single today. It rocks, it new waves, it dooms, it does loony experimental synth stuff. I want to take it behind the junior high and get it pregnant.

Love this!

Freaking damn amazing!

 

[scabpicker]

You got that right. I love to point out to clueless Zep fans that JPJ worked with them. If you see your mom this weekend…

"SATAN!!! SATAN!!! SATAN!!!"

I've kind of decided that JPJ was probably the best member of Zeppelin, the man is/was pretty brilliant.

Heheh, I was bewildered many years later when people started to claim the intro to Sweat Loaf was actually from Orbital. The clever bastards sampled the Surfers. It's something I would never do out of misplaced reverence, and the resulting song is pretty generic dance, but they were smart to do it.




And of course, the original. Great Og, that slow, slow, slow fade in making you up the volume. The first time I heard Gibbytronics! And well, the advice about regret is pretty true in its own limited way.



And if you like 22 going on 23, it's pretty great backwards at high speed. In fact, it's probably the equal of the original.



Not to be confused with "Hey" by The Butthole Surfers, which is a pretty conventional rock song by their standards.



If you like all of that stuff, wrap your brain around this. I kind of think of it as the most fearsome Surfers' track. Mmmmmmm, so much craziness and sludge for seven and a half minutes (more glorious Pinkus), then it goes in to complete Surfers territory. "CHRIST ALMIGHTY, WE ARE ALIVE!!!!"



Edited to add: When my wife and I married, our consolidated collection had four copies of the Surfers' Hairway to Steven (his+hers copies on CD and LP), three copies of Big Black's Atomizer (I bought a second copy on a whim) and the only copy of Melvins' Lysol was hers. Damn, she's the perfect woman. If we ever divorce, splitting the record collection will be murder.

 

[Kacey Y]

Just checking in to see how this thread has been doing for the past 3096 days or so. I uhh, went out for some milk...then moved across the country, changed my sex and name, got divorced, moved states again, and bought and sold some gear

 

[kleinenenten]

Just checking in to see how this thread has been doing for the past 3096 days or so. I uhh, went out for some milk...then moved across the country, changed my sex and name, got divorced, moved states again, and bought and sold some gear

Eh, same ol' same ol'. Dooming, talking about gear, talking about other random stuff. Not quite as high traffic as the old days, but not much else has changed.

Speaking of which, I recently listened to the new Pentagram album "Lightning In A Bottle". It's pretty solid. Need to re-listen to their stuff as it's been a while and I don't remember digging it as much as I do this album. Maybe I'll enjoy it more now!

 

[Ritter667]

A 100% improvised, but somewhat uninspired, stoner rock jam I just had alone on my bass, with a very odd solo break in the middle that doesn't really fit in: