• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Your Favorite Stoner/Doom/Sludge Tone

socialleper

socialleper

Bringer of doom and top shelf beer
May 31, 2009
10,158
13,690
Canyon Country, CA
#1
Bass players in every genre face their own challenges with sitting in the mix properly so they create just the right texture of the song. Bassists in the Stoner/Doom/Sludge sub-genres face the challenge of being up against thick layers of fuzz saturated, down tuned guitars that seem to take up massive portions of the mix.
Being bass players ourselves, we of course want to actually hear the bass. So what are some of your favorite favorite recorded tones of big bands from these sub-genres?

For me, I love Leo Smee's work with Cathedral. He is able to find the right balance of articulation and overdrive, while still supporting the guitar in the low end.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: StrangerBasses
#3
we do sludge/post punk, but i generally am getting a jesus and mary chain/electric wizard thing going
my setup is an L2000 with rounds into an overdriven mesa boogie d180, while at the practice space i use an sb-2 with flats into a fuzzrocious rat tail into an LM3
 
#4
If I were to jam that kind of music all the time I would have my rig sound just like DD VERNI's of OVERKILL his Bass sound cuts through anything loud and clear and mean as hell sounding. Listen to all of the songs from the album W.F.O. that Bass sound frickin rules....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nodak Savage
#6
Dan Bass said:
If I were to jam that kind of music all the time I would have my rig sound just like DD VERNI's of OVERKILL his Bass sound cuts through anything loud and clear and mean as hell sounding. Listen to all of the songs from the album W.F.O. that Bass sound frickin rules....
Click to expand...
High, attack driven bass was very common with Thrash in the 80s. You can hear that with bands like Exodus and Laaz Rockit as well.
Unfortunately the genres I'm looking at here tend to stress sustain over initial attack. I don't think I've I've heard a doom band with that sort of tone, but if there is one, I'd love to check it out.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Dan Bass
#7
socialleper said:
High, attack driven bass was very common with Thrash in the 80s. You can hear that with bands like Exodus and Laaz Rockit as well.
Unfortunately the genres I'm looking at here tend to stress sustain over initial attack. I don't think I've I've heard a doom band with that sort of tone, but if there is one, I'd love to check it out.
Click to expand...
Name a couple of Doom bands and songs you like , so I can check them out, and if there's a few cool songs I like in there I can jam my Bass with that song and I'll have my Bass sound added on top, then I can go back and listen to the song with me doing the Bass parts with my sound. I love learning and figuring out new songs on the Bass...
 
#10
AaronVonRock said:
The opening bass riff starts around the :30 mark. Very nice.
Click to expand...


That bass is doing some pretty cool wah pedal work. My biggest concern about the levels of distortion that are used on these and many other recordings is once the guitars kick in the distortion on the bass makes it blend into the guitar too much, making it disappear. I know it creates a "bigger" tone, but then all the articulation of the bass vanishes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nodak Savage and Sazazie_Spring
#11
Dan Bass said:
Name a couple of Doom bands and songs you like , so I can check them out, and if there's a few cool songs I like in there I can jam my Bass with that song and I'll have my Bass sound added on top, then I can go back and listen to the song with me doing the Bass parts with my sound. I love learning and figuring out new songs on the Bass...
Click to expand...

It's hard for me to think of particular songs, but as far as bands go I like some of the retro bands like Cathedral, The Oath, Witchcraft, and Graveyard. I can't really get into the "classic" Doom bands like St Vitus, Pentagram, Candlemass or Trouble's earlier works (because of the vocals). I haven't decided if I like Yob or Pallbearer; they get a little droney for me some times.

In the more upbeat stoner/desert sub-genres I like The Sword, Orange Goblin, Kylsa, House of Broken Promises, Death Penalty, and Mastodon.

The more retro sounding bands have thinner guitars, or aren't dropped as much, so the bass is cleanish, and more present in the mix. However, there are a lot of bands that I like where the bass is just MIA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dan Bass
#18
Muddslide said:
Helios Creed from the (really killer) band Chrome said he had read a study indicating that people of certain ages could get addicted to dissonance and distortion, so they always layered as much as possible into their music.

Any Chrome fans up in here?
Click to expand...
Never heard of them, but I will check it out.

I understand the fuzz on the guitars in Doom. It sounds good on bass when the bass is playing on its own, but I think its tough to hear in a mix. It puts all the instruments in the same frequencies.
 
#20
Muddslide said:
Helios Creed from the (really killer) band Chrome said he had read a study indicating that people of certain ages could get addicted to dissonance and distortion, so they always layered as much as possible into their music.

Any Chrome fans up in here?
Click to expand...

Big Helios Creed fan. I got into his solo stuff first and then worked backwards to Chrome. This was the first album I heard from him when I was in college.


the Jesus Lizard did a good job of covering two Chrome songs and merging them together.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back