thodrik

No problem, I love sharing music and I have a long running fandom of all things stoner rock/doom/post rock/post metal. Even if you don't like some of the music it is a very interesting scene to explore because lots of guitarists and bassists have really interesting set ups and there is a lot of potential for discovering different set up techniques and effects and using them for a different style of music.

I appreciate your post however there was no mistake on my part. In the first sentence of your original post you stated that you wanted to discuss approaches to achieving the 'ultimate high gain bass distortion setup' and invited forum members asked us to 'share your general thoughts about this topic'. I did that. My original post discussed what I would do if I wanted to achieve 'the ultimate high gain bass distortion'. I also posted an example of a band where high gain bass distortion is used which I think fits in with your invitation to 'share your general thoughts about this topic'. It makes no difference to me whether you personally like the style of music or vocals of a band I shared just as an example of high gain bass distortion (it doesn't even bother me if you don't like the bass tone). It doesn't bother me that my own approach to achieving the 'ultimate high gain distortion setup' would not suit the particular needs or style of your own specific project. In the context of a discussion on the 'ultimate high gain bass distortion', I am really not concerned as to whether you are actually predominantly using high gain bass distortion in your own specific project or exactly what stylistic direction the project is going to take. It is all just part of the wider discussion which on Basschat tends to be fairly free-flowing.

Well, best of luck. I don’t mind OM but prefer Sleep and lots of other post rock type stuff. The example I posted wasn’t meant to be an indication of the style of music I thought you were going to play, more just an example of bass used as a lead instrument with loads of gain. Of course there are lots of other examples of this. It sounds like you have a clear idea of what you want to do though so best of luck in getting the project underway.

When I was younger Q was the magazine I didn't buy that had Bono on the cover every other month and NME was the magazine I didn't buy that had Morrissey on the cover every other week.

I had the Boss NS2. It was average but just about did the job for a decent price. In practice I found that just using my Boss Tuner as a mute or just turning the fuzz off when I wasn't playing produced better results.

I had a set of D'addarios like these ones. Five string set 43-127: https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/strings-c1/string-sets-c865/bass-guitar-c34/daddario-5-string-prosteel-stainless-43-127-tapered-long-scale-bass-strings-p9768 Stainless steel and hex core. Not sure if they come in other gauges. As far as I can remember all the gauges are tapered though, so if you need an untapered G you might need to buy another single: I like D'addarios and they don't break the bank either. It is easy to order single strings to make up a custom set that usually costs less than a 'custom order' set from boutique string makers. I personally prefer D'addarios to the Newtones I ordered but appreciate I might be in the minority. These days though I have moved to Elixirs nickels with just a tapered B at 130. It is my favourite B string, partly because of the sound, mostly though because it lasts for ages. In practice I discovered that I 'needed' a tapered B, From experimenting I found that I didn't really like tapered strings for E and higher, but that is just personal preference.

In short, if I was doing what the OP was doing I would be looking at a biamp system with different EQs and different effects going to the different amps. Given that the OP is tuning 'up' rather than tuning down, I would definitely be looking at an octave pedal or something like a digitech whammy or pitchshifter. However, once you start using so many different fuzzes the fuzzes can actually start cancelling each other out rather than creating a big wall of sound. It needs careful thought and balancing and what works at a gig might not work for recording and vice versa. Sometimes however, the best high gain bass sound involves very few pedals whatsoever. Just get a valve amp, crank the gain and add a fuzz/boost. It won't be subtle, it won't be nuanced, it won't be practical for rehearsal, recording or gigging at semi-reasonable volume levels, but it will be very very loud. Anyhoo, stoner rock bands using bass as main melodic instrument or similar are fairly common. One of my more obscure favourites are a German band called Beehoover. I think that the bassist used/uses a five or six string bass and at couple of fuzzes stacked into different signal paths.

I have been downtuning some of my basses for the best part of twenty years (being a long time Black Sabbath, Mastodon and Queens of the Stone Age fan will do that to you). Here are my rambled thoughts on the subject. In my opinion, the more you tune down the more balanced tension becomes important. In my opinion lots of 'heavy gauge' strings apparently designed for lower tunings are incredibly unbalanced and in my opinion are actually not very well suited for lower tunings. I tried the DR DDT sets of 55-115 for C# standard tuning years ago (2013 I think) and the two highest pitched strings were incredibly tight and unusable (for me) for anything higher than C sharp tuning but the lowest string was getting overly floppy at anything below a low D. It got worse as the low B strings in the 'heavy' five string set did not go any larger than a 135 which in my opinion wasn't much good for anything lower than a standard low B. They were also really expensive. I did try Newtone for a custom set in about 2014. However they didn't end up with giving me the gauges I actually requested which for the price I was paying irked me a bit as the resulting set I received much less balanced than than what I had ordered. While the strings were very nice I didn't find them much (or any) better than a 'custom' set of D'addario singles I could make up and order myself at a much lower cost. So I have generally stuck to making up my own sets of strings from D'addario on the basis of finding a 'balanced-ish' tension.I try to keep a similar string tension in my lower/drop tunings to my preferred standard tuning set of 100-40. It is a bit of trial and error until you find a type of string and the gauges that are optimal for the tuning you use. For G# standard I was using the the balanced tension four string set of D'addario 120, 90, 67 and 50 (usually available for under £20) and for the low G# string I used a tapered 160. The 160 worked fine but after a few rehearsals I realised that I didn't need the low G#. On reflection if I needed to go that low I think I would need a 35 inch scale (or longer) or a fanned fret type instrument. As it is, my fives are now strung to drop B (B, F#, B, E, A) with Elixirs 130, 95, 70, 50, 32 which is technically 'up-tuning' rather than down-tuning. I'm really impressed as Elixir strings last for ages and have saved me a bunch of money as a result. However, no super heavy Elixir bass string exists for super low tuning so a low G sharp isn't really possible.

How much does it weigh? Unless it is really light I will just wait for the ‘Ultra’ version which will hold 20 picks, Bluetooth connectivity and an ‘aux in’.

I would like to hear the entire Tool catalogue played without effects and without a plectrum on a Fender Precision strung with flats played through an Ampeg B15. No, I don’t think it would be an improvement. It would just be amusing.

My main gigging basses and amps have not changed for ten years. But the pedals, the bloody pedals...there is always a pedal missing from my set up even when I have just bought a pedal. After 22 years of playing bass I am using my lockdown free time learning how to play with a pick as well I can with fingers. As a result I now have ‘plectrum GAS’.

It is an interesting bit of kit. It doesn't interest me much as a practice tool (I can access BIAS FX or Amplitube on my PC or my phone). However at a live gig having access to a good cab simulator would be nice. However, from previous experience I don't think that a cab sim really makes that much difference in the band mix vs a quality DI without a cab sim. In fact this is why I stopped using the Tech 21 Sansamp kit that had rudimentary 'speaker simulation' capabilities. In short, it would be a nice extra thing to have, but it would also be an extra bit of gear to break/get stolen. If I was a touring pro using in ears, then yeah it would be a great bit of gear. It could be good for recording, however there are also cab sims on the amp software I am using that will do the job without the extra bit of hardware. Ideally I would prefer to actually just record the old fashioned way and mic up a cab of my own. I do like the concept and I do very much feel that this model is a prototype for an 'all singing/all dancing' comprehensive release that will be released within the next 12 months. In the meantime I think I would get more use out the Vintage Ultra or B7K Ultra as a practice/recording/live gig tool.

With enough work you can pretty much do all the technical stuff on a five as you can on a four. So for that reason alone I would say to go with a five. Otherwise you will buy the four and like it so much that you will wish you had a five string version of it. This has happened with me twice now with Sadowsky and Vigier basses. I would like to say that going for the five string in the first place would have saved me money. The truth is that I would probably have bought a four and five string version of each bass in any event.

D'addario EXL160BT 120-50. Tuned to D standard/drop C on my old late seventies Precision. It seems fairly heavy duty but honestly the tension of the higher strings is 50 and 67 so really not that far off a standard 105-45 set. As far back as 2003 I was using the Steve Harris flats 110-55 on the same bass in standard tuning, so I have generally always had heavier strings on the Precision. It has always been my 'go to' bass for heavier rock stuff. I can always go back to lighter strings if I need to use it for standard tuning for specific project. If so I will probably go for a set of flats, maybe 45, 65, 85, 110.

Fortunately/unfortunately I’m not in position to buy a bass at the minute. A Spector Forte is definitely on my shortlist though.

If the bass isn't a Fender or something that looks like a Fender, it 'just won't sit well in a mix'. You should only use inexpensive basses for using alternative/drop tunings, as setting up a more expensive bass for anything other than standard tuning will be 'a waste of a good bass'. 'You need a 1x15 for the lows and a 2x10 for the highs'. If you listen loudly enough, you can hear all ofJason Newsted's parts on ...And Justice for All. The personal opinions of bassists with lots of Youtube subscribers should always be accepted as indisputable fact without question. Slap bass can only be played effectively in the key of E.

I love the stripped back look. Generally I find Spectors to be a bit too ‘bling’ in terms of the finish colours and general massive levels of flame/burl. However every time I see a Forte I think ‘I would love to own one of those!’ Congrats!

Yes, unless it is a special order. The pickups on a Passion are so close together that a separate EQ for each pickup is not really going to have the variation of the Arpege which has pickup spacing closer to a traditional Fender Jazz.

It is the Arpege. It is pretty cool to be able to add loads of bass and treble to the bridge pickup but keeping the front pickup full of mids. There are some really great sounds in there but the potential for unnecessary fiddling with the EQ mid gig is huge. Most of the time I just treat it as a straight three band EQ.

I have two Sadowskys (Metro and NYC) and two Vigiers (Excess and Arpege), but would sell them all before I had to sell the old S9 Fender Precision I have had since 13 year old me bought it in 1999. I can always find another Sadowsky or Vigier or similar feel and quality. However, I would never be able to replace the Precision. The flaws like the scratch plate split into two (previous owner ) and the constantly flaking lacquer on the neck (caused by me over 21 years of playing) help to really create a completely unique feel to the instrument. With that in mind, even taking personal sentiment aside I could never bring myself to sell it for any reasonable price. Also, given the condition of the neck, nobody else would want it!

I think that if you are carting about an 8x10 or vertical 4x12 then expectations of how ‘lightweight’ the cab should be realistic. An ‘ultra lightweight’ 8x10 is still going to be pain to move as soon as you meet a set of stairs compared to two lightweight 4x10 cabs. 116lbs is not too bad for an 8x10 considering the classic Ampeg fridge is 140lbs. It is also much less than the Mesa 6x10 I have which is about 135lbs(!). However the EBS Neo 8x10 has been on the market for ten years or so and it’s quoted handling weight is 105lbs, so the Darkglass cab is not really close to being the lightest 8x10 on the market. As far as I’m concerned I don’t really consider either Darkglass cabinet to be especially lightweight. In terms of the other specs though they look like top quality cabinets. I’m sure it will be a great cabinet, the real test will be the cost.

I have bought three basses blind without playing them. No issues but two basses were Vigiers and the other one was a Sadowsky, so the chances of getting a ‘dud’ was slim to nonexistent. I would never buy a Gibson guitar (new or vintage) or a vintage Fender without playing it. A new Fender bass would be a safe enough purchase though.

Back onto the amp, I am really interested to see how the 'Global Gain' and 'O/D symetry' works in practice/practical use. I can hear a difference from the video but it is very subtle. I think I would need to physically try the amp to really appreciate it. However, I really the idea of the feature. It would appear from my initial read of the specs that the hi/low gain, 'Low' and 'Bright' presets) apply to both channels, rather than being able independently assign them to a specific channel. If so, I actually prefer this as having separate presets for each each channel would make the front panel of the amp very busy and create a bit of option paralysis on my front. Also, I like that there is a tube in the front end of the Subway channel as well which is a nice touch. My only other comment is that I would have liked for the footswitch to include the ability to switch from 'Low gain' to 'High gain' on the Boogie channel to enable the player to change from a nearly clean bloomy setting on the 'low' setting to more of an overdrive on the 'high' setting). If the low/hi gain setting is more subtle than a obvious 'clean to overdrive' change though isn't really a big issue. In practice I would probably just use a separate overdrive/boost on top of whatever core tone I wanted out of either channel, or even use the Subway channel as the 'clean' channel and the Boogie channel as the 'dirty' channel. I really like the amp and feature set overall. Probably my favourite feature set of the current Mesa bass line.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-amps/bass-amp-cabs/mesa-boogie-subway-bass-cabinet-4-x-10-ultra-light £2,150 for the 4x10. It is $1599 in the USA. So there is a sizeable markup. Cracking cabs with new design technology but the mark up makes it an unrealistic purchase considering you can get similarly lightweight, boutique cabs for approximately £1000 less, including BF.

I think that this aspect was discussed In the mega thread we had when the WD 800 was released. However the problem still remains and is as relevant as ever. Honestly the UK cost of the Subway cabs, particularly the 4x10 are completely out of kilter with the dollar and with other boutique 4x10s. Saying that the Walkabout 1x15 I bought new in 2009 (£1500) is still the best bit of gear I have ever bought. Also, the crash in value for used gear is great for the buyer. I got a Rectoverb 50 guitar combo shipped to me for £650 the other year. Cracking amp.