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This is NOT a "what's the best bass for metal" question!


Evil Undead
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[quote name='Machines' post='1273552' date='Jun 18 2011, 10:47 AM']As long as it's not a Daisy Rock Flower it shouldn't matter too much.[/quote]

Last Tuesday night, I slept in a bedroom that had a pink Daisy Rock Flower guitar in it. In Somerset. Near Glastonbury.

ficelles

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My first concern would be why I was auditioning a bassist to start with, it being the only instrument I can play. ;o)

However, trying to look at it from say my guitarists' angle as someone who has been in quite a few different types of band (including black/death metal), no I don't think she would care what the bass was (barring Daisy Rock and violin basses) so long as it sounded good and did the job.
Heck, the band I'm in, whilst not being a black/death/thrash metal band is still pretty heavy and my playing a natural finish Cort Artisan hasn't drawn any complaints. I can however see some people complaining about what bass someone plays, even an absolute classic like a precision, because some people are just like that. And yes, it's probably more common for ESP's, Jackson's, BC Rich's, Ibanez's, and a few Warwick's to be used in those subgenres of metal. But if the band you're auditioning for are so anal as to put you down for playing a white Squier P-bass, then do you really want to get involved with them?

And as someone else pointed out, Steve Harris has (excepting a brief flirtation with Lado) played Fender P's since the dawn of Iron Maiden, black ones, blue ones, and white ones. You however may wish to consider drop tuning for those particular subgenres though.

I hope that made sense and sounded cohesive. It's gone 1am and I should be asleep.

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I seem to remember Frankie Bello from Anthrax doing alright with his P bass, just drop the action for a bit more 'cluck' and you're golden.
Leave the aesthetic obsession to the lead guitarists, they think it's all about them anyway, so don't upset them by putting them straight :). If they really complain then you could get away with a more 'metal' scratchplate with some sort of offensive/gory decal on it.
Edit: unless you're doing some GWAR stuff, then it's black and pointy all the way. :)

Edited by paul_5
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Precision fits most styles and can be seen in virtually all walks of life.
White & black are kinda neutral colors and should be no issues.

Out of curiosity are you bothered more by the color or the fact its a precision in a death metal band :)

I used a fretless precision in a rock band yrs ago and no-one cared.

Go for it and enjoy what happens no matter what.

Cheers
Dave
:)

Edited by dmccombe7
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Yeah, it's about the sound. I'm not a huge metal fan, it's not my bag man. Especially not a lot of this newer stuff with screaming singers, maybe a bit of sabbath but I kind of grew out of it for the most part.

But i'd take my hat off, I don't like this whole "jagged ugly ass bass, a million tattoos, long greasy unkept hair and beard and BLACK EVERYTHING downtuned to buggery and distorted beyond recognition" thing man, it's so dark, why can't metal bands be a little more cheerful.
If the dude was more interested in his sound than his looks i'd be more inclined to give his band a chance though.

If someone showed up with an ugly spikemonster of doom but they could play like a boss then I'd have them, no worries.

Edited by Ross
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[quote name='Ross' post='1275314' date='Jun 19 2011, 09:52 PM']Yeah, it's about the sound. I'm not a huge metal fan, it's not my bag man. Especially not a lot of this newer stuff with screaming singers, maybe a bit of sabbath but I kind of grew out of it for the most part.

But i'd take my hat off, I don't like this whole "jagged ugly ass bass, a million tattoos, long greasy unkept hair and beard and BLACK EVERYTHING downtuned to buggery and distorted beyond recognition" thing man, it's so dark, why can't metal bands be a little more cheerful.
If the dude was more interested in his sound than his looks i'd be more inclined to give his band a chance though.

If someone showed up with an ugly spikemonster of doom but they could play like a boss then I'd have them, no worries.[/quote]I love this post.

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[quote name='Maverick' post='1274201' date='Jun 18 2011, 10:21 PM']Completely unimportant point, but he's back to the Marcus Miller in their latest live vids. I'm kind of glad, thinking that Mendez's bass looked really cool is how I first discovered Marcus Miller :)[/quote]

From Opeth to Marcus Miller in one move. :)

So he's back with the Fenders then. To be honest the last time I saw them was at High Voltage almost a year ago, and he used Sandbergs throughout - I think it was the J style one with the MM pickup at the bridge. Although, true to Opeth form, you could hardly hear the bass!

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[quote name='Lozz196' post='1274956' date='Jun 19 2011, 05:12 PM']White Squier/Fender = Duff McKagan
Would said metal bands not want him?[/quote]
I'd be very surprised if any Death metal bands would want an aging poodle like Duff McKagan.

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I auditioned for a metal band back in the 80s called "Chariot" who were quite popular at the time. I was playing a white with t/shell scratchplate Fender 62 re-issue at the time. Didn't get the job, but I've since found out it wasn't because I was playing a white bass - it was because I was f***ing pony at playing.

And the moral of the story is boys and girls - if you're good, you'll get the job whether you're playing a 5-string Traben or a branch off a tree with 4 or 5 elastic bands.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='yorick' post='1273765' date='Jun 18 2011, 01:09 PM']With my old death metal outfit i deliberately used a steinberger cricket bat to piss the singer off :)[/quote]

I'm in CONTECHED, the world's first Corporate Metal band, I play Steinberger, I piss everybody off :)

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[quote name='WHUFC BASS' post='1278969' date='Jun 22 2011, 08:02 PM']I auditioned for a metal band back in the 80s called "Chariot" who were quite popular at the time. I was playing a white with t/shell scratchplate Fender 62 re-issue at the time. Didn't get the job, but I've since found out it wasn't because I was playing a white bass - it was because I was f***ing pony at playing.

And the moral of the story is boys and girls - if you're good, you'll get the job whether you're playing a 5-string Traben or a branch off a tree with 4 or 5 elastic bands.[/quote]

I dep for a band with Scott Biaggi of Chariot in down here in Devon, he is a decent guitar player, and a sound bloke on the right day. Apparently he wasn't asked back for the reunion a couple of years ago, I didn't ask why, the website says they couldn't find him. That is apparently a lie.

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[quote name='Evil Undead' post='1273548' date='Jun 18 2011, 10:45 AM']However, I guess it's along similar lines. Please don't bite me!

Anyway, I'm curious. If you went to see a metal band, and the bassist was playing a white Squier P bass, would you think (s)he was any less metal?

Also, if you were auditioning a bassist, would you turn them down for playing the above bass?

I'm talking more death metal, black metal or thrash, rather than nwobhm or hair metal.[/quote]

Alex Webster, bass player for Cannibal Corpse, used a white precision on their first two albums and up until he switched to Ibanez basses. If the bass player in a gore-obsessed death metal band can get away with using a white precision, I'm sure you'll be fine.

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i was in a 'doom' band once, used a natural stingray,

didnt really care about looks more about sound.

not a massive fan of black basses mind, at the moment i am playing a MIM fiesta red p-bass (maybe thats why im not in a real band!)

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  • 1 month later...

Tom Araya from Slayer used a white Jazz bass on the first 2 albums, and the bloke from the Varukers still does, and gets a completely obscene sound from it... P-basses are equally GREAT for metal. Any band worth their salt will NOT be looking at your gear, and will be listening to what you can offer them...

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[quote name='Evil Undead' post='1273548' date='Jun 18 2011, 10:45 AM']However, I guess it's along similar lines. Please don't bite me!

Anyway, I'm curious. If you went to see a metal band, and the bassist was playing a white Squier P bass, would you think (s)he was any less metal?

Also, if you were auditioning a bassist, would you turn them down for playing the above bass?

I'm talking more death metal, black metal or thrash, rather than nwobhm or hair metal.[/quote]

Nothing more metal than a lady with a white squier p bass :)

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