Question for Metal players

[SteveXFR]

There's a huge range of bass sounds in metal from super clean to fuzzy, clanky nastiness.

My bass sound is quite mid heavy with a good amount of grit.

I take a little bit of grit from the amp but most of it comes from a Darkglass vintage microtubes with gain up high but blend in the middle and then a Two Notes Le Bass preamp for added valve grit. 

The most important thing in a band situation is to forget about what your bass sounds like in isolation, that doesn't matter. It's all about the sound when played with the guitars and drums. A lot of bassists who hear Lemmy's bass isolated will say it sounds dreadful but listen to it in the mix and it's perfect

[Lozz196]

Agree Steve, Motorheads live version of Rosalie really shows this and how his bass sound was a crucial part of their overall sound.

[MikeTheMisfit]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, I really appreciate it.

 

I've decided to go with the Behringer BDI clone because I don't have much money to splash out.

 

It should be arriving today so I'm pretty excited. 

[SteveXFR]

1 hour ago, MikeTheMisfit said:

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, I really appreciate it.

 

I've decided to go with the Behringer BDI clone because I don't have much money to splash out.

 

It should be arriving today so I'm pretty excited. 

 

A sensible starting point. It'll get you somewhere useful.

Set your tone controls on your bass and amp and the pedal all in the middle as a starting point and work from there

[SteveXFR]

Another metal top tip is get some now strings. Nothing cuts through like new stainless round wound strings. I change my strings every two months which is rather expensive with my extra long scale bass but worth it.

[greentext]

bit late to this one and glad you have made a purchase!

 

my 2 cents on bass drive for metal depends a lot on the tuning as some drive pedals will ''bottom out'' (for lack of a better word) once you get to low. 

 

I've always worked with either Sansamp or Darkglass and from my own experiences, Sansamp is the best bass tone for anything from drop B up, after that drop A or A standard it loses something, thats where id go to Darkglass, which is naturally more mid focused anyway and therefore will punch better in the mix. depending on tunings also, naturally you will dial more bass out of your tone to avoid it getting swampy as it is already much lower then standard. 

 

apart from tunings, if your standard tuning still think can't beat Sansamp or a clone for a solid metal or rock bass tone. I used the Dr J Sparrow that was a Bass Driver clone, that thing was very cheap and sounded great. Plus was also a DI. 

 

hope that helps, keep it metal \m/ -.- \m/

[greentext]

2 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Another metal top tip is get some now strings. Nothing cuts through like new stainless round wound strings. I change my strings every two months which is rather expensive with my extra long scale bass but worth it.

Corr yh i agreeee, I did the same used to do 3-4 shows and replace them, in the end I just got sick of the £40 for a set of 4 strings then the £15 for the .165 gauge custom extra long string low B string...... insane times 

[SteveXFR]

33 minutes ago, greentext said:

Corr yh i agreeee, I did the same used to do 3-4 shows and replace them, in the end I just got sick of the £40 for a set of 4 strings then the £15 for the .165 gauge custom extra long string low B string...... insane times 

 

My XL scale strings are £55 a set plus the Ibanez individual multi scale bridges are a bastard.

[Lozz196]

I used to do the same, with Rotosounds I’d get a month out of them. Switched to Warwick Red Label Steels and got 2-3 months from them. I needed the new zing for the drive that I used to work properly. New string sound was a major part of the drive really.

[greentext]

2 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

 

My XL scale strings are £55 a set plus the Ibanez individual multi scale bridges are a bastard.

outregouslyyy expensive if you are doing that frequently haha 

 

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I used to do the same, with Rotosounds I’d get a month out of them. Switched to Warwick Red Label Steels and got 2-3 months from them. I needed the new zing for the drive that I used to work properly. New string sound was a major part of the drive really.

agreed, i used to slowly crank the presence and the drive to offset the older strings but that only worked to a point 

[woodyratm]

3 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

 

My XL scale strings are £55 a set plus the Ibanez individual multi scale bridges are a bastard.

If you’d be open to trying new strings… the Newtone Northlane set ain’t bad. I’m G# on all my Dingwalls and cost is 40 odd. They don’t die nearly as quick as the paysons did. 
 

They do custom ones too if your gauge isn’t as ridiculous as the 37 inch. Or if they’re more ridiculous. 

[SteveXFR]

I've had someone tell me I should use old strings and not change them because Jamerson used old strings. I don't remember Jamerson playing much metal though. Maybe he played on Justice For All

[greentext]

I did the Dingwall thing for a bit but was just massively turned off by how hard the strings where to get and the prices of them so flipped the bass quick smart. This was a good 8-9 years back tho and think there are a lot more options now.

[woodyratm]

9 minutes ago, greentext said:

I did the Dingwall thing for a bit but was just massively turned off by how hard the strings where to get and the prices of them so flipped the bass quick smart. This was a good 8-9 years back tho and think there are a lot more options now.

I think with Dingwalls being more common, and other basses including the multiscale component, they are getting easier to find. In my experience, I still need to order from particular places as they’re not yet as common as a standard length. My local place hadn’t even seen a multiscale bass before mine. 

[greentext]

9 minutes ago, woodyratm said:

I think with Dingwalls being more common, and other basses including the multiscale component, they are getting easier to find. In my experience, I still need to order from particular places as they’re not yet as common as a standard length. My local place hadn’t even seen a multiscale bass before mine. 

Agreed there is a lot more of them about now and multiscale is seen more and more. Totally see the benefits for the lower tuning, when I played in drop G the dinger was neeeded but I still hated the multiscale and the tiny frets in the end, just didnt work for me, so just went back to a BTB with 35'' scale and using .165 or .175 tops 🥴... do not miss those days haha 

[Jackroadkill]

30 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

I've had someone tell me I should use old strings and not change them because Jamerson used old strings. I don't remember Jamerson playing much metal though. Maybe he played on Justice For All

 

Maybe he did - we wouldn't have been able to hear him.

[SteveXFR]

50 minutes ago, greentext said:

I did the Dingwall thing for a bit but was just massively turned off by how hard the strings where to get and the prices of them so flipped the bass quick smart. This was a good 8-9 years back tho and think there are a lot more options now.

 

My Ibanez multiscale uses the same strings as Dingwalls. Options are still limited and expensive. My favourite strings on my old 4 string were DR black beauties but they're not available in XL scale 

[Bolo]

I change my strings annually, wether they need it or not.

But then I don't gig every weekend. If I did I'd change them every six months. Dr Strings DDT because I like a higher tension, playing thrash metal.

 

Moving back to amps, Frank Bello always used a Hartke rig, famous for a clear and well defined sound. 

 

Most metal so far has been played before the advent of Darkglass so I don't see why one would go there for a great 80s/90s heavy metal tone. Modern styles sure!

 

Any dirt pedal will work for a bit of crunch or fuzz or hair on the teeth if blended with the clean signal that retains the bottom end. Just a matter of taste beyond that point.

[greentext]

10 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

 

My Ibanez multiscale uses the same strings as Dingwalls. Options are still limited and expensive. My favourite strings on my old 4 string were DR black beauties but they're not available in XL scale 

Yh fair enough, defo turned me off in the end how pricy it all was, I only play Rotosound strings now and have been for 5-6 years. I used to go whatever was cheap on amazon so would vary massively but I found Rotos are reasonably priced, consistent and made in the UK so im sticking with that. 

Edited January 14 by greentext

[David B]

I bought a Behringer BOD400 just as an Ace of Spades dirt tone. Very cheap, good tonal options and just very good for the price. Forget the critics who point out the plastic casing. It is extremely heavy duty and short of driving over it I can’t see how it would get damaged in normal use.

 

I also got a Joyo Monomyth, mainly as a pre-amp but it too has a good variety of grit on offer. Also a really nice looking pedal.

 

I do like a budget pedal.

[SteveXFR]

I don't get why people complain about Behringers plastic casings. They're proper tough.

[Boodang]

This!

[Thor]

 

Or this😎

[Richard R]

On 13/01/2024 at 12:03, MikeTheMisfit said:

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, I really appreciate it.

 

I've decided to go with the Behringer BDI clone because I don't have much money to splash out.

 

It should be arriving today so I'm pretty excited. 

A surprisingly useful bit of kit. We have one at church. Not because we play a lot of doom metal but because it's a cheap active DI for passive basses, does a decent range of amp simulation, and withstands being kicked and trodden on!

You should get some drive no problem,  especially if you dig in and up the trebble on the bass.

[godathunder]

Of the numerous drive/dirt/fuzz/distortion etc pedals I crossed paths with over the years, the only one that I felt compelled to buy a spare of was the Arion SMM-1 Metal Master.

 

Its a cheap and nasty pedal that sounds like someone throwing gravel into a cement mixer. It also has an unhealthy amount of low end boost available

As ever, these things are subjective, but I reckon its my desert island pedal

 

edit: usually a few on ebay for sub £50

Edited January 14 by godathunder
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