Overdriven bass tone thread

[phunkyhick]

I've been real interested in overdrive tones lately, and I thought that I would post what I know about it in a thread, and see what others post. Please add any info that you know about any and all bass overdrive tones.

[bleepo]

you know very little, i imagine? :p

[The Ox]

If you want to get a guitar-like sounding overdrive, it's better to use two amps. One clean and one dirty, with the lows boosted on the clean one & cut on the dirty one.

[jpo259]

OH MY FRIGGIN GOD!!! I've been in bass overdrive HEAVEN lately!!! We do the Pearl Jam song, 'Yellow Ledbetter' in a band I play with. Jeff Ament uses a really sweet overdrive/distortion with a fretless on that song. It sounds SO DAMN COOL!! So, I fiddel around with my POD, and, Whooop!! There it is!!!! We played that tune last night, me with my Warwick fretless. DAAAAAAYYYYYUUUUMMMMM!!!! Oh, it sounded so FRIGGIN' COOL!!! Give that tune a listen!
I have used distortion/overdrive in my quest to sound like Chris Squire. The POD makes it easy! The Bass POD Pro XT that I use has a preset called 'Seattle Coffee' THAT is one killer distortion patch!!! It kicks so much ass!! I LOVE IT!!! I am addicted to using overdrive and/or distortion!!

[L. Ron Hoover]

I haven't heard a better overdriven bass tone than channel B of an old SVT on 10. Except it's louder than fuck. If I could get that in a pedal......droooool..... :D

[jpo259]

Hmmmm. I saw your most-recent post on the How You Play Bass thread. You know a thing or two about distortion/overdrive. Whatcha lookin' for? I'm recently converted to distortionism. And I lOVE IT!!!!! So, I'll just lurk here and see what happens.............................:D

[phunkyhick]

The greatest electric bassist was also one of the first to use overdrive on bass. You don't really notice it, but a little overdrive is essential in his tone, not a heavy sound, but warmer than sex on the beach with a hottie. It is especially apparent on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" record, when he hits low E's.

Gear:

-Fender P-Bass with foam on the bridge cover, dead flatwound strings, and high action. Plucked aggressively with his index finger.

-He generally recorded direct, VU meter of the tube console slightly in the red, then through Fairchild limiter and Pultec EQ.

-He is most often associated with the Ampeg B-15, which he occasionally miked in the studio. He also used it live. He had it cranked almost all the way up so that he could control the dynamics with his fingers.

-He would also sometimes use a Kustom 200 with a 2x15" cab in live situations.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259
Hmmmm. I saw your most-recent post on the How You Play Bass thread. You know a thing or two about distortion/overdrive. Whatcha lookin' for? I'm recently converted to distortionism. And I lOVE IT!!!!! So, I'll just lurk here and see what happens.............................:D

I do know a fair bit about it. I own 2 tube amps, 2 OD pedals (technically 3 if you count the Bassballs, which I run in DIST mode)

I'm a big fan of it, and I'll be posting everything I know, mostly about recorded tones of famous players. I've got a good bit on Ament, so keep your eyes peeled.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


. I've got a good bit on Ament, so keep your eyes peeled.


Will do!!! But, .......I have never been into overdriving tube amps, obtaining and using stomp boxes, or even really trying too hard to emulate any particular bassists' tone/rig. I am a complete fan of the Bass POD Pro XT. I can get so many different distortion and overdrive effects in that thing and have lots of control over them. I believe digital effects are perfectly useable in a live situation. And, like I said earlier, I fiddled around with my rack-mount POD XT* and, voila', I had perfectly passable Ament Yello Ledbetter tone!!! AND.......if the crowds' reaction was any indicator, they liked it, too!! (I hate to blow my own horn, but, people were going gaga over the bass tone and how I played it on that song last night! Now, the singer is fantastic, and, he plays guitar very, very well. THE DRUMMER Is wonderful!! And we really, really did that song justice last night!!). BUT, I'm curious. I will stay tuned!!!!!




* I've been using the POD Pro XT for over a year. When I finally gave the Pearl Jam song a listen (I haden't really listened to it prior to last week!), anyway, when I gave it a listen, I heard what I heard. When I got my rig set up, I went right to a preset I had set up ('Ten Tube Tone'-emulates Aguilar DB-750), and changed out the 'Bronze Master' distortion (emulates 'Brass Master distortion box) for 'bass overdrive' (emulates some stomp box-don't remember which). Dialed in a few parameters, plucked some strings, did a few slides, and, in about 1 minute, I had JEFF AMENT IN A BOX!!!!! Whooo Hoooooo! THE CROWD LOVED IT!!!And that's all that mattered!!!!

[sunburstbasser]

I don't use much OD, just a stompbox does all I need. I use a Drivetrain, but would like a Bassdrive.

[lug]

Timmy C

[phunkyhick]

While Jamerson used it a bit to warm up, Casady is one of the first to really use all out distortion. "Crown of Creation" has very prominent bass distortion. You can also hear it on Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile", Hot Tuna's "Burgers", and his new solo album. Casady has done a good bit of experimentation with his tone over the years.

Casady on active vs. passive electronics: 'In the early, experimental days, the idea of active electronics was all about improving the tone. Phil Lesh's requirements were a little different from mine, but generally we wanted more access to the tone that's already there—the kind of tone you hear when you put your ear up to the bass. By the time the sound traveled through the pickups and all the electronics, it had somehow dissipated because of cheap pots or cheap cords. We wanted to improve every stage of the chain between where your finger hits the string to where the sound comes out of the amplifier.

"In later years, unless it was a custom instrument, I went back to passive basses. I found active tone produced a type of distortion when I hit the strings too hard, and there was a characteristic tone to the high end that wasn't pleasing. 'Active' also became a way to give players the illusion of a lot of tone—you could take a shallow sound and boost certain frequencies to get the impression of a big tone, and you could boost the bass frequencies to cover up your poor articulation. But when you go into the studio and the engineer says to set everything flat, you're left with a poor tone." http://archive.bassplayer.com/z2000/0009/tone.shtml

Basses:

-Fender Jazz in early Jefferson Airplane
-'72 Alembic (first one ever produced) with active electronics
-Guild Starfire hollowbody in early '70's, modified by Alembic with active electronics in '71.
-Epiphone Jack Casady signature Hollowbody, passive electronics.

Jack was a pioneer in active electronics, and has gone the opposite way since then, he feels that passive instruments respond better to right hand dynamics. Casady doesn't use any pedals, most of his tone switches within a song are him changing his plucking style, moving his right hand up and down on the neck.

Amps:

-2 Fender Showman 2x15" and 4 heads in Jefferson Airplane
-Versatone Pan-O-Flex for distortion 35W 1x12". Bi-amped, signal goes through two 7591 tubes for low and two for high, and then then the blend comes out mono through the single 12".
-For recording his solo album he used his signature bass directly into a Universal Audio 610 tube preamp. (http://www.uaudio.com/products/analog/LA-610/index.html) He miked his Versatone for distortion.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259



Will do!!! But, .......I have never been into overdriving tube amps, obtaining and using stomp boxes, or even really trying too hard to emulate any particular bassists' tone/rig. I am a complete fan of the Bass POD Pro XT.

I personally think tubes sound better, but Ben Kenney got some great sounds on the new incubus record.

And lug, I will get to Timmy C, I got a lot on that guy.

And I will say up front that I am somewhat lacking in info on Chris Squire tone, so if anyone can add it. Once we get this thread pretty filled up, maybe we can make it a sticky. in the FAQ.

[phunkyhick]

Larry Graham was one of the first to use fuzz on bass. You can hear it on several Sly & Family Stone songs. I'm lacking in specifics here, but here is what I know, mostly from this link: http://archive.bassplayer.com/artists/graham.shtml

Basses:

-Vox bass (very early)
-Fender P (very early)
-Fender Jazz in '70's GCS, probably in Family Stone, too.
-Fender Jazz w/ active preamp in GCS. Looks similar to MM sig Jazz.
-Moon Larry Graham signature bass in 82.

Amps:

-Sunn in early Sly Stone, then moved to fender
-Acoustic 360 (this is what he is usually associated with), used in Sly and GCS
-Recently, he has been using a 650 watt Hughes&Kettner rig with 410 and 215 cabs.
-Seen him in stage photo (not playing) with an Ampeg Portaflex and a fender amp. Guessing it's from the 80's

Effects:

-In Sly, he often used the fuzz on his Acoustic 360
-Roland Jet Phaser
-Mutron Octave Divider
-Morley Fuzz Phaser

[hotrod08]

i read that ben kenney used the bass POD a bunch on the new album but he used an orange guitar head when they wanted the bass to really sound offensive. thats what i remember reading but i could be wrong. makes sense though, his tone on that song they released first was awesome. i would find it pretty hard to believe those werent tubes.

[The Ox]

John Entwistle's live tone at times was VERY distorted to the point of feedback (pinball wizard-Woodstock) using overdriven tube amps (Hiwatt & Marshall). Later he used a STRAMP to give him much grindier distorsion. And when he used the ashdown rig, he used a digitech processor for distorsion, but IMHO that sounded fake and whimpy. He was really the first to use bass overdrive, but it was more a necessity of volume, but made a cool sound nonetheless!

[phunkyhick]

This one is pretty simple. As of late he has been using a Warwick Thumb and a Hartke with a frown on the EQ, but his Cream distortion tone is noteworthy. He played with a hard attack

Basses:

-Fender bass VI
-Gibson EB-3

Amps:

Marshall stacks

[phunkyhick]

JPJ used a bit of distortion, most noticeably on "Heartbreaker" It is most likely the fuzz in his Acoustic 360 head, played through his Fender Jazz.

[zomawia]

I nearly crapped my pants when I heard the distorted bass solo part in Know You Enemy (RATM).

Timmy C has probably the best tone and distorted tone ever.

[phunkyhick]

Here's a good one, Geezer Butler. He detunes his bass, and plays with a very aggressive attack, often clacking his strings against the fretboard, sometimes with a heavy pick, sometimes with fingers. Check out his early recorded tones with Sabbath, and also the "Reunion" CD. Great tones on the Reunion CD, a little trebly for my taste, but still cool.

Basses:

-Fender P in early Sabbath
-Vigier basses, as of recent he has switched to Laklands.
-Lakland Hollowbody Deluxe
-Lakland 4-94
-Lakland Bob Glaub
-Lakland Joe Osborn

Amps:

-"Black Sabbath" was recorded with a 70 watt Laney head through a 4x12 guitar cab with one speaker missing, and two blown speakers.
-He currently uses Ampeg SVT2-PRO's, cranked very loud, running through Ampeg 8x10's,4x12's, and 2x15's.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
"Crown of Creation" has very prominent bass distortion.


The new POD XT/POD PRo XT (Bass) has a preset called Crown of Creation!! Now I am curious! I will have to find that tune and listen. Then, I'd like to dial up that preset and see if there is any resemblance!!! Ya'll keep in mind that the POD Pro going STRAIGHT into a good, clean power amp STRAIGHT into GOOD speakers really allows it to shine live. Also, I send a signal STRAIGHT to the house from the POD. I also use both the model output and DI, or clean, output on the POD. I can mix a little or a lot of clean and that just adds one more dimension to what the thing can do, both live and in the studio. Here's my dyed in the wool opinion: Too much signal is lost going from a 12'-25' cable to a stomp box or stomp boxes, to another long cable to the amp. I can't stand loosing ANY of the bass, the instrument itself, any of it's charachter and definition. I think too much cable and things in the signal path ruin it. I am very much a believer in the modern digital effects, such as the POD. And, there sure are a lot of digital effect units on the market these days for bass and guitar. The days are long gone of me ever wanting to obtain this amp or that cab or this stomp box in order to get 'that guys' tone. I can get perfectly useable creations with one 2-space rack unit. Ya'll oughta hear 'NIB' used when playing NIB!!!!!! A little EQ tweaking gave it some balls, and DAMN......!!!!!!!!I don't think it would be worth the time or effort to try to get that particular Geezer tone any other way! It sounds AWESOME!!!! POD for President!!! :D


Oh, wainting on Ament!!!!!!!;)

[phunkyhick]

Cliff Burton of early Metallica, metal bass god second only to Geezer. Used Big Muff on bassDon't have a lot of info on him.

Amps:

Mesa Boogie 4x12 and 1x15
Ampeg SVT 1540

Basses

-Ric 4001
-Alembic Spoiler
-Aria Pro II

Effects:

Morley Wah
Big Muff

[phunkyhick]

Let me get an easy one out of the way. Then I'll do Ament, it will be a long one.

Basses:

EB Stingrays
Wal 4 string (BSSM)
Alembic Epic (OHM)
Modulus Flea w/ Lane Poor PU's and Aguilar OBP-1 pre

Amps:

GK amps
GK cabs, 10's and 15's, since By The Way
Mesa Boogie cabs 10's and 15's

Effects:

-Boss Bass Overdrive
-The distorted envelope filter on Sir Psycho Sexy is a Mutron with a nearly dead battery.
-He ran his Modulus through a Marshall for some distortion on By the Way

[jpo259]

Here's one for ya:


JPO259

Uses Demeter HBP-1 Pre
Line 6 Bass POD Pro XT
QSC PLX-3402 Pwr Amp
Aguilar GS-212 cabs.

He gets UNGODLY distortion by firing up'Seattle Coffee' preset. Sweet, mellow fuzz easy as pie! And all flavors in between!! Easy, cheesy, and non-disease-ey!! And, heck, he's a musician, a bass player. He knows what distorion sounds like. What comes out of those Aggies is distortion!!! 21st Century bow to the 20th Century groundbreakers!!




WHERE'S AMENT??????!!!!!;)

[jpo259]

Question, Mr. Phunkyhick: Do you have any information on precisely what gear Ament used to get the tone he has on 'Yellow Ledbetter'? I am curious. I know my ears found a perfectly suitable digital example (using a fretless, of course) on the POD. Your thread has me curiuos. I am thinking of getting ahold of some good bass distortion tracks and seeing how the POD compares sonically live. So far, I've got a killer Ament Yellow Ledbetter patch!!!

[phunkyhick]

Ok JPO259, here's your Jeff.

Basically, he uses a lot of different basses. He used to use a complicated system of high end gear (mostly SWR), separated into highs and lows. His distortions in these days came from a Pearce preamp, an SWR Interstellar Overdrive, Ampeg SVP, and a SansAmp GT-2, mostly. He switched to Ampeg all tubes around No Code, and then started using a '73 SVT head, Acoustic 360 fuzz, ran though the SVT2 power amp, lows were run through a miked Ampeg B-18. The SansAmp stuck around for a while, he is currently using a Fulltone 70 fuzz (probably replacing the Acoustic 360 pre), and two Fulltone Bassdrives, ran through an SVT and his SWR 6x10's. He currently uses an Ashdown ABM 500 for his upright.

Basses:
Wal fretless
Custom Warmoth PJ fretless
Hamer 8 and 12 string
Carruthers SUB1 upright
62 Jazz Bass (main recording bass around time of Yield)
Azola Baby Bass
Modulus jazz basses (one with a Gibson EB0 humbucker in Bridge
Ovation Magnum (I think this also has an EB0 humbucker)
Several Fender Precisions


His most recent touring rig: http://www.musicplayer.com/lounge/setups/ament.htm

http://www.musicplayer.com/lounge/images/amentchain.jpg

Riot Act Notes: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/gear/images/pjgearriot.pdf

Live 1998 rig: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/gear/images/sfja1098.gif

1998 Letterman appearance "Wishlist": Jeff used an Ampeg Portaflex with an extra extension cab.

1996 - No Code: This marks a big switch in Jeff's sound. On the inside of No Code, you can see what appears to be an Ampeg SVT2 Pro on top of his custom SWR 6x10", which he approached SWR with not too long before (these cabs led to development of the Goliath 6x10, which are basically Jeff's cabs with tweeters.) You can still see an SWR amp someplace in the photos, but I'm pretty sure that on the inside cover it is an SVT2 Pro. Also worth noting is that in his Three Fish side project, he WAS using SVT-2 Pros, and 2 Ampeg SVT-BSP preamps ran through his SWR 6x10", as well as a SWR WM12. See the attachment at the bottom.

1995 live rig: Complicated live setup, but basically, all the basses used around '98, SWR grand prix preamp, crest poweramp, and SWR Big Bens for lows. Highs is where it got crazy. Sansamp GT2 Distortion, and he had 2 Pearce preamps, lots of midrange capability, one was for his distortion. He had an SWR SM-900 and an Ampeg SVP-Pro (mostly for his upright, worth noting in the distortion thread because on Vs. he got a SWEET distorto tone with his upright on "Daughter")
http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/gw04952.shtml

1993 SNL "Rearviewmirror" and "Daughter" Jeff was using a Fender Blackface head (could be ampeg, but i'm pretty sure it says Fender) and a Fender silverface cab. I'm guessing it was a 2x15, although he did have SWR make those 6x10's for him later on to resemble Fender tweeds. He played upright on Daughter.

Early Pearl Jam: Large SWR stacks.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259
Question, Mr. Phunkyhick: Do you have any information on precisely what gear Ament used to get the tone he has on 'Yellow Ledbetter'?

Not specifically, but I'm guessing that being from '92 that it would be on his P-J custom fretless through his SWR rig, and that he used a SansAmp pedal.

Here is a BP article from '94: http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/bp0494.shtml

Jeff Gear notes: http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/gear/jeff.html

Also worth mentioning is that I believe I heard that he used a ProCo Rat distortion at some point. Not sure about this.

[phunkyhick]

A great, fat, punchy, driving tone, I love it. He nailed it on "Highway to Hell". It is a bass>cable>amp type overdrive. Great stuff. He uses a pick most of the time I think. I believe someone on here knows more than I do about this, please post some more if you got it.

Basses:

-Fender P?
-EB Stingray (this is what he was using around Highway and Back in Black)
-Bass with 3 pickups, 2 soapbars with a P pickup in between, probably had active electronics.

Amps:

Ampeg SVT

[phunkyhick]

Great tone, this is easy. Easily heard on "Blitzkrieg Bop" or "Teenage Lobotomy" when guitar cuts out.

Pick, Fender P, cable, Ampeg SVT 8x10. Crank it.

[phunkyhick]

His distorto comes from the same place that Dee Dee's and Cliff's did. Played with pick for more drive, fingers for reggae stuff. Used a few different basses.

Basses:
-Rickenbacker 4001 (around time of first album)
-Wal (used on Give 'Em Enough Rope, the bass tone is a bit cleaner on this album)
-Fender P

[Texas Noise Factory]

I love a little distortion in my tone... I use my RD, my Cutlass 1 and L-2k through my Fulltone BassDrive, and my SVT...

Now I'd love to have a Maestro Bass Brassmaster or one of the newer clones to mess with to get some really outrageous tones...

I used to love the sound of my RD through my Proco Rat. I wish that the Proco Juggernaut sounded like that... I'd have one in a heartbeat. especially with the mix knob. The Proco worked best in a multiamp/or studio situation tho..... :)

[phunkyhick]

Here's another long one. I'll go through it chronologically.

1992: First Album (monk on fire): EB ash/maple stingray, SWR Goliath cabs, and I believe an SWR head. His distortion pedal is the Marshall Guv'Nor.

1993: He is using Ampeg 8x10's on stage. Not sure about what amps he is running. Probably Ampegs.

1996 Evil Empire: Ash Maple Jazz Bass with Badass bridge and Rickenbacker 8-string, also heard of him using a Fender P at some point (beginning of War Without a Face, possibly). Using two SVT-II and Ampeg 8x10 classic cabs, one rig for clean, one for distortion, with Guvnor. Never seen him use the 'Ray after this album.

1999: Battle of LA: Tim has less treble in his sound, still using the Ampegs, but has yet a different distortion sound on this record. On this record, he is using a wah, not sure what kind.

1999-2001: Tim's sound gets more and more distorted, watch Mexico City DVD, then watch their last concert. Way more distorted at last concert. He has a couple silver things in his rack sometimes, not sure what they are.

2001: Renegades: Even more distortion, and I believe he is using an Octaver (I think its an EBS Octabass, heard rumors that it is a Boss octaver, but it appears to be Octabass to me you can hear it on I'm Housin')

AUDIOSLAVE: http://www.musicplayer.com/lounge/setups/tim.htm

Basses: Ash body Jazz Basses w/vintage pickups rewound for hotter output, maple neck. One has a Hipshot tremolo, others have Badass Bridges. All tuned BEAD with a .130 B string.

Pedals: 2 wah pedals, one custom distortion box, one Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Distortion. Boss Delay.

Amps For the album and early on, he used 3 SVT II's, modded with thicker wires going to the tubes, and Telefunken preamp tubes. One was his clean sound and it fed an Ampeg PR-810, the other two were for his distortions, and they each ran to an Ampeg PR-410.

Tim has been changing his rig around, he uses an M-Pulse 600 for clean sound, one of the Ampegs for the mild distorto, and an Ashdown ABM head (modded to handle being in the red all the time) for the heavy distortion.

I also just read on a message board online that he is now using a Mesa/Boogie 400+ in there. Can't confirm that.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by Texas Noise Factory
I love a little distortion in my tone... I use my RD, my Cutlass 1 and L-2k through my Fulltone BassDrive, and my SVT...

Now I'd love to have a Maestro Bass Brassmaster or one of the newer clones to mess with to get some really outrageous tones...

I used to love the sound of my RD through my Proco Rat. I wish that the Proco Juggernaut sounded like that... I'd have one in a heartbeat. especially with the mix knob. The Proco worked best in a multiamp/or studio situation tho..... :)

You got any clips of the Rat? I've been interested in trying one.

[Mr. Pants]

I hate distortion on bass. It just messes things up and ruins your bass tone.

Buuut... that little hint of overdrive that gives you that crunch is just lovely. Geddy Lee is the best at this, I think. He uses (now) a SansAmp RBI for his distortion. Still sounds like a bass, just meaner.

A voodoo labs Sparkle Drive works wonders as well. It's got a nice smooth overdrive with a clean blend so you can mix your bass back in. Just enough to turn your sound into sandpaper, but not so much as to turn it to quicksand.

-b

[phunkyhick]

Time to call it a night. I'll be posting more.

Doug Pinnick - King's X
Dirk Lance - Incubus
Ben Kenney - Incubus
Allen Woody - Gov't Mule
Duff - Velvet Revolver
Wyzard - Mother's Finest
Entwistle - The Who
Robert DeLeo - STP
Justin Chancellor - Tool
Shavo - SOAD
Claypool
Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth
Billy Cox - Hendrix Band of Gypsys
Geddy
Mike Dirnt
Chris Chaney

[SB]

I get really nice grind by using my fretless J, digging in hard with a pick close to the bridge and the obligatory frown on the EQ.

Drive those mids! :)

[PowerMetalBass]

The best distortion I've ever used was a gibson ripper bass played through a hiwatt amp with two JBL 15" cabs and sometimes a 4x10" with a JBL 15.
I traded that gibbo on a spector which has a really nice natural distortion or overdrivey tone by itself. Unfortunately I sold that amp , it was the 6 x EL34 version 200watts or 150 watts or something.

[bnyswonger]

I use a rack mounted Ratt R2DU it's - basically just two ratts side by side. When I'm just using my SVT>15"s rig, I've got one side set for a pretty smooth overdrive & the other a bit hairier. When I biamp, separate distortion for highs & lows - that's really useful! ;)

[Lanefair]

Primus: The Brown Album

The entire album is distorted/overdriven. Bass, drums, guitars, vocals. But it's done in such a sweet way. I don't think any of the tracks would sound the same if they were clean.

You can't go wrong with a bit of overdrive, it's adds so much tone to your bass sound, and in all the right places.

[FGABassGuy]

Although i am more of a tool fan since chancellor joined the band, d'amour had maybe the sploogiest(??) bass tone ive ever heard. his ricks and rays sound like something straight out of hell. granted, i realize that his idea of tone was pulled form assorted predecessors, but his tone on "flood" off of undertow kills me every time. (the song is especially crazy live.)

Chancellor is just insane. his bass doesnt even sound like bass 1/2 the time....but i think thats why i like it.

[timmerz]

I don't have any use for a distorted sound in my playing, the styles of the bands I'm in don't require it so far, and I really like a full fat bass tone, myself....but the stuff that I listen to occasionally crosses that threshold, and I listen with pleasure if it actually lends a good tone to the music.....for instance, Tony Levin with Liquid Tension Experiment....I don't know what his set-up is, or what he recorded it with, but DAMN, there's some talented distortion happening there....and I like the way he A/B's it, so that there is still a bass there as well as the distorted track...

[Texas Noise Factory]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


You got any clips of the Rat? I've been interested in trying one.

I'll have to find some time to record something. The Second generation Rat sounds best to me BTW... (small box)

I'll keep ya posted.

[Texas Noise Factory]

Originally posted by bnyswonger
I use a rack mounted Ratt R2DU it's - basically just two ratts side by side. When I'm just using my SVT>15"s rig, I've got one side set for a pretty smooth overdrive & the other a bit hairier. When I biamp, separate distortion for highs & lows - that's really useful! ;)

I've got one of those. They kick ass. I use mine for running drum machines through, but it has the same tone as my Smallbox Rat. Supposedly, running an R2DU in series is what begat the Turbo Rat. 2x the gain!!!! :eek:

[megadan]

props to phunkyhick for all the info so far :cool:

[jpo259]

Originally posted by Mr. Pants
I hate distortion on bass. It just messes things up and ruins your bass tone.

Buuut... that little hint of overdrive that gives you that crunch is just lovely. Geddy Lee is the best at this, I think. He uses (now) a SansAmp RBI for his distortion. Still sounds like a bass, just meaner.

A voodoo labs Sparkle Drive works wonders as well. It's got a nice smooth overdrive with a clean blend so you can mix your bass back in. Just enough to turn your sound into sandpaper, but not so much as to turn it to quicksand.

-b

Yellow Ledbetter, Pearl Jam, is a cool tune. Maybe not your cup of tea, BUT, I played that song for about 4 weeks using just a clean fretless. It DID NOT sound right. Jeff Aments sound on that trak is really, reallly,....well, rich. So, I give it a listen, and I determined that he used a fretless with a SansAmp. I had no problem whatsoever dialing up a very similar overdrive on my POD, but LET ME TELL YOU WHAT!! THAT MADE THE SONG!!! Not only did the other guys in the band apprectiate it, but the crowd LOVED IT!!!! And, it allowed me to play the song more like the original. Very cool song to play with distortion!!! I am pretty much a clean tone guy, but, distortion is fun, and it adds whole new opportunities for expressing yourself. It's good stuff.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Ok JPO259, here's your Jeff.

Basically, he uses a lot of different basses. .


:D :D :D THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. PHUNKYHICK!!!! Playing in this cover band has really got me motivated to find different tones and textures. NOW, I put my rig together after I got the part for 'Evel Knievel-The Rock Opera'. The songs of the rock opera are based on '70's-era hard and progressive rock'. And, the writer, who is also a drummer and ProgRock fanatic, has given me the green light to experiment and/or rip off tones of those awesome 70's tunes we ar e, im, uh*...never mind. Anyways..... :D .....so, I got the Bass POD Pro XT so that I could dial up a Squire sound (WITH DISTORTION!!!), a Wetton sound, a G. Lee, a JPJ sound, etc. etc. etc. The POD allows me to do this, in real time, live. So, here I am, playing in a cover band while I mark time waiting for the rock opera to come alive, and this band is great!! We play both Yellow Ledbetter and Daughter in this band, rather well, I must say. I jumped into this band with no rehearsals, no CD's, just walked in on a Saturday night and watched the singer/guitarist and listened to the drummer, and replayed all these songs in my head from when I heard 'em in the past. It's an adequate method....
But, the more I played the Pearl Jam songs, the more I felt something was missing (This from the in-head memory radio!) So, the singer gets me 3 CD's of the set's music a couple of weeks a go, and I really did st down and listen/play along. WOW!!!!!!!!!!! A POD OWNERS DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!! So damn many different tones and styles!! Pick, fingers, thumbs, clean, fat, etc!!!! I love it! But this Yellow Ledbetter thing has really got me interested in distortion. Such a tasteful sound on that recording. And I did kinda figure he just used a fretless and a SansAmp. Not a difficult 'sound' to get on the POD at all. And it so, so so very satisfying to play that song with distortion! We play Daughter, too, and I kinda suspected he played fretless or EUB on that. ( I saw the Bass Player article on his gear a few months ago. Kinda skimmed over it......way too much junk. I am a believer in the KISS rule). Anyway, thanks so much for this thread, and hooking me up with the Ament thing!!!! And I do mean Thank You!!!









*'Borrowed from'

[megadan]

jpo259, dude man, do you work for POD or something? :confused:


:rolleyes: :p

[beam]

Originally posted by lug
Timmy C

We have a winner.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by megadan
jpo259, dude man, do you work for POD or something? :confused:


:rolleyes: :p


WHAT!!!!???? I'm about as unemployed as a motherfucker can be right now!!!! And it SUCKS!!!! No, I have never had any contact whatsoever with Line 6. I bought a Bass POD back in late '99 early 2000. I like it!! I have, since then, wanted to get the rack-mount version. Well, last year, Iwas ready, and the XT model is out!! It blows away the old PODs', and it is very, very, VERY capable!! I have known for years that a POD being used in front of another amp/preamp, or through the effects loop, just doesn't cut it. BUT, using it as a dedicated preamp, or sending it staright to the house, or both, really lets it shine. So, I run mine through a QSC amp into Aquilar speakers. And it sounds fantastic! To get the variety of tones and effects I get with that, I'd need a grip of equipment. I agree with some who say it doesn't come close to sounding like, say, an Ampeg. I, personally, can't stand the Ampeg sound. So, my POD never tries to sound like an Ampeg!!! But, I can get such a diverse range of tones instantly. And effects. It is a very, very capable thing. And while I know that there are lots of bass players who rave about getting 'the perfect tone' with whatever combination of bass, amp, cab, and effects, I'm not one of them. The POD does allow me to get really, REALLY close approximations of just about any tone I hear. Chri Squire? No problem. Deep, fat, round low end? Next!!! Punchy, midrangy, with distortion?? Coming right up!!! ANYTHING I hear I can dial up in the POD. Once I have it 'dialed up', it's right at the tip of my foot to get it live with the floorboard. It'sa fun, capable.....thing!!!! But, working for Line 6????? I WISH!!!!!! :D

[bassplayinguy]

I wish people would be able to find out more about cliff burtons tone, Id love to know exaclty what kind of morley wah he used, cause i used to have a morley bass wah and it sucked, must of been one of those Silver power wahs from the 70s that ran off AC cuase mine didnt sound anything like his

I wishi could nail that tone, im getting rid of me ODB-3 and im getting a bassdrive

[lug]

Originally posted by jpo259



WHAT!!!!???? I'm about as unemployed as a motherfucker can be right now!!!! And it SUCKS!!!! No, I have never had any contact whatsoever with Line 6. I bought a Bass POD back in late '99 early 2000. I like it!! I have, since then, wanted to get the rack-mount version. Well, last year, Iwas ready, and the XT model is out!! It blows away the old PODs', and it is very, very, VERY capable!! I have known for years that a POD being used in front of another amp/preamp, or through the effects loop, just doesn't cut it. BUT, using it as a dedicated preamp, or sending it staright to the house, or both, really lets it shine. So, I run mine through a QSC amp into Aquilar speakers. And it sounds fantastic! To get the variety of tones and effects I get with that, I'd need a grip of equipment. I agree with some who say it doesn't come close to sounding like, say, an Ampeg. I, personally, can't stand the Ampeg sound. So, my POD never tries to sound like an Ampeg!!! But, I can get such a diverse range of tones instantly. And effects. It is a very, very capable thing. And while I know that there are lots of bass players who rave about getting 'the perfect tone' with whatever combination of bass, amp, cab, and effects, I'm not one of them. The POD does allow me to get really, REALLY close approximations of just about any tone I hear. Chri Squire? No problem. Deep, fat, round low end? Next!!! Punchy, midrangy, with distortion?? Coming right up!!! ANYTHING I hear I can dial up in the POD. Once I have it 'dialed up', it's right at the tip of my foot to get it live with the floorboard. It'sa fun, capable.....thing!!!! But, working for Line 6????? I WISH!!!!!! :D

Do you know the output level of the Pod?

[The Ox]

Originally posted by PowerMetalBass
Unfortunately I sold that amp , it was the 6 x EL34 version 200watts or 150 watts or something.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by bassplayinguy
I wish people would be able to find out more about cliff burtons tone, Id love to know exaclty what kind of morley wah he used.

Morley Power Wah Boost. Use a Big Muff for distortion, although the BassDrive on the Boost channel gets pretty nasty, it doesn't have that Muff Sound. I wish I knew more specifics, but I'm hoping a Cliff worshipper will enlighten us.

[phunkyhick]

Check out some Sonic Youth. Couldn't find much info, but here's what I could dig up. She's been using the Gibsons lately. Her pedal is the ProCo Rat.

Basses:

-Fender P
-Ric 4001
-Gibson THunderbirrd
-Gibson EB-0

Amps:

-Mesa/Boogie Bass 400 + 4x10 cab and a 1x15 guitar cab.
-Uses a tube DI box as well

Pedals:

-Jimi Hendrix octave divider
-wah
-ProCo Rat

[phunkyhick]

Band of Gypsys, the record that changed shit for me. One of my very favorite overdrive tones. Unfortunately all I have to go on here is guesses from photos. I think he used both pick and fingers.

Bass: Fender Jazz and Fender P

Amps: I've seen him with what appears to be 2 SVT's stacked. In the liner notes for Band of Gypsys, it looks like he is using a couple of silverface Fender heads (possibly a Super Bassman? they are about that size).

I've seen other pictures in which he uses Marshall stacks.

[phunkyhick]

He uses mostly a P-J through tube or tubelike amps and a SansAmp is his pedal weapon of choice. Check out "Pruno"

Live rig: Schecter DeLeo signature bass, Alembic F-1X, QSC power amp, Eden 10" and 12" cabs.

Core: Schecter J, G&L 2000 through an SVT 8x10

Purple: Live rig miked

Tiny Music: This is where he nailed it and created the DeLeo sound. His Schecter J is still the main bass, occasionally he used an Orlando Hollowbody or a P Bass, and a Ric 4001 on Art School Girl. Amps were a Marshall Plexi head/Marshall 8x10 keyboard cab, and a '59 Bassman with a 1x15" The Marshall is used for midrange.

No. 4: same setup as Tiny Music, SansAmp for some grind. Pruno is a good example of the Bassman/Plexi tone, and "Down" is the same rig with a little SansAmp.

Shangri-la-dee-da - Same as above, except that on "Lonely Again" and "Transmissions from a Lonely Room, the Moog-like distortion sound is a EHX bass synth.

[phunkyhick]

Lots of distortion on Velvet Revolver. He's been a GK man all his career, and uses a Fender Jazz Bass Special.

He uses an MXR M-80 DI for overdrive, as well as a GK DieselDawg.

On the Velvet Revolver album, he used a Marshall 50 watt head and cab along with his GK 4x10 setup, blending the two signals according to the aggressiveness of the track.

[bnyswonger]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Lots of distortion on Velvet Revolver. He's been a GK man all his career, and uses a Fender Jazz Bass Special.

He uses an MXR M-80 DI for overdrive, as well as a GK DieselDawg.

Well, he got the bass right at least....

:D

PJ's take to effects very well. ;)

[jpo259]

Originally posted by lug


Do you know the output level of the Pod?

No, not off hand. The owners manual is about 45....miles from where I sit right now. Line 6 website might have info......or,.......is this a trick question??!!:rolleyes: ;)

[lug]

Originally posted by jpo259


No, not off hand. The owners manual is about 45....miles from where I sit right now. Line 6 website might have info......or,.......is this a trick question??!!:rolleyes: ;)

Nope. The pandora only puts out about a volt so while the will drive a power amp, they wont drive it to it's max. I use a cheap Beringher Eurorack $59 mixer in between. I was wondering if the Pod's output was hotter.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by lug


Nope. The pandora only puts out about a volt so while the will drive a power amp, they wont drive it to it's max. I use a cheap Beringher Eurorack $59 mixer in between. I was wondering if the Pod's output was hotter.


I will find out tommorrow what the output voltage is. I use a Behringer Eurorack $79.00 mixer between my POD and amp! I don't do this to boost the POD signal, though. I use it to combine the two POD outputs and the output from my Demeter pre. Two preamps, 3 outputs, one poweramp!!

[lug]

Originally posted by jpo259



I will find out tommorrow what the output voltage is. I use a Behringer Eurorack $79.00 mixer between my POD and amp! I don't do this to boost the POD signal, though. I use it to combine the two POD outputs and the output from my Demeter pre. Two preamps, 3 outputs, one poweramp!!

Guinness voice on........

Brilliant!

....Guinness voice off

:D

[jpo259]

Originally posted by lug


Guinness voice on........

Brilliant!

....Guinness voice off

:D


:D

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259
The POD does allow me to get really, REALLY close approximations of just about any tone I hear. Chri Squire? No problem. Deep, fat, round low end? Next!!! Punchy, midrangy, with distortion?? Coming right up!!! ANYTHING I hear I can dial up in the POD.

PODs can emulate any tone, but I'm a believer that digital effects do not have the dynamic response that an analog pedal can.

I am curious as to what you are considering the "Ampeg sound" that you don't like. I personally love the SVT's and especially the SVT-2 (i think I prefer my Mesa/boogie), but the other amps are a different story. And I do think power tubes make a difference. I'm not enough of an expert to quantify it though.

That said, the next great distorto tone is a POD tone.

By the way folks, please do fill in any knowledge you have on the subject of bass distortion. At some point, I will make a list of different distortion types, and who uses them. I'm hoping especially for some info on Geddy's rig, I don't have much in that department.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


PODs can emulate any tone, but I'm a believer that digital effects do not have the dynamic response that an analog pedal can.




What do think about this??: running a POD into say, an ampeg using just the power amp section, like Ament does????

[phunkyhick]

Incubus' new bassist. Nice tones on the new record. Often uses a pick with flatwounds.

Basses:

-Epi Jack Casady
-Fender Jazz
-Lakland Joe Osborn
-Lakland Bob Glaub

Amps:

-Mesa M-Pulse (he's used about all of them on tour, with 4x10 and 1x15 RoadReady cabs)
-He recorded mostly direct, with a Bass POD to get a little fuzz.
-He occasionally used an Orange Guitar amp to get serious distortion.

Effects:

Big Muff
Octave?

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259
What do think about this??: running a POD into say, an ampeg using just the power amp section, like Ament does????

Ament does use the SVT preamp though, he slaves out the other sections. You could try it.

I'd really suggest trying an all tube amp, though. I can run direct into my computer and use RubyTube to get distortion, but it's just not the same.

Jeff moved from a lot of high powered fancy gear, and as his time went on, it got simpler and simpler. Riot Act was mostly just his P-Bass into his SVT and his SWR 6x10.

[phunkyhick]

Bootsy is famous for using his space bass and the MuTron.

He's also used some serious fuzz, check his solo albums.

I'm pretty sure he favors the Big Muff. In the '70's he used Ampeg SVT's for amps and his space bass.

The space bass has had many different configurations in the way of pickups.

But for Bootsy, dial in a warm tone, hit the MuTron and have the Big Muff ready to solo.

[Phyrexian]

interesting topic.

I'm a distortion/overdrive pedal freak (owning a Big Muff, EBS MultiDrive, Fulltone Bassdrive and a RAT) but I find the natural overdrive of my Ampeg SVT-3 Pro the best overdrive sound so far...

[lug]

I personally enjoy the crushing ditortion on the Pandora. Not even a hint of the orginal signal left. :D

[mrcrow]

been hacking away in the garage with my bddi
with drive full
it brings up the vol and makes the notes a bit more sustained
is that overdrive?
or is the bddi not capable of the true sound...
:(

[mench]

I've found myself a nice distorted sound with my Mesa D-180. It's got cascaded inputs so you can get a pretty nice driven sound. I'm currently playing a P-Bass or a Gibson Les Paul Special 5 String (Active) through it. It's quite tough to dial the tone in though, and not footswitchable between the clean sound. so it's all or nothing :)

Anyone know what Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five used to use? I know he was an ampeg/les paul man but I'm not sure what boxes he used.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


PODs can emulate any tone, but I'm a believer that digital effects do not have the dynamic response that an analog pedal can.




I pit my rig together in anticipation of getting the 'big gig' with this rock opera I'm involved in. Certain realities, as I see them, were factored in. First, stage monitoring-I don't need an amp or cabs. Second-house-a mic'ed cab wouldn't cut it in as well as a clean, clear, strong signal from something like the POD in Vegas, I don't think. As direct as direct can be WITH some kind of tone shaping (POD) seems right to me. (In order to get what I am looking for-wide tone and effects selection in real time)

I put the Demeter in my rig (Dem. HBP-1) for a really good, clean tube-preamp bass tone between my fingers and the house. The POD is for all the colour.(Pre's are A/B'd) And I went this way becuase, at many, many large venue shows I have seen in the past two years, even with world-class bass tones like Yes and Rush, Dream Theatre, Journey, the bass was relativley indistinct. NOT album-clear in terms of tone and effects. I'm not saying it was all mud. Far from it. But not nearly as distinct as say, Roundabout off Fragile. It was such a pervasive 'problem' form my standpoint, that it really turned my off of finding that 'perfect' tone. An amp rig and effects work well in small to med. venues. After that, you're at the mercy of the FOH. I'll be playing a gig in a med. venue Friday night. The sound guy dug my sound last week (I was using an SWR SM-400 with an Aggie 212.). Anyway, I told him about the POD/Demeter rig, and he will be running it FOH Friday night. I will be hanging out with him listening (I'll be wireless). I have been waiting for a moment like this to kinda valididate my idea for this rig. And, I'm really looking forward to hearing how the POD comes across through a pretty decent tri-ampd' PA, which this place has. Sound guy sounds like he knows what he's doing, too. Should be fun. I am going to deliberatley choose some very different sounding POD patches in the middle of tunes to see if they come across FOH distinctly. That is what I wish to happen. Oh, and I'll be out front, crowd or not, when we play Yellow Ledbetter!!!

[i_am_a_slacker]

Let's see, Cliff Burton...

Early photos of Cliff Burton show him using a Sunn Beta through a mystery 2x15 head.

During this time he appeared to still be using an unmodified Rickenbacker 4001 (4003?) in Burgandyglo.

Later photos show him with either an Ampeg SVT 1540 cabinet (4x10 + 1x15) or an early Mesa Boogie Road Ready 4x12 and 1x15. I have also seen several pictures of what looks like a Mesa 1x15 in a side fill position.

During this period, I believe Burton used a Mesa D-180. The D-180 is visible in some older magazine interviews. A quick search of Google Image Search turned up nothing. I own a D-180, and the sound is pretty consistent with the Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth sound.

His bass of choice at the time, a modified Rickenbacker (same Burgendyglo?) with a Gibson EB mudbucker in the neck and a Jazz pickup in the bridge position.

Later I believe he went to a black Alembic Spoiler and, after that was stolen, an Aria Pro II.

As for effects, I believe the Morley Power Wah Boost is correct, or at least the most common myth. I can't find any photographic evidence of him using a Big Muff.

The cascading channels of the D-180 make a pretty mean distortion, as pointed out previously. I could believe either the Mesa and/or the Muff were responsible for Cliff's tone. I have three or four Big Muffs of various vintage and can get that sound from any of them. Again the D-180 helps.

I will look around for pics of early Metallica to back my claims. Either that or you can go hit up your hesher uncle (we all have one) and look at his collection of old Circus or Kerrang!

Would you believe I am not that big of a Cliff Burton fan? This is more of a demonstration if my misspent youth.

Hope this helps.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by i_am_a_slacker
Let's see, Cliff Burton...


Thanks!

[phunkyhick]

In short, he uses detuned ESP basses with MM pickups and light strings, as well as 12 string basses, split into a Traynor Bassmaster YBA-1 for highs and Ampeg SVT's for lows.

More specifically:

Basses:
-Hamer 12 string
-Yamaha 12 string
-Yamaha BB 1200s 4
-ESP customs with Basslines APB-1 PU and high end booster circuits .040-.100 DR strings.

Amps:

A lot more can be seen here, Doug is a POD user live, too.

http://www.12stringbass.net/DougsRig.htm

[jpo259]

Originally posted by lug


Do you know the output level of the Pod?



POD XT outputs are -10dbV, FYI!!

[jpo259]

I LOVE IT when I can say I know my gear!!! So, hereabouts this thread, I;ve been ranting about the POD and Pearl Jam. So, there I was...........had to get the 'Yellow Ledbetter' tone. So, I give the recording a listen and determine it's a fretless through a SansAmp. At the next gig, I dial up a decent amp model (Aquilar DB-750) and dial up what I think will be the best distortion effect model to do this with-'Bass Overdrive'. That was two weeks ago. So, phunkhick posts' all that Jeff Amnet stuff. Pretty certain he used a fretless and a SansAmp for that recording. Guess WHAT???? The 'Bass Overdrive' effect on the POD IS the SansAmp model!!!! Whoooo Hooooooo! My ears and gears be working!!!!!!

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by jpo259
I LOVE IT when I can say I know my gear!!! So, hereabouts this thread, I;ve been ranting about the POD and Pearl Jam.

I'm hoping we can make this thread a sticky in the FAQ. I'm going to add a few more bassists, and then make a list of links to pedals and a list of users for each.

[phunkyhick]

Warwick Streamer II and Eden amps w/ 10's.

His distortion is the Big Muff.

[jpo259]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Doug is a POD user live, too.

http://www.12stringbass.net/DougsRig.htm



Good for Doug!!!!!!

Dude from Journey uses two of 'em. (Ross Valorey)

[jpo259]

Hey, phunkyhick, would you like a run-down of the distortion and overdrive boxes the POD emulates??????? Heck, I'm just gonna give it to ya, anyway!!

Tech 21 Bass SansAmp
Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808
'70s' ProCo Rat
'60s' Fuzz Face
Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Tychobrahe Ovtavia/fuzz
Meastro Bass Brassmaster


ALL of these different effects have different adjusting abilities based on the real thing. ALL of these effects have a distinct sound to them. And all of them are fun to experiment with in conjunction with the modeled amps and cabs and other effects. I had no problem getting a Ament tone using the Bass POD Pro XT. And I went with a combination of things that pretty much emulated what he actually used. And it sounds 'right'!!!!!! Fun, fun, fun!!!!!!!!!

[hish]

Here are some bassist with great overdriven tones that you should check out:

Peter Hook (Joy Division):
Rick copy w/ pick thorugh an overdriven Hiwatt, through a vox 2x15 I think. Listen to the songs "Glass" and "Digital" for some great bass tones.


Scott Reeder (The Obsessed, Kyuss, Unida, GoatSnake):
Why this guy didn't make it into Metallisucks when they were looking for a bassist is beyond me... he would have added that mean ass fingerstyle groove like only Cliff could have, anyhow,

In the Kyuss years he used a Rick thorugh 2 cranked vintage SVTs, through a 810 and a 215---AMAZING TONE!

Nowadays he uses the same amps/cabs but with a custom built Ibanez ATK.

Do yourself a favor and go buy the albums: Sky Valley, & The Circus Leaves Town... -- you'll thank me.

--

Also, check out the band SLEEP for some amazing, overdriven Sabbath-esque bass playing, eh, the guitars and drums arn't bad either =\

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by hish
Peter Hook (Joy Division):


I've seen more recent pictures of him using a hollowbody as well.

[phunkyhick]

Claypool has always had this weird ass tone, that always sounds good. I'm not a big fan of virtuoso bass playing, but I dig Les, simply because it sounds so ridiculously weird that it works, IMO. Les is like the modern day Black Sabbath.

In short, Carl Thompson 4 and 6 stringers into tube preamps, sansamp, and a multi-fx.

Basses: CT 4 and a fretless 6. I saw him use a Ric to play "Taxman" at a Frog Brigade show. He strings the 4's with two .80 strings, and two .40 strings

90's: ADA MP-1 pre into Mesa Boogie 400+ (direct out for recording), into Mesa 2x15. He later used only the ADA to go direct.

1999: Les began using an AMpeg SVT-3 instead of the Boogie

Frog Brigade (phenomenal tone): CT 4 string and NS Design 5 electric upright into Sansamp BDDI, Korg Toneworks AX300B (weird shit, not distortion) into an SVT-3, and a PR-410H. Settings on SVT-3 are gain 5 bass 3 mid 4 frequency 4 treble 1 master 9 tube gain 4.5, W-shaped EQ curve

Oysterhead: Recorded with same setup as above

Recent Primus: Same amp and bass setup (although he also hada Kramer 8 string), Line 6 DM4, as well as some vintage EHX and Korg stuff.

[PaRaDoX]

i picked up my self a create BT50 bass amp, it came with distortion :D i got a really good tone out of it, full shape and 3/4 gain, how ever the E string isnt good for it... it just creates static... its good mainly for the A, D and G string

(pulling teeth :D)

it sounds like guitar

[lug]

Originally posted by jpo259




POD XT outputs are -10dbV, FYI!!

Thanks for the info!

[jpo259]

Originally posted by lug


Thanks for the info!

Yer Welcome!!!!:D

[phunkyhick]

Pioneer in split signal bass tone.

Basses: Lots of them, but basically it boils down to Fender P, Gibson Thunderbirds (WHo's Next), and whatever the latest advancement in bass technology was, he had it. In late '75 he started playing Alembics. Then he started playing all graphite basses.

Amps: He started with 50 watt Marshalls, switched to Hiwatt all-purpose amps, and split his signal, one set for bass, one for guitar like tone. He then switched to Sunn Coliseums. He switched to Ashdowns not too long before he died, and was working with a 3-way split rig with a Trace Elliot v8 for mids, Line6 Guitar POD for highs all ran through Ashdown 2x12's

[MacIlwraith]

Originally posted by mench
Anyone know what Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five used to use? I know he was an ampeg/les paul man but I'm not sure what boxes he used.

That would be a green russian big muff pi

[The Ox]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Pioneer in split signal bass tone.

Basses: Lots of them, but basically it boils down to Fender P, Gibson Thunderbirds (WHo's Next), and whatever the latest advancement in bass technology was, he had it. In late '75 he started playing Alembics. Then he started playing all graphite basses.

Amps: He started with 50 watt Marshalls, switched to Hiwatt all-purpose amps, and split his signal, one set for bass, one for guitar like tone. He then switched to Sunn Coliseums. He switched to Ashdowns not too long before he died, and was working with a 3-way split rig with a Trace Elliot v8 for mids, Line6 Guitar POD for highs all ran through Ashdown 2x12's

He only used thunderbirds from quadrophenia on. Who's Next was all on his P.

[phunkyhick]

http://www.fulltone.com/images/bd_lg.jpg

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few of them, but I'm going to go through some of the distortion devices, and also put my own reflections on the ones with which I've had experience with. I'll start with the Fulltone BassDrive.

Users:

Jeff Ament
Jack Bruce
Tom Hamilton

I have this pedal, and personally think that it does a DeeDee Ramone style overdrive quite nicely. It does have a bit of a trebly hiss to it. If your bass has somewhat of a hocking sound in your throat, this pedal will bring it out. Not that it is a bad thing, not my preference though. I wish it was more growly and less hiss, but I still like it. I enjoy it, and think it is a great pedal. This is not the overdrive to get the Timmy C Audioslave sound, nor the smooth tube overdrive sound of James Jamerson. It does get pretty close to DeeDee overdrive, and the early Timmy C overdrive sound.

[phunkyhick]

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/images/e_BigMuffPi.jpg

I have had this one for a while. It is really a Fuzz more so than an overdrive. The fuzz happens more in the midrange, and it is a heavy pedal, thick fuzz in the midrange, not very hissy. If you try to play some slap lines on the E string it will sound pretty muddy unless you keep the sustain way down. Some people say that this pedal sucks low end, my suggestion is to turn up the volume. This is by no means a mild fuzz, but it sounds awesome, especially if you have tubes in your signal chain to smooth it out.

Great for fingerstyle. Listen to Moog keyboard bass, and imagine that sound with even more nastiness and fuzz, and you've got the Big Muff.

Users:

Cliff Burton
Dirk Lance
Ben Kenney
Bootsy Collins
Bill Laswell
Chris Chaney
P-Nut

[phunkyhick]

One of the first funk-metal bands, bassist Wyzard used Ampeg SVT-2's and a ProCo Rat distortion. He mostly plucks a '66 P-Bass.

[phunkyhick]

Most of the info I have here relates to Warning. He's a P-Bass guy, BAII bridges .045-.105 strings, and he's a picker.

Amps: For Warning, he used two Ampeg SVT's, one for clean sounds with Mullard preamp tubes and Svetlana power tubes, and another one with hotter bias with GE tubes in the pre and power sections. For the highs, he would use a Yamaha G100 guitar amp, which tended to be unreliable, and he would use a GK 800RB instead.

[phunkyhick]

I've heard a lot of comments on Lateralus' bass sound, and it is quite distinctive.

The Bass is a Wal 4 stringer.

Lateralus was recorded with 3 bass signals, one direct through Demeter pre. Clean tone was a Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+ through an 8x10, Overdrive was with a Mesa M-2000 through an 8x10. His distorto boxes were a ProCo Turbo Rat, and Sansamp GT2.

[phunkyhick]

http://www.tech21nyc.com/images/bass_driver_image.jpg

This is a popular pedal. The trick I discovered was to keep the treble high and the presence low. The presence is more like a super treble knob, it can get really piercing. Not my style, but not a bad thing. You need the treble knob up about 2/3 of the way to really appreciate this distortion. The distortion it provides is very mild, and it doesn't get real dirty. I had to run it on 100% blend and 100% Drive, however the sound it provided once I found the right balance between the knobs, it was beautiful, although I was left wanting just a smidgen more.

This pedal was used on "Down" by STP, however you cannot get that nasty nasal honk with this pedal alone, as he ran it through a couple of classic tube amps, cranked.

If you want a smooth, warm overdrive and don't want to lug the real thing (i.e. TUBE AMPS :D) around, this pedal is a fine option to run as a preamp or a mild distortion. You'll need something else for serious distortion though.

This pedal and the last three mentioned are a fine example of different terminology, the Sansamp is an Overdrive, the Bassdrive is more of a Distortion, and the Big Muff is a Fuzz.

Users:
Geddy Lee
Justin Chancellor
Jeff Ament
Robert DeLeo
Les Claypool
Doug Wimbish
Melissa Auf Der Mar

[phunkyhick]

http://www.procosound.com/images/rat2.jpg

Users:

Justin Chancellor (TurboRat)
Kim Gordon
Tony Kanal
Krist Novoselic (Check out "Breed")

http://www.procosound.com/ratindex.htm

I just got my TurboRat today, it IS a guitar pedal, but I did not detect an appreciable loss of bass, so yes it does work fine on bass. I think it is like the Big Muff in the bass response, you just turn it up a bit louder. A large reason to use distortion is to fill up more sonic space and be louder anyways. It sounds similar to the bassdrive, a little less sustain, less hiss, more growl. It is not as versatile as the Bassdrive, nor is it as crazy as the Muff. It may take the Bassdrive's spot on my pedal board, however I do really like the sound of flats through the Bassdrive.

ProCo says that the TurboRat has more gain and less sustain than the standard rat, and is the Rat of choice for bassplayers.

[sunburstbasser]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
I've heard a lot of comments on Lateralus' bass sound, and it is quite distinctive.

The Bass is a Wal 4 stringer.

Lateralus was recorded with 3 bass signals, one direct through Demeter pre. Clean tone was a Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+ through an 8x10, Overdrive was with a Mesa M-2000 through an 8x10. His distorto boxes were a ProCo Turbo Rat, and Sansamp GT2.

I didn't know that, but I do know a simpler way to get his tone.

First, you need a Stingray or similar instrument. I use a Cort GB-54. It needs stainless steel strings. Use a pick. Dial in a good slap tone on a GK amp with the boost knob turned up. I am serious when I say it was exactly the same as the recording of, say, "Schism." It sounded exactly like that opening bit.

[phunkyhick]

http://www.jimdunlop.com/products/electronics/mxr/products/images/m80_intro.jpg

This has just hit the market in the past couple of years. MXR's equivalent of Sansamp. It doubles as a DI, and is a pedal that I am interested in checking out.

Users:

Duff McKagan
Robert Trujillo
Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Chris Chaney
Jason Newsted
Twiggy Ramirez
Les Claypool

[phunkyhick]

http://www.line6.com/getdata?table=productModel_cutsheet&field=image_zip&id=4&name=bassPOD.jpg

Digital emulation technology. Not my cup of tea, as I'm an analog guy, but I gotta admit that there have been some nice tones, courtesy of the POD.

Ben Kenney
Doug Pinnick
Tony Kanal
Chris Chaney

[phunkyhick]

Lots of names here, crank it and you got distortion. A classic tone.

Geezer Butler
Paul Simonon
Dee Dee Ramone
Allen Woody (RIP)
Cliff Williams
Shavo Odadjian (sp?)
Jeff Ament

Just to name a few.

[phunkyhick]

http://www.marshallamps.com/images/products/vintage/images/1987xunit.jpg

A guitar head?!?!!?

Through the previous pages, this setup has popped up various times. It can be attributed to the sounds of Entwistle, Billy Cox, and Bruce, who used it as their main amp at some point. Entwistle later split his signal, and got guitar-like tones, not necessarily through a Marshall, but it started with Marshall.

On the new VR record Duff had a mic on a Marshall rig along with his GK rig, and blended it as necessary.

Flea played a Marshall on the most recent record.

The Guv'nor (Timmy C's distortion through most of Rage) is meant to sound like a hard driven Plexi.

Just goes to show that a product does not always need to be specifically for bass.

[sunburstbasser]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
http://www.marshallamps.com/images/products/vintage/images/1987xunit.jpg

A guitar head?!?!!?

Through the previous pages, this setup has popped up various times. It can be attributed to the sounds of Entwistle, Billy Cox, and Bruce, who used it as their main amp at some point. Entwistle later split his signal, and got guitar-like tones, not necessarily through a Marshall, but it started with Marshall.

On the new VR record Duff had a mic on a Marshall rig along with his GK rig, and blended it as necessary.

Flea played a Marshall on the most recent record.

The Guv'nor (Timmy C's distortion through most of Rage) is meant to sound like a hard driven Plexi.

Just goes to show that a product does not always need to be specifically for bass.

You forgot Chris Squire used Marshall Super Bass heads for his career, from the beginning until today!

What tracks did Flea use a Marshall on for By The Way? In the last interview I read he didn't mention it.

[phunkyhick]

Marshall Guv'Nor - Timmy C's pedal early on, although he used the older version. http://www.marshallamps.com/images/products/pedals/gv-2.html

Hao Rust Ride - http://www.godlyke.com/product.asp?item=116

Maxon OD820 - Oteil Burbridge's OD
http://www.maxonfx.com/od820.html

Budda Phatbass - http://www.budda.com/web/product_pedal_phatbass.html

EBS Multidrive - http://www.ebs.bass.se/products/blacklabel/drive/index.html

Frantone Lo-Tone - http://www.frantone.com/classic.html

Ibanez Phat-Hed - http://www.ibanez.com/accessories/spec.asp?m=21

GK DieselDawg - Seen with Duff's rig http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_artist_pro.html#

BOSS ODB-3 - http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=28 Flea uses it. I believe Marcus Miller uses a Boss FZ-3 Fuzz from BOSS.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by sunburstbasser


You forgot Chris Squire used Marshall Super Bass heads for his career, from the beginning until today!

What tracks did Flea use a Marshall on for By The Way? In the last interview I read he didn't mention it.

I don't know much about Chris Squire, I'm hoping someone will give a rundown of it.

Flea said it was on "I Could Die for You", but I think he's confused, I think it is on "Don't Forget me"

[phunkyhick]

Anyone think this thread is worthy of sticky in the FAQ?

[Phyrexian]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Anyone think this thread is worthy of sticky in the FAQ?

Absolutely! Great rundown of very useful information.
Keep up the good work!

[phunkyhick]

He's got a lot of pedals and basses, including:

Big Muff
Line 6 Bass POD
MXR M-80
Depth Charge OD
Z.Vex Wooly mammoth
Budda Phatbass

On "Price I Pay" from Jane's Addiction he got his tone from the M-80 and the Phatbass and some Boss Synth

[The Unknown]

Anybody know what the guy from Black Label Society used for his distortion on the Sonic Brew album ? It sounds great !

[SpaceGhost]

-Basses-
Rickenbacker 4001 (serial number DC127)
Custom triple neck bass (tuned top neck to bottom neck: AADDGG; EADG (fretted); EADG (fretless))
8-string built by Chicago luthier Eric Ranney
Fender Jazz bass
Green Mouradian 4-string
Westone Electra, from St. Louis Music
Lakland Joe Osborn Signature Series bass (finished in Inca Silver Metallic)
Warwick Streamer LX (fretless)
Several Michael Tobias basses, including a red five string bass that has his name inlaid in the neck

-Amps and Effects-
Marshall 100 watt Super Bass Amp and Marshall 4 X12 cabinet, two SVT-2 pro heads and two 8x10 SVT-810e cabinets, which sit behind him on stage (left).

The bass pedals are amplified by an SWR SM-500 head driving an Energy 2x15 cabinet, which is located under the drum riser.

On the floor in front of Chris is a custom pedalboard with buttons to activate preset effects combinations, as programmed by guitar tech Richard Davis. One button also toggles his combination Taurus/Dutron bass pedals, which sit off-stage.

The pedalboard is connected to a pre-programmed custom effects rack that organizes such things as a custom-built tremolo unit, a Maestro fuzz, a T.C. Electronic Stereo Chorus/Flanger, a Lexicon LXP-5 multi-effects, a Roland SRV 2000 reverb, an MXR 1500 delay, a Morley volume pedal, an octave divider, and an ADA preamp EQed for the low notes on the Tobias basses.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by The Unknown
Anybody know what the guy from Black Label Society used for his distortion on the Sonic Brew album ? It sounds great !

Not sure, but Mike Inez uses a Sansamp, and I think he's played with BLS.

[steers b-c]

Originally posted by phunkyhick
Check out some Sonic Youth. Couldn't find much info, but here's what I could dig up. She's been using the Gibsons lately. Her pedal is the ProCo Rat.

Everything Kim Gordon in terms of gear is here... (http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/eq/gear.html)

[phunkyhick]

http://www.jimdunlop.com/products/electronics/hendrix/images/Jimi-Hendrix-oactfux.gif

Kim Gordon (on "100%")
Timmy C (I'm pretty sure this is his mild distortion w/ audioslave)

I have this pedal as well, and it pretty much nails 100%, and if you calm it down a bit it NAILS Timmy C's midddle of the range distortion. Beautiful chainsaw, no hiss, more aarrrrgh.

EXCEPT!!! This pedal DOES eat up your low end, in a serious way. I consider the Muff and the Rat to be perfectly suited for unmodified use for bass, however, you'll need some way to keep the bass in your signal to use this pedal effectively on bass.

If someone figures that out, they are going to be pretty damn close to the Audioslave bass sound. I'm guessing that Timmy and his tech Armando Garcia have already figured that little problem out.

[sunburstbasser]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


I don't know much about Chris Squire, I'm hoping someone will give a rundown of it.

Flea said it was on "I Could Die for You", but I think he's confused, I think it is on "Don't Forget me"

Spaceghost gave the Squire rundown, so +1 to him.

I'll listen to the album when I get home. I'll try to see if his tone is any different on any songs besides "Cabron" where he used a Hofner.

[phunkyhick]

THe short version: Gibson Bass through ProCo Rat and SVT400, and Mesa/Boogie cabs.

THe long version: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/4395/1krist.htm

Bleach was recorded in 3 different sessions.

On In Utero, he used a Hiwatt head through a Marshall 4x12.

[phunkyhick]

bump, post any distorto-info you know

[sunburstbasser]

Cort GB-54 + Big Muff Pi + GK head + Avatar/Ashdown cabs=


Instant Around the World!

[bassplayinguy]

Originally posted by sunburstbasser
Cort GB-54 + Big Muff Pi + GK head + Avatar/Ashdown cabs=


Instant Around the World!
or jsut a use any bass with any amp and a Boss ODB3

[phunkyhick]

Anyone know what Nick Oliveri uses? I can't seem to dig up much on him

[oldivor]

Bump, this is FAQ worthy.


I think Sid used P-bass ans SVTs.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by mxpxfan
Bump, this is FAQ worthy.


I think Sid used P-bass ans SVTs.

True, but Sid didn't play much on the record.

Thanks for another FAQ vote.

[oldivor]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


True, but Sid didn't play much on the record.

Thanks for another FAQ vote.

I know.:D Steve Jones saved the record.:D Sid was a punk, but could not play worth jack.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by mxpxfan


I know.:D Steve Jones saved the record.:D Sid was a punk, but could not play worth jack.

I think they brought in a guy named Glen Matlock or something to play bass on the album, because Sid was unable to record at the time for some reason.

[oldivor]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


I think they brought in a guy named Glen Matlock or something to play bass on the album, because Sid was unable to record at the time for some reason.

Glen was the original bassist for the Sex Pistols, but they kicked him out for liking Paul McCartny(how ever you spell his last name) or some thing like that. When they recorded the ablum Sid was in the hospital for some thing, I forget. So Steve Jones recorded the bass. But Sid or Glen did record the bass track in Anarchy in the U.K.. IIRC

[megadan]

Originally posted by phunkyhick

some reason.

aka Heroin ;)



and yes, this would be good for the FAQ. PM JA maybe?

[oldivor]

Originally posted by megadan


aka Heroin ;)


I thought it was some kind of sexual disease. :confused:

[megadan]

Originally posted by mxpxfan


I thought it was some kind of sexual disease. :confused:

It probably was, I really have no idea :D :p

[oldivor]

Originally posted by megadan


It probably was, I really have no idea :D :p

:mad: http://ebassist.com/vb3/images/smilies/bonk.gif

smart...

:p :D :p

[phunkyhick]

Don't have a lot of him, but this picture may be helpful to see what his effects are if anybody can identify them.

http://www.tt.net/likehell/photos/more99/lh-11.jpeg

It looks like he has a Mesa/Boogie V-Twin pre in the pic, as well as a Moogerfooger.

I've seen him with a Gibson Ripper, a Les Paul Bass, a Fender Jazz, standard Fender P, and a Fender P special, and he's a picker.

I've seen him use the P's the most, though. He uses Ampeg SVT's and 8x10's. I'm guessing he just cranks them up live.

[Andy Rontal]

When push comes to shove, the only overdrive I'd want is the warm, mushy overdrive that Phil Lesh had on his rig in '74. If any of you are familiar with Dick's Picks 11 or 12 (one of those I think), he uses an overdrive in his brief solo on Other One that deeeeeeelicious. Killer.

For distortion, I like the crackly distortion that Flea gets on the opening of All Around THe World. It sounds like a fire breathing dragon.

I need some kind of fuzz pedal that will do both of these tones. Anyone help me get the wool out?

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by Andy Rontal
I need some kind of fuzz pedal that will do both of these tones. Anyone help me get the wool out?

I would suggest looking at the Fulltone BassDrive. It has a Boost channel that could get you the Flea sound, and also a standard channel that you can turn just a bit of overdrive on.

I've heard that it uses similar circuitry to the Tube Screamer, so it should produce some nice mild overdrive.

[playlikeumeanit]

heres one for you-
i would very much like to know what kind of things claypool uses when he plays his whamola. Theres some kind of crazy crazy envelope filter on it with some od. its a crazy sound.

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by playlikeumeanit
heres one for you-
i would very much like to know what kind of things claypool uses when he plays his whamola. Theres some kind of crazy crazy envelope filter on it with some od. its a crazy sound.

Probably his Korg pedalboard. I think it is an AX300B or something.

[sunburstbasser]

Originally posted by phunkyhick


I would suggest looking at the Fulltone BassDrive. It has a Boost channel that could get you the Flea sound, and also a standard channel that you can turn just a bit of overdrive on.

I've heard that it uses similar circuitry to the Tube Screamer, so it should produce some nice mild overdrive.

The BassDrive is like the ultimate Tube Screamer. The Jacques Tube Blower is actually much closer, circuit wise, to the original TS-808. The Fulltone is about 3x what the 808 was, though.

[playlikeumeanit]

I used to be completely obsessed with flea so i know a bit abt his stuff.

Im pretty positive that in his live rig he has a few more effects than mentioned previously. he has an odb-3 which you mentioned, a q tron(power of equality), a bass cry baby, and an mxr micro amp. And i think that instead of a mutron on sir psycho it was a bassballs?

[phunkyhick]

Originally posted by playlikeumeanit
I used to be completely obsessed with flea so i know a bit abt his stuff.

Im pretty positive that in his live rig he has a few more effects than mentioned previously. he has an odb-3 which you mentioned, a q tron(power of equality), a bass cry baby, and an mxr micro amp. And i think that instead of a mutron on sir psycho it was a bassballs?

He does have all those but they aren't really distortions. He has a Bassballs, which was used on OHM. He no longer brings the wah on the road.

But I'm pretty damn sure that SIr Psycho was a Mutron with the batteries nearly dead.

[playlikeumeanit]

yea i mean i know those arent all distortions, i was just adding some more to the rig you were giving, just in case people wondered what else was up there. you may very well be right about the mutron thing, but my band covered that song and i used a bassballs and it sounded just like it, so i had just always thought that he used that on the album. plus i had never seen a mutron listed anywhere in the gear lists ive found abt him. but u very well could be right

[phunkyhick]

I only have recent info on him, but it's good.

Sansamp BDDI for OD. Fender Jazz is the bass. Runs into Avalon DI for clean sound and then to a Trace Elliot Quattrovalve head which runs to a speaker simulator.