I would like to see suggestions for round-wound, stainless steel strings for use in standard D tuning on Ibanez SRX-300 bass guitar. I am looking for an aggressive and bright sound.

Thanks in advance !

Just saying, are you learning some songs right now? I'm about to learn the whole Control Denied - Breaking the Broken bassline.

I was wondering if anyone knows Peter Steele's setup? I've searched around and it seems that he used a few different basses. Apparently, he used a custom Fernandes, a Washburn M-10 (which is now discontinued) and an Esh bass, but that's about all I've found. If anyone has more details, I'd like to know since I think I'm going to be getting a bass and I'd like to get one similar to one that he used.

Also, what is the bass he used in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARN29cPv0VM

Hey guys, I play in a black metal band and our songs seem to have more and more sludge influences, so I thought it would be nice to buy a fuzz pedal in order to get some variation in tone. The problem is that I don't know anything about pedals, so I wanted to ask whether this one (Electro Harmonix Bass Big Muff http://www.klangfarbe.com/shop/detail.p ... 001&back=3) would be a reasonable choice for what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance!

Edit: And if somebody could recommended me a nice, sturdy and easy-to.use floor tuner that isn't too expensive, it would be great as well.

Behringer is the way if you don't mind to have a plastic pedal (not really that fragile anyway)

I purchased DR Lo-Riders. 50 - 110. Still waiting for them to arrive. Will report on installing them.

So I'm going to have around 400 euros to spend on a bass, and I came across Stenmore basses. They look really good, but I can barely find anything on them online. I won't have time to go check them out for now because I'm going to be busy with exams next month. Can someone tell me if they're any good?

Well hai, fellow bassists.
Here's the only bass cover I have up atm, if anyone wants to critique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SA3dLffj0s

Another thing, I had posted this same message on a couple other forums, but if anyone would be willing to help out:

"Guitar Center is apparently having a huge sale on Friday (up to 88% off stuff), and all I have atm is the practice amp that came with this package. As far as prices go, I'd rather not spend over about $700, but will the amp cost more in the long run (IE maintenance, or just ending up getting another one down the road)? Keep in mind something that was original $1000 may now be below $700, for example, so I may get a slightly higher quality product than what the price would seem to show.
I was thinking of going with an Orange amp, if I could find a decent one within that price. Maybe a Peavey or Ibanez. "

Since then, I've also gotten lots of recommendations to go with an Ampeg. Anyone know what would be best? I plan to use it for gigging as well as recordings.

Ampeg SVT rules but are expensive as hell. I have good experiences with Hartke and Aguilar - the latter is expensive as well, but since you're going there, try before buy and have a look for these brands.

edit: DONT buy Ibanez.

Alright. Again, I think it'll just be down to what they have in the price range, and what I can try out, etc. Why not Ibanez, out of curiosity?

Everybody's got their own likes and dislikes whether or not based upon experience. He probably had some bad experience. My only experience with Ibanez is in the guitar department and that was always very satisfactory.
I do have some preferences as well. I would steer away from Behringer and cheaper brands and go for Ampeg (if affordable), Marshall, Hartke, Gallien Kruger, Ahwdown (again if affordable), Trace Elliot or Aquilar. I don't have hands on experience with all of them but some are widely known because of their quality and sound. I myself own a Marshall DBS 7200 Head and have owned a Trace Elliot valve head and I started out on a Dynacord Bass amp.
All good amps but it is always a matter of what you like best yourself so everything you like without playing through them should first be tested before a final verdict. The best way to test is to use a setup that resembles your own setup so you will hear the differences better.

Ah.
I ended up getting an Acoustic B210 neo cab, with an Ampeg PF-500 amp.
Pretty happy with it, if nothing else, because the Ampeg looks fuckin awesome when it's on and glowing haha. Still trying to tweak EQ settings to my liking. I liked that it came with a compression knob; open strings ringing out and drowning everything else out has been a problem for me when plugged in, with my previous amp.

There were also some really nice Mark Bass amps that I wanted and stared at for a bit but those were up in the thousands haha. Anyone know anything about em?

I've got one of these little things : http://www.markbass.it/product_detail.php?id=71

Surprisingly, I think I've managed pretty nice sound out of it. Sounds like shit if I've got the Variable Pre-Shape Filter off, though. I don't even know what VPF is supposed to do, really. Sounds sort of like a compressor. It's got some sort of piezo tweeter crap built into it, but you can remove the head from the combo, or attach a cab to it through the line out. Anyway, the thing is light as hell, the entire combo seems to weigh la quarter as much David Eden head. It's very, very portable. I got mine for around $1500, AUD. Keep in mind, everything is much more expensive in Perth than in the US, especially music gear.

From what I've observed, Markbass make very lightweight gear that sounds better than you would expect. I've not played much of their top end gear for very long, nor have I had the luxury of playing through a plethora of amps from different manufacturers, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

Ah. Hell, they just look cool actually xD But yeah even the smaller combos I tried at Guitar Center seemed pretty good actually, as you said.
And don't worry, I'm in that same scenario myself haha.

I'm going to soon be converting a cheap fretted bass into a fretless one. I like fretless but with a marked neck. Do y'all think it would be practical to mark the quarter-tones as well as the semitones (as normal?)

(In other words: marked D / D 1/4 sharp / D# / D 3/4 sharp / E etc.)

Also, I'm thinking of having a split coil in the center (which is what the bass to be modified has now) and installing a humbucker in the bridge. This combo seems rather rare on most of the production basses I've seen, but I can't see why. Does anyone know if this is overall a bad idea?

I've also seen some with a pickup that can be switched between single coil, humbucker, and split coil? Anyone have any experience with these? Worth the time/money/trouble? Would two of these (one center, one bridge) be a bad idea?

FWIW if it helps, I play all different versions of metal, plus grunge and noise music. My metal tends towards the extreme side (mostly southern sludge sometimes mixed with death or blackened death). I usually (90%) play with my fingers, and when I do use a pick, it's usually because I'm doing fast double/triple/quadruple stops.)

Thanks

About the conversion of a fretted bass to a fretless: Bear in mind that some of the stiffness of the neck comes from the frets! If you replace the frets with fretlines you will already know where what is. Any more markings would make the fretboard look too busy. Besides: when does a guitar play the in between sharp and flat notes? Furthermore: do remember that when playing fretless you have to hammer the note right on or else you are out of key with the rest of the band!

About the pick-ups: a pick-up that can be switched to various configurations always gives you more versatility tone-wise so if that is what you are looking for that is what you should get.
I have a bass of which I converted the pick-up from split to fullscale humbucker which I can switch to single coil as well. This gives me enough to play with and I like it this way. You will have to decide for yourself what you realy like. The positive thing is that with a switchable pick-up you will have all the possibilities and if you don't like one of them you just don't flip the switch to that position.
Do bear in mind that a Humbucker will almost always have a higfher output than either a split coil or single coil setup so you will have to compensate for the decrease in output when switching from humbucker to one of the other configs!

What do people think about Darkthrone's Soulside Journey bassist, Dag Nilsen? I honestly think he did very well for that particular album, and I never understood why he wasn't invited back. To my understanding, there did not seem to be any conflict between him and the band, so why not have him back?

Also, does anybody know if this guy had any other work aside from SSJ? Or did he just drop off the face of the Earth afterwards?

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dag+Nilsen
Maybe this will help?

I'm going to have around 500-550 euros for a bass, preferably a 4-string. Can anyone give me a recommendation?

Also has anyone every used Thomann? Any good?

It's the other way around: he left the band himself after the A Blaze in the Northern Sky recordings. You would've known this if you'd checked the pages here on MA.


Again, you could've answered your second question by checking out his artist profile here http://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Dag_Nilsen/29 That's quite a list of releases besides SSJ on which he played. Apparenty, he hasn't been involved in any other projects and given the fact that he chose to leave Darkthrone, I suppose he just wasn't that much into making metal actively anymore.

http://www.google.nl/search?q=buying+a+ ... =firefox-a
This is a Google link where you can find different buying guides for Bass guitars.
In the end it all comes down to what do you like and what do you want!? Try to play the bass before buying it or else you might end up with a Bass guitar that doesn't feel right in your hands.
If you do not insist on a new instrument try to get a good second hand one for this way you can get a better Bass for the same price as a lesser one that is new!
Good fun with it and let us know what you have bought!

All right, this is my lesson about metal bass gallop and playing powerful bass triplets in metal, as well as the proper way to hit the strings etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRIlk14xxPo

i dont see why people gotta hate on picks all the time ._.
i can use 2-3 fingers, i got my calluses and shit, but it just sounds soooo much cleaner with a pick, the only reason so many people choose not to use them is because of the stigma behind picks. if you can play well, who gives a sack of aids about an inch of thin plastic, camaaaaaaaan guuuyyys

Some of the greatest Bassplayers used picks instead of their fingers so in that light the whole discusiion is useless whatsoever. It doesn't matter how you play the instrument its what comes out that matters!

Hey guys, I have a slight problem. I seem to get a lot of fretbuzz on my low E string, compared to the other strings. What's more, when I play hard on it while recording DI, it always makes these big blurps and clips throughout (I have a pretty hard playing style, somewhat Newsted-esq I suppose).
Anyone know whether I could tighten or loosen anything on the bridge or neck to help with this?

(Yes, I'm mostly a pick player, as I play thrash =p)

Do you know if the Buzzing is concentrated on specific frets or not? If so, it might be a good idea to get your frets levelled.
Of not you might take a look at how straight your neck is, highten the action on your E string or maybe check the nut at the E string.
These four are the most occurring problems when referring to fretbuzz.

As for the sound during recording: these might be related to the buzzing problem. So I would first solve the buzzing problem and after that check if the other problem still exists. If it does you might want to take a look at how you are striking your strings.
It might be that you strike them while aiming them towards the pick-up. In that case you will get a lot of additional noises you really don't want to hear.
If that is the problem with your striking technique you might try to strike your strings parallel to the pick-ups. This will result in less blurps and clips.

I ended up getting an LTD B-154, I'm very happy with it, however It seems to be cutting off from the amp sometimes, the cable fits in perfectly but the sound it shorting out (I don't know if I'm explaining myself well). My teacher thinks it may just be some dust because he checked the wiring and its fine, so it's probably just a two- second job, but I'm going to take it to the shop to look into it nonetheless

1. it sounds different
2. what kind of argument is that??

I have always played bass with a pick... But from time to time I play with fingers to get more diverse. Kinda like that Dark Angel bass player, who plays with a pick most of the time but at occasions he use fingers in the same song, which is something I like to do too.

Thing is... Music and the way it's played just can't have any boundaries, otherwise you wouldn't even have any fucking electric basses at all... Jimmy Page should be executed for playing guitar with a violin stick, and Hendrix using his teeth... Actually if you want to keep music REAL as it was from the beginning, then it's only allowed to do what the human body can do. Clap your hands, sing, scream, fart...

Hear hear! I wish more people were that much open-minded!

Dyou think it's just worth just paying for a setup from a professional (IIRC that's what it's called when they fix issues like a bowed neck or loose bridge and all that). I think that may be the problem, the neck is bowed slightly around the middle. There's more space between string and neck at around the 12th fret, than the 1st or last. I dont think it's coincidence that the buzz is a lot worse there.
I'm a complete nub with this sorta stuff, how would I go about raising the action? Never done any of it before. Also, how do I adjust the truss bar (that's what'll help with the bowing, correct)?

If you don't know how to do it yourself better ask a professional but ask how they do it. That way you may learn how to do it yourself.
There must be tutorials about the subject on the net I guess but since I am allowed to call myself a luthier I never searched for them as I already know it.
I'll post another reply later this week with some detailed information about setting up if you like but I am a bit pressed for time at the moment.

Yeah I'll probly just end up doing that.
Up to you, thanks tho.

I've been wondering this for a while, but I can't seem to find a satisfying answer: I play with my fingers and always have, and while I can play relatively fast, I usually don't hold out that long in very fast BM songs (anything Transilvanian Hunger, for example). I can keep the pace for about 30 secs before I start to slow down and get cramps. Is there any technique to learn this other than just trying it a lot? I could play faster with a pick, but I'm horrible at playing with a pick and generally find it uncomfortable, so I was wondering if there's any secret to mastering this or if I just have to keep biting the dust for the time being.

How long have you been playing the Bass? If not too long you should really practice more for that builds the needed stamina.
If you have been playing for quite some years it might be that you are experiencing a limitation. The only way to come around that is to try and do some other things and not just focus on the speed. I would even advice you to quit practicing on your speed for some moths and then pick it up again. Soemtimes you need a break from the well known patterns and do something completely different before going back there and then you might see that it will work better then!
About playing with a pick: if you need to play fast and consistantly because of gigs or recordings and it will not happen by means of your fingers then don;t limit yourself by sticking to fingerstyle only. I started out as a fingerplayer myself and have switched to pick for just the same reason as what you are experiencing now. Playing with a pick added to playing fingerstyle makes you more versatile and that can never be bad!

If you're actually feeling pain and cramping up, there's probably a technique problem there, speaking as primarily a pick player.

Technically I've been playing bass for 8 years, but that's a bit misleading since there have been multiple periods, sometimes lasting as long as a year, in which I barely touched my bass guitar. I started playing actively again a couple of months ago, and since then I've improved my skill, yet playing fast remains a problem that is probably either stamina-related, like you suggested, or technique-related, like the poster before me said. I doubt the latter is very probable, though, as I actually had classes during my first four years, so I've learned how and where to position my fingers and such.

By the way, I have nothing against pick playing and would even like to master it, but the thing is that I make it sound terrible whenever I use one, as you can often hear the pick grinding against the strings if you know what I mean. I use a 1mm hard plastic pick, so maybe it's too thin?

Thinner plectra sound thin, in my experience. I use Dunlop jazztone 208s, myself, I think they're about 2mm. I tried playing with a Fender medium, nothing but treble, man.

What EQ settings dyou have on your amp and bass? Those would be affecting it too. I play with the same size pick, but find I'm able to mostly hide that scraping sound by putting treble at about 11 o'clock, and upping the mids a little.

Edit: Disregard what I said in my last post, sorry. Misunderstood you.

I am going to be starting an atmospheric black metal project soon, and I was wondering what would be a good way to add a little bit of reverb to my bass tone.

Thanks, any help is appreciated.