# Buying first proper bass amp/How do I get brutal metal tone with "sharp" attack



## Ultraussie (Jul 10, 2014)

I'm relatively new to bass, being primarily a guitar player.
I am looking for my first proper bass amp for gigging, currently using a peavy vyper guitar amp for practice which isnt ideal.


I was thinking of getting something like this 
Peavey Tour TNT®115 600w 1x15" Bass Guitar Combo Amplifier|Allans Billy Hyde Price! $599.00 - Allans Billy Hyde. Australia's leading music store.
Its really cheap for its size so i thought it looked like a good deal


But I play bass in a metalcore band (think parkway drive style metalcore) and I want a bass tone thats not going to get neglected in the mix. Since most of the time I'm following the guitars (and if I'm not I have to play simpler stuff), I blend into the mix 90% of the time.
I wanna get a cutting, agressive bass tone that cuts through, even during monotonous low register chugging breakdowns and stuff
I play with both pick and fingers depending on the song.

For examples of what I mean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeRWaIh5Hw#t=105 the *DING DING DING DING* part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db7LZd8F7YY#t=37 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJd0Gsb4fT4


I also like Alex Webster's tone but it probally wouldn't sound anything like the others when playing breakdowns and he only really cuts through when playing stuff different from the guitars


Could I acheive that tone with the amp I'm looking at buying?

My bass is pretty much this, it has active pickups
Used Ibanez SR370 4-String Electric Bass Guitar Brown Burst | Musician's Friend

I'm in Drop B using heavier .110 -.50 gauge strings


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## cGoEcYk (Jul 10, 2014)

What kind of rigs are your guitarists using?

I've never tried the TNT myself but have doubts about it having the massiveness needed to cut through both loud drums and loud guitars in a satisfying manner.

Sansamp BDDI (or similar) is a great and easy to find pedal that can give you that more aggressive clangy metal tone and also a little OD. It's an awesome enhancement to any amp that doesnt have an ideal aggressive voice naturally. 

A little OD (like just some crust on the edge of your tone, not all fuzzed out) will help you in the mix too. If you are rich get a Darkglass B7K. They can pull off instant modern tone.

To enhance your presence in the mix, try dialing in the amp with the bass knob flat or slightly cut and boost low midrange instead (100-200 Hz) while raising your master volume higher. Low mids tend to cut through better and keep the overall mix tighter/less muddy. In general I'd dial in a little bit of extra midrange and upper mids so that your tone is a bit "harsh" solo. When the whole mix you got to cut through is added in, the harshness will round out and you will end up with the tone you actually want. It's like u have to overcompensate just a little. So maybe dial in for an awesome tone relative to the mix, not how the bass sounds when you are by yourself (aka "bedroom tone").

Playing aggressively will help you get that aggressive tone. "tone is in the fingers" stuff.

For drop B I'd use heavier strings... at least .125. You may need to adjust the action on your bass if you go heavier though.


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## TedEH (Jul 10, 2014)

I had the Peavey Tour 700, and if the TNT is anything similar, it's probably not what you want. For me, it got lost in a a mix pretty easily. I agree with getting Sansamp stuff though. 

The examples you gave all sound pretty different to me though. Maybe aim for versatility instead of one particular sound.


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## TemjinStrife (Jul 10, 2014)

Tech 21 VT Bass can add some of the sharp clanky attack you're looking for, or can do warm and fat as well.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jul 10, 2014)

TemjinStrife said:


> Tech 21 VT Bass can add some of the sharp clanky attack you're looking for, or can do warm and fat as well.







And don't forget about having pretty low action.


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## gingerman (Jul 11, 2014)

+1 for "tone is in the fingers".
I used to play bass with a pick, and I was never satisfied with the sound, both solo and in a mix. Then I stumbled across this and it changed my bass approach completely. 
Now doing it with 3 fingers gives me awesome tones even out of a cheapish Warwick Rockbass with old strings. The bonus is the ability to affect the sound with fingers only by changing the way you hit strings and where you hit them.
This made the biggest difference to my bass tone in ~3 years, and I really did try lots of recording and mixing techniques. Try it with your current rig before spending any money.


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## Spinedriver (Jul 11, 2014)

I'd highly recommend the VT Bass pedal as well. I have one and it's never turned off when I play.

As for an amp, I don't know if you have the budget for it but a head & 2x10 or 4x10 cab would work MUCH better to cut through in a band situation. 

As for brands, Ampeg or Gallien-Krueger are exactly what you're looking for. The Portaflex PF-500 or GK 700RBII are pretty popular with rock and/or metal players.


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## Leuchty (Jul 11, 2014)

Go 4x10 where possible.

Get a preamp pedal (VT Bass, Sansamp BDDI, etc.)

look for used Galien Kruger, ampeg or SWR amps.

For a combo amp look for a David Eden Nemesis 4x10. (which a can help with )


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## Yo_Wattup (Jul 11, 2014)

1. Get a sansamp (one of the ones with EQ), a vanilla PA power amp and a 4x10
2. Win


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## Veldar (Jul 12, 2014)

Yo_Wattup said:


> 1. Get a Darkglass B7K, a vanilla PA power amp and a 4x10
> 2. Win



Fixed.


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## david_pri (Jul 14, 2014)

I recommend Tc Electronic BG250


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## Spinedriver (Jul 15, 2014)

Veldar said:


> Fixed.



Kinda depends on the OP's budget. A Tech 21 VT Bass or Sansamp BDDI are about half of what a B7K costs and are just about as good. The Darkglass has a few more features but you can easily get a great tone out of both.


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## TemjinStrife (Jul 18, 2014)

Agreed. The B3K/B7K are nice, but incredibly expensive for what they do. I ended up buying and returning a B7K and going back to my VT Bass.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Jul 18, 2014)

Darkglass Duality is cheaper than the B7/B3 with less in-depth features/controls.

I'm really enjoying mine and it has improved overall tone and ease of achieving a great tone. Being able to blend the distorted signal with the clean signal really allows you to shape how aggressive you want to sound while still maintaining that heavy low-end via the clean signal.

I play both finger and pick and it sounds tight and aggressive either way. I can mute the bass very easily as well almost as if there is a subtle noise gate within. Great for fast technical metal with a lot of pauses/mutes.
Handles down to F# very well. Seems to have improved my string to string balance as well, whereas before the B would ring out and the F# was a quiet loose fart.

I haven't used/tried many bass amps, but I can definitely recommend a 410 to bring out that tight low-end response. Produces a much tighter sound than my 212cab and combos. I find the sound projection to be very forward and drops in volume once you step to a side.


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## iron blast (Jul 19, 2014)

I reccomend buying something used with 10" speakers and run a sansamp or dark glass as far as strings go 110 is far too loose for b I use a 145 on 34" scale basses


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