Bottom Feeder Series:How Bass Axeman Can Finangle The Shit Kickinist,Dirtiest Tone Know To Mankind

"And it ain't from Using Strictly Humbuckers and a Marshall Stack"

Been a while since I've done a good Bottom-Feeder article.So I was due.

But my critcizers are in full force out there saying I don't know shit about music,and I'm a  terrible writer. Good--Bring it on!!

You've been playing your bass to set lists your frontman left you and you think you've been just bloody crushin' it! Then your band starts recording your practice's,Jams and live gigs, but your tone seems to be getting lost and obliterated in the mix. What to do?

Chances are you're playing hard enough and alternating between using a pick and your fingers,but it still isn't cutting it.Hell,you've been using Humbuckers strictly,but to no avail.

What the hell you gonna do now?

Here's what to do. Change your pickups to a combination of a single and hum,instead of just Hums. Reason is with strictly hums your tone may be too low or just blasts too much over lead guitar and drums,to be useful. You'll only need to change the neck pickup to a single coil. You already have a Hum in the Bridge position,so you're good. I also have a good pickup replacement and installing video on the site with the one and only Seymour Duncan showing you how to do just that. It's an important video.

Okay,after you've done all that use a good distortion stompbox.Go to your local music shop and test several out. Don't use the first one that comes along.having a stomp will help you out when you need some girth in your bottom feeder tone on more melodic heavy material. But don't use a stomp exclusively over a good Ampeg or SWR amp's overdrive or gain knob. Keep it simple guys. Keep your heavy music tone brutal though yet keep an attack that feeds the lead guitar and drums without cutting into the whole band's mix and overdo it. Be melodic and midrange like when you need to, But keep that heavy music bottom down like the pro bottom feeder you are.

Also,remember to keep recording when you play alone to set lists,cover material and your band's jams, reheasals and live work.So, keep a close eye on whether your bass tone gets lost in the shuffle or it's getting better,grittier,dirtier and just shit kickin'. That last part is a good thing. This will take lots of time and practice fellow Bottom-Feeders.When you figure out how to tweak your bottom feeding just right,you'll know you hit the note,and your brutal bass power has other band's and fans going nuts over you.

Email me for more Bottom Feeder tips.

mdgrove@rock.com